Randa Berri calls for a higher council for women

The vice-president of the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW), Randa Assi Berri, received last Thursday a delegation of Women in Parliament led by its secretary general, former minister Wafaa Diqa Hamzeh, who briefed her on the Coalition’s action plan to secure women’s participation in political life through the adoption of the 30% electoral representation quota. Participants agreed to work along three main axis: firstly, promote public awareness on the issue; second, draw the support of political blocs to endorse the quota, and thirdly, observe the quota in the distribution of constituencies and Parliamentary seats, notwithstanding the type of electoral system. Berri, for her part, expressed her backing to the demands of the Coalition, pressing the need for setting up a higher council for women that embraces under its umbrella the various associations active in social and women concerns. She stressed the significance of coordination between the newly-appointed ministry of women’s affairs and the NCLW where they can benefit from the experiences gathered over the years. (Al Diyar, February 5, 2017)