OSCE PA Vice-President Walburga Habsburg Douglas (center) speaks at the OSCE-Japan Conference in Tokyo on 17 June. (courtesy MFA of Japan)COPENHAGEN, 17 June 2014 – A "sincere political push" by governments and lawmakers is needed to help close the nagging gender gap in society, politics and business, said OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President Walburga Habsburg Douglas (MP, Sweden) in Tokyo today.

Speaking at the OSCE-Japan Conference at a panel on the role of women in creating a fairer world, Habsburg Douglas said that beyond pledges, tangible support for meeting gender equality goals is what is needed most.

"Political will – or the lack thereof – is the biggest contributor to implementation gaps. In that sense, let our failures be a lesson: rhetoric alone is not enough. It must be accompanied by a sincere political push that includes programmatic activity, financing and sustained support," Habsburg Douglas said.

The OSCE PA Vice-President highlighted the Assembly's repeated recommendations, made through its Annual Declarations, that urge OSCE participating States to recognize the acute vulnerability of women in conflict situations, ensure their equality before the law, facilitate their participation in public and political life and protect them from violence and trafficking.

The draft resolution for the OSCE PA's Committee on Political Affairs and Security, to be considered by some 300 MPs at the upcoming Annual Session in Baku (28 June - 2 July), urges states to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which aims to increase equal participation of women and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.

Habsburg Douglas noted that there have been "significant improvements" in gender balance within national delegations to the OSCE PA following the efforts of Dr. Hedy Fry (MP, Canada), the OSCE PA's Special Representative on Gender Issues, to include a clause in the PA's Rules of Procedure stating that each delegation should have both genders represented.

Such collective efforts by the OSCE PA can and should be "imported by its parliamentarians to their home countries to help build capacities and enhance women's participation in public and political life," the PA Vice-President said.

She also urged the OSCE's Asian Partners for Co-Operation to consider implementing such policies into their own legislative frameworks.

Habsburg Douglas, who is also Head of the Swedish Delegation to the OSCE PA, further highlighted successes in gender balance in her home country, where the government is made up of more than 50 per cent women. She cited policies to support the participation of women at the party level as a key foundation for a gender-balanced government.

The OSCE PA Vice-President also warned against the misperception that women are only interested in "soft" fields, such as education and health, noting that her country's Minister for Defence is female.

The full text of Habsburg Douglas's speech is available here .