Women's Leadership

Dispute over protocol prompts charges of sexism at meeting in Ankara

Turkey and Europe are trading blame over who left the European Commission chief on her feet, in a spat over protocol that has prompted charges of sexism and overshadowed a critical meeting.

Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, was caught off guard when European Council president Charles Michel and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan sat in armchairs next to each other — leaving her to sit alone on a sofa opposite Mevlut Cavusoglu, the Turkish foreign minister.

The awkward moment, caught on video at Turkey’s presidential palace in Ankara, came ahead of talks between the EU officials and Erdogan that both sides wanted to depict as a “new momentum” in an often acrimonious relationship.

The EU’s Michel, who in the video glances at von der Leyen but remains in his armchair, blamed Turkey for the diplomatic mishap. “The strict interpretation of the protocol rules by the Turkish authorities gave rise to a distressing situation: the differentiated — even inferior — treatment of the president of the European Commission,” he said in a Facebook post late on Wednesday.

Click here to read the full article published by the Financial Times on 8 April 2021.

Women in Political Participation- is a Pan-African gender project on the different facets of Women and Politics in Africa. Funded by Sida and implemented by International IDEA, its aim is to contribute to advancing the goal of gender equality in politics and governance, in line with the Maputo Protocol of 2003; various associated sub-regional protocols and standards, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Inclusive of International IDEA as leading partner, the Project brings together a consortium of seven partner organisations:The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), The African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), Gender Links, Universite Cheikh Anta Diop’s Gender Laboratory (IFAN), Padare/Enkundleni Men’s Forum on Gender and Women and Law Southern Africa (WLSA). The project will be expanded across Africa once funds permit.

The Project impact Objectives are:

1. To contribute to an increase in the voice and presence of women in political processes and institutions in Africa.
2. To step up advocacy for, and expand awareness towards increased demands for the inclusion of women at all levels of political participation and decision-making.
3. To build and strengthen enabling platforms that allow for women’s inclusion in all levels of political participation.

Click here to learn more about WPP Africa. 

Samia Suluhu Hassan has been sworn in as President of Tanzania, becoming the first female head of state in the east African country following the death of president John Magufuli.

Ms Hassan, 61, was sworn in at State House in the country's commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

She assumes the presidency following Wednesday's announcement of the death of Mr Magufuli, after a more than a two-week absence from public life.

In a statement, the presidency said Ms Hassan would address the nation after being sworn in and would also hold a cabinet meeting.

The absence of Mr Magufuli, Africa's most vehement Covid-19 sceptic, since 27 February had fuelled speculation about his health and sparked rumours he had contracted the disease, although officials had denied he was ill.

Ms Hassan said he had died of heart disease.

Click here to read the full article published by RTE on 19 March 2021.

The data is clear. Despite women’s increased engagement in public decision-making roles, equality is far off: women hold about 21 percent of ministerial positions globally, only three countries have 50 percent or more women in parliament, and 22 countries are headed by a woman. At the current rate of progress, gender equality will not be reached among Heads of Government until 2150, another 130 years.

What’s more, violence against women in public life is widespread. Women in leadership roles struggle with lack of access to finance, online hate and violence, and discriminatory norms and exclusionary policies that make rising through the ranks even harder.

Yet, women persist, and continue to prove that when they lead, they bring transformative changes to entire communities and the world at large.

Inclusive and diverse feminist leadership is key to sustained global development as the world continues to confront urgent challenges – from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change, deepening inequalities, conflict and democratic backsliding. The United Nations is working around the world to enable more women to take their rightful seats at decision-making tables.

Here are the voices of just seven women and girls who, with UN support, have led transformative proceses that are creating change..

Click here to read the full article published by UN Women on 1 March 2021.

The more women there are in government, the more likely it is to deliver on its campaign promises — that’s the conclusion of a recent American study conducted across the United States, Canada and ten European countries.

Will recently elected leaders like Kaja Kallas, Kamala Harris and Sanna Marin help reshape the political landscape and restore the relationship of trust between citizens and politicians? This is the hypothesis explored by researchers at Rice University in Texas.

The study uses data from the Comparative Party Pledge Group, a tool designed to assess commitments made during election campaigns and the ability of politicians to deliver on them.

Twelve countries were examined: Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the U.S..

The answer to the question “are men or women more likely to keep their campaign promises,” is unequivocal.

“Women may in fact be more effective at this process than men, even when faced with the same institutional challenges,” outlines Jonathan Homola, an assistant professor of political science at Rice and main author of the study.

Click here to read the full article published by Inquirer on 2 March 2021.

Abstract

Does the representation of women in cabinet and party leadership positions affect whether governments are more or less likely to fulfill the policy promises they make during election campaigns? This research note studies the effects of women's descriptive representation in cabinet and party leadership on policymaking by analyzing the pledge fulfillment of parties in 10 European countries, the United States, and Canada. The empirical analysis suggests that governing parties are more likely to fulfill their election promises when levels of women's representation are higher. The results have implications for our understanding of the descriptive and substantive representation of women, as well as for party competition and policymaking more broadly.

Click here to read the full article published by the Wiley Online Library on 18 February 2021.