Women’s political and socio-economic status improves when women become more involved in decision making and policy development at all levels of governance.  Through their active involvement in community work and women’s movements, local women politicians are fully aware of issues faced by women in their communities and are uniquely positioned to address them. The role of women in decision making has been addressed by various international agreements and conventions, CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Action (1995), to name a few.

The priority theme of the 57th UN Commission of the Status of Women will be the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.

Inequalities in women's lives are complex and intersected and violence against women and girls can be tackled from many angles by different stakeholders.

The growing discourse on deepening democracy around the world is increasingly being anchored around democratic decentralisation and meaningful local governance which is also being linked to greater social accountability and public participation. Governance is not just about government but is now seen as a much wider process that involves how the idea of “public good” is both framed and contested which involves both private sector actors as well as ordinary citizens and civil society besides the government.

This discussion is aimed to shed light on the following questions: