ATHENS DECLARATION
3.11.1992
We, the undersigned, women with experience of high political office,
gathered in Athens
on 3 November 1992 at the invitation of the Commission of the European
Communities
for the first European Summit "Women in Power" have together
adopted the following
Declaration.
WE NOTE A DEMOCRATIC DEFICIT
We note
that the current position of women in the Member States of the European
Communities
as in other European countries is still characterised by profound
inequality in all
public and political decision-making authorities and bodies at every level
-local,
regional, national and European.
We note
with concern that women's participation in political decision-making has
not improved
in a number of European countries since the mid-seventies and that recent
political
developments have resulted in a significant decrease in the proportion of
women in
decision-making, particularly in the legislative assemblies in some of
these countries.
We conclude
that women's access to the same formal rights as men, such as the right to
vote,
stand for election and apply for senior posts in public administration, has
not produced
equality in practice.
We therefore deplore
the lack of strategic policies to give practical reality to the principles
of democracy.
WE PROCLAIM THE NEED TO ACHIEVE A BALANCED DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLIC AND POLITICAL POWER BETWEEN WOMEN AND MEN.
- A democratic system should entail equal participation in public and
political life
by its citizens.
- We demand equality of participation by women and men in public and
political decision-making.
- We underline the need for changes to the structure of decision-making
procedures in
order to ensure such equality in practice.
WE UPHOLD THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES AND ARGUMENTS
Formal and informal equality between women and men is a fundamental human
right. Women
represent more than half the population. Equality requires parity in the
representation
and administration of Nations.
Women represent half the potential talent and skills of humanity and their
under-representation
in decision-making is a loss for society as a whole.
The under-representation of women in decision-making prevents full account
being taken
of the interests and needs of the population as a whole.
A balanced participation by women and men in decision-making would produce
different
ideas, values and styles of behaviour suited to a fairer and more balanced
world
for all, both women and men.
WE CALL UPON ALL MEMBERS OF SOCIETY CONCERNED
We call upon
the Commission of the European Communities and all European and
international organisation
to adopt action programmes and measures to ensure the full participation of
women
in decision-making in these organisations.
We call upon
the Member States of the European Communities and other European States to
integrate
fully the dimension of equal opportunities for women and men in their
educational
system and in all their national policies, and to adopt the measure
necessary to
implement these objectives, in order to achieve equal sharing of
decision-making posts for
women and men.
We call upon
all the political leadership at European and national level to accept the
full consequences
of the democratic idea on which their parties are built, in particular by
ensuring
balanced participation between women and men in positions of power,
particularly
political and administrative positions, through measures to raise awareness
and through
mechanisms.
We call upon
the leaders of trade unions, workers'organisations and adequate employers'
associations
at national and European level to recognise the increasing contribution of women
to the labour market by ensuring the mechanisms necessary for equal
participation
by women at all levels of these organisations, including decision-making
bodies.
We call upon
women's organisations at national and European level to continue their
efforts to
further women in the exercise of their full rights as citizens by
awareness-raising
campaigns, training programmes and any other appropriate measures.
We call upon
those working in the media to present non stereo-typed images of women and
men and
to inform public opinion of the need for balanced participation in
decision-making
by women and men and to defend the principles on which this balance is
based.
We call upon
the women and men of all the countries of Europe to recognise the need to
implement
a balance between women and men and to accept the consequences of it in
order to
contribute to building a meaningful and lasting democracy.
WE UNDERTAKE A CAMPAIGN TO STRENGTHEN EUROPEAN DEMOCRACY
We affirm the need at this time of profound change and hope for Europe to
implement
the changes in attitudes and structure which are indispensable to achieving
a proper
balance between women and men at decision-making levels.
These essential changes should accompany contemporary developments in
European society
developments which will be all the more welcome if women are as equally
involved
in them as men.
By signing this declaration we hereby launch a campaign to mobilise all
concerned
in society to ensure balanced participation of women and men in
decision-making at
local, regional and national level and in the European Institutions
including the
next European Parliament.
The people who signed the Athens Declaration included:
- Belgian Employment Minister Miet Smet
,
- former French Prime Minister Edith Cresson
,
- former Greek Culture Minister Melina Mercouri
,
- former Chairwoman of the European Parliament Simone Veil,
- Dutch Culture Minister Hedy d'Ancona
,
- Danish parliamentarian Lone Dybkjaer,
- Luxembourg Parliament Chairwoman Erna Hennicot-Schoepges,
- Deputy Chairwoman of the Portuguese Parliament Leonor Beleza
,
- Finnish Housing Minister Pirjo Rusanen
,
- Swedish Public Administration Minister Inger Davidson,
- Swiss parliamentarian Judith Stamm
,
- Hungary's Deputy Undersecretary of State of the Culture and Education
Ministry Krisztina Dobos
,
- the United Nations Director of the division for the Advancement of Women
Chafika Meslem.
The Athens Declaration was later signed by
Rita Suessmuth
, Chairwoman of the German Parliament,
Matilde Fernandez Sanz,
Spain's Social Affairs Minister,
and Mary O'Rourke
, Ireland's Trade and Marketing Minister.
Many prominent women sent letters of support. They include
the presidents of Ireland, Mary Robinson
, and Iceland, Vigdis Finnbogadottir,
Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland
,
and Hanna Suchocka
, who was Polish Prime Minister at the time.
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