Women's growing role in politics highlighted in Latin American meeting

Attendees of the fourth Latin American Indigenous Governments' Meeting in La Paz, Bolivia, stressed women's growing role in politics in the region, local media said on Wednesday. About 60 mayors of 14 Latin American countries and 100 local mayors from Bolivia attended the Meeting scheduled for Monday to next Thursday. Mirna Cunningham, chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, said the meeting aims to discuss the changes in Latin America in the last 20 years, which saw increasing influence of indigenous movements and women's growing power in politics. Enelia Salinas,the mayoress of the Caldono municipality of Colombia, said women have played an important role in governance. "Mayoresses, female councilors and congresswomen have described their working experiences. It is not easy for women to govern in countries like Colombia, Peru or Bolivia due to gender discrimination. But we have earned our positions," Salinas said. She added that there are "successful and significant" cases of women who have proved their excellent managing capacities