The Peruvian National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE) and UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Empowerment of Women, today signed a cooperation agreement in order to increase women's participation in political life of the country and a promote gender equality agenda.
As reported by ONPE, the agreement seeks to incorporate a gender focus in elections, gather statistical and qualitative information concerning women situation and gender equality and strengthen the capacities of key actors in the national and regional process.
Some of the planned activities include diagnosing gender gaps in electoral processes, so that value is added to all ONPE’s actions of competence.
Other activities seek to enhance capacities of both electoral actors and the organization for gender equality, and contribute to the generation of knowledge on the subject.
This agreement becomes a fundamental step in the search for measures that contribute to the full exercise of women’s rights in order to strengthen democracy and cooperate on the development of the country.
The agreement was inked by UN Resident Coordinator a.i. and UN Women Representative a.i Maria Luisa Silva, and ONPE’s head Mariano Cucho Espinoza.
Silva praised the organization’s attempt to promote gender alternation during the debate on electoral reform.
She also said Latin America is still far behind in terms of women’s political participation, as demonstrated in the still low female presence in parliaments.
Cucho, in turn, noted that 50.4% of the voting population are women and stressed they will be those who choose the new authorities in the upcoming elections.
(END) NDP/CCR/RMB
Published: 5/26/2015