Democratization Kristin van der Leest, ODIHR Adviser on Gender Issues, listens during an ODIHR-supported conference on measures to raise women’s participation in Polish political life, Warsaw, 17 April 2012. (OSCE/Shiv Sharma) Democratic Governance and Gender In the OSCE commitments, participating States have recognized the importance of establishing effective mechanisms for inclusive public participation in democratic institutions, including the equal participation of women and men in political and public life. In 2012, ODIHR continued to support participating States in meeting their commitments on democratic governance and gender equality by providing assistance in three key areas: increasing women’s participation in political and public life, strengthening parliaments and ensuring pluralist political party systems. The Office collaborated with key democratic institutions of participating States, particularly parliaments and political parties, as well as civil society. Furthermore, ODIHR continued to co-operate closely with OSCE field operations, and placed emphasis on strengthening partnerships with regional and international actors. For example, given ODIHR’s role as the OSCE liaison to the Council of Europe on local governance in countries of South-Eastern Europe, ODIHR and the Council of Europe organized a regional co-ordination meeting to strengthen programming in this thematic area in South-Eastern Europe from 21 to 23 October in Belgrade. In the sphere of political participation, ODIHR continued to support the sharing of good practices in promoting women’s meaningful participation and in strengthening legal frameworks and institutions to protect and promote gender equality. Increasing Women’s Participation in Politics The equal participation of women and men in political and public life, including decision-making, is a key component of any vibrant, inclusive democracy. Women’s representation in public life is slowly increasing across the OSCE region: the average proportion of women representatives in national parliaments in October stood at 23.6 per cent. Nonetheless, wide disparities between participating States remain, with the figure in individual participating States ranging from 8.7 to 50 per cent. In 2012, ODIHR’s work on women’s political participation included strengthening women’s participation in political parties, promoting women’s substantive representation in parliaments, and enhancing women’s political participation in electoral processes at both national ODIHR Annual Report 2012 31