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Resolution 2222 (2018)
Promoting diversity and equality in politics
1. Diversity is an inherent part of
European societies and contributes to their richness. However, all
too often, elected institutions fail to mirror this diversity, reinforcing
the stereotype that politics is the reserve of a certain category
of people, to the exclusion of others. Women, visible minorities,
people with an immigration background, national minorities, young
people, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people
and persons with disabilities remain under-represented in politics
at local, regional, national and European level. This representation
gap perpetuates the idea that politics is reserved for a select
group, composed mostly of white, heterosexual men over 50.
2. The Parliamentary Assembly is convinced that promoting greater
representativeness of elected institutions would strengthen their
democratic character, enhance the quality and legitimacy of their
decision making and increase people’s trust in the political system.
It would also contribute to preventing and combating discrimination,
sending out a powerful message in favour of equality and inclusion.
3. A wide range of measures are necessary to promote greater
representativeness of the political system, some of which require
legislative changes or imply the introduction of specific policies.
Some could be better achieved through effective compliance with
Council of Europe instruments, while others are within the remit
of political parties which, to a large extent, act as gatekeepers
to political institutions.
4. The Assembly has already adopted a wealth of resolutions laying
down recommendations to improve the representativeness of elected
bodies, focusing on aspects such as the balanced representation
of women and men, the political participation and representation
of national minorities, the political participation of young people,
the political rights of persons with disabilities and the political
participation of non-citizens.
5. This sectoral approach is important to identify specific measures
targeting the situation of specific groups. However, the Assembly
believes that the time has come to take a more holistic approach
and look at the issue of diversity, equality and inclusion across
the board, in order to ensure that parliaments and other elected
institutions fully reflect the complex diversity of European societies.
6. In the light of these considerations, the Assembly calls on
the member States to lay down the conditions to improve the participation
and representation of people from a diverse background in the political
system and, to this end, to:
6.1. implement
Assembly Resolution 2111
(2016) on assessing the impact of measures to improve women’s
political representation;
6.2. implement Assembly Resolution
2155 (2017) “The political rights of persons with disabilities:
a democratic issue”;
6.3. engage in a reflection on limiting the number of elected
mandates held by one person and consider introducing an eligibility
age corresponding to the age of the majority, with a view to encouraging
young people to participate;
6.4. sign and ratify the Framework Convention for the Protection
of National Minorities (ETS No. 157) and the Convention on the Participation
of Foreigners in Public Life at Local Level (ETS No. 144), if they have
not yet done so, and effectively implement them, as well as the
Revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in
Local and Regional Life;
6.5. provide civic education to all students, irrespective
of the curriculum;
6.6. disseminate information on participation in political
life, including in the most common foreign languages;
6.7. support the creation and functioning of civil society-led
youth parliaments;
6.8. launch awareness-raising campaigns on the benefits of
diversity in politics and on deconstructing stereotypes with regard
to the active participation of people from diverse backgrounds in
politics.
7. The Assembly calls on national parliaments to ensure greater
openness, transparency and inclusiveness in their work, while introducing
internal measures to effectively tackle hate speech, and in particular
to:
7.1. set up broad public consultations
to take fully informed policy decisions;
7.2. enhance co-operation and exchange of information with
national equality bodies;
7.3. introduce, where they do not exist, codes of conduct for
members of parliament comprising effective disciplinary sanctions
against hate speech, violence and incitement to violence;
7.4. organise training for new members of parliament to provide
guidance in their new responsibilities;
7.5. set up internship programmes and ensure that their beneficiaries
come from a variety of backgrounds;
7.6. invite youth parliaments for regular exchanges on activities
and co-operation.
8. Finally, the Assembly invites political parties to promote
diversity and equality in their internal functioning and, to this
end, to:
8.1. encourage the progression
of people from diverse backgrounds within party structures;
8.2. introduce mentorship programmes and ensure that the beneficiaries
come from a variety of backgrounds;
8.3. support the creation of group-specific fora within their
ranks;
8.4. ensure that equality across the board is mainstreamed
in their political programmes and the public discourse of their
leaders;
8.5. ensure diversity across the board in the composition of
their electoral lists;
8.6. ensure that during electoral campaigns, candidates from
diverse backgrounds are given equivalent opportunities and means
for visibility and campaigning;
8.7. refrain from using diversity as a tool of political instrumentalisation;
8.8. set up internal mechanisms, where they do not yet exist,
to prevent and sanction hate speech, incitement and recourse to
violence by their members.