Advocacy & Lobbying
“We share the data because it is so important,” says Juma Haji Juma, a radio presenter at Tumbatu FM in Zanzibar. In 2024, the community station began airing a monthly segment on gender-based violence, including statistics on cases reported in the area. “When news is backed by data, it carries more weight – and encourages people to find the right solutions.”
Understanding the full extent of a problem is essential to designing effective solutions. Gender inequality is no exception. But while hard data are the first things decision-makers ask for, they’re often the last things they invest in.
By investing over USD 80 million in the Women Count programme since 2016, UN Women and its partners have taken a decisively different approach, demonstrating how collecting, using and sharing gender data results in better targeted actions and more transformative impacts.
Full article available here.
What Policies and Actions Are Needed To Encourage Women’s Leadership?
The administrative systems of the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government (APRG) are taking over in Arakan State’s townships, free from the military junta’s control. Women participate in various sectors under this government, but observers note that women rarely hold decision-making or leadership roles.
Women’s rights activists, marking Myanmar Women’s Day on 3 July, urged greater collaboration to involve women in political decision-making and leadership positions, as their inclusion remains limited.
Development Media Group (DMG) spoke with young women in Arakan State to hear their voices on what they believe women need to take on leadership roles and what actions should be taken.
A Young Women Activist:
We can’t build a nation with men alone. Women must actively participate and freely express their voices. When women’s voices fade, it severely hinders nation-building. Why? Because women’s involvement drives a country’s development and long-term sustainability. This impact extends beyond domestic affairs, affecting international relations and our ability to respond to other nations’ influence.
In Arakan, women’s voices have long been faint. Authorities must openly protect women from threats to their safety and ensure their right to freely speak and critique. Only then will we see women’s power shine across all sectors.
Full article available here.
WPP Secretariat Updates
Partner Implementation and Coordination Committee Meeting
The Enhancing Women's Political Participation in Africa programme, also known as Women in Political Participation (WPP) Africa project held the last Steering and Partner Implementation and Coordination Committee (PICC) meetings with the strategic support of International IDEA's Africa and West Asia (AWA) regional team.
The two meetings, convened in Nairobi, Kenya, sought to discuss the milestones achieved during the first phase of the project (2019 – 2024) and how to inventively move forward in the quest to enhance women's political participation in Africa.
Our donor, the Embassy of Sweden in Addis Ababa, was represented at the meeting and they emphasized that change stories are key. Beneficiaries of the WPP academies from Kenya joined us to share their lived experiences at the academies. Watch the video below.
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| PICC meeting participants comprising of Africa West Asia (AWA) regional team members, the donor, boundary and implementing partners. |
Steering Committee Meeting
The Steering Committee of the WPP consortium, led by Dr. Roba Sharamo, International IDEA's Regional Director for Africa and West Asia (AWA) is the governing body that guides the strategic progress of the consortium. The committee convened to discuss the way forward on the WPP programme. Dr. Roba assured the committee members and donors that the place of women in political participation remains critical to International IDEA. The WPP Africa programme seeks to ensure more female youths and emerging young leaders from Africa are nurtured to meaningfully participate in politics.
Regional News
Regional convenings (WPP Africa Barometer)
Since the main launch in July 2024, the second edition of the WPP Africa Barometer, which is a signature publication of International IDEA in partnership with Gender Links continues to inform the discussions on the status of women's political participation in high-level regional dialogues. There was a micro-launch of the barometer during the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance day on the sidelines of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State Summit in Zimbabwe.
More recently, the barometer was the basis of discussion at the ECOWAS secretariat, the Pan Afrikan Leadership Sawubona, the SADC Gender Framework Validation high level meetings and at selected forums with representatives of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) in Africa.
For in-depth findings, read the English or the French version of the WPP Africa Barometer. Watch below the latest news on WPP Africa Barometer and how it is shaping political discourse at the recently held Pan Afrikan Sawubona event.
Left: Leaders from various Women Rights Organizations in Africa and female politicians from Africa. Right: Hon. Khanyisile Litchfield-Tshabalala, former Member of Parliament in South Africa, Hon. Neema Lugangira, Member of Parliament, Tanzania and Chairperson of the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance at the Pan Afrikan Leadership Sawubona held in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa on November 1, 2024.
