Highlighted Resources

02.05.2024

Indonesian youths trained on how to respond to online gender-based violence against women in politics

02.05.2024

Indonesian youths trained on how to respond to online gender-based violence against women in politics

Jakarta Indonesia — UN Women Indonesia marked the annual United Nations 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign 2023 by inviting young people to learn about how to combat violence perpetrated online.

Entitled “Combating Online Gender-based Violence, Misinformation, Disinformation, and Hoaxes to Support Women's Leadership in Politics” the workshop was held in South Tangerang, Banten Province. The 16 participants -- young digital activists from various provinces and backgrounds – learned about this form of violence, gender representation disparities, and online violence against women politicians, as well as the important role of young people in addressing these problems.

The largest group of potential voters in the recent elections were the 8 million aged 17-30; they make up more than 31 per cent of total voters. The young generation, especially Gen Z (those in their teens to early 20s) born in the digital age, can play a crucial role in preventing and combating online gender-based violence, misinformation, and fake news or hoaxes.

Click here to read the full article published by UN Women Asia and the Pacific on 1 May 2024.

24.04.2024

Preparing women leaders for political participation in Paraguay

24.04.2024

Preparing women leaders for political participation in Paraguay

Six years of close collaboration between International IDEA and the Gender Policy Unit at the Superior Tribunal of Electoral Justice in Paraguay has strengthened women’s leadership and political empowerment, helping women gain access to popularly elected and decision-making positions.

Joint initiatives have trained 668 women leaders and given visibility to women in the political debate. In the five elections conducted in 2023, 33 per cent of the candidates were women, and 23.5 per cent of them were elected as congresswomen. This is the highest-ever percentage of women in the Paraguayan Parliament, having increased by 57 per cent from the last election in 2018.

Read here the full article published by International IDEA on 23 April 2024.

20.03.2024

Shaping the agenda: Youth engagement and empowerment at the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women

20.03.2024

Shaping the agenda: Youth engagement and empowerment at the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women

After an invigorating three-day assembly, the CSW68 Youth Forum, held on 15–17 March 2024, closed with renewed commitments and actionable insights. Aligned with this year’s Commission on the Status of Women priority theme, “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective”, the Forum stood as a beacon for young voices ready to echo through the halls of global decision-making.

Meaningful engagement and diverse voices

The Youth Forum brought together a vibrant mosaic of more than 400 young leaders from across the globe, ranging from activists to experts with a rich diversity of experiences, including adolescents, young people with disabilities, indigenous youth, LGBTIQ+ youth, and more, adding depth to the dialogue on poverty eradication and galvanizing efforts to push forward for gender equality.

“It is high time that we stop thinking about you as the leaders of tomorrow and start working with you as the leaders of today”, said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.

Read here the full article published by UN Women on 20 March 2024.

Image source: UN Women

18.03.2024

'We want to have our voices out there' – Young women speak out at CSW68

18.03.2024

'We want to have our voices out there' – Young women speak out at CSW68

Youth leaders from around the world have come together to discuss their vision for ending poverty and advancing gender equality at the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) at the UN Headquarters in New York from 11 to 22 March. In this landmark election year, when 2.6 billion people are expected to cast their votes, young people – as voters, community members, and leaders – hold the power to demand higher investment in gender equality in countries, regions, and globally.

Here are the voices from some young women leaders attending CSW68 and the annual Youth Forum, reflecting on their priorities, challenges, and hopes.

Read here the full article published by UN Women on 18 March 2024.

Image source: UN Women

26.02.2024

Zimbabwean youth demand more representation in electoral processes

26.02.2024

Zimbabwean youth demand more representation in electoral processes

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), a coalition of non-governmental organizations that promotes democratic elections has called for more youth participation and representation in Zimbabwe’s electoral and governance processes, citing the low number of young lawmakers in the country’s parliament.

In a statement highlighting the crucial importance of youth involvement in electoral affairs as enshrined in the constitution, ZESN said that despite constitutional provisions and global mandates advocating for youth empowerment, youth are still underrepresented in key electoral, governance, policy and legislative affairs.

The National Youth Day, which falls on February 21, was proclaimed and introduced by the Zimbabwe government in 2017 to recognize youth and celebrate their contributions to the development of Zimbabwe as well as for the young people to emulate the leadership values of the country’s liberation heroes.

Click here to read the full article published by 263 Chat on 21 February 2024.

Image source: 263 Chat

23.01.2024

Gender-responsive training by FAWE for Kenyan media

23.01.2024

Gender-responsive training by FAWE for Kenyan media

The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), one of the seven partners within the Women In Political Participation (WPP) Project, recently convened a strategic 2-day gender-responsive training for select Kenyan journalists, editors and social media influencers drawn from various Kenya television, print media and radio stations.

The training brought together 40 participants from various media houses, including female politicians, FAWE, International IDEA, FEMNET, and The Association of Media Women in Kenya (AMWIK) personnel. The main objective of the training was to establish a pool of journalists and social media influencers who are gender-responsive in their reporting and who will objectively report stories of women in politics.

Women in politics have been on the receiving end regarding media framing and agenda setting in the political arena because leadership is often believed to be a male function in the world today. The narrative is, however, changing with more women in Kenyacoming forth to vie for leadership positions.

Click here to read the full article published by International IDEA on 19 January 2024.

14.12.2023

India's women voters will surpass male voters from 2029 general election onwards

14.12.2023

India's women voters will surpass male voters from 2029 general election onwards

A major shift in India's electoral landscape is anticipated by the end of this decade. A report by the SBI has claimed that women voters in India will surpass male voters from 2029 onwards.

In the upcoming general election in 2024, the SBI report has projected a total voter turnout of around 68 crores, of which women voters could be at 33 crore (49%). From 2029 onwards, the women voters at 37 crores could be outstripping registered men voters at 36 crores, the SBI report said.

Click here to read the full article published by Mint on 14 December 2023.

Image by Mint

24.11.2023

Stop onslaught on young women leaders

24.11.2023

Stop onslaught on young women leaders

Kenya has tried to bridge the gender divide in appointive and elective positions through legislation such as the two-thirds gender bill now failed several times. But there’s a new pandemic for young women in power, designated to scare them from rising, voicing their opinion and leading as per their constitutional mandate: Patriarchy.

However, patriarchy is not new and plagues even the mature democracies. Today, a woman would be sitting at the apex of power of a superpower but for patriarchy.

Granted, there are many reasons why a woman running for political office might not win an election. But patriarchy tops the list.

Click here to read the full article published by The Nation on 24 November 2023.

Image by The Nation

13.11.2023

City in Kyoto Prefecture elects youngest female mayor in Japan

13.11.2023

City in Kyoto Prefecture elects youngest female mayor in Japan

Despite lacking ties to this city and being described as a poor public speaker, a former social worker won an election here to become the youngest female mayor in Japan.

Shoko Kawata, 33, bested two other candidates on Nov. 12 to win the mayoral election in Yawata, a city of about 70,000 residents south of the ancient capital of Kyoto.

Kawata was backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, junior coalition partner Komeito and the main opposition party Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

Click here to read the full article published by Asahi Shimbun AJW on 13 November 2023.

