An old boys’ network in local political parties is deterring women from standing as councillors, a report has said.

AMMAN –– The overall experience of women in the latest elections, whether as voters or candidates, was “positive”, despite some shortcomings related to legal loopholes, according to a coalition tasked with monitoring the elections from a gender perspective.

Coumba Diaw is the only female Mayor in the Louga region of Senegal. She grew up listening to a rhetoric that restricted women from participating in politics and public life. But that didn’t stop her. Today she makes other elected officials aware of the importance of women’s leadership.

(PRESS RELEASE) – 31 July 2017, Colombo: A discussion forum on operationalizing the 25% quota for women in Local Government, and comparative experiences on advancing women’s political participation was held on Wednesday, 26 July 2017 at the Lighthouse, Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute.

Seattle last elected a woman as chief executive in 1926. Bertha Knight Landes was the first woman to lead a major U.S. city, occupying the mayor’s office for two years after having served as president of the City Council.

For 14 years the National Democratic Institute (NDI) has worked in Georgia to increase the political participation of national women leaders from across the political spectrum through the Future Women Leaders (FWL) program. In 2015, NDI expanded its support to build the skills and capacity of women at the local level.