WPP Partner Spotlight
The WPP Partner Spotlight presents key highlights on implemented activities by the WPP consortium partners.
Gender Links
Hon. Pushie Manyeneng, WPP Academy beneficiary through Gender Links, became the second female deputy speaker in Botswana’s history. She is the only female candidate who vied for a Member of Parliament seat for Mmopane/Metsimotlhabe constituency. Photo: Gender Links
WPP Academy beneficiaries key winners in the recently concluded elections in Botswana
In the recently concluded 30 October 2024 general election in Botswana, Hon. Pushie Manyeneng, one of the beneficiaries of the Women in Political Participation (WPP) Academy through Gender Links became the second woman to ever hold the post of Deputy Speaker since Botswana's independence in 1966. Read more here.
She is not only a deputy speaker but also the first-ever Member of Parliament of the newly formed Mmopane Metsimotlhabe constituency. In 2019, she vied as a councilor and lost the seat. However, in 2024, she had a tripartite win as first time MP, second female deputy speaker in Botswana's 13th Parliament and a member of Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) which made history by overturning Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), the then ruling party of since 1966. UDC won a parliamentary majority and informed the historic change in Botswana's politics this year.
Additionally, Felicity Keleeme, a WPP academy beneficiary through Gender Links and the only woman elected councillor for Palapye District Council in Mogapinyana ward in Tswapong North constituency won in the recently concluded elections. Half of the 14 council candidates who participated in the WPP programme won their seats.
Padare Enkudleni
(Men's Forum on Gender)
High-Level Regional Dialogue with traditional and faith-based leaders from Africa
His Royal Majesty, King Peter Mumia II of Kenya and Her Royal Majesty Queen Nana Ama Amissah III of Ghana at the high-level dialogue convened by PADARE and Women and Law Southern Africa (WLSA) in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: WLSA.
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) through the Women in Political Participation Africa (WPP Africa) Project together with PADARE and Women and Law Southern Africa (WLSA), hosted a high-level dialogue. The convening brought together faith-based and traditional leaders, women political leaders (senators, members of parliament, councilors) drawn from various countries in Africa (Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia) and an ECOWAS representative.
The dialogue delved into the nexus between women’s political participation and the influence of faith/traditional leaders in political participation within the continent. Traditional leaders are gatekeepers of the political gates in Africa, their endorsement or lack thereof, can cause one to win or lose at the ballot.
The meeting also paved way for reflections and solidarity on countries that had elections in the past 2 years through the lens of the pan African gendered law. It was established that the First-Past-The-Post system, where the winner takes all, requires more funding and tends to favor male candidates. As a result, this system disadvantages women. The traditional and faith-based leaders agreed to:
- Incorporate gender equity in their theological conferences.
- Inter-faith engagements that are pro-parity.
- Pursue gender-sensitive approach in the methodology of interpretation of biblical texts (hermeneutics).
- Claim their civic space to address contextual political issues of our time.
Read more about the event here.
L'Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire (IFAN) - University of Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD)
High-level ECOWAS meeting in Abuja, Nigeria
L'Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire (IFAN) - University of Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) IFAN-UCAD in partnership with the Parity Caucus of women leaders, led by International IDEA and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commissioner for Human Development and Gender, Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr had an extraordinary parliamentary session with the ECOWAS secretariat on 9-10 December, 2024 to discuss the status of women's political participation in West Africa as per the findings of the second edition of the WPP Africa Barometer.
The Parliament expressed interest in collaborating with the ECOWAS Commission and the WPP programme towards enhancing Women's Political Participation through a model law for all the 15 Member States of ECOWAS. News on this event is available here.
Hon. Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr speaks to 2STV media station after the ECOWAS parliamentary session. Watch the update.
Parity Caucus, IFAN and WPP secretariat representatives at an Extraordinary Parliamentary session with ECOWAS Secretariat to discuss the findings of the WPP Africa Barometer.
WPP Academy in Dakar, Senegal
L’Institut fondamental d’Afrique noire (IFAN) convened a WPP academy training with the local authorities including mayors and presidents of departmental councils. This session allowed for discussion with diverse actors to seek solutions in terms of advocacy, public policy and awareness-raising, to improve the presence of women in decision-making bodies at the local or national level. Despite the gender parity law being in force, elected women in politics continue to face multi-faceted resistance that have a strong bearing on culture. It was proposed that the different inequalities be documented and explained so that the quest to find viable solutions is undertaken.
