Advocacy & Lobbying

As smoke from wildfires in Canada smothered New York City in a polluted haze in June 2023, some worried patients called the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center asking if it was safe to come in for their appointments. Was the outside air so unhealthy that they should postpone their visits? Pregnant women expressed concern about how the heightened pollution might affect them and their fetuses. If they did venture outside for any reason, what masks should they wear?

The doctors understood the fears but did not want women to postpone visits, especially if the patients were pregnant. “If people cancel their appointments during pregnancy, it can put them and their baby at risk of health problems,” says Blair Wylie, MD, an obstetrician who had joined Columbia eight months prior to lead its new Collaborative for Women’s Environmental Health.

The department changed some appointments to virtual.

Wildfire smoke was not the environmental risk that Wylie expected to address when she moved to New York after leading maternal-fetal medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “I was thinking of heat waves. I was thinking of floods,” she says.

Read here the full article published by the Association of American Medical Colleges on 6 June 2024.

Image by the Association of American Medical Colleges

The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement and the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre have called for reforms to increase women’s participation in politics.

They outlined systemic barriers that limit women’s involvement in the political process.

During its joint oral submissions to the Fiji Law Reform Commission, FWRM Board Chair Akanisi Nabalarua and FWCC Manager Legal Services Miliana Tarai outlined several key recommendations to address these challenges and create a more inclusive political environment.

The submission has garnered widespread support from civil society organizations (CSOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including Empower Pacific, Young Women’s Christian Association, femLINKPacific, Strumphet Alliance Network, Rainbow Pride Foundation, and the Social Empowerment Education Program (SEEP) with more endorsements expected in the coming days.

The main focus of the submission is the need for financial and logistical support to enable women candidates to fully participate in election campaigns.

Alongside this, FWRM and FWCC are advocating for stronger civic education programs that promote voter rights and women’s leadership, as well as addressing societal norms that hinder women’s political engagement.

Read here the full article published by FBC News on 11 April 2025.

Image by FBC

At least 30 women politicians associated with different political parties at the local government level from two districts—Ratnapura and Kegalle—came together to discuss the digital threats they experience in their daily political careers due to their gender. This gathering was held in Ratnapura from 4-6 March. It was a unanimous consensus that every woman who participated in this event agreed that all of them are concerned about cyber gender-based violence, and that digital threats are on the rise.

When discussing the various digital threats they experience in their political careers, gendered disinformation was identified as a major issue. False news and fabricated information, manipulated images, video and audio clips, and misleading narratives are often used to discredit women. These false allegations, which often centre on their personal lives, morality, or relationships, circulate widely and damage their public image. This has a larger societal and political impact on their careers.

In addition, women discussed various digital threats they faced. Doxxing and privacy violations further endanger women politicians, as their personal details—such as home addresses and phone numbers—are leaked online and shared in public networking groups and WhatsApp groups. In many cases, such as in Matara and Ratnapura, it was also noted that women politicians often shared some personal information on social media. When questioned, they would say there is nothing to hide, as everyone knows everything. Our telephone numbers, NIC numbers, home addresses, dates of birth, etc., are almost everywhere. These international NGOs have them; Grama Niladharis, development officers, agricultural officers, local NGOs, even shop owners, pharmacies, and private companies have them.

Read here the full article published by DailyFT on 10 April 2025.

Image by DailyFT

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) will organise a live discussion on the Media coverage of women in politics and its impact on democracy on 10 April from 5 to 6.30 pm at the Residence Palace, rue de la loi 155, Brussels. 

These discussions follow the closure of one of the IFJ's landmark project "Rewriting the story: Gender, Media and Politics"  which addressed barriers to the fair representation and portrayal of women and men in political life. Working with frontline journalists, news media managers, journalism universities and journalists’ unions and associations, the project provided extensive research, developed specialised training modules for journalists and media newsrooms, trained over 300 journalists across Europe and beyond and ran an innovative Peer-to Peer programme, working with newsroom managers, producers, journalists and journalists’ unions to produce and adopt protocols, guidelines, agreements and initiate a mindset shift towards gender equality in editorial decisions and newsroom organisation and working conditions.

The panel discussions on 10 April will bring together:

Lina Galvez, MEP, chair of the FEMM group in the European Parliament

Sabinet Panet, Editor-in-chief of axelle magazine, Belgium

Shada Islam, Founder of New Horizons Project, independent commentator and analyst on EU affairs

Discussions will be moderated by Pamela Morinière, Gender expert, Head of Communications at the IFJ.

To register, click here.

Event published by the International Federation of Journalist

In a world of rising inequalities and immense challenges, 25 years of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda, established through United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, along with the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995 present a significant opportunity to reflect on the progress women have made in shaping our societies. They also remind us that gender equality requires systemic change, and institutions must lead the way to renew our commitment to investing in women and girls, driving efforts toward inclusive economic growth, protecting our planet, reducing dependency, and fostering peace and stability.

Over 600 million women and girls live in proximity to armed conflict, with conflict-related sexual violence increasing by 50 per cent in 2024 alone. Despite their vital knowledge and expertise, women are often excluded from decision-making in peace and security efforts; however, sustainable peace is only attainable when women have a voice and a seat at the table. 

Women at the Heart of Preventing Violent Extremism in the Gulf of Guinea
Peripheral areas and borderlands, often characterised by socio-economic marginalisation and limited welfare services, are increasingly susceptible to the spread of extremist ideologies and narratives. The Journey to Extremism: Pathways to Recruitment and Disengagement report highlights the evolving gender dimensions of violent extremism. 

Across Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo, women are demonstrating the transformative power of their leadership. With the surge and expansion of violent extremism and transnational crime increasingly threatening the stability of the Gulf of Guinea and Sahel regions, women are stepping forward to breaking the cycles of violence and taking the lead as custodians of peace.

Read here the full article published by UNDP on 4 April 2025.

The Beijing Declaration in 1995 recognized that gender equality is essential to democracy. Yet, 30 years later, progress remains uneven and at risk, with backlash against gender equality and democratic values threatening hard-won gains. Drawing on the Global State of Democracy Indices, produced by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), this technical paper explores advances, setbacks and gaps in gender equality and women’s political participation since 1995. As threats to gender equality and democracy grow, the 2025 Political Declaration of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) must reaffirm that women’s equal participation in decision making is fundamental to democracy—and that both gender equality and democracy must be protected (UN Economic and Social Council 2025).

In 2025 the world marks 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which established a landmark agenda for women’s empowerment. Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of International IDEA—the only intergovernmental organization with the sole mandate to strengthen democracy—this milestone reaffirms the 1995 declaration that women’s equal participation in decision making, alongside equal rights, opportunities and access to resources, is essential for democracy, peace and human rights, ensuring a just society that protects the interests of all. The importance of gender equality was also reaffirmed by all UN member states in the 2030 Agenda, in particular through Sustainable Development Goal 5 and its targets 5.1. and 5.5, which emphasize the elimination of all forms of discrimination and the promotion of women’s political participation as key targets for achieving inclusive and sustainable development.

Read here the full report published by International IDEA on 31 March 2025.