OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 8, 2013) - In honour of International Women's Day, the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) announces the launch of the GOPAC Women's Parliamentary Network (WPN), which supports the efforts of female parliamentarians to combat corruption and to strengthen democracy and good governance. GOPAC's global membership made the decision to launch the Women's Parliamentary Network at our fifth Global Conference, held in Manila from 31 January to 2 February 2013.

"We have been celebrating International Women's Day for over a century and, in line with this year's theme, GOPAC's Women's Parliamentary Network is ensuring that we continue advancing gender equality in the legislatures and societies of the world," said Donya Aziz, Chair of the Women's Parliamentary Network and a Member of Parliament in Pakistan. "GOPAC believes it is vital to empower female members to become involved in the full range of parliamentary committees and not accept being confined to roles traditionally associated with women."

During the Global Conference session on women at the fight against corruption, distinguished speakers presented strong cases that governments that include more women in key decision-making positions tend to be more democratic and less susceptible to corruption.

GOPAC's Women's Parliamentary Network will support its members through a range of activities, including peer mentoring, capacity-building workshops, and the sharing of best practices. It will also work with partners such as the United Nations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and civil society organizations to conduct and share research on gender dimensions to the effects of corruption, transparency, and good governance.

GOPAC is a worldwide alliance of parliamentarians working together to combat corruption, strengthen good government, and uphold the rule of law. Based in Ottawa, Canada, GOPAC has 53 national chapters on 5 continents. GOPAC supports its members' efforts through original research, global anti-corruption capacity building, and international peer support. Visit GOPAC on the web at gopacnetwork.org, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GOPAC_Eng, and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gopacnetwork.