Women's Leadership

At the 141st IPU Assembly in Belgrade, Serbia, IPU Member Parliaments condemned human rights violations against a record number of new cases of abused MPs. The IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, the only international body with an exclusive remit to support MPs in danger, examined the cases of 305 parliamentarians in 10 countries whose human rights had been allegedly violated.

Two years ago, the UW created its own chapter of IGNITE, a non-partisan organization dedicated to supporting women in politics. Last year, the chapter officially became an RSO.

Voters in the 2019 local elections have elected the largest number of new mayors in 30 years, with 26 candidates set to don mayoral chains for the first time later this month.

This injection of new blood into the sector has been mirrored in other areas, with record numbers of younger candidates and women joining local bodies across the country.

Looking back to her childhood in conflict-wracked Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani remembers listening quietly as dozens of men gathered in her father's living room to discuss the political future of the breakaway Serbian province.

Two decades later, the 38-year-old is determined to be the one leading the meetings as she bids to become Kosovo's first female Prime Minister in October 6 elections.

Rwanda has broken its current world record of 64 per cent female representation in Parliament, setting a new one of 67.5 per cent.

Out of 80 seats, women now occupy 54 seats, a new world record for female representation in Parliament globally.

The new record came out on Tuesday night after the National Electoral Commission (NEC) announced the September Parliamentary elections results, which saw President Kagame’s Party, RPF sweeping 74 per cent of the total votes and taking 40 seats, according to a NEC release.

Policies from Rwanda, Estonia, Scotland, Nepal, South Africa, Europe, Los Angeles and Senegal are this year’s winners of the ‘Oscar for best policies’

To mark the United Nations’ International Day of the Girl Child today, 11 October, the #Girl2Leader programme is connecting girls with female mentors in politics.