On June 7, was inaugurated, for the first time, in Chisinau, the International Association of Women in Electoral Management (WEM - International). The launching event of the Association brought together both representatives of Electoral Management Bodies from Georgia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Georgia, Jordan and Belgium, and representatives of the Moldovan central authorities, diplomatic missions, accredited in Moldova, civil society and international experts in electoral and gender field.

The International Association, the inauguration of which was initiated in September 2015, aims to promote an equal number of women and men in the election administration structures, particularly in senior leadership levels. The initiative comes from the Central Election Commission of Moldova (CEC) and the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training (CCET), with the support of UN "Women in Politics" Programme and the UNDP Programme “Improving the Quality of Moldovan Democracy through Parliamentary and Electoral Support", with the financial support of the Government of Sweden and Norway.

Dafina Gercheva, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, congratulated the Central Electoral Commission of Moldova and the Centre for Continuous Electoral Training for this initiative to create an International Association of Women in Electoral Management Bodies, as a driver of improving gender addressing the under-representation of women in Election Management Bodies (EMBs), particularly in senior leadership positions and at the decision-making levels.

“While significant attention has been paid to women’s political participation in the electoral process, less focus has been placed on the bodies which administer elections and the role they play in encouraging women’s participation. I hope the Women in Electoral Bodies International initiative has a potential to bridge this gap”, stated Dafina Gercheva.

Liliana Palihovici, Vice President of the Moldovan Parliament, stated about the provisions of the Law No. 180, which provides a guarantee for gender equality in Moldova and which was recently voted by the Parliament. "I'm glad that this meeting for the constitution of the Association takes place namely in Moldova. And maybe the Parliament`s vote for the Law No. 180 influenced the expanding of the Association at the international level," pointed out Liliana Palihovici.

Also within the official inauguration of the International Association was launched the Global publication "Inclusive Electoral Processes: A Guide for Electoral Management Bodies on Promoting Gender Equality and Women's Participation”, jointly produced by UNDP and UN Women. The publication focuses attention on the role of electoral management bodies (EMBs) in encouraging the participation of women across various points in the electoral cycle. Moreover, the Guide highlights the important work being carried out by the UN and by EMBs, offering concrete examples of steps that can be taken to remove remaining barriers that continue to affect women’s participation in electoral processes.

Dr. Iurie Ciocan, Chairperson of Central Election Commission of Moldova, presented a comprehensive study on women and men participation in parliamentary Elections, but also within the local general elections from 2007-2015 in Moldova - "Gender Equality in Elections in the Republic of Moldova". "The data presented in this study serve as raw material for creating future activities on raising awareness on gender equality in electoral cycle and in politics," reiterated Dr. Iurie Ciocan. More, CEC chairperson informed that the study will be distributed to all the women and men MPs.

This product was developed based on data provided by the CEC, CCET, surveys performed and processed by the Center of Sociological Investigations and Marketing Research “CBS-AXA”, with the support of UN "Women in Politics" Programme, implemented by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the UNDP Programme “Improving the Quality of Moldovan Democracy through Parliamentary and Electoral Support", with the financial support from the Government of Sweden and Norway.