Partner News

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]

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 13 April, the second forum on the topic "The role of women parliamentarians in the development of Uzbekistan" was held in the capital. The event was organized by the Republican Commission on Women’s Role in Society, Gender Equality and the Family, the Senate Committee on Women and Gender Equality, and the OSCE.

It was attended by senators and deputies, deputies of local Kengashes, members of the Youth Parliament, senior officials of state bodies and public organizations, representatives of international organizations and the media.

In a good example of parliamentary outreach to young people, the second edition of the Guyana National Youth Debating Competition takes place on Friday, 8 April. Some 16 youth groups will participate in the event with the objective of connecting young people to parliament.

The Young Women’s Democracy Academy (YWDA) is a three-month capacity-building programme dedicated to empowering young women between the ages of 18 and 24 with the knowledge and skills necessary to enhance their political participation.

A study conducted by the UNDP and Albanian partners, published on Wednesday, shows that women in Albanian politics still face routine discrimination, abuse and offensive language.

The findings of a study on “Violence against women in politics”, conducted by UNDP in cooperation with Albania’s Ombudsman and Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination, were published on Wednesday at a roundtable held in the Albanian parliament.

Within the context of the ongoing Constitutional Review Process and the background of extremely low participation and representation of women in Nigerian politics, the Government of Canada in partnership with UN Women signed a grant agreement of $8 Million Canadian Dollars (CAD) to implement a programme titled ‘The ADVANCE: Women’s Political Participation in Nigeria’. 

At a special event hosted by Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the General Assembly, on the sidelines of the 66th Commission on the Status of Women, leaders came together to call for concrete actions and responses to end violence against women in politics around the world.

The Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Ms Giovanie Biha, chaired the first edition of the annual Women's Forum for Peace and Security in West Africa and the Sahel, held on 14 and 15 March in Nouakchott, capital of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

Top UN officials on Tuesday gathered with government and civil society representatives to draw attention to the scourge of violence against women worldwide who are involved in politics, which is increasingly seeing women parliamentarians, human rights defenders and electoral observers silenced, and intimidated.