Advocacy & Lobbying
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Confronting a rising backlash against women’s rights, the U.N.’s 193 member nations made a commitment Monday to accelerate action on more than a dozen fronts to achieve gender equality.
A political declaration adopted at the start of the annual meeting of the U.N.’s preeminent body promoting equality for women and girls recognizes that men and boys must be “strategic partners and allies” to achieve the goal.
The declaration — approved by consensus and a bang of the gavel by the chair of the Commission on the Status of Women — coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing women’s conference where the world’s nations adopted a 150-page roadmap to achieve gender equality.
While it recognizes progress toward implementing the Beijing platform, the declaration also recognizes that after 30 years no country has achieved gender equality and that progress has been “slow and uneven,” with major gaps and obstacles to overcome.
A report released last week by UN Women, the agency focused on empowering women, found that nearly one-quarter of governments worldwide reported a backlash against women’s rights in 2024. Its policy and program director, Sarah Hendriks, told a news conference the number of countries reporting a backlash is likely underreported and reflects “an increasingly hostile environment.”
Read here the full article published by AP News on 10 March 2025.
Image by AP News
In 2025, the global community will mark the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the unanimous adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. In celebration of this milestone, the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), taking place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 10-21 March, will bring together representatives of Member States, UN entities, ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders from all regions of the world to discuss the implementation of the Beijing Declaration of 1995.
Coinciding with International IDEA’s 30th anniversary and its year-long #DemocracyForAll digital advocacy campaign, this milestone reaffirms the commitments made in 1995 that women's equal participation in decision-making, alongside equal rights, opportunities, and access to resources, is essential for democracy, peace, and human rights, ensuring a just society that protects the interests of all.
At #CSW69, International IDEA will advocate—through statements, analysis, and events—for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as essential to vibrant and inclusive democracies.
Analysis
Beijing+30: Will it take another 30 years for gender equality?
At the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, 189 countries adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA), outlining 12 critical areas of concern for gender equality and women’s empowerment, including violence against women, armed conflicts, women's participation in decision-making, and the protection of their human rights. At that time, member states were convinced that the achievement of equality, development, and peace was connected to women’s empowerment and their full participation in society, including in political decision-making. Countries also believed that equal rights, opportunities, and access to power and resources for women were crucial to the consolidation of democracy more broadly.
Beijing+30: Taking Stock of Progress on Gender Equality Using the Global State of Democracy Indices
The Beijing Declaration in 1995 recognized that gender equality is essential to democracy. Yet, 30 years after, progress remains uneven and at risk, with backlash against gender equality, and democratic values threatening hard-won gains. Drawing on International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy Indices, this article explores advances, setbacks, and gaps in women's political participation since 1995. As threats to gender equality and democracy grow, the CSW 2025 Political Declaration must reaffirm that women’s equal participation in decision-making is fundamental to democracy—and that both must be protected.
Check here the full list of event where International IDEA is involved.
The National Forum on Women in Politics brought together diverse voices to explore how Temporary Special Measures (TSMs) can foster inclusive governance in Fiji.
The event featured insights from Leena Rikkilä Tamang, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at International IDEA; Honorable Lenora Qereqeretabua, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Speaker of Parliament; and Dr Kerryn Baker, a Fellow at the Department of Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University, who provided a research-based perspective on women's political participation in the Pacific.
Leena opened the discussion by giving examples of special measures.
"Gender quotas come in different forms, as do the political and electoral systems in which they are implemented,” she said.
Read here the full article published by International IDEA on 7 February 2025.
Bradley Yombon, the Papua New Guinea Pacific regional Representative for the Commonwealth Students Association, has called on women in the country to actively participate in politics.
Yombon, who also holds positions as Patron for the University of Papua New Guinea Cancer Association, PNG Ambassador for Global Leadership Dentistry & Sciences, UNESCO Higher Education Youth Advisor, and International Relations Coordinator for PNG National Volunteer Services, emphasized the need for greater female representation in PNG’s political landscape.
During a youth meeting with UN Women Regional Director for Asia Pacific, Her Excellency Christine Arab, Yombon highlighted the historical underrepresentation of women in PNG politics.