Image by Asahi Shimbun AJW

20.10.2023

Lawmakers are getting younger but not everywhere

20.10.2023

Lawmakers are getting younger but not everywhere

The latest IPU report on Youth Participation in Parliament reveals that parliaments are getting slightly younger, with small increases in the number of parliamentarians under 45 years old. However, despite the progress, parliaments are still a long way from representing young people proportionately.

The report tracks changes in youth representation in parliaments following elections held between September 2020 and June 2023.

Click here to read the full article published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union on 19 October 2023.

05.09.2023

Enugu youths, women should participate in politics

05.09.2023

Enugu youths, women should participate in politics

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A civil society organisation keen on amplifying voices of women in Nigeria, TechHerNG, has encouraged women in the country to engage and participate in politics.

This was as the organisation committed to leveraging technology for social impact frowned at exclusion occasioned by systemic societal biases and reinforced by religious and cultural norms.

These biases, according to the CSO have resulted in various forms of discrimination against women, particularly those aspiring to hold public office.

Click here to read the full article published by Vanguard on 4 September 2023.

09.08.2023

Reformative changes are being made to increase the representation of women in politics – President

09.08.2023

Reformative changes are being made to increase the representation of women in politics – President

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During a meeting with students from Girls’ High School Kandy, President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed his strong commitment to increasing women’s representation in politics through reformative changes.

The President highlighted his dedication to achieving a significant level of women’s participation in politics and emphasized the need for specific reforms to facilitate this objective. The President made these remarks on Tuesday (08) in response to a question raised by one of the visiting students.

Click here to read the full article published by The Island on 8 August 2023.

07.08.2023

Pressing need to encourage young women to enter politics, says Wanita MCA chairman

07.08.2023

Pressing need to encourage young women to enter politics, says Wanita MCA chairman

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There is a pressing need to empower and encourage more young women to get involved in politics, says Wanita MCA national chairman Wong You Fong.

Wong said that the party’s women's wing would look into ways and plan suitable programmes to attract more women, especially those who were 30 and below, to join the party.

"We do not have that many young people in the women’s wing. Maybe only about 20% of them are 30 and below while the rest are older.

Click here to read the full article published by The Star on 7 August 2023.

04.08.2023

Building the evidence base on participation of indigenous peoples in elections

04.08.2023

Building the evidence base on participation of indigenous peoples in elections

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For the past year, IFES has partnered with three global organizations fighting for the political, social, and economic rights of Indigenous Peoples, including Indigenous women and Indigenous persons with disabilities. Fundación Guillermo Toriello (FGT), based in Guatemala, Endorois Indigenous Women Empowerment Network (EIWEN), based in Kenya, and National Indigenous Disabled Women Association Nepal (NIDWAN) have conducted extensive research on the issues Indigenous Peoples face when participating in electoral processes.

Click here to read the full article published by International Foundation for Electoral Systems on 3 August 2023.

03.08.2023

Women dialogue identifies factors impeding participation in politics

03.08.2023

Women dialogue identifies factors impeding participation in politics

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Participants at a one-day postmortem dialogue on assessing violence against women and women’s participation in the 2023 general elections on Wednesday have identified the patriarchal nature of Nigerian society and political parties as major factors impeding women’s participation in politics.

The dialogue, organized by the Women’s Situation Room Nigeria (WSRN), Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Nigeria, and Women Environment and Youth Development Initiative.

(WOYODEV) had Kwara state female lawmakers, civil society organizations (CSO), network groups, and women groups in attendance.

Click here to read the full article published by Nigerian Tribune on 02 August 2023.

02.08.2023

Study finds women get outnumbered by men in studying legislative politics

02.08.2023

Study finds women get outnumbered by men in studying legislative politics

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It’s no secret that men outnumber women in the halls of Congress and in other political arenas, but new research from Rice University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also found that significantly more men than women study the legislative process in the U.S. and abroad.

This has troubling implications for the inner workings of the discipline and the overall study of topics that impact women’s political involvement, according to Leslie Schwindt-Bayer, the Thomas Cooke and Mary Elizabeth Edwards Chair in Government and Democracy and one of the authors of “Women in Legislative Studies: Improving Gender Equality.” The article appears in an upcoming issue of Political Science & Politics.

Click here to read the full article published by India Education Diary on 1 August 2023.

27.07.2023

Young Women into Leadership summit aims to inspire future female leaders

27.07.2023

Young Women into Leadership summit aims to inspire future female leaders

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This year’s cohort of 75 girls are taking part in the online programme for 14 to 16-year-olds this week (24-31 July 2023).

There’s a truly global flavour this year with Birmingham girls joined by peers from India, South Africa, Colombia as well as from Birmingham’s partner cities – Chicago in the US, Nanjing and Changchun in China, Lyon in France, and Johannesburg in South Africa.

Click here to read the full article published by Birmingham City Council on 26 July 2023.

24.07.2023

Liberia: Naymote launches women campaign fellows program for elections

24.07.2023

Liberia: Naymote launches women campaign fellows program for elections

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Naymote Partners for Democratic Development has launched a new program called Women Campaign Fellows in Monrovia.

The initiative, which took place on Friday, July 14, is intended to contribute to the inclusive, credible, and peaceful conduct of the electoral process through active young women’s civic engagement and enhancing political knowledge.

Click here to read the full article published by Liberian Observer on 20 July 2023.

17.07.2023

The Alliance of Her holds first youth summer retreat

17.07.2023

The Alliance of Her holds first youth summer retreat

On 6-9 July, the Alliance of Her held its first summer retreat, gathering passionate young women in politics from across Europe.

The retreat brought together 20 young female liberal leaders under 30, representing 20 liberal parties from 16 countries at the Domaine de Ronchinne in Belgium. Engaging sessions were led by experts including Estonian Member of Parliament Yoko Alender, from ALDE Party member Reformierakond, as well as several guest speakers.

The retreat provided the up-and-coming, ambitious young women the chance to share ideas, insights and common challenges with like-minded women in politics, and reflect on and develop their plans and aspirations in a supportive and enabling environment.

Click here to read the full article published by ALDE Party on 11 July 2023.

11.07.2023

Ministerial appointments: women, youths deserves better representation – group tells Tinubu

11.07.2023

Ministerial appointments: women, youths deserves better representation – group tells Tinubu

A group under the auspices of Progressive Ambassador for APC project, has calls on President Bola Tinubu to consider women and youths in his cabinet.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on on Monday, Ikechukwu Norbet, the group’s national coordinator, Congratulated Tinubu for hitting the ground running upon his assumption in less than 40 days in office, with the assents of judicial officers law, Electricity Act, Student Loan ACT, Data Protection Law, among other economic reforms programmes.

Click here to read the full article published by The News Guru on 11 July 2023.

26.05.2023

Women’s meaningful participation in political and public life in Afghanistan focus of special OSCE Asian partners meeting

26.05.2023

Women’s meaningful participation in political and public life in Afghanistan focus of special OSCE Asian partners meeting

The Special OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group met today to discuss key aspects for ensuring women’s participation in political and public life. The meeting was convened by the Polish Chair of the Group.

