Advocacy & Lobbying
In a significant development, representatives from major political parties have unequivocally expressed their commitment to advancing women’s political participation.
The women leaders, parliamentarians and civil society leaders on the occasion present a joint Charter of Demand for meaningful political participation with political parties; structure and all decision-making process. This collective dedication was prominently affirmed at the National Policy Forum on “Women’s Inclusion in Democratic Governance,” a noteworthy event hosted by South Asia Partnership Pakistan (SAP-PK).
The forum aimed to bring together women leaders, policymakers, and international partners to deliberate on strategies for enhancing the role of women in political processes.
Click here to read the full article published by The Pakistan Observer on 12 December 2023.
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Globally, approximately 736 million women — almost one in three — endure violence at least once in their life. The most prevalent form of violence against women globally is intimate partner violence (affecting around 641 million). However, this problem goes beyond interpersonal relationships and reaches into diverse environments, including online platforms. Online violence against women and girls has escalated rapidly in recent years, posing major threats to safety and well-being.
Online violence against women and girls
The digital transformation brings about substantial opportunities, but it also constitutes a space where harm can be perpetrated.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) raises concerns about protecting and promoting human rights. Societal biases linked to gender roles and identities are ingrained in social programmes and services through automated decision-making. Algorithms and devices have the potential to spread and reinforce harmful gender stereotypes. These gender biases pose a risk of further stigmatising and marginalising women on a global scale.
Click here to read the full article published by the United Nations Regional Information Center for Western Europe on 29 November 2023.
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Since 2005 UBCM has participated in international projects that support local government development through missions in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia. With direction from UBCM Executive, UBCM is currently partnered with the Cambodian National League of Councils on a project to support women in local leadership. The program aims to support more women to get involved in local governance, as well as local governments' capacity to deliver inclusive, gender-responsive services.
The National League of Councils (NLC) is leading an advocacy campaign to encourage political parties to put more women on the ballot. Local politicians are currently elected based on a proportional representation model. Female candidates are generally not at the top of the candidate list, which means less women make it into political office. The NLC campaign is working to encourage parties to put more women in the top positions on the candidate list.
Click here to read the full article published by the Union of BC Municipalities on 29 November 2023.
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There is increase in politically motivated violence against women in Zimbabwe, manifesting as rape and sexual assault, direct violence and hate speech, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (The Forum) has said.
This observation is made in light of the 16 days of activism that runs from November 25 until December 10, under the theme: “Unite! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls’, which the Forum said provides an opportunity to reflect on the milestone achieved in combating violence and identifying gaps in pursuit of a violence free environment for females.
“Violence against women women and girls accordingly remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations,” said the Forum and gave examples of how women particularly those involved in politics and human rights have been ‘targeted.’
Click here to read the full article published by The Zimbabwean on 30 November 2023.
The United Nations Women (UN Women) has called for an increase in women’s political participation in Nigeria.
Beatrice Eyong, UN Women representative to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), spoke on Tuesday at the national conference on women’s political participation in Nigeria.
The conference was organised in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) to assess women’s participation in the 2023 general election.
The Women’s Political Participation Working Technical Group and Women in Politics Forum were also partnered to organise the event.
Click here to read the full article published by The Cable on 30 November 2023.
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In any country, the political empowerment of women is generally possible with two routes — the first is to reserve seats for women in legislature by means of legislation and the second is to have provision for quotas for women candidates within political parties while nominating candidates. There are examples for both that have been adopted in various countries, in turn helping women’s political empowerment. Neighbouring Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan have opted for the legislative route and are faring better in terms of representation of women in their legislatures. For example, in Pakistan, 17% seats are reserved for women in its national assembly; Bangladesh has reserved 50 out of 350 seats in its Jatiya Sangsad and Nepal has reserved 33% of the total seats for women. Statistics show that there is an improvement in the number of women legislators being elected crossing the percentage of seats reserved for women which is a sign of women’s political empowerment in one way or the other.
Click here to read the full article published by The Hindu on 30 November 2023.
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