The law dictates that all elective or semi-elective bodies set up parity offices. This has not been the case in many local authorities. In some cases, legal action has had to be taken to enforce the law. Despite the challenges, one of the beneficiaries of WPP Academy initiatives in Senegal rose from mayor to a ministerial role. Maïmouna Dieye was recently appointed as Minister of Family and Solidarity by H.E. President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye.
| Hon. Elene Tine, Technical Advisor of IFAN's WPP initiatives at the academy. Photo: IFAN |
The Forum for the African Women Educationalists (FAWE)
Training for young women political aspirants facilitated by the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) in Kenya
FAWE convened a high-level dialogue with women political leaders to enhance inter-generational mentorship for young women leaders through WPP Academy training. Since the inception of WPP Project, FAWE has hosted five Women in Political Participation Academies in Nairobi, targeting over 150 current female politicians, aspiring young women (18-35 years), student leaders, young women with disabilities and media practitioners from all 47 counties in Kenya. The WPP Academy stands as a catalyst for elevating women's involvement in politics. By providing participants with essential skills for upcoming elections and beyond, the academy aims to cultivate a robust cohort of empowered women aspirants. The women are poised to spearhead the political and leadership agenda, not only in Kenya but also throughout the region. The anticipated impact extends far beyond the academy, paving the way for a more inclusive and dynamic political landscape. To bring a unique understanding to the academies, FAWE invites seasoned female politicians who act as role models and share their experiences. Watch the video below for updates.
Some of the 30 young women aspirants drawn form various counties in Kenya attend the FAWE training facilitated by the Office of the Registrar of political parties and the IEBC. Read more about the event here and in this article.
Hon. Millie Odhiambo, a Member of Parliament from Kenya and the minority whip in the National Assembly joins young women in politics drawn from FAWE's WPP Academies for an inter-generational mentorship session.
Marjan Hussein Marjan, the Chief Executive Officer at Kenya's Electoral Agency, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) during the FAWE training.
The African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)
Training for young elected female Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) in Kenya
The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) convened a training for newly elected women from Kenya's Young Members of the County Assembly (KYMCA) caucus. The women were trained on presence, publicity and positioning. One key aspect was that visibility and strategic communication as a politician can ensure that stakeholders, including funding partners and constituents at the grassroots are able to appreciate the efforts politicians put in adressing pertinent issues and even and relate with their manifestos.
During this training, policy strategy, formulation and analysis were underscored as key to ensure sustainable and effective solutions. Policy analyst, Joylisa Njagi, who was one of the trainers, emphasized that, "Inclusive policymaking can address diverse needs and create more robust, effective policies that stand the test of time especially on the equality and equity front to reduce gender bias and enhance gender equity.'' Read more about the event here.
Women and Law Southern Africa (WLSA)
High-level thematic dialogue on gendered elections in Africa
Participants of the thematic dialogue on gendered elections in Africa. The theme for the dialogue was centered on fostering inclusive electoral processes to enhance women's political participation.
Women and Law Southern Africa (WLSA) held the high-level thematic dialogue with the Regional Economic Communities RECs, the Africa Union and women in politics to discuss gendered elections in Africa.
The meeting facilitated dialogue on gendered electoral model law and sought to influence Member States to adopt gender equality principles which enhance women's political participation. The Pan-African Gendered Model Electoral Law is designed for all actors engaged in handling of women’s political participation at all stages of the electoral cycle in Africa, with a specific focus on Members of Parliament, executive, judiciary, political parties, CSOs and election observers.
Despite the existence of international and regional frameworks that emphasize gender equality in political participation, how to achieve gender parity and eliminate barriers to women's political engagement, women's political representation in Africa remains below global averages, with significant gaps between policy and practice. The 26 per cent of seats in national assemblies and a mere 15 per cent of presidential roles, highlight entrenched structural barriers to accessing leadership positions. The ECOWAS Protocol and Gender and Election Strategic Framework in West Africa underscore the need for increased representation, but challenges like insufficient state funding for women candidates persist. Stronger enforcement of gender-sensitive policies is essential to ensure women’s full participation in political processes across the continent. Read more about the event here.
