Hedy Fry (Canada)

Dr. Hedy Fry was appointed the OSCE PA’s Special Representative on Gender Issues by PA President Petros Efthymiou in October 2010. In his appointment letter, Efthymiou reiterated the importance that the Assembly attaches to gender equality, particularly within the OSCE and the Parliamentary Assembly.

As part of her mandate, Fry follows the gender situation within the OSCE, including in the Institutions and Field Missions, and report back to the President. She will also promote discussion of the gender issue within the OSCE and in particular the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and develop, in co-operation with the Gender Unit at the International Secretariat, a more active gender profile of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Fry was elected to the Canadian parliament from Vancouver-Centre in 1993. From 1996 to 2002, she served as Canada’s Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women. Prior to being elected to Parliament, Fry was well-known in Canada as a panelist on the long-running national CBC television programme “Doctor, Doctor.” She previously practiced family medicine.

Mandate:

• Follow the gender situation within the OSCE, including in the Institutions and Field Missions, and report to the President;

• Promote discussion of gender issues within the OSCE and in particular the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly;

• Develop, in co-operation with the Gender Unit at the International Secretariat, a more active gender profile of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly;

• Co-operate with the OSCE in the organization of relevant activities;

• Draft reports on specific issues.

Report to the 27th Annual Session in Berlin, 10 July 2018