2.2 Supporting young women as future changemakers Ensuring the equal and meaningful participation of women and men in public and political life is essential for the establishment and maintenance of working democracies across the OSCE region. Younger women often lack the public, political party and familial support, as well as the financial and technical resources, necessary to engage in politics. ODIHR is therefore working with participating States to enhance gender equality, going beyond mere numbers to translate into the inclusive and equitable representation of young women in politics and decision-making. ODIHR’s work on increasing youth and women’s public participation, largely based on the OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality and other commitments, is an ongoing endeavour. In 2019, the Office made this a focus of its work in Belarus. Forty per cent of Belarusian parliamentarians are women, exceeding the OSCE average, but less than 12 per cent of MPs are under the age of 45.1 To help improve young women’s chances of attaining positions of political power in the future, ODIHR trained 31 young women in Belarus, in collaboration with Belarusian State University and under the auspices of the broader EU-funded project on Promoting Democratization and Human Rights in Belarus. The training gave these future leaders the capacity to act as advocates for women’s rights and gender equality. Young women academics, gender equality advocates and civil society activists from Belarus improved their leadership, communication and negotiation skills, while also exploring the history of women’s rights in Belarus and the OSCE region more broadly. 1  Data taken from IPU at: https://www.ipu.org/parliament/BY 30 DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE OSCE A number of these young women were able to participate in the Grodno Forum of Women Leaders, organized by ODIHR in November, where they learned from international experts and discussed ways of promoting women’s leadership and political participation at the local level and were able to make their own appeal for the inclusion of a youth perspective in decision-making. Young women and student volunteers also helped organize the Forum, providing an opportunity both for practical experience and career networking. ODIHR’s work in this area is based on the premise that equipping young women with leadership skills and educating them about women’s rights and gender equality can have a real impact on society. Participants said that many of the skills and information they learned would be useful for their future public engagement. Moreover, the training will allow these future leaders to act as changemakers by disseminating the knowledge they gained among their own peers. Continued investment to increase young women’s leadership and political participation is essential for the future of democracy in Belarus and the wider OSCE region, because without women at the table, governments cannot fully respond to the concerns of all citizens. Providing young women with mentoring, training and networking opportunities is just as important as formal learning. By creating innovative opportunities for interaction, exchange and capacity building, ODIHR is enabling young women to break through the ­barriers impeding their participation in politics, making government more representative and responsive.