Partner News

Research shows that female political leadership directs countries to adopt more robust climate change policies. Even though women globally are just 26.3 per cent of all parliamentarians, they are able to make a disproportionate impact.

On the eve of the International Day of Parliamentarism and the IPU’s 133rd anniversary on 30 June, a snapshot of the state of parliaments and parliamentarians offers mixed results.

According to the latest IPU figures, some parliaments are becoming more representative, with the proportion of MPs who are women and who are young on the increase. However, IPU data also shows that the numbers of functioning parliaments and sitting parliamentarians have decreased slightly. 

In 2021, the world’s political leaders, youth activists, corporate executives, development agencies, gathered in Paris for the Generation Equality Forum to lay the foundation for a new agenda to address gender equality. Following the Forum, as a co-leader of the Action Coalition on Feminist Movements and Leadership, Malawi made commitments to promote feminist movements building and women’s leadership at all levels.

This new report presents a clarion opportunity to champion improved, gender-responsive social protections and to ensure meaningful participation of women to identify solutions to acute and chronic challenges that leave no one behind.

On 15 and 16 June, some 200 young parliamentarians from 60 countries convened in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt for the Eight IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians.

All 151 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 of the 76 Senate seats were up for reelection in the recent Australian parliament elections. The Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese, beat the incumbent Liberal/National coalition government. According to preliminary results, the Labor Party is set to win 77 seats, giving it an absolute majority in the House.

International IDEA presented its latest data on gender quotas at the Albania 2022 International Forum for Gender Equality “Equality and Me”, which focused on developing a stronger commitment for gender equality. The Forum held on 27 May provided a platform for key national actors/stakeholders to discuss national collective responsibility and explore pathways towards gender equality and inclusiveness in decision-making processes in Albania.

Within the framework of cooperation between International IDEA and the Francophone network for competencies in elections (Réseau des compétences électorales francophone, RECEF), a report was published (in French) on “Equality between women and men within EMBs and in electoral processes: challenges and courses of action for the EMBs of RECEF”.

The inclusivity of women in politics and decision-making is steadily rising across Africa. This could be the last frontier for sustainable development in Africa.

Africa has enormous potential to grow if it can take advantage of the untapped power that girls and women hold as societal and economic drivers. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that the lack of inclusion of women in the economy will cost Sub-Saharan Africa as much as US$110 billion in 2022, and $190 billion in 2023.[1]