OHCHR head lauds new women reservation bill in Indian parliament

Anjali Sharma

GG News Bureau

UNITED NATIONS, 23rd Aug. UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Friday welcomed the passage of a landmark new bill in Indian Parliament which will reserve one third of seats in national and state parliaments for women, in a statement issued in New York.

The UN rights office said that the Women’s Reservation Bill will constitutionally entrenched women’s representation in parliament and be a “transformative move” for gender equality in India.

Mr. Türk cited India as an example and called on parliamentarians around the world to adopt legislative measures including, where necessary, gender quotas to ensure women’s equal participation in the political discourse.

The new Bill requires ratification by at least 50 per cent of India’s states to enter into force and the UN rights office called for their “swift support” and rapid implementation of the new system, OHCHR noted.

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