Read here the full article published by Post Courrier on 30 January 2025.
Image by Post Courier
The call for greater diversity in leadership has grown louder, yet women remain underrepresented in political offices, particularly at the local government level. Despite making up more than half the U.S. population, women account for only 31% of state legislative seats, less than 30% of mayoral positions and hold just 26% of elected county offices nationwide, according to the Center for American Women and Politics.
Women who want to make a meaningful difference in the world often find their greatest opportunities to create change at the local level. Whether it’s shaping education policies, advocating for affordable housing or improving public health, local government is where decisions directly impact communities. By stepping into these roles, women can ensure that their voices and perspectives help shape the policies that affect everyday lives.
“Get involved!” states Kelly Krout, 2022 Democrat running candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas. “If running for office feels like too much right now, find a candidate you like, volunteer for them, learn about the process. Get involved with your local party or even voter registration. There are so many different ways to start and see where help is needed.”
Read here the full article published by Forbes on 23 January 2025.
Image by Forbes
Women are more likely to be hesitant in expressing their opinions about politics online than men, a new survey by Statista Consumer Insights has found. This was the case in all of the 21 countries polled, with the gender gap narrowest in Finland at 3 percentage points (22 percent male, 19 percent female) and widest in Mexico at 10 percentage points (26 percent male, 15 percent female). This mirrors wider patterns of gender roles and equality in society, with Finland having scored in the top three places in this year’s Global Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum.
Even aside from gender, the degree to which people express their views on politics online varies greatly by country. For example, in China only 13 percent of respondents on average said they had expressed their opinion about politics online in the past month. This includes having commented on or even liked a post related to politics on social media. In Japan (not shown on this chart), the figure was even lower at just 5 percent (7 percent men, 3 percent women). At the other end of the spectrum comes South Africa, where 32 percent of respondents said they had expressed their political opinion in the past four weeks (37 percent men, 27 percent women).
Read here the full article published by Statista on 17 January 2025.
Image by Statista
Women are more likely to be hesitant in expressing their opinions about politics online than men, a new survey by Statista Consumer Insights has found. This was the case in all of the 21 countries polled, with the gender gap narrowest in Finland at 3 percentage points (22 percent male, 19 percent female) and widest in Mexico at 10 percentage points (26 percent male, 15 percent female). This mirrors wider patterns of gender roles and equality in society, with Finland having scored in the top three places in this year’s Global Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum.
Even aside from gender, the degree to which people express their views on politics online varies greatly by country. For example, in China only 13 percent of respondents on average said they had expressed their opinion about politics online in the past month. This includes having commented on or even liked a post related to politics on social media. In Japan (not shown on this chart), the figure was even lower at just 5 percent (7 percent men, 3 percent women). At the other end of the spectrum comes South Africa, where 32 percent of respondents said they had expressed their political opinion in the past four weeks (37 percent men, 27 percent women).
Read here the full article published by Statista on 17 January 2025.
Image by Statista
Background
The access to water and sanitation is recognised as human right and the access to clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realisation of all human rights. The EESC with this own-initiative opinion is aiming to address the issue of water-related challenges for the most vulnerable population on the planet and to propose options for their empowerment.
Key points
In the opinion the EESC:
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stresses that young people, women, and indigenous and local communities (including migrants and people with disabilities) are the most vulnerable to water stress and have a large untapped potential for contributing to sustainable water management, for turning water into an instrument of peace and stability, and, thus, for contributing to blue diplomacy;
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calls on the EU to pay due attention to these groups in its external relations and international cooperation and suggests a lighthouse partnership programme related to water stress for addressing how to empower them in an integrated manner;
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notes that access to clean water, education, employment and participation in policymaking are key elements of empowerment. Better access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services is crucial, as it frees up time for education and vocational training and opens up more diverse options for employment and the ability to contribute to water management and policies;
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reaffirms that blue and digital technologies are instrumental for improving water management and access to clean water and sanitation;
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highlights that meaningful partnership and funding are critical in the development of infrastructure, education and general capacity building. Both EU funds and national donors’ programmes play a crucial role here and coordination is vital to create synergies and make the most of the allocated resources.
Read here the full article published by the European Economic and Social Committee on 4 December 2024.
