In India, a third of the seats in the parliament are reserved for women

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk welcomed the adoption of a new bill in India that would reserve one-third of the seats in national and state parliaments for women.

This bill was passed by both the Houses of the Parliament of India. It will constitutionally strengthen women's representation in parliament and will be an important step towards ensuring women's public participation and gender equality rights in India, the UN News Center reported.

The bill must be ratified by at least 50 percent of the states. Volker Türk called on the states to support this initiative.

In a statement, the High Commissioner called on parliamentarians around the world to take the necessary legislative measures, including gender quotas, to ensure women's equal rights in the political process.

The UN human rights defender emphasized the importance of creating a favorable environment for women's participation in political life at all levels of society.

"This is an important step towards the implementation of India's commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women," he said.

Source: Daryo.uz