Advocacy & Lobbying
More than 150 participants – including political party representatives, government officials, civil society leaders, young people and aspiring women candidates – gathered on 3–4 December in Port Moresby for the National Forum on Women’s Political Leadership. Convened under the Women Make the Change programme, which is funded by the Australian Government, the two-day event marked a pivotal step in strengthening inclusive political pathways ahead of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) 2027 national general elections.
Convened in partnership with the country’s Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates Commission (IPPCC), the Department for Community Development and Religion (DFCDR), UN Women and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the Government of Australia, the Forum spotlighted the role of political parties and institutions in enabling women’s full participation and leadership in political processes.
On Saturday, January 17, the Ministry for the Status of Women and Women's Rights (MCFDF) took a decisive step for 2026. The Ministry launched a three-day strategic and professional retreat at the Montana Hotel in Pétion-ville. This retreat brought together the institution's senior staff to structure future actions in support of gender equality in Haiti.
Objectives of the 2026 Annual Work Plan (AWP) :
The main objective of this meeting was to validate the Annual Work Plan (AWP). Directors, Coordinators, and staff members worked on several key areas:
Strategic Alignment with the National Action Plan resulting from the National Consultations :
The 2026 AWP builds upon the actions undertaken during the National Consultations, ensuring their concrete implementation and impact on the ground;
Institutional Strengthening of MCFDF Entities :
The AWP includes actions to consolidate the capacities of MCFDF entities, enabling them to better meet the needs of the population and contribute effectively to the country's development.
Administrative Roadmap for the Adoption of New Organic Decrees :
A detailed roadmap has been developed to support the adoption of the new organic decrees, ensuring smooth and effective implementation.
Women's Political Participation and the Electoral Context :
The AWP pays particular attention to promoting women's political participation, especially in the context of the upcoming elections. Actions will be implemented to prevent Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and advocate for equitable representation of women in decision-making bodies.
The empowerment of women in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is increasingly being seen as a social goal only, it is viewed as the ‘enabler’ of the above-mentioned development and the source of overall economic growth for the nation.(Arab News) The principles of justice, dignity, and equality that are established in the Constitution of Pakistan and the national policy discourse, which are the very core of Islamic teachings, serve as the support for women’s complete involvement in the economic, social, and political spheres of life.(UNFPA Pakistan) As Pakistan is getting ready to have the 9th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ministerial Conference on Women in 2026, the country’s emerging role as a leader in the promotion of women’s empowerment in the Muslim world is becoming more and more important.(Dawn)
Women empowerment in Pakistan has been envisioned since the inception of the country when the founder of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, highlighted the indispensable contributions of women to the development of the state and called for their equal rights and opportunities. (UNFPA Pakistan) Gradually over the years, this vision has been realized in the form of important policy measures that included the National Policy for Development and Empowerment of Women (2002) which was the first step towards subsequent legal, economic, and political reforms aimed at broadening women’s rights and participation. (pakistan.unwomen.org)
It has been more than 40 years since I was imprisoned in Iran for speaking out against human rights abuses and state executions, and for defending women’s rights. I spent eight years behind bars in Iran’s notorious Evin prison. I was tortured. I remember it as if it happened yesterday.
Every few years, uprisings erupt across Iran — and each wave of resistance is deeper and more widespread than the one before. In 2022, it was women who led the Woman, Life, Freedom movement after the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by the country’s “morality police,” and it revolutionized my country. Today, women wear what they want, go out in public with their boyfriends — even live with them — without fear of being arrested. Women earned these rights with their lives. In late December last year, the spark was once again lit — this time in an old bazaar in Tehran.
The demands are the same ones we raised in the 1980s: an end to poverty, corruption and unemployment, the right to organize, and freedom from repression. Despite the gains for women’s freedoms made since 2022, workers are still denied basic labor rights. Students are arrested and even executed for peaceful protest. Women are still fighting for fundamental rights. People are still risking their lives to stand up to torture and state violence.
UN rights chief bears witness to trauma and resilience in Sudan
Volker Türk briefed journalists in the Kenyan capital following a five-day mission to Sudan, where “a chronicle of cruelty is unfolding before our very eyes”.
He called on “all those who have any influence, including regional actors and notably those who supply the arms and benefit economically from this war” to act urgently to bring it to an end.
Mr. Türk last visited Sudan in November 2022. Back then, he was deeply inspired by civil society—particularly the young people and women who spearheaded the 2018 revolution.
India has established a comprehensive legal framework to protect women’s rights and ensure their safety, dignity, and equality. These laws address various forms of discrimination, violence, and exploitation that women face in society. Understanding these rights empowers women to seek justice and protection when needed.
Constitutional Protections
The Indian Constitution provides fundamental safeguards for women. Article 14 guarantees equality before the law, while Article 15 specifically prohibits discrimination based on sex. Article 21, which protects the right to life and personal liberty, has been interpreted by courts to include the right to live with dignity, free from violence and exploitation. Article 23 prohibits trafficking in human beings and forced labor, offering crucial protection against exploitation.
Mitigating violence against women in politics in Africa – insights from Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe
A new book maps how electoral violence affects women in local politics in Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe, showing how they are systematically targeted in ways that limit their participation and help maintain male-dominated political systems.
Drawing on 134 interviews with politically active women, this new book – Making politics safer –documents a wide range of violence and abuse, including physical and sexual attacks, psychological pressure, economic manipulation and symbolic humiliation. It also highlights intimidation, online harassment, disinformation and violence within political parties as common tools used to sideline women.