Image by the European Economic and Social Committee
What you need to know:
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To effectively address TFGBV, support systems must be integrated into existing reporting mechanisms, providing clear communication channels for women to report incidents.
Uganda is making significant strides in its democratic processes, but the intersection of technology and politics poses both opportunities and challenges, especially for women. Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) has emerged as a major barrier for women in politics, where harassment, intimidation, and violence are prevalent.
As we commemorate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence under the theme “Towards Beijing +30: UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls,” it is crucial to address TFGBV through a multifaceted approach, including communication channels, education, awareness, and strong support systems. TFGBV is a pervasive issue that affects women at all levels of political engagement, from grassroots activism to national leadership.
The Amplified Abuse report by Pollicy highlights the alarming prevalence of online violence during periods of political activity in Uganda. This violence, particularly directed at women in public life, exemplifies Violence Against Women in Politics (VAW-P). The research, conducted during the January 2021 general elections, examined social media accounts to assess how online harassment affects women’s political engagement
Read here the full article published by Monitor on 25 November 2024.
Image by Monitor
By the time the first verified reports about COVID-19 were published, misinformation about the virus was already being shared. Disinformation and ‘fake news’ soon followed. It didn’t take much time at all before distortions, lies and fictions were reaching more people, more quickly, than facts.
None of this should surprise us, since we’ve known for some time that lies spread faster than truth. The real problem arises when lies are believed. And when does that happen? Research tells us that lies are more likely to be believed, and especially catch fire, when they reinforce our pre-existing beliefs. While some beliefs are harmless, others can be weaponized, with the help of disinformation, to achieve undemocratic ends.
In the world of politics, this is already happening. Disinformation campaigns regularly rely on sexist beliefs about women, power and politics in attempts to delegitimize women who hold or seek office. Distinct from online abuse, trolling, revenge porn or even pornographic deepfakes, disinformation is a stealthier, more pernicious way to undermine women and dissuade them from entering politics. This emerging threat has devastating implications for women in public life and, by extension, democracies everywhere.
It’s crucial that we pay attention, and commit energy and resources to better understand this problem. What’s at stake is simply too important to ignore, especially now. Just when women are inching closer to a more equitable share of public power, trying to actualize democracy’s promise of government by the people, for the people—women being a key part of the people—gendered disinformation puts hard-fought gains at risk.
Read here the full overview published by Fundación Multitudes.
Multiple studies show that the use of social media has a negative impact on the political leadership of women and girls in Latin America. Social media is one of citizens' most used tools in the region to get information and communicate with others, with a high level of internet penetration, and raising a series of issues related to the low level of digital literacy in the countries.
One of the biggest problems with the massive penetration of social media in Latin America is that users don’t have the knowledge nor the tools to know what is real and what is not. Identifying gender political violence online, including disinformation and fake news, is particularly difficult considering that lies spread faster than truth , making them more vulnerable to disinformation.
In order to understand if the safeguards in place are efficient, it is essential to identify the state of implementation of the institutional incentives for women to participate in politics, in addition to looking at the existing safeguards and legislation to counter online gender-based violence and disinformation in Latin America. Specifically, we look at the current state of affairs in four countries of the region. Our research question is: What is the state of implementing the institutional incentives for women to participate in politics, the existing safeguards to counter gender-based violence online, and the existing legislation against disinformation in Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil?
Access here the full report published by Fundación Multitudes.
A research study by Voice of Women Radio has shown why women don’t vote for female political aspirants in Nigeria.
The reasons ranged from their ignorance of the existing female political aspirants to beliefs that existing female political aspirants are inexperienced. Similarly, many women in the grassroots believe that men are better leaders than women.
There is also the issue of culture, inaccessibility of campaign funding for women as their male counterparts, and family upbringing, which favour males taking up leadership roles. However, higher among the reasons is female electives’ inability to connect with or impact their female electorates once elected into office.
The report detailing the research carried out in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria reveals that only 31 percent of 83 percent of female voters (that is, 8 out of 10 women possessing permanent voters’ cards) voted for women at the last elections.
Read here the full article published by Leadership News Nigeria on 8 October 2024.
Image by Leadership News Nigeria