Women's Leadership

Nearly a quarter of the leaders on the 2022 Forbes List Of The World’s Most Powerful Women play a major role in politics and policy at a time when rising inflation, supply chain disruptions, and a looming climate crisis threaten geopolitical stability. And while women remain vastly underrepresented throughout all levels of government, their combined political might continues to have an outsized impact on the world stage. Collectively, these women directly oversee or influence nearly 3 billion people and over half of the world’s GDP. But the dynamics of political power are shifting as leaders must adapt to growing unrest and increasing threats to democracy.

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe faces an energy crisis that has the potential to weaken its economic position for years to come. Yet, the EU stands more united than ever in its steadfast resolve to uphold democracy. For that reason, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tops this year’s list, closely followed by European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde. Both women must balance continued support of Ukraine while curbing rising inflation and energy costs. The continent stands at a critical juncture as efforts to disrupt funding for Russia’s war machine will continue to put a severe economic squeeze on member states.

Click here to read the full article published by Forbes on 6 December 2022.

With the support of UNESCO, the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has published a groundbreaking, book-length global study on online violence against women journalists, documenting alarming trends and offering solutions to this pernicious problem.

The Chilling: A global study of online violence against women journalists is the most geographically, linguistically and ethnically diverse research ever published on the theme. Publication of the 300-page book, concludes a three-year research project originally commissioned by UNESCO in 2019.

Click here to access the report.

(CNN) — Dina Boluarte took office as the new President of Peru on Wednesday, after Congress ousted former president Pedro Castillo.

In this turbulent context, Boluarte, who until a few hours ago was the country's Vice President, took over as Castillo's successor after being sworn in before the plenary session of Congress on Wednesday afternoon.

She is the first female president in Peru's history, and the sixth Peruvian president in less than five years.

Boluarte's term will extend through July 2026.

Click here to read the full article published by CNN on 8 December 2022.

Peru has a female president for the first time, after ex-president Pedro Castillo was impeached - hours after he tried to dissolve parliament.

Dina Boluarte - previously the vice-president - was sworn in after a dramatic day in Lima on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Mr Castillo had said he was replacing Congress with an "exceptional emergency government".

But lawmakers ignored this, and in an emergency meeting impeached him. He was then detained and accused of rebellion.

Click here to read the full article published by BBC, on 8 December 2022.

On 29 November, the Action Coalition on Feminist Movements and Leadership, together with UN Women and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, held their first official commemoration of International Women Human Rights Defenders Day to centre the voices and experiences of women human rights defenders and call on the international community to provide them necessary public, political and financial support and protection.  

The event took place in the context of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, this year being marked under the theme “UNiTE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”. It acknowledged and celebrated the critical role that women human rights defenders play in preventing and responding to violence despite the pushback and risks that they face.  

“Women in countries around the world, especially in conflict affected countries and where there are autocratic regimes, are demonstrating that they hold the key to a peaceful future for all of us. It is their courage and their example that should give us hope and direction,” emphasized UN Women Deputy Executive Director, Åsa Regnér, opening the event.  

Click here to read the full article published by UN Women on 30 November 2022.

A stronger representation of women in India’s power structure will greatly boost India’s economic growth, opined Augusto Lopez-Claros, chair of the Global Governance Forum. In a conversation with Times Network CEO and MD MK Anand at the Times Now Summit 2022, Lopez-Claros called for a quota for women in the Parliament which would ensure greater participation of women in the workforce in reverse.

The pivotal role of women in uplifting the economic and social well-being of a country is unmistakable. Taking the theme of ‘India: A Vibrant Democracy. Global Bright Spot’ at the Times Now Summit 2022 further, MK Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network, engaged with economist Augusto Lopez-Claros, Executive Director of the Global Governance Forum where the two discussed at length the tapping of ‘Women Power’ to unleash the true potential of the country.

Anand highlighted, what in his view, was a troubling reality – low participation by women in the workforce. In comparison to the world average, participation of women in sheer quantity and in the number of years is much lesser in India. "How is that it will play out?" he asked.

Click here to read the full article published by Times Now on 29 November 2022.