The session particularly highlighted the critical human rights situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, which has worsened as a consequence of developments in the country. The marginalization of women from the public sphere and the denial of their rights to education, work, and freedom of movement results in grave long-term effects on the country’s development and prosperity. This poses significant risks to regional stability as the country’s capacity to cope with transnational threats deteriorates.

Click here to read the full article published by Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on 26 May 2023.

08.12.2022

Promoting the role of youth in political and democratic spaces

08.12.2022

Promoting the role of youth in political and democratic spaces

International IDEA, in collaboration with the European Commission (EC) and the Youth Political and Civic Engagement Cohort of the Summit for Democracy (S4D), held on 15 November 2022, an online peer-to-peer dialogue, Promoting the role of youth in political and democratic spaces. The event explored commitments on youth presented by governments at the S4D, drawing lessons learnt and identifying opportunities for further engagement for the Year of Action. It offered an opportunity for discussions between European Union (EU) and non-EU governments, civil society organizations (CSOs) and other relevant stakeholders on youth and political participation, and on youth, digitalisation, and online electoral integrity.

The event consisted of two sessions: ‘Youth participation in democratic processes’ and ‘Youth and online electoral integrity’. The former session discussed commitments on inclusive youth representation and efforts to increase their participation in democratic processes, as well as the role of civil society and potential future opportunities. The latter session focussed on empowering the participation of youth in the digital sphere, including the role that young people can play in safeguarding online electoral integrity and fighting mis- and disinformation.

Click here to read the full article published by International IDEA on 5 December 2022.

20.09.2022

Youth4Climate: Powering action flagship global event will convene 150 young leaders to bring forth concrete climate actions

20.09.2022

Youth4Climate: Powering action flagship global event will convene 150 young leaders to bring forth concrete climate actions

Committed, inspiring and bold climate leaders from all over the world will meet during the UN High-Level General Assembly week to discuss youth-led engagement and solutions in climate actions.

New York - On the margins of the 77^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Youth4Climate initiative, launched in May this year by the Government of Italy and United Nations Development Programme, will host a flagship global event on Tuesday, 20 September 2022, bringing together global voices on the most urgent issue of our times: climate action. Representing every region of the world, about 150 young climate leaders from 90 countries will discuss concrete climate solutions with peers and high-level representatives from national governments, experts from UNDP and the broader UN system, regional organizations, private sector and philanthropy.

“The voices of the future generation must be at the forefront, and is vital in shaping the solutions of today. By joining forces, we aim to promote the rights, needs and aspirations of young people – helping to significantly boost youth-led climate action”, highlighted UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner at the launch of the Youth4Climate initiative.

Click here to read the full article published by UNDP on 20 September 2022.

24.08.2022

UN Women Sudan supports young women’s participation in the political process

24.08.2022

UN Women Sudan supports young women’s participation in the political process

Through roundtable discussions, capacity-building workshops, and seminars targeting women from across Sudan, UN Women Sudan empowers young women to learn skills in alliance-building and participation in political processes.

The October 25th coup in 2021 in Sudan was a setback to achieving goals set during its transitional period. To facilitate a solution to this political crisis, the trilateral mechanism was formed, consisting of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), the African Union Commission (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Secretariat (IGAD).

Before the trilateral formation, UNITAMS launched a consultative process with a wide range of Sudanese stakeholders aimed at addressing the political impasse and developing a path towards democracy and peace. The consultations involved more than 800 participants, one-third of them were women.

Click here to read the full article published by Euronews on 14 August 2022.

23.08.2022

Graduation of Sudan's young women democracy academy (YWDA)

23.08.2022

Graduation of Sudan's young women democracy academy (YWDA)

International IDEA Sudan’s programme celebrated the graduation of the first batch from the Young Women Democracy Academy (YWDA) on 9 August 2022. The event took place in the International IDEA office, and it was attended by the Swedish Ambassador to Sudan, Signe Burgstaller, who gave the opening remarks. Members of the Sudanese civil society and academia and people of interest were also present at the event.

The Young Women’s Democracy Academy (YWDA) is a three-month academy dedicated to empowering young women with the knowledge and skills necessary to enhance their political participation. The first cohort of the academy consists of 25 young women from diverse backgrounds accepted from more than 100 applicants. YWDA consists of a combination of academic modules and workshops to offer both high-quality education and an opportunity to gain practical skills and strengthen gender analysis. Whether participants are interested in political parties, movement building, or running for office one day, the YWDA offers a space to explore and strengthen these interests from a gender perspective in an open and intellectually stimulating learning environment. After completing this rigorous programme, the graduates are expected to be better equipped for political leadership.

Click here to read the full article published by International IDEA on 10 August 2022.

12.08.2022

Do you say yes to youth? 1 year of the IPU’s campaign

12.08.2022

Do you say yes to youth? 1 year of the IPU’s campaign

On this International Youth Day, the IPU congratulates all the young MPs making a mark in their respective parliaments. They are the future of democracy but with less than 3% of MPs under 30, young people remain severely under-represented. Increasing their ranks continues to be a major focus for the IPU.

I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament! campaign

In April 2021, the IPU introduced an initiative and toolkit to spur more youth in parliaments worldwide called the I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament! campaign. The cornerstones of the campaign are six pledges identified by young parliamentarians as the most impactful ways to generate transformative change:

1. Promoting youth quotas

2. Aligning the age of eligibility with that of voting

3. Supporting youth channels in parliament

4. Empowering young parliamentarians

5. Mentoring young aspirants

6. Advocating for youth participation

Click here to read the full article published by The Inter-Parliamentary Union on 11 August 2022.

20.06.2022

Young MPs for climate action: Eighth IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians

20.06.2022

Young MPs for climate action: Eighth IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians

On 15 and 16 June, some 200 young parliamentarians from 60 countries convened in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt for the Eight IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians.

The conference was jointly organized by the IPU and the Parliament of Egypt. This year’s theme is Young MPs for Climate Action in the lead-up to COP27 also taking place in Sharm-el-Sheikh later this year.

The annual IPU conference is a unique global platform for young Members of Parliament to meet and identify common and innovative strategies to advance youth empowerment.

Click here to read the full article published by The Inter-parliamentary Union on 17 June 2022.

16.05.2022

Australia: Young women are turning their backs on political careers at alarming rate, new research suggests

16.05.2022

Australia: Young women are turning their backs on political careers at alarming rate, new research suggests

Young women aren’t feeling any more optimistic about our parliamentary landscape, opportunities to build a career in politics or their safety, new research has found.

The report, conducted by Plan International Australia and YouGov, found that 60 per cent of young people don’t believe Parliament has improved or become any safer in the past year, while almost fifty percent rejected going into politics because they believe they would experience discrimination for being female.

Three quarters of respondents said they don’t feel politics is an equal or inclusive space for them, while the same number of first time respondents said they did not feel politics is an equal space for women and people of colour.

Click here to read the full article published by Women’s Agenda on 9 May 2022.

21.04.2022

Young women are less likely to run for office today than 12 months ago

21.04.2022

Young women are less likely to run for office today than 12 months ago

Young women and gender diverse people are less likely to run for office or join a political party today, than they were 12 months ago.

That’s the explosive finding of new research from a leading Australian social enterprise, Raise Our Voice Australia which surveyed almost 500 Australian women and gender diverse people under the age of 30, seeking their views on the state of politics in the country today.

