The two-day World Women Parliamentarians’ Forum, held in Ulaanbaatar under the theme “From Representation to Influence in Decision-Making Process,” concluded on October 13.

Nearly 150 official delegates from 32 countries across four continents, representing more than 20 parliaments and international organizations, attended the conference to exchange views on strengthening women’s political participation and leadership.

Alongside a plenary session on turning women’s representation at decision-making levels into tangible influence and enhancing women politicians’ leadership, parallel sessions addressed legal reforms on gender equality, international cooperation, current challenges, and ways to overcome them. Another session held on October 13 discussed how civil society and the private sector can work together to increase women’s influence across all sectors and how support systems can be established to promote women’s leadership.

In her closing remarks, Minister of Foreign Affairs Battsetseg Batmunkh emphasized that the forum has been productive and has fostered important dialogue, expanding opportunities for international cooperation to strengthen the influence of women members of parliaments worldwide.

She noted that the forum has grown far beyond an ordinary meeting, becoming a shared platform for learning from one another, drawing mutual inspiration, and approaching future work with renewed energy and determination. Although the challenges facing participants were similar in many respects, so too were the aspirations driving them forward, she said.

“Real influence can only be achieved when women participate fully in every stage of parliamentary work, including setting priorities, drafting legislation, allocating resources and overseeing implementation,” she said. She added that participants agreed on the need to create opportunities for women to exert genuine influence at every level of decision-making.

Minister Battsetseg also presented the outcome document of the World Women Parliamentarians’ Forum. The document emphasizes that women must not only be represented at decision-making levels but must also be able to shape legislation and policy decisions. Participants agreed that lasting change in this regard cannot be achieved through the efforts of a single institution or country alone, but requires international cooperation and mutual support.

During the forum, participants identified several key points:

Representation is essential but not sufficient on its own.
Access to leadership positions is important for exercising meaningful influence.
A safe, fair, and supportive environment is a prerequisite for effective participation.
International cooperation is effective when it strengthens leadership at the national level.
Sustained progress requires broad partnerships and consistent, ongoing efforts.
Based on the discussions and views expressed by participants, the forum also identified recommendations and priorities for future action in four main areas:

Increasing women’s representation at decision-making levels.
Turning that representation into meaningful influence.
Creating a safe and supportive environment for women’s leadership.
Advancing international cooperation to develop women politicians’ leadership and capacity.
The outcome document also proposes reviewing women parliamentarians’ future cooperation, actions taken and progress achieved at subsequent meetings. Minister  Battsetseg said the document would be submitted to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and relevant United Nations bodies and brought to the attention of the international community.

MP Undraa Agvaanluvsan, Chair of the Parliamentary Women Members’ Caucus, delivered remarks expressing gratitude to the forum participants, delegates, and organizers.

She noted that although participants came from different political systems and cultural traditions, they shared the view that parliaments with gender equality make fairer and more accountable decisions. She welcomed their agreement that women’s participation at decision-making levels is not a privilege to be granted by others, but an integral condition of democracy.

Establishing “good parliaments” that uphold human rights and are accessible, open, and accountable to citizens is a fundamental objective of parliaments worldwide, she said, adding that a good parliament cannot be built without women’s voices.

Published Date:2026-10-14