August 7-11, 2009
YLDA Empowers Young Women in Politics
The Young Liberals and Democrats
of Asia (YLDA) in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation
for Liberty and the
Taiwan
Foundation for Democracy held a workshop for young women leaders
from YLDA member organizations from 07 to 11 August 2009 in Hong
Kong.
YLDA designed the seminar to provide an
avenue
for participants to discuss the issues and
challenges
they
face in entering politics and to
strengthen
their capacities in the political field.
The outcome of the workshop was the formation of a core group within
YLDA. Participants agreed that this was needed to continue to advance
women’s issues. They all volunteered to be its members. To
further strengthen their commitment, participants also created the
YLDA
Declaration
on Women’s Rights to Political Participation.
This reaffirms YLDA’s “faith in fundamental human rights,
in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights
of men and women.” The women of YLDA are committed “to
promote the advocacy of gender equality in democratic processes
and political development” and “to support the U.N.
instruments that set an international standard for defining equality
between men and women and advocating equal treatment in political
and socio-economic life.”
“The liberal ideal of individual freedom cannot be realized
without the
full participation of
women
in politics,” opined FNF Resident Representative
Siegfried Herzog. “Women can make unique contributions to
politics, and it is
crucial to remove all barriers
that keep them from participating to their full potential.”