Encouragingly, 83 percent of respondents said they were more likely to make an informed vote today – in light of the events of the last 12 months, including Brittany Higgins’ allegations of sexual assault in parliament, Grace Tame’s National Press Club address and the release of The Jenkins Report, however 44 per cent said they were less likely to consider a career in politics today than previously.

Click here to read the full article published by Women’s Agenda on 21 April 2022.

13.04.2022

Guyana Parliament reaches out to youth

13.04.2022

Guyana Parliament reaches out to youth

In a good example of parliamentary outreach to young people, the second edition of the Guyana National Youth Debating Competition takes place on Friday, 8 April. Some 16 youth groups will participate in the event with the objective of connecting young people to parliament.

The competition was started in 2021 by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir. It follows the Speaker’s endorsement of the IPU’s campaign called I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament! which was launched last year.

Click here to read the full article published by Inter-Parliamentary Union on 11 April 2022.

13.04.2022

International IDEA launches the "Young Women’s Democracy Academy" in Sudan

13.04.2022

International IDEA launches the "Young Women’s Democracy Academy" in Sudan

The Young Women’s Democracy Academy (YWDA) is a three-month capacity-building programme dedicated to empowering young women between the ages of 18 and 24 with the knowledge and skills necessary to enhance their political participation.

The Academy consists of a combination of theoretical and practical modules to offer both high-quality education and an opportunity to gain practical skills and to strengthen gender analysis skills of the participants. Whether participants are interested in political parties, movement building, or running for public positions, the YWDA offers a space to explore and strengthen these interests from a gender perspective in an open and intellectually stimulating learning environment. After completing this rigorous programme, the graduates are expected to be better equipped for political leadership.

Click here to read the full article published by International IDEA on 11 April 2022.

31.03.2022

Ghana: Encourage women to partake in active politics – Hannah Bissiw

31.03.2022

Ghana: Encourage women to partake in active politics – Hannah Bissiw

The National Women Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Louisa Hannah Bissiw, has called on the women leadership of political parties to mentor young ladies in and out of tertiary education to partake in active politics.

She explained that women’s participation in partisan politics was low and needed strategic intervention on the part of parties that believed in equity and equality to reverse the trend.

“It is unfortunate how when Youth Organiser’s positions are mentioned, everyone starts thinking of a male and only think of a female when the position of a Women Organiser comes up,” Dr Bissiw lamented.

Click here to read the full article published by Business Ghana on 23 March 2022.

Run GenZ members, from left to right, Ebo Entsuah, Roxy Ndebumadu, Caleb Hanna and Braxton Mitchell - CNN

28.12.2021

Gen Z and millennial conservatives seek to recruit and mentor young, diverse candidates

28.12.2021

Gen Z and millennial conservatives seek to recruit and mentor young, diverse candidates

When Roxy Ndebumadu, a Black conservative woman, ran for city council in Bowie, Maryland, at age 26, it was hard to find mentorship from elected officials of similar backgrounds. "My, I guess you would say, makeup is very unique," Ndebumadu told CNN.

"There are just not a lot of young women who are elected. There are not a lot of Black women who are elected, and there are not a lot of conservative young Black women who are elected or seeking to run for office," she said. Now Ndebumadu, who was first elected to the city council in 2019, is trying to change that reality.

Click here to read the full article published by CNN on 27 December 2021.

27.12.2021

In Australia, one of NSW's youngest female politicians calls for diversity as she enters local government

27.12.2021

In Australia, one of NSW's youngest female politicians calls for diversity as she enters local government

A sea of change is washing across New South Wales local government as more women and young people take up seats as councillors. Until recently, 22-year-old Imogen Draisma could not see herself reflected in the local council running her home city of Kiama, in the Illawarra.

"My ideas and [I] were not represented by the people that were purporting to represent me," Cr Draisma said.

Click here to read the full article published by ABC News on 21 December 2021.

17.12.2021

IPU’s I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament! campaign goes global

17.12.2021

IPU’s I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament! campaign goes global

Just over ten years ago, IPU Member Parliaments adopted a landmark resolution on youth participation to encourage the rejuvenation of parliaments. Since then, parliaments from around the world have made some limited progress in its implementation. However, the level of youth representation in parliament, as measured regularly by the IPU, remains low. Half the world’s population is under 30 and yet only 2.6% of MPs globally represent this age group.

To address this gap, in Spring 2021, the IPU launched the I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament! campaign. It calls for action in and through parliaments to have more young women and men MPs.

Click here to read the full article published by IPU on 13 December 2021.

16.12.2021

In Autralia, launch of an alliance of young, diverse people to run in 2022 federal election

16.12.2021

In Autralia, launch of an alliance of young, diverse people to run in 2022 federal election

At just 21 years old, Adila Yarmuhammad believes she will be the youngest Muslim woman running in the 2022 federal election. She aims to secure a seat in Australia's parliament, but she knows she's inexperienced.

"Even just running [for a seat] is enough, it's showing other women and younger girls that this is possible," she said. "You don't really see a lot of women of color in parliament, let alone a lot of Muslim women in parliament."

Click here to read the full article published by ABC News on 15 December 2021.

12.11.2021

New German Parliament is younger and more female

12.11.2021

New German Parliament is younger and more female

As the new German Bundestag sits for the first time on 26 October, IPU data shows that it has more women MPs and that the number of young MPs has significantly increased compared with the previous legislature elected in 2017.

IPU Parline data shows that out of the 598 seats in the Bundestag, more than a third are women (34.92 per cent) compared with 31.45 per cent in the outgoing parliament.

Click here to read the full article published by IPU on 26 October 2021.

03.08.2021

Youth group to hold women-only mock parliament to promote female participation in politics

03.08.2021

Youth group to hold women-only mock parliament to promote female participation in politics

PETALING JAYA: A Young Women’s Parliament will be held next month, with 222 young delegates debating policies on women’s issues, gender equality, social issues and more in a bid to encourage more female participation in politics and policymaking.

Organised by Malaysia Young Generation (MyGen), the programme, which will run virtually on Aug 14 and Aug 15, involves young women aged 15 to 30 from a variety of backgrounds including students, Orang Asli representatives, those with disabilities and activists.

Programme director Dr Shatesh Kumar Sangar said besides giving delegates exposure to policymaking, it also serves as a platform for young women to broaden their potential to take on future leadership roles.

"The Speaker for the Young Women's Parliament sitting will be from amongst MPs and former MPs.

"The secretariat had also received a request from a person with hearing disabilities who is interested to become one of the delegates.

"The sitting will use the services of a sign language interpreter," he said in a statement.

Click here to read the full article published by The Star on 31 July 2021.

21.07.2021

In sweeping reshuffle, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez names younger Cabinet with more women

21.07.2021

In sweeping reshuffle, Spain’s Pedro Sánchez names younger Cabinet with more women

The Socialist leader hopes the changes will help focus on the economic recovery and smooth thorny issues such as Catalan independence before Spaniards vote in the next election.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has carried out a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle, replacing some of his most important ministers, boosting the representation of women and reducing the average age of his team.

