Doubling the Numbers of Women in Parliament
Thailand’s women are celebrating their success in integrating the women’s concerns into the newly adopted 2007 Constitutions, which guaranteed equality between women and men in Articles 30, 80, 87, 97, 114 and 152. In preparing for the upcoming election, which will be held on December 23 of this year. Political parties are now opening doors for women to participate as members, and as candidates to run in the new election. The target is to double the numbers of women in the new Parliament. Tn Thailand, women never had more than 12 per cent elected to the Parliament. In the meeting of 24 August 2007, at Rama Garden Hotel in Bangkok, organized by the Gender and Development Research Institute (GDR), “We Move”, Women Political Reform Group, Women and 2550 Constitution Group, and the full support from the Government’s Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, female politicians from all over the country came together to discuss their problems in running for election, to learn from each other’s experiences, and to plan a new strategy for participation in the next election. Participants and organizers believe that the new constitution has given them a push, a sort of a fresh start, to get more women to run as candidates. Those who already have decided to run, will meet again on 11-12 September to map out their techniques and tactics that will bring success to their election campaigns, especially strategy on how to gain support from the local and national mass media. Listening to the strength and determination of the participants at the meeting, I have no doubt that many of them will overcome obstacles and win seats in the Parliament — doubling the numbers of women there as they all hope to do.
Filed under Gender Issues, Thailand | Comment (0)Shortages of Freshwater
The World is facing a freshwater crisis. Only 23 years from now the global urban population will reach sixty per cent, placing enormous pressure on the available clean water supplies, which already are very limited. By 2020, the average water supply per person worldwide is expected to be a third smaller than today. Phil Dickie, the author of the report, “Making Water” of the WWF’s Global Freshwater Programme, estimated that 1.1 billion people are at the moment living without adequate water supply, and twice that number without adequate sanitation. The warning also came from 23 United Nations’ agencies working together at the World Water Assessment Programme based in UNESCO headquarters in Paris, that the water crisis is so severe it could take almost 30 years to eradicate hunger and that the “availability of clean water supply” is an issue that can threaten the world’s social stability. We have to create awareness around the world to stop wasteful water consumption. By 2025, The United Nations Environment Programme predicts that the amount of freshwater wasted by different sectors will rise to 1000 for agriculture, 1100 for domestic use and 500 cubic km for industry. Second only to global warming, scientists worldwide said that water shortages are most worrying problems for the new Millennium. Good news is that on 15 August 2007, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development launched a very useful
“Global Water Tool” at the World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, showing where water risks are in the World to guide future action. We need to know the water situation and problem locally in order to manage water supply globally for the survival of all of living beings in this World.