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The 30th Annual Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE CSO) began yesterday in Vancouver.
At a meeting of the Standing Committee, Ms Irene Charalambidou, Vice-President of the OSCE CSO, presented amendments to the Assembly's Rules of Procedure. The amendments provide that appointments of Assembly officers made by the President-in-Office should take into account gender equality.
Ms. Charalambidou stressed that the amendments aim to ensure fairer gender representation. She said that the balanced participation of women and men in decision-making is a declared priority for the OSCE CSO, as reflected in a number of Final Declarations adopted. "Now is the time to prove that our Final Declarations are not just rhetoric," she stressed. "Women must be represented at every level of decision-making. The representation gap must be closed." Noting that the OSCE CSO has the potential to achieve tangible progress in the area of gender equality, Ms. Charalambidou called on all members to support the amendments. She further called on the President of the Assembly to appoint a woman as Chairperson of the newly established Ad Hoc Committee on Ukraine, as the other Ad Hoc Committees of the Assembly are chaired by men.
Ms. Charalambidou's amendments were adopted by all Members of the Standing Committee with the exception of Belarus and have been incorporated into the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly.
In the context of discussing the Report of the Treasurer of the Assembly, Ms Charalambidou recalled that at previous meetings of the Bureau of the Assembly and in a written letter she had requested a detailed presentation of expenditure in the draft Budget of the Assembly. She stressed that the Members of the Standing Committee have the responsibility and right to know clearly the breakdown of expenses before deciding on its adoption. In response to a provocative reference to Cyprus' limited contribution to the Assembly's budget, Ms Charalambidou replied that the formulation of requirements to respect the principles of transparency and good administration did not depend on the size of each country's contribution. In response, the Assembly Treasurer agreed that from the coming financial year the way of presenting the proposed expenditure should be changed, while he apologised for the insinuations in relation to Cyprus' contribution.
Moreover, in the context of the discussion of the Report of the Secretary General of the Assembly, Ms Charalambidou referred to the need to ensure the freedom of expression of the members of the OSCE CSO in the exercise of their duties arising from their participation in the Assembly. She stressed that relevant immunity should be granted to members of the OSCE CSO wherever meetings of the Assembly are hosted and asked whether the Secretary General is taking steps in this direction.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives on Saturday 1 July)
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