Salutations
- The Honourable First Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly
- The Ministry of Justice Representative
- The TI-Z Executive Director
- The Anti-Corruption Commission Representative
- The Electoral Commission of Zambia Representative
- Representatives of Cooperating Partners
- Representatives of the TI-Z Board and Membership
- Representatives of Political Parties
- Representatives of Civil Society Organizations
Good morning once again, and thank you for taking the time to join us in commemorating this year’s International Women’s Day through this special event today. As was made clear in the panel discussion, addressing gender disparities in political finance is crucial to achieving equitable political representation in our society.
It is therefore imperative that the government, political parties, the private sector, and Civil Society Organisations take the following decisive steps to achieving the goal of equitable political representation in Zambia:
1) Promote Gender Equality through enforcing gender-sensitive public funding regulations. Government must ensure the availability of financial incentives that drive meaningful change in women’s political participation, and equip regulatory bodies with the resources and authority to monitor and enforce gender-responsive political finance reforms.
2) Political parties, civil society and the private sector should promote capacity building for women involved in politics, through establishing training programs, mentorship networks, and financial literacy initiatives to empower women in politics. Donors must also be encouraged to prioritize gender equality and support women[1]led political initiatives and campaigns.
3) Government must create a conducive environment for promoting clean money in politics. This can be through various interventions such as performing due diligence and “know-your-donor” good practices, criminalization of illicit political financing and vote buying, closing loopholes for anonymous donations, and banning of campaign donations to political parties and candidates from foreign interests, among others.
4) Related to the above, there should be a level playing field in the political arena through restrictions on donations and spending, direct and indirect public financing, establishing subsidized access to public media outlets for all political parties at least in campaign periods. This will help to enhance women’s ability to compete on a more equal footing in the arena.
5) The legal framework must establish the obligation for political parties, candidates, and campaigns, as applicable, to report their income, both in-kind and monetary, including assets and loans, to the appropriate independent and impartial oversight body. Reporting must include the value, date, and source of each incoming transaction above a reasonable threshold.
6) Government must also ensure prohibition of the misuse of state resources for electoral purposes, declaration and reimbursement of costs associated with the use of state resources, empowering relevant oversight authorities to monitor and sanction abuse of state resources and ensuring neutrality of state authorities involved in election campaigns.
7) Establishing effective oversight bodies, promoting inter-agency cooperation, strengthening sanctions and ensuring their enforcement, and encouraging participation from civil society and other stakeholders in campaign finance monitoring, will also be imperative for government to do.
Ladies and gentlemen, women’s participation in politics and governance is a critical issue that has gained increasing attention in recent years. Promoting women’s participation in politics and governance is not just a matter of fairness; it is essential for building inclusive societies that reflect the diverse needs of all citizens. By implementing the proposed actions, we can affirm the importance of women in our society, and create an environment where their voices are valued and heard.
It is time for individuals, organizations, and the government to take action if we are to create a society that values equitable representation at all levels of the political spectrum.
I thank you