Sánchez unveiled the changes on Saturday, saying that the new government will focus on Spain’s economic recovery and holding up his new team as a global example of gender equality. The new appointments also “represent a generational renewal, with an average age of 50.”

In a brief news conference without questions, Sánchez talked about “a new period” that is opening up to reactivate “the social, green, digital and feminist agenda.” But the two major goals of the new governing team will be to receive and manage millions of euros in EU funds to facilitate the post-coronavirus recovery, and to reduce political and social tension over the issue of Catalan independence.

Click here to read the full article published by El Pais on 12 July 2021.

31.03.2021

Call to Action on young women’s political participation and leadership

31.03.2021

Call to Action on young women’s political participation and leadership

Following a virtual event on 18 November 2020, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth published today a call to action on young women’s participation in politics.

The call to action identifies three priority areas for increasing young women’s representation in politics:

Priority 1: Nurturing Young Women’s Political Aspirations

Priority 2: Supporting Young Women Candidates For Political Office

Priority 3: Empowering Young Women In Office, Investing In Their Leadership

Young women are the least represented amongst political leadership. IPU data on youth participation in parliaments show that only 2.2 per cent of parliamentarians are under 30, and less than 1 per cent are young women.

The exclusion of young women from the adoption of laws, negotiation of budgets and mechanisms to hold governments to account undermines the valuable contributions they make for the good of future generations.

Their participation in formal politics is especially important, as young women are leading change on issues like climate change, racial justice and gender equality. They are powerful advocates for intergenerational collaboration and accountability towards a more just, sustainable and equal world. It will benefit us all to have more young women, in all their diversity, representing us when political decisions for the future are made. Read the flyer.

Source: IPU

Sol Arrúa, recién graduada de la Academia de Formación Política para Mujeres Líderes.

18.03.2021

Sol Arrúa: The rippling impact of empowering young women in Paraguay

18.03.2021

Sol Arrúa: The rippling impact of empowering young women in Paraguay

Polite, buoyant, and idealist: In many ways, Sol Arrúa comes across as a regular 21-year-old. However, as soon as we bring up the subjects of politics and leadership, which she is most passionate about, it becomes clear that there is much more about Sol than meets the eye.

“If we treat all inequalities equally, the problem is just going to get worse,” she says. “What we need to look for is equity. That is why measures such as democratic parity are so important”, she adds, demonstrating a clear understanding of conceptual frameworks for grounded political action.

Sol is an alumna of the Academy for Political Training of Women Leaders, an initiative of the Equity and Gender Commission of the Paraguayan Senate, which is one of the main boundary partners of International IDEA Paraguay Programme, in the framework of the project “Consolidation of Paraguayan Democracy II” (2019-2023), with funding from the European Union.

As a graduate from the Academy, and as a young female leader, Sol is an intersectional example of the project’s impact, aimed at improving the political participation and representation of women and youth as broadly defined demographics. She is a law student from Villarrica, in the Guairá department, and claims that this origin has made her more sensitive to the struggles of underprivileged people: “when you come from the countryside, you are much closer to the deep realities of Paraguay,” she notes.

Sol is a young leader who has been in the making for some time. She has participated in several training programs, both locally and abroad, but says that her experience at the Academy for Political Training was pivotal to help her realize the scope of her potential: “I embraced my own leadership before participating in the Academy, but it was only there that my leadership found a purpose,” she says. “I could see all the obstacles women face when aspiring to public office, and I said to myself ‘this is not normal, this is not right’. Without the opportunity provided by the Academy, I would not have known these limitations and these realities,” she adds.

Click here to read the full article published by International IDEA on 11 March 2021.

13.01.2021

UN Women and UNV launch new Young Women Leaders Initiative

13.01.2021

UN Women and UNV launch new Young Women Leaders Initiative

UN Women and UNV launch the new Young Women Leaders Initiative to create professional opportunities for leaders of tomorrow and further enhance diversity in UN Women. We invite 10 young women from the Global South to serve as UN Youth Volunteers at UN Women Headquarters in New York starting in April.

UN Women, in partnership with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, is excited to introduce the UN Women “Young Women Leaders” (YWL) initiative. The YWL initiative will engage a diverse cohort of young women from the Global South who are committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment and to the mission and work of the United Nations. It will also allow the sharing of experiences among young leaders from diverse backgrounds across UN Women and further enhance diversity in UN Women’s personnel.

As part of the Young Women Leaders initiative, UN Women and UNV will recruit the first cohort of 10 young, talented and dedicated women to serve at UN Women’s headquarters as UN Youth Volunteers. While participating in a structured professional development programme, the YWL participants will be mentored by leaders in their respective fields of expertise. They will have the opportunity to contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment and become part of a network of young leaders at UN Women.

UNV will facilitate the recruitment of motivated young women from the Global South who have demonstrated a commitment to gender equality through their academic, extra-curricular, or volunteer activities, and with diverse educational interests, including management, administration, international relations, communication, advocacy, human rights, gender studies or international development.

Click here to read the full article published by UNV on 12 January 2021.

17.12.2018

Youth representation in parliament nudges up according to new IPU report

17.12.2018

Youth representation in parliament nudges up according to new IPU report

The global proportion of MPs under 30 has increased in two years from 1.9 per cent to 2.2 per cent according to the IPU’s biannual report on Youth Participation in National Parliaments published today. Despite this increase, when compared with the half of the world’s population that is under 30, the report reveals a sizeable deficit in the political representation of youth worldwide. Europe performs best in the share of young MPs, followed by the Americas. The report will be launched at the IPU’s fifth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan on 14-15 December.

As a global hub of information about parliaments, the IPU has measured and analyzed youth participation in parliaments since 2014. In a bid to make parliaments more representative, the IPU has spearheaded efforts to encourage more youth participation by collecting data, providing policy guidance, and establishing foras for young parliamentarians such as the annual global conference of young MPs. The next edition of the conference, jointly organized by the IPU and the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, will be under the umbrella theme of “Promoting sustainability, protecting the interests of future generations”.

Gabriela Cuevas, IPU President, said “As the youngest President of the IPU, I believe representation is not only a cornerstone of democracy, but also our biggest source of strength. By bringing more young people into decision making, we will make better decisions on the key challenges our societies face. We count on the vision, commitment and fresh ideas of young MPs to guide us on how to make policies that respond efficiently not only to today’s needs but also to those of future generations.”

Martin Chungong, IPU Secretary General, said “The IPU walks the talk when it comes to youth political empowerment. For example, we recently amended IPU statutes to include more young parliamentarians in IPU decision-making bodies. This not only shows the priority we place on greater youth participation, it also signals to the international parliamentary community the importance of the youth voice today.”

Based on surveys completed by over 200 parliamentary chambers in 150 countries, the IPU report finds that over 30 per cent of the world’s single or lower chambers of parliament have no MPs under 30; and that 76 per cent of upper chambers of parliament have no MPs under 30. The proportion of MPs under 40 has also increased from 14.2 per cent in 2016 to 15.5 per cent in 2018; and the number of MPs under 45 has gone up from 26 per cent in 2016 to 28.1 per cent in 2018.

