Ulaanbaatar
Female MPs to partner in increasing women’s participation at decision-making level
Society
Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. On August 19, Deputy Speaker S.Odontuya received representatives led by Deputy Resident Representative of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Kim Soo-Young. With the participation of Head of the Women’s Group in the parliament D.Sarangerel and MP Ts. Munkhtsetseg, the sides discussed the project on gender equality at the decision making level and supporting women’s participation being implemented at the initiative of KOICA.
Mongolia ranked 58th out of 149 countries in the 2018 Gender Gap Report from the World Economic Forum, while ranking 65th among 189 countries for its gender inequality index, and 121st among 193 countries for women’s participation in decision-making.
Following the 2020 parliamentary election, 13 women were elected as Members of Parliament, which takes 17 percent of the total MPs. The percentage is 4-7 percent less compared to global statistics as well as those of Asian countries. On the other hand, women take 60 percent of executive state officials and 30 percent of mid-level executive officials in Mongolia.
The UNDP and KOICA decided to implement the project in aims of supporting the provision of gender equality in Mongolia and compliance of international obligations, informed the representatives.
In turn, Deputy Speaker S.Odontuya expressed her willingness to provide comprehensive support for the project and said, “Despite the growth in the capacity of our women’s knowledge and skills, participation at the decision-making level continued to lack. Women that have been elected for the parliament from any political parties are able to work together in order to resolve pressing issues in society. The women MPs of this term will be focusing on about 10 issues in society today, including the protection of children and women’s rights, gender equality and its provision, protection of men’s health, welfare services for the elderly, and the fight against all forms of violence and abuse.”
MPs D.Sarangerel and Ts.Munkhtsetseg also expressed their views on pressing issues in increasing women’s participation at the decision-making level. Noting the necessity for reform in the legal environment on the matter and the addition of detailed regulations on the quota of women as well as financial support for female candidates in the laws on all levels of elections and political parties, they highlighted the importance of advocacy work to change the public perception about the issue.
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