Advocacy & Lobbying

The Youth Association for Development (YAD), Quetta, Pakistan, has completed a transformative initiative titled "Women’s Participation in Elections, Politics, Leadership, Democracy in Pakistan". This project aims to enhance women's political participation in Quetta, Baluchistan, a region known for its male-dominated social and political landscape. 

The project focuses on supporting women as voters, and candidates—as well as their collective voices—by intertwining their aspirations with artistic expressions and institutional reforms. Through creative outlets such as radio broadcasts, theater performances, and art exhibitions, the initiative seeks to amplify women's voices and foster greater engagement in democratic processes, particularly in the country’s 2024 elections. 

What sets this project apart is its innovative use of artistic and cultural platforms to challenge societal norms and raise awareness about gender inequality in political participation. By organizing women through Women Empowerment and Political Participation Groups (WEPPGs) and Democracy Action Groups (DAGs) and engaging them in creative activities, the project brings women’s political issues to the forefront in non-traditional ways.

Read here the full article published by Uthe UN News on 26 December 2024.

Image UN News

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments with a membership of 181 Member Parliaments and 15 Associate Members. The IPU promotes democratic governance, institutions and values, working with parliaments and parliamentarians to articulate and respond to the needs and aspirations of the people. It works to promote peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality, youth empowerment and sustainable development through political dialogue, cooperation and parliamentary action. These objectives are pursued through the Organization’s political and programmatic work, which includes research, standard-setting, knowledge dissemination, technical cooperation and capacity-building.

The IPU recognizes gender equality and youth participation as key components of democracy and works to achieve the equal participation of men and women in politics, including from among the young generation. It provides support to parliaments in advancing gender equality and youth empowerment, increasing youth and women’s political participation and leadership, and transforming themselves into more open and more gender-sensitive institutions.

In 2025 and 2026, thanks to a UN Women grant, the IPU will be implementing one of the components of the European Union-funded Women and Youth in Democracy Initiative (WYDE). In this framework, UN Women, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), are implementing the WYDE/Women’s Leadership component through a programme entitled: Advancing Women’s Political Participation and Decision-Making through Social Norms Change, Networking and Global Advocacy.

Click here to apply to the position before 13 January 2024.

As women worldwide grapple with tears and grief, Afghan women endure deafening silence resonating around the world with different stages of bans and sanctions since the Taliban has taken over this land. The latest blow came when the Taliban government extinguished the dreams of aspiring midwives and nurses, banning women from pursuing education in these fields. This heartless decision has not only left countless women in despair but also raises a critical question: what risks will Afghan women face as patients when denied access to educated healthcare providers? This ban serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of women’s rights in Afghanistan.

A recent Twitter space, hosted by a group of Afghan men, caught my attention. Titled “Afghan women demand their right to education AS PER SHARIAH, so is women’s education even permitted in Shariah(Islamic law)?” I joined the space but only to find it conducted in Persian. This led me to ponder two crucial aspects: what does Islam truly say about women’s education, and what does Pashtoon culture dictate on this matter?

Read here the full article published by Modern Diplomacy on 20 December 2024.

Image by Modern Diplomacy

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:

• 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;

• 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;

• 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;

• reaffirms that blue and digital technologies are instrumental for improving water management and access to clean water and sanitation;

• 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

Backlash, Misogyny in the Digital Age, directed by Léa Clermont-Dion and Guylaine Maroist: A shocking story of four women leaders whose lives are overturned by cyberviolence. They share a common cause: refusing to be silenced.

In fall 2017, the MeToo hashtag shook the planet, sparking an unprecedented wave of sexual assault accusations in the Western world. Now a storm of virulent misogyny rages on, flooding our screens with harassment, defamation, lynching, sextortion, the sharing of intimate photographs, rape and deaths threats… According to the UN, 73% of women are abused online.

The feature-length documentary Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age follows four women and one man whose lives have been particularly affected by online violence: Laura Boldrini, the most harassed female politician in Italy; Kiah Morris, an African-American politician in the state of Vermont who resigned following severe harassment and threats from right-wing extremists; Marion Séclin, a French YouTuber who received more than 40,000 sexist messages, including rape and death threats; Laurence Gratton, a young teacher in Quebec who was harassed for more than five years by a former colleague; and Glen Canning, the father of Rehtaeh Parsons, a young girl who took her life after photos of her rape were spread online.

What is it like to live with this so-called “virtual” violence? That is what this important film attempts to show by closely following the victims in their daily lives. Like in a thriller, we see in real time the waves of hate they are subjected to, their resulting fear, and how they no longer feel safe in public spaces. We see lives marked by a loss of confidence and shame.

Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age also shows how each of these women, and this man in the name of his late daughter, are fighting the same battle. They share a common cause: to refuse to be silent. Their journeys intertwine. They are demanding widespread accountability from those who allow the propagation of such hate, whether it be the tech giants, the state, or the perpetrators themselves.

Why this unrelenting and systematic discrimination against women? Can we shift the age-old paradigm?

Click here to see the trailer and learn more about the film. Published on 6 December 2024.