Advocacy and Lobbying

“In Chile, the skirt’s in charge,” blared the headline of Santiago tabloid La Cuarta the day after Michelle Bachelet and Evelyn Matthei advanced to a second round in the country’s presidential race. Voters today will pick between the two life-long politicians in the first presidential election in Latin America where all the candidates are female.But having such high-profile women in Chilean politics masks a country that is falling behind its peers on women’s issues.

The Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society, which describes itself as the “world’s leading platform featuring women’s views and voices on major social and economic issues,” is hosting its inaugural conference in Rangoon on Friday and Saturday (6- 7 December). The meeting will be the third Forum event this year, with others previously held in France and Brazil.

On the eve of elections in Delhi, women's rights activists called on political parties on Tuesday to commit to a "Womanifesto" - a gender-sensitive agenda - to combat rising crimes against women in the Indian capital.

The gang rape and murder of a physiotherapy trainee in New Delhi last December jolted many usually apathetic urban Indians into joining street protests and sparked national discussion about how prevalent violence against women is in largely patriarchal Indian society.

It is time that the percentage of Irish women attaining high levels of education is reflected in decision making roles in politics and business, the head of the EU Commission representation in Ireland told an event held in Dublin tonight.

PARLIAMENT needs to reflect the society it represents, says Fiji Women's Rights Movement's executive director Virisila Buadromo.

Explaining why it was important to support temporary special measures for women in Parliament, she said: "It is not about giving women special privileges but it is about narrowing the gap and addressing the historical discrimination women have faced in politics."

If women are to achieve equality, they need a voice and a seat at the table. It's time to set measurable goals to affect change.

When I was first elected in 1987, I was part of an increased number of women in the UK parliament, but we still comprised only 5% of MPs. Even now, more than a quarter of a century later and in a country that has long prided itself on a commitment to equality, only one in five MPs is a woman. Far from leading the way, we are languishing at the global average.

Keynote Speech by Helen Clark on
The Effect of the Global Financial Crisis on Women
At the International Conference
Celebrating the Centenary of Women’s Right to Vote in Norway
Oslo, Norway

We invite you to read the full speech published November 15, 2013 by our partner, UNDP

Hillary Clinton on Thursday stressed the importance of advancing women around the world, nodding to those seeking office as she also made the case for robust American leadership on the global stage.

Clinton’s remarks came at a gala hosted by the National Defense University Foundation, held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington.