EU Delegation holds seminar focusing on women in political decision-making to mark International Women’s Day 2024

12.03.2024 Press and information team of the Delegation to JAPAN

On 5 March, the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Japan organized at the Japanese Diet a seminar to mark the International Women’s Day, focusing on Equal and Inclusive Participation of Women in Political Decision-Making, in cooperation of the Japanese Organisation for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP) and the United Nations Information Centre, Tokyo.

The seminar kicked off with video messages from Ms Helena Dalli, EU Commissioner for Equality, and Ms Ayako Kato, State Minister on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment of Japan, where both speakers recalled the strong focus on gender equality and good cooperation under Japan’s G7 presidency in 2023, and expressed determination to continue working with international partners on women and girls’ empowerment in the social, economic and political life.

Discussions then took place around two panel sessions focusing on the quota system and women’s representation at the local assembly level. Japanese and European parliamentarians, ambassadors and experts engaged in lively discussions and on challenges and avenues of cooperation to achieve gender equality.

Closing the event, Mr. Jean-Eric Paquet, Ambassador of the European Union to Japan, said, “Better gender representation leads to better outcomes for the public and public policy. We need a society to push towards gender parity but it also requires leadership. We need leadership.”