Male MPs continue to outnumber their female counterparts in every age group but to varying degrees. They outnumber women nearly threefold in the 41–50 age group; more than threefold in the 51–60 age group; and nearly fivefold in the 61–70 age group. Furthermore, in the younger cohorts, there are about twice as many men as women.

The Nordic countries lead in electing younger legislators with the share of MPs under 30 exceeding 10 per cent in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Their share is also around 10 per cent in the single or lower chambers of San Marino, the Gambia, Montenegro and Venezuela. The only upper chamber approaching that level is Bhutan, at 9.1 per cent. Only five African countries – the Gambia, Ethiopia, Seychelles, Cabo Verde and Equatorial Guinea – make the top 20. Yet, the African continent has the world’s youngest population, with an estimated 200 million people between 15 and 24 years old.

Several countries have held elections since the 2016 IPU report (information from 63 renewed chambers are taken into account in the new IPU report). Among single and lower chambers three countries made particularly strong progress: Montenegro, Venezuela and France. In Montenegro a new political party, made up primarily of young people, became the second largest in terms of parliamentary representation in 2016. In Venezuela, young parliamentarians play a key role in promoting democracy and defending the opposition-controlled National Assembly. In France, the country’s 2017 elections saw the emergence of a new political movement, En Marche! which won a majority of seats in the lower chamber. As a result, the average age of MPs in France dropped from 54 in 2012 to 48 in 2017.

The IPU report recommends a number of measures to help increase youth participation in parliaments. Electoral quotas established for young people in a growing number of countries worldwide are starting to have an effect. Aligning voter age with the age of eligibility for office also brings in a larger cohort of young candidates. Networks of young MPs, as well as caucuses addressing youth issues, have been established in 16.7 per cent of the parliaments covered in the IPU report, including recently in Pakistan, Tanzania and the Russian Federation. Parliamentary committees dealing with youth issues now exist in more than 40 per cent of countries; and 72 countries organize youth parliaments as a means of educating and engaging greater numbers of young people in politics.

Source: IPU.

02.08.2018

Morocco’s young parliamentary fellows work to advance women’s political participation

02.08.2018

Morocco’s young parliamentary fellows work to advance women’s political participation

It’s 8:30 AM and Fatiha* is walking into the Moroccan Parliament. In a few minutes, she’s scheduled to sit down with her member of parliament (MP) for their weekly one-on-one meeting. Fatiha plans to propose a new strategy to increase the MP’s social media visibility. By 9 AM, Fatiha is at her desk putting the final touches on a Facebook update to publicize the MP’s visit to a local market, which falls in line with her proposed new social media strategy. “I have enormously appreciated the exchanges with [my MP]. They have been truly rich in discussion, learning and information,” said Fatiha.

Half an hour later, Fatiha is on her feet again, this time to join a parliamentary commission meeting where she’ll take notes that will be used to develop a summary report on the discussion. As soon as the meeting concludes, Fatiha heads back to her desk, this time to work on a project to review and propose changes to a draft bill to modify the code of commerce.

This sample itinerary shows that a fellowship at the Moroccan Parliament isn’t for the faint of heart. Beyond the dizzying array of duties, the nature of working with elected officials creates an additional layer of responsibility and obligation to citizens and constituents, imbuing assignments with greater significance and impact. But for participants in NDI’s parliamentary fellowship initiative, the benefits far outweigh the pressure. Through their work in the parliament, these young Moroccans have gained insight and understanding into the internal workings of Moroccan politics and have built connections and networks within the political system, preparing them to substantively participate in civic and political processes in Morocco and to serve as models for their peers.

Although youth compose roughly 30 percent of the Moroccan population, young Moroccans are largely disengaged from the country’s formal political institutions. Only 20 percent of Moroccans under 35 years old voted in the much-heralded 2011 parliamentary elections and even fewer are estimated to have voted in the subsequent 2016 elections. Under one percent of Moroccan youth are active in political parties and those who lament that they face significant barriers to meaningful participation.

Click here to read the full article published by NDI on 3 July 2018.

27.06.2018

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Millennial beats veteran Democrat

27.06.2018

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Millennial beats veteran Democrat

A millennial candidate has shaken up the US Democratic Party by defeating the incumbent congressman for his seat.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 28, defeated political veteran Joe Crowley, 56, on Tuesday night in their party's congressional primary in New York City.

Mr Crowley, a 10-term Democrat, had been tipped as a future party leader or even Speaker of the House.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez, a former Bernie Sanders volunteer from a Puerto Rican family, won with 57.5% of the vote.

Mr Crowley had not faced a challenger from his own party in 14 years in the mostly ethnic minority district, which covers parts of the Bronx and Queens.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez will now face Republican candidate Anthony Pappas in the November mid-terms.

If she wins, she will become the youngest ever woman elected to Congress.

Click here to read the full article published by BBC on 27 June 2018.

06.03.2018

Youth in Kyrgyzstan unite their voices ahead of crucial presidential vote

06.03.2018

Youth in Kyrgyzstan unite their voices ahead of crucial presidential vote

In 2017, Kyrgyzstan faced a critical turning point in the country's history. For the first time, an elected president would willingly hand power to an elected successor. Recognizing the importance of this vote, a group of 15 young activists from across the country worked together to carry out a youth-led Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaign. The activists spoke with thousands of their peers, from all regions of the country, and creatively used social media to spread the message that young voices should be a critical component of this unprecedented election.

The 2017 GOTV campaign built upon the work of similar young activists in Kyrgyzstan who led initiatives ahead of the 2015 parliamentary and 2016 local elections. In 2015, NDI launched the Jash Dobush (“The Young Vote”) GOTV project, partnering with 16 youth activist leaders who met with their peers to talk about the importance of voting. The young people took advantage of growing social media use among their peers to broaden their reach, designing videos, webpages and even organizing a Selfiekattoo, or selfie voter-registration challenge. For the 2016 city council elections in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, returning youth activists expanded on the progress made in 2015. In an effort to motivate greater engagement, activists involved local celebrities in GOTV videos, which were posted on popular social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article published by NDI on 06 February 2018.

30.01.2018

Take five: “Demand to have a seat at the table, don’t wait for an invitation”

30.01.2018

Take five: “Demand to have a seat at the table, don’t wait for an invitation”

As hundreds of youth activists from around the world convene at the United Nations for the annual Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum, from 30-31 January 2018, UN Women spoke to Jayathma Wickramanayake, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth. Ms. Wickramanayake is the first female Youth Envoy, and have worked on youth issues since the age of 21. Prior to joining the United Nations, in her home country, Sri Lanka, she created a youth movement for civic and political engagement named “Hashtag Generation”, and has served as the member of the Youth Parliament, among other positions.

The 2018 ECOSOC Youth Forum will bring together youth from around the world at the United Nations. What is on the agenda and what can young people expect from the Forum?

The ECOSOC Youth Forum is the largest gathering of young people at the United Nations. This is the sixth year of the Forum and more than 500 young people and 200 officials, including Ministers responsible for youth, will come to New York to discuss the issues that youth around the world are facing. Together, youth leaders, activists and officials will propose new approaches and initiatives for advancing the youth development agenda.