Honourable (MP) Gertrude Mutandi, Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Women's Affairs, urged coordinated efforts by governments, civil society, and international partners to address the barriers faced by women in politics in Africa and reaffirmed Zimbabwe's commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Capacity building session for first-time legislators in Zimbabwe
Capacity building session by WLSA for first-time elected women Members of Parliament from Zimbabwe on 29 to 30 November highlighted. The workshop was noted as the 2025 budget due to be passed in Parliament and it is important that the legislators are able to review it through a gender-sensitive lens.
Media and Publications Feature
- Latest news on WPP Africa Barometer findings by TVC, Nigeria. Watch here
- Young African Women Leading politically on Voice of Africa .Watch here
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This series features interviews with a diverse group of parliamentarians, sharing their insights on increasing women's representation in parliament, addressing the impact of violence against women, and exploring the role of men in achieving gender parity. These videos are part of the WYDE | Women’s Leadership Initiative, a collaborative project funded by the European Union and implemented by UN Women in partnership with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG). The initiative aims to promote women's full and meaningful participation in political processes and decision-making at all levels, with a focus on those who are often left behind. The views and opinions expressed by the parliamentarians are their own and do not necessarily reflect the IPU’s position.
Video available here.
Summary:
Learn more about CEDAW General Recommendation 40 and how to use it in your advocacy
What is CEDAW, and why does it matter?
CEDAW, or the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted in 1979, is the key international human rights convention focused on women and girls. This international document is one of the most widely signed treaty bodies, with over 189 states having ratified or signed it.
The influence of this convention extends beyond developing international human rights law standards to also shaping local legal frameworks, informing national policy discourses, and setting the standards of accountability at the national level.
CEDAW is a key instrument to safeguard and ensure the fulfilment of human rights of lesbian, bisexual, trans, and intersex (LBTI) women and girls. Over decades, alongside feminists, groups and activists working on SRHR rights and SOGIESC rights have also extensively engaged in expanding the narrow interpretation of the convention regarding who is included as ‘women’ and ‘girls.’
Over time, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) has also broadened the understanding of “women” to be inclusive of LBTI women. To ensure women’s participation in all aspects of society, the economy, and the market, we must address the long-term and structural absence of women from decision-making systems.
The Committee developed a new General Recommendation (GR 40) to guide States parties on achieving equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems across all sectors.
Published by ilga World; access their full website here.
Image by ilga World
“On social media, President Samia Suluhu is objectified simply because she is a woman president. Women journalists work tirelessly to cover her objectively. However, when politicians call for a press conference, social media influencers are given priority, while journalists are relegated to the backbenches,” recounted a woman journalist from Tanzania.
This was during a seminar for journalists from across Africa covering gender matters, convened by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International Idea) in Nairobi.
The journalist, whose identity we are protecting to avoid exposing her to repercussions, including cyberbullying, said social media users, including influencers, have increasingly become a threat to fair coverage of Ms Suluhu.
“The fact is that since she took office, she has introduced changes, such as allowing teenage mothers to return to school. However, some social media influencers have been used to spread rumours that she is a lesbian and that her marriage is broken. Unfortunately, people are more inclined to believe what they spread than what we report,” she said.
While women journalists in Tanzania struggle with the emerging threats of gendered misinformation and disinformation, in Botswana, an attempt to address violence against women politicians failed to take off because of a lack of funds.
In 2023, Democracy Works Foundation engaged an organisation running a toll-free helpline for people living with HIV to expand its services to include receiving complaints from women politicians facing violence both online and offline.*
Full article published by The Nation on 21 May 2025.
Image credits: The Nation
In 2016 at the launch of the #NotTheCost campaign, NDI presented a list of strategies to address and prevent violence against women in politics, focusing on a wide range of potential change-makers, from the global to the grassroots levels. While a deeper understanding of the issue has emerged, new problems have arisen. The world is grappling with a global pandemic. Many countries have seen their democratic institutions severely weakened. Technological innovations have created new contexts and means of perpetrating violence against women. On the fifth anniversary of the #NotTheCost campaign, NDI is renewing its call to action and presenting new opportunities to end both prevailing and newly emerging types of violence against women in politics. In the 2021 call to action, NDI identifies new opportunities to end both prevailing and newly emerging types of violence against women in politics.
