During the 2011 general elections in Turkey, KAGIDER organized a workshop in partnership with the Association for the Support and Training of Women Candidates (KA-DER) and Istanbul Bilgi University European Institute on May 28-29 2011 in Istanbul.

The workshop intended to: • Underline the importance of increasing women’s representation in the political arena by discussing international experiences and different national practices, in the midst of the general elections in Turkey • Share valuable information and best practices on women’s participation in politics • Bring together women politicians and parliamentarians from Turkey and the European Union

Member countries, NGO’s, academia, European Commission and European Parliament - as a result of this workshop, various speakers and participants of the workshop came together and shared their experiences on the eve of the general elections in Turkey. Drawing conclusions from the workshop, a detailed report and a declaration were prepared and shared with political party leaders of Turkey, national and international authorities, and representatives of EU Commission and the EU Parliament. With the delegation of 48 women MPs in the 2002 election, the rate of the women MPs in the Turkish Parliament was 9 %. Now, the delegation of 78 women MPs in the Parliament represents 14 % of the 550 total deputies.