The topics on the agenda directly affect youth, like sustainable energy for all, safe and inclusive cities, access to clean water and sanitation, protecting our forests and biodiversity, and building partnerships to achieve these goals. The Forum will also feature a SDG Media Zone, where many young people from all over the world will be sharing the work that they are doing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This is an opportunity for young people to shape the policies and programmes that impact their lives and reality.

We hope that young people around the world who cannot join in person, can be part of the Forum by joining the online conversations. Follow the accounts @UNYouthEnvoy @GlobalGoalsUN and @UNECOSOC, and the hashtags #Youth2030 and #SDGLive, and raise your voice on social media about youth issues.

What are the top priorities that young women and girls are raising?

There are 1.2 billion of young people in the world—the largest generation of youth that the world has ever seen [1]. Half of these are young women. While young people face discrimination based on their age, young women face an additional layer of discrimination because of their gender. For every young woman to reach her full potential, we need to ensure that all of them have equal opportunities. And we cannot achieve that goal without ensuring gender equality and putting an end to gender-based violence.

Despite recent improvements, young women and girls are still too often affected by violence, discrimination, and lower access to education and employment than young men. And indeed, they demand changes now. Over 35 per cent of women have been affected by physical or sexual violence, including young women [2]. Over 750 million young women and girls are married before their 18th birthday [3], which often prevents them from pursuing education and employment opportunities.

In terms of education, we need to do better too. In the least developed countries, barely 60 per cent of girls complete primary school, and just 30 per cent go to secondary school [4]. Young women also have lower literacy levels than men in 20 per cent of the countries [5]. Even when they have access to education, women are likely to earn less than men in most countries.

We need to address these challenges quickly if we want to ensure that our current generation of young women get the same chances as their counterparts. At the end of the day, achieving sustainable development will remain a dream, rather than a reality, if we are leaving 50 per cent of our population behind.

How is the work of the UN and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relevant for young people in countries, far away from the United Nations where these discussions are taking place?

The best thing about SDGs is that they are universal. They apply to you regardless of where you are—in the global north or south, in a country with high GDP or a lower GDP—one or many of SDGs will apply to you. They are a very useful set of guidelines—a road map—to build a more sustainable and inclusive for all of us, ensuring gender equality, peace and security, decent work, and health and well-being for everybody, for example.

Achieving the SDGs can have a very meaningful and positive impact on everybody’s lives. And we all have a role to play in working towards the success of the SDGs. Every young person and every little action can make a major difference to achieve them.

For example, you can take action on gender equality in many ways. You can encourage people in your community to speak out against discriminatory behaviours. Teach young women useful skills that can help them advance their career, or offer support to young women around you who are in a vulnerable situation. Every initiative counts and we can all contribute to achieving the SDGs.

How can we make sure that the SDGs benefit young women and girls equally?

The way to ensure gender equality is by making young women and girls a priority! Whether we are working towards achieving quality jobs and economic growth, quality education, or access to good health and well-being, we must make sure that everybody can benefit, including young women and girls. We should not leave anybody behind.

I have seen in some practical instances, when there are opportunities, we often try to give the option of “women or youth”. It shouldn't be a choice. Women and youth, especially young women, should receive a priority in all our interventions from international level to the grassroots.

All young people need to be our partners in achieving gender equality, and that includes young men and boys. Educating and empowering young people to advocate for gender equality is perhaps the most important thing we can do to put an end to gender-based violence and harmful gender stereotypes that stand in the way of achieving the SDGs.

We need to teach the values of gender equality to young men early on so they can carry them throughout their lives, and educate and encourage their peers to follow these values. In one sentence, every young man needs to be a “He For She”!

You are the first female Youth Envoy of the UN Secretary-General. Tell us about your journey —why did you join the youth movement and how did you become the Youth Envoy of the SG?

Since I was in school, I have been very active in my community, and volunteered both in and outside my school. In 2012, I became the first-ever Youth Delegate of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. As I was finishing my tenure in 2013, I got involved in the International Youth Task Force of the World Youth Conference 2014, and became a Senator in the Youth Parliament of Sri Lanka. By then, I was aware of the challenges that young people were facing around the world, such as the scarcity of decent jobs and the skills gap between young people and the labour market. More than 40 per cent of the world’s young people were either unemployed, or working but still living below the poverty line [6]. It was clear that we needed to do more to empower youth and advocate for them.

Another issue that I noticed was the lack of representation of youth, particularly young women, in politics and government in my own country. That’s why I co-founded a grassroots organization called Hashtag Generation in Sri Lanka, to build the capacity of young people and young women, to participate in politics in my country.

When I was nominated and appointed as the Youth Envoy, I accepted this role with the ambition to scale up the change I was pushing for at the national level to an international level. I am committed to this mission.

To all young women reading this, aspiring to be leaders, I want to say, believe in yourself and your power to change the world. Act now, speak up, and stand up for your rights and your ideas. Demand to have a seat at the table, don’t wait for an invitation. Support and encourage other young women around you to take action and advocate for their rights too.

And if you ever feel let down, remember that a young woman, just like you, is in the United Nations, rooting for you.

Source: UN Women

08.01.2018

Women in politics: Invitation to shadow Welsh Assembly member

08.01.2018

Women in politics: Invitation to shadow Welsh Assembly member

Young women are being given the chance to shadow an assembly member for the day in an effort to boost female participation in politics.

The February event includes a Senedd tour, a question and answer session and a debate about the role of women.

Helen Bradley from equalities charity Chwarae Teg said it wanted to show young women they could "play an important role in shaping the future".

AMs from a range of parties - men as well as women - will be involved.

The opportunity - part of Chwarae Teg's "LeadHerShip" project - for young women aged 16 to 25 is being staged on 27 February to mark International Women's Day, which follows in March.

Click here to read the full article published by The BBC on 4 January 2018.

23.10.2017

Jacinda Ardern becomes New Zealand's youngest woman leader

23.10.2017

Jacinda Ardern becomes New Zealand's youngest woman leader

New Zealand is set for a centre-left coalition government led by Labour head Jacinda Ardern.

Ms Ardern has been opposition leader for the last three months. At 37, she is set to be the country's youngest prime minister since 1856.

Her Labour Party came second in September's election, where no party was able to secure a majority.

They are now tipped for power after the small New Zealand First party agreed to join them in government.

The new coalition will also be supported by the Green Party.

Click here to read the full article published by BBC on 19 October 2017.

28.07.2017

The Youth Democracy Academy celebrates first alumni

28.07.2017

The Youth Democracy Academy celebrates first alumni

By Shana Kaiser

The first class of International IDEA’s Youth Democracy Academy graduated on 17 July in a ceremony attended by representatives of organizations who will be hosting the alumni as interns for the next six months and representatives from International IDEA Member States.

The ceremony, held in Tunis, allowed not only for certificates to be delivered but also for International IDEA to express its great pride in the 20 participants who completed their work with high levels of commitment, determination and professionalism. During the coming seven months, International IDEA will continue to support the participants in their work as interns with 20 national and international institutions across Tunisia.

