Advocacy & Lobbying

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.

Full report.

Nadi, Fiji – Over 30 women leaders, youth advocates, parliamentarians and gender equality champions from across the Pacific have gathered in Nadi, Fiji, for the WYDE | Women’s Leadership Regional Intergenerational Dialogue: Waves of Change – Pacific Women in Politics Across Generations, held from 30 September to 1 October 2025.

Convened by UN Women’s Fiji Multi-Country Office under the WYDE | Women’s Leadership initiative, the two-day dialogue brings together diverse voices to reflect on progress, share lived experiences and co-create strategies to advance women’s political participation across generations.

The event opened with remarks from Eseta Nadakuitavuki, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection, Fiji, who highlighted both progress and setbacks in women’s leadership in Fiji and across the Pacific, underscoring the urgent need to accelerate change.

“Fiji met and even surpassed the SDG 5.5 target in 2018 when women in Fiji made up 20 per cent of Parliament. But in our most recent election in 2022, women’s representation declined to just 10.9 per cent.”

“Women will only participate fully when we also address the intersecting issues of gender-based violence, unpaid work, economic exclusion and unequal access to communication,” said Ms. Nadakuitavuki.

During the two-day dialogue, panel discussions will reflect on the 30-year legacy of the Beijing Platform for Action and the Pacific Platform for Action. Breakout sessions will explore the role of social norms, legal frameworks and strategies to address gender-based violence in politics.

Full article here.

The WYDE | Women’s Leadership Initiative is a collaborative global effort aimed at advancing women’s full and effective political participation and decision-making at all levels, especially those most often left furthest behind. As a multi-stakeholder initiative, funded by the European Union, UN Women will support the implementation of the Generation Equality Action Coalition on Feminist Movement’s and Leadership commitments, through directly supporting civil society and women’s rights organizations, including young women’s organizations. 

The advocacy for empowering women to participate more actively in politics and governance in Nigeria is gathering momentum once again, particularly as the country’s political discourse shifts increasingly towards the 2027 general elections. Indeed, the matter of increased female representation in politics was one of the dominant themes, as it should be in the recently concluded nationwide public consultations on constitutional review. At each zonal hearing, women and other concerned stakeholders made passionate appeals for more inclusive democratic governance in the country.

However, given the failure of previous attempts at addressing and resolving the problem of gender imbalance in Nigeria’s electoral politics, one is not surprised to hear cynics say, “Here we go again.” Although successive governments have tried to implement policies that were aimed at boosting women’s representation in public decision-making, these attempts- albeit well-intentioned- failed abysmally. It is no secret that previous attempts to pass a gender equality bill at the National Assembly, which would have included the much-touted 35 percent quota for women, have been unsuccessful.

In the meantime, women remain at the periphery of Nigeria’s political ecosystem. Consequently, they are grossly underrepresented in political leadership and governance at both the national and sub-national levels.  Currently, Nigeria has no substantive, legally binding affirmative action policy vis à vis fair and equitable gender representation in politics. Rather, a cursory review of the information on demographic representation in electoral politics and public decision-making in the country paints a picture of women’s political exclusion and marginalisation, even though Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution (as amended) underscores the right of every citizen, including women, to full participation in the life of the country. In particular, Section 40 states that:

Full article here.

Some stakeholders in the North-east have identified mentorship and quota systems as critical factors that will increase women’s participation in politics.

The stakeholders made this known in a survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa on Monday.

However, quota system is a regulatory framework in which a certain number of electoral seats are reserved for women to increase their representation and participation in politics.

The stakeholders said that women had contributed immensely to Nigeria’s democracy in terms of legislation, advocacy, economic reforms and grassroots mobilisation for votes.

They insisted that despite their contributions, women remained under represented in both appointed and elective positions at the local, state and federal government levels.

Golfa Francis, a gender advocate in Adamawa, said deliberate policies of reserving seats and structured political training for women politicians by more experienced women, would increase women’s participation in politics.

“Our society must understand that women are not weak vessels; they are capable, strong, and skilled in managing responsibilities.

“When women are part of decision-making, the outcomes are more sustainable and balanced. Hence, the  initiative should receive the support of all Nigerians,” she said.

Mrs Jamila Babuba, Chairperson, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Adamawa Chapter, sought for accelerated passage of the Reserved Seats for Women Bill before the National Assembly, saying it would enhance gender parity.

Full article here.