Click here to read the full report.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) organized the conference "Promoting the political participation of women with disabilities" in Vienna on 16 and 17 April 2018. The event was held as part of ODIHR’s project “Our right to participate – Promoting the participation of Persons with Disabilities in political and public life (Phase II)”, implemented across the OSCE region.
The conference served as a platform to raise awareness about the limited participation of women with disabilities in political life across the OSCE region and to identify positive measures which can facilitate more diverse and inclusive democratic institutions and parliaments. It explored ways to strengthen linkages between the women’s movement and the disability movement, drawing on common experiences, challenges and opportunities.
Click here to read the meeting report.
Inclusive politics remains an elusive goal in Pakistan, which has a history of military interference in governance institutions, unstable elected governments and internecine conflict. Women’s voices, within the corridors of power or as constituents whose interests must be accounted for, have been weak but are growing stronger.
Activism, led by the women’s movement and civil society advocacy groups since the 1980s, has yielded results. The state has opened up democratic spaces to women in elected legislatures and local bodies through an expanded reserved seats quota; and recently legislators revised electoral rules to mandate a minimal level of women’s greater inclusion as candidates and voters.
This paper aims to contribute to the growing body of literature around how feminist mobilisation and political voice leads to progressive policy outcomes. It does this through exploring three questions:
How did the women’s movement lead to the decision to restore and increase the quota for women in elected bodies?
How have women used their elected positions, and worked in caucuses, to promote their interests? What other measures will further strengthen their political voice?
Can we gain insight into pro-women policymaking by looking at women’s activism, political voice, and other factors within a broader contextual framework to identify patterns that may predict further progress?
Click here to see the paper.
Given that 2018 is the centenary of some women gaining the vote in the UK, the British Council has commissioned this research to map and understand the key developments in women’s role in politics in the UK and around the world over the last 100 years, contrasting the UK’s progress with international examples.
This report will form a basis for developing international discussion and debate about these vital issues and generating opportunities to do even more to support women’s political participation. This is in furtherance of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.5 – ‘Women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life’ and supports the British Council’s role of creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust as the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.
The research engaged a range of participants from the UK as a whole, the nations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and internationally through 40 individual interviews; six roundtables with 77 stakeholders and over 60 talking head short films to reflect many different experiences and a range of expertise. There was a desire to understand the direct experiences of participants, and their voices and views were drawn on directly throughout. Participants were mainly women and ranged from those with direct experience as politicians, to those who are experts as academics, international consultants and activists in the field of women’s political participation.
Click here to read the full report.
Today’s political landscape poses complex global challenges to democracies.
The landscape is shaped by globalization, geopolitical power shifts, changing roles and structures of (supra)national organizations and institutions, and the rise in modern communications technologies. Transnational phenomena such as migration and climate change influence the dynamics of conflict and development, citizenship and state sovereignty. Rising inequalities, and the social polarization and exclusion they generate, skew political representation and voice, reducing the vital moderate centre of the electorate.
These dynamics have contributed to a widely contested view that democracy is in decline. Events around the world continue to challenge the notion of democracy’s resilience and make democratic systems appear fragile and threatened. Yet democratic values among citizens, and within institutions at the national and international levels, continue to be expressed and defended.
This Overview of International IDEA’s The Global State of Democracy 2017: Exploring Democracy’s Resilience outlines the key current challenges to democracy and the enabling conditions for its resilience. Based on newly developed Global State of Democracy indices as a key evidence base to inform policy interventions and identify problemsolving approaches, the publication presents global and regional assessments of the state of democracy from 1975—at the beginning of the third wave of democratization—to 2015, complemented by a qualitative analysis of challenges to democracy up to 2017.
A single moment can spark a revolution, collective actions can transform laws, creative expression can change attitudes and an invention can alter the course of history. It’s these threads that weave together to propel the women’s movement — even in the face of obstacles. Discover how some of these strands, big and small, have shaped your lives, and the rights and lives of women and girls worldwide.
Explore women’s activism from generations past and present with this UN Women interactive platform.