A joint sitting of ex-United States Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright and Iryna Herashchenko, the First
Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in combination with a variety
of the core ministerial and parliamentary high ranking officials was held
within the visit of the National Democratic Institute (NDI)
Board of Directors delegation, led by M. Albright,
the Chairman.
In the forefront of
the meeting debates stood women’s role in the authorities and peacekeeping
processes, coping with gender stereotypes by society,
introduction of gender equality etc.
The Inter-Faction Association
(IFA) “Equal Opportunities” - rallying up fifty two parliamentarians of six
fractions and groups - being presently on quite active footing, was well
informed about to the American delegates. Its activities are focused on gender
equality introduction, involvement of women into political processes, promotion
of gender quotas.
Ratification of the Istanbul
Convention is at present the foremost task for the Ukrainian Parliament, although
some backward powers have intensely been trying to trip it up, taking great
pains over the gender gambles.
A good deal of attention was paid
at the meeting to stepping up female presence in peacekeeping activities. Quite
illustrative to that end were the announced figures of over twenty one thousand
women serving in the Army, just 3,209 of which being officers – the apparent under-fills
as per the NATO and EU standards.
High on the agenda was also
opposing the human rights violations over the occupied territories. The First
Vice-Speaker made it public that 129 Ukrainian hostages of both the genders
held thus far illegally in the uncontrolled areas, topped up the eleven
Ukrainians and dozens of Crimean Tatars seized by Russia directly.
‘We do call on for a stiffened
public response of the world community to these glaring misdeeds so as to suppress
this mere outrage and give the guilty their due,’ noted Iryna Herashchenko.
Madeleine Albright in her turn gave praise to the “Equal
Opportunities” gender equality achievements, having stressed that the ministers
and the Parliament were to link up with the society to attain more.