The opportunity was also seized to thank all who supported the project including the partner, the International Development Research Centre, Canada, the expert team of facilitators, the curriculum drafting team and international mentor and colleagues from the Tunis office. Harsha Sirur, the Charge D’Affairs of the Canadian Embassy to Tunisia was present to wish participants well on their upcoming six-month internships, which comprise the second part of the project. Sirur also mentioned International IDEA and the IDRC’s successful partnership in the implementation of the programme and the importance of young people in inspiring Tunisia’s future and promoting positive change within it.

The Youth Democracy Academy was designed to build the knowledge and skills of young people to better equip them to contribute to, and lead, their democratic institutions and processes. Through a highly competitive process and with 200 applicants, 22 young people were selected to join us in an intensive learning programme spanning seven months and 12 modules. The last module is designed to prepare the scholars to work in democratic governance and their internship programme.

Source: International IDEA

20.06.2017

Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake of Sri Lanka - Envoy on Youth

20.06.2017

Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake of Sri Lanka - Envoy on Youth

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Jayathma Wickramanayake of Sri Lanka as his next Envoy on Youth. She will succeed Ahmad Alhendawi of Jordan to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service in addressing the needs and rights of young people, bringing the work of the United Nations closer to them. The success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development depends on empowering young people as rights-holders, agents of change and torchbearers.

Having represented and motivated global youth development on an international level since the age of 21, notably during high-level United Nations initiatives including the declaration of World Youth Skills Day, Ms. Wickramanayake has also played a key role in transforming the youth development sector at the national level, notably through the creation of a large movement for civic and political engagement of young people named “Hashtag Generation.”

Presently working as an officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, Ms. Wickramanayake has previously served as Secretary to the Secretary General of the Parliament of Sri Lanka (2016-2017), Project Officer-Youth, One-Text Initiative in Sri Lanka (2015-2016), Member and Youth Lead Negotiator, International Youth Task Force of the World Conference on Youth 2014 (2013-2014) and Official Youth Delegate to the United Nations, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development (2012-2013). She was furthermore a Senator in the Sri Lankan Youth Parliament (2013-2015).

Born in 1990, Ms. Wickramanayake is reading for Master of Development Studies, at the University of Colombo and holds a Bachelor degree in Science, from the same university.

Source: United Nations Statement

19.06.2017

"We are not too young to run": Youth in Nigeria march to support bill

19.06.2017

"We are not too young to run": Youth in Nigeria march to support bill

Despite comprising almost half of the Nigerian population, youth have been historically marginalized from entering politics at a state and federal level. Aspiring to increase youth’s participation in Nigerian politics, the Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA), Youngstars Development Initiative (YDI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) partnered to launch the “Not Too Young To Run” (NTYTR) campaign. NTYTR aims to pass a bill, as part of a constitutional reform, which would lower the age requirements for presidential, gubernatorial and senatorial candidates to 30 years old, and state level representatives to 25 years old. The campaign has been gaining traction in Nigeria as the bill passed the Senate’s first and second readings and is now being reviewed by the National Assembly’s House Committee on Constitution Review (HCCR) and will soon be reviewed by the State Houses of Assembly.

Click here to read the rest of the article published by NDI on 10 May 2017.

19.06.2017

Building skills for youth political participation in Guinea, by NDI

19.06.2017

Building skills for youth political participation in Guinea, by NDI

Approximately 60 percent of Guinea’s population is under the age of 24, but young people in the West African nation continue to be underrepresented in politics. Their interests and priorities are largely ignored in policies and electoral strategies. More often than not, youth interested in politics find themselves marginalized and feel disenfranchised—a feeling that is shared by many citizens of all age groups in Guinea. Within political parties themselves, Guinean youth face barriers like ageism, nepotism and ethnocentrism, making it difficult to rise within party ranks, to influence decisions and to represent their parties as candidates in elections. Guinean youth often lack skills and experience around communication strategies in political environments and are not familiar with how to get candidates on electoral lists.

Since 2008, NDI has been working with the multiparty political youth coalition, National Youth Forum (Forum National des Jeunes - FONAJEP) to improve youth representation in political life. In anticipation of local elections, NDI and FONAJEP have identified areas to support youth political party members to develop their capacities as party leaders and as candidates in future elections.

To this end, from March 20 to April 6, 2017, NDI organized a series of trainings about leadership and communication within political parties. The two-day trainings, led by consultant Theophile Folly Amouzou, took place in Guinea’s four geographic regions and the capital, Conakry. During the 14-day tour, 157 citizens under the age of 35, including 60 young women, attended, representing 16 parties in total. Through these trainings, political party youth learned about fundamental ideas of leadership, effective leaders within political parties and leadership development mechanisms for youth caucuses or movements. They also became better informed about fundamental communication concepts and skills, including meeting management and communication strategies in an electoral period.

Click here to read the rest of the article published by NDI on 8 May 2017.

Yves Leterme, Secretary-General of International IDEA, speaks during the seminar.

31.05.2017

Youth role in future representation and participation, discussed at International IDEA round table

31.05.2017

Youth role in future representation and participation, discussed at International IDEA round table

Do new generations of citizens no longer support democratic values and practices? To the relief of her audience at the seminar 'Does political participation need political parties and representation?', Pippa Norris acquitted young people on this charge. The Harvard professor noted that not only “voting support for populist-authoritarian parties and leaders in Europe is disproportionately concentrated among the older generations.” More critical views on democracy like in America –she adds in this Journal of Democracy’s web exchange– do not necessarily mean a loss of the younger generation’ faith in its values. It may be that younger people are looking for alternative ways to manifest their engagement.

The Swedish case makes the perfect example of growing political engagement among youth. In a survey with 16,000 Swedish young people aged 15-24 conducted by the Youth Barometer (Ungdomsbarometern in Swedish), 42 per cent of young Swedes say they have a strong interest in politics and society, compared to 28 per cent in 2002. Furthermore, 64 per cent of Swedes in this age group believe they have at least some opportunity to influence society, a figure that has more than doubled since 1992.

What does the politicisation of Swedish youth mean for political parties? Despite holding democratic values so dear to heart, today's youth does not tend to opt for the entire 'party concept', as Swedish parliamentarian Christian Holm put it, during the International IDEA's seminar held on April 26. In fact, the Youth Barometer tends to confirm that out of all public institutions, young Swedes between 15 and 24 trust political parties the least. Only 3 per cent of them have high confidence in political parties and 46 per cent say that political parties cannot solve Sweden's problems.

Panellists at the seminar also discussed the disparity between young people's ideas and their representation, especially when political participation occurs outside of the framework of party politics. Benedict Hugosson, responsible for outreach and engagement of the Social Democratic Party, said that political parties can help closing the representation gap by creating relations among citizens across generations in a shared purpose. While political parties may successfully mobilise young people by penetrating the online sphere, real-life organizing with a shared purpose has a better potential of including citizens in meaningful policy-making. Through organizing, citizen's trust can be restored, Christian Holm added. From the perspective of Bruno Kaufmann, chairperson at the Initiative and Referendum Institute Europe and co-President of Global Forum on Direct Democracy, a lowered voting age might catch young peoples' interest in representative politics before they turn elsewhere.

Democratic consolidation is a never-ending process that requires evaluation and revaluation–it may be time that political parties invite young citizens to prove their commitment to democracy again.

More:

The full video recording of the seminar ‘Does political participation need political parties and representation?’ is available here.

Source: International IDEA