Afghan Women Parliamentarians

EDM number 1029 in 2005-06, proposed by Joan Ruddock on 15/11/2005.

That this House congratulates all the 189 women who were successfully elected as representatives in Afghanistan's parliamentary assembly and provincial elections on 18th September; recognises the challenges that all 550 women candidates faced during the campaign, including intimidation, conservative traditions and lack of resources; calls on the international community to provide appropriate resources for capacity building amongst parliamentarians with particular emphasis on the needs of women; and notes that the constitutional quota of 25 per cent. for the parliamentary assembly was more than met, with women ahead of men in some areas, and that as a consequence, Afghanistan will be around 20 places ahead of the UK in the world league table for percentage of women members in national parliaments.

This motion has been signed by a total of 95 MPs.