Advocacy & Lobbying
The Pact for the Future, set to be endorsed at the United Nations Summit of the Future on 22-23 September in New York, is a pivotal framework designed to address global challenges with a long-term vision extending beyond 2030. It includes two annexes: the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration for Future Generations, focusing on digital governance and the rights of future generations. The Pact’s five broad focus areas include: sustainable development; international peace and security; science and technology; youth and future generations, and transforming global governance. This comprehensive framework is critical as it proposes reforms to global institutions like the UN, aiming to tackle issues such as climate change and peace and security amid increasing geopolitical tensions.
However, one of the key global challenges missing from the Pact is the decline of democracy, a pressing issue that has significant implications for the other areas the Pact seeks to address. International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy Report 2024: Strengthening the Legitimacy of Elections in a Time of Radical Uncertainty highlights how democratic decline and rising authoritarianism are undermining political rights and civic space, which are fundamental for achieving the Pact’s goals on peace, security, and sustainable development.
Read here the full article published by International IDEA on 22 September 2024
What you need to know:
•The two-thirds gender rule, enshrined in Articles 27(8) and 81(b), remains unfulfilled.
•It’s a promise we made to ourselves, to our daughters, and to the future of our nation.
As I pen this note, I’m struck by the resilience and determination of Kenyan women who dare to dream of political leadership. Their stories are both inspiring and sobering.
They remind us of how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go. The challenges are stark and multifaceted. Our Constitution promised a new dawn for gender equality, yet, over a decade later, we’re still grappling with its implementation.
The two-thirds gender rule, enshrined in Articles 27(8) and 81(b), remains unfulfilled. It’s a promise we made to ourselves, to our daughters, and to the future of our nation. We must ask ourselves: why have we failed to honour it? The answer lies partly in the deep-rooted obstacles that women face when considering a political career.
Read here the full article published by The Nation on 21 September 2024.
Image credits: The Nation
Women's rights advocates are demanding the immediate implementation of a nearly 30-year-old gender equity bill which Ghana’s president signed into law on Thursday.
This ends a process which began in 1998, with the bill shuffling between parliaments until the legislature passed it in July this year. Many campaigners faulted Ghana’s law-making body for the long delay.
Ghana now joins Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Mozambique and others in Africa that have working affirmative action laws.
These countries have a 30% quota for women in decision-making bodies, in parliament and other state agencies.
What changes does Ghana's new law bring in?
Ghana's Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Act 2024 is expected to ensure a critical number of women hold key positions in government, security, commerce and other decision-making spaces.
The law promotes the progressive and active participation of women in public life from a minimum of 30% to 50% by 2030, in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal of achieving gender equality by 2030.
Read here the full article published by the BBC on 20 September 2024.
Image credits: BBC
Women Aid Collective (WACOL) has charged political party executives to rally support for women participating in politics.
This was as the Non-Government Organisation (NGO) said it has empowerment about 18 political parties to sensitise stakeholders and community members on the need for women participation in politics.
The program coordinator of WACOL on women participation in politics, Barr. Helen Kalu, gave this charge during a one day engagement with political party representatives at Clevero Hotels Abakaliki.
The program was in collaboration with the UN women with support from Canadian government.
Mrs. Kalu however, noted that the meeting was to analyse the outcome of July 20,2024 local government election in Ebonyi state.
He tasked the political party executive to be committed in sensitising the people on the need to support women in politics.
Read here the full article published by Blue Print on 19 September 2024.
Image credits: Blue Print
Concerned stakeholders across the globe have commenced advocacies for improved participation and involvement of women in politics in Nigeria.
The stakeholders including UN women, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies and some female politicians in Ebonyi State argued that Nigeria tends to grow better when a sizeable number of females are included in governance.
As part of measures to achieving this aim, the organizations organised a one-day advocacy and sensitization workshop in Ebonyi North East State Constituency with the theme: “Advance Women’s Political Participation and Representation.”
At the event held in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital on Tuesday, the Coordinator of UN Women, Prof. Arthur Ikeme lamented that despite the gender equality campaigns, there are still low participation of women in politics and this motivated them to carry out sensitization visits to the South East geopolitical zone and Ebonyi State was chosen as the first point of call.
Ikeme commended the lawmaker, Chinyere Nwogbaga for her ingenuity and thanked the State Governor, Francis Nwifuru for putting women in positions of authority in his administration.
Nwogbaga who facilitated the programme recounted the hurdles she faced while seeking political position adding that women are being marginalised despite their efficiency and dedication to duties.
Read here the full article published by Investors King on 17 September 2024.
Image credits: Investors King
This publication is the latest edition in an annual series produced by UN Women and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Covering all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the report highlights new data and evidence on gender equality trends and gaps. It finds that the world is still falling short on its commitments to women and girls.
There are some points of light. They include declining poverty, narrowing of gender gaps in education, and a push for positive legal reforms. Yet, just six years before the 2030 deadline for the SDGs, not a single indicator under Goal 5, gender equality, has been fully achieved.
Ending extreme poverty among women could take 137 more years at the current rate of change. No country has all relevant laws to prohibit discrimination, prevent gender-based violence, uphold equal rights in marriage and divorce, guarantee equal pay, and provide full access to sexual and reproductive health.
Gender parity in parliaments may not be reached before 2063. The report stresses the high cost of not investing in women’s rights and calls attention to proven solutions that benefit women, girls, and entire societies. It champions radical action to shift the current trajectory and dramatically accelerate progress on gender equality and women’s rights.
Access here the full report published by UN Women on 16 September 2024.