Younger and unmarried women, those from marginalised ethnic groups, and those in opposition parties are found to face the highest risks. Even in countries where gender quotas exist, such as Kenya and Zimbabwe, a higher number of women in elected positions has not resulted in safer conditions.
Publication date: 16 October 2025
Twenty-five years after the United Nations adopted Resolution 1325, the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda is both a landmark in diplomacy and a study in unfulfilled promise. Its most profound achievement has been to force open a conversation about the gendered power structures that fuel conflict. But that opening is narrowing. Escalating wars, a backlash against gender justice and a collapse in funding now threaten to strip the agenda of its transformative edge. The WPS agenda remains an essential tool for women peacebuilders. Whether it survives as a force for justice depends on whether the global community backs its principles with the resources and political will to make them real. Without that, the resolution’s 25th anniversary will mark the start of its decline, not its maturity.
This report was written by researchers from the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa (OJAH) and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR).
The report benefited from reviews by members of PHR staff, the PHR Advisory Council, and the PHR Board of Directors, as well as members of the OJAH Board of Directors.
The research team would like to recognize the strength and resilience of the survivors whose experiences and stories are reflected in this data, as well as the dedication of the health professionals who provided services and documented these violations—often at grave risk to their personal safety.
About Physicians for Human Rights (PHR)
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) uses medicine and science to document and draw attention to human rights violations. PHR was founded on the belief that physicians and other health professionals possess unique skills that lend significant credibility to the investigation and documentation of human rights abuses.
In response to the scourge of sexual violence, PHR launched its Program on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones in 2011. The program works to confront impunity for sexual violence in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Kenya, Myanmar, and Ukraine.
PHR has conducted research to understand the scale and scope of conflict-related sexual violence in various conflicts and contexts, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Myanmar, and Sierra Leone.
About the Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa (OJAH)
The Organization for Justice and Accountability in the Horn of Africa (OJAH) is an independent and impartial organization dedicated to strengthening justice and accountability mechanisms in the Horn of Africa through evidence collection and preservation.
The organization’s mission is to deter war crimes, crimes against humanity, conflict-related sexual violence, and other severe human rights abuses across the Greater Horn of Africa. It pursues this mission by conducting documentation and investigations, advancing the environment for justice and accountability, preserving and analyzing materials, and supporting international justice and accountability actors and efforts.
Full report here.
This report advocates for thorough protection of human rights in the digital age, emphasizing the strength of constitutional safeguards over ordinary legislation. As digital technologies increasingly influence civil and political rights, online as well as offline, robust constitutional frameworks are essential to address new challenges such as unwarranted surveillance, censorship and data monopolies. Ensuring adequate constitutional protection helps anchor fundamental rights in an evolving digital landscape.
Click here to read the full report.
It’s been six months since the latest spark ignited mass protests in Iran — the death of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa (Jina) Amini in morality police custody after she was arrested for allegedly failing to wear her hijab properly.
The outrage over her killing resulted in women-led protests. Their slogan “woman, life, freedom,” originally a Kurdish manifesto, has helped fuel the Iranian protesters’ demands for radical change.
Read more: Iranian women keep up the pressure for real change – but will broad public support continue?
The perseverance, bravery and determination of the Iranian protesters, particularly women and girls, have been heroic. Despite risks to their lives and freedoms due to a brutal government crackdown, many remain active in publicly articulating their grievances in a variety of ways.
In recent months, while some street presence has continued in Iran — for example, in response to the poisonings of schoolgirls in cities across the country — protesters are also organizing strikes, sit-ins, boycotts and publicizing their demands in the form of manifestos, charters and bills of rights.
In fact, a key distinguishing factor between the recent protests and the previous ones is that Iranians have been forming coalitions to advocate for important structural and institutional changes in support of equality, human rights, democracy and freedom.
Over the past two decades, the structures of social communication and public discourse have undergone profound transformations. The digital sphere has become a contested arena and a central space where identities are produced and symbolic and social meanings are shaped. It has also become a place where new subcultures emerge and existing hierarchies are often reinforced. Within this landscape, feminist and political movements have created counter-public spheres that enabled women and marginalized groups to break the monopoly of power over meaning, expose patriarchal violence, and build transnational networks of solidarity.
Such networks helped dismantle the ideological structures that sustained violence and victim-blaming for decades. The broader shifts in societal values unfolded alongside a surge of revolutionary consciousness across the Global South, which exposed the colonial and capitalist structures underpinning political and social life. This awakening was met, however, with intensified surveillance, repression, and the mobilization of power to resist change.
Digital surveillance cannot be understood simply as the use of technology by those in power. It reflects the transformation of the digital sphere itself into a disciplinary apparatus that reproduces colonial and neo-fascist modes of control. Once absorbed into a capitalist ownership structure monopolized by transnational corporations, the internet ceased to be a neutral space for knowledge or communication. It became an infrastructure of domination, where data and algorithms are deployed to sort, control, and exclude.
Algorithmic architectures reinforce hierarchies of language, gender, race, and class. Through mechanisms of digital moderation that reflect the logic of white, masculine, and capitalist privilege, feminist and anti-authoritarian content is systematically excluded. In this way, algorithms have become ideological tools that silence and erase voices deviating from the dominant norms enforced by structures of power.