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New York City – Men outnumber women three to one across COVID-19 government task forces around the world. Such disproportionate representation will hamper women’s recovery from the pandemic, according to new data released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Women, and the Gender Inequality Research Lab (GIRL) at the University of Pittsburgh.

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N.’s premiere global body fighting for gender equality should be tackling the yawning gap between men and women when it comes to political leadership and ensuring women have a strong voice in rebuilding economies after the COVID-19 pandemic – not arguing about preserving sexual and reproductive rights for women as it is doing now, the head of UN Women says.

ADDIS ABABA— African countries are still far from achieving women's equal and effective participation in political decision-making. Women constitute only 24 per cent of the 12,113 parliamentarians in Africa, 25 per cent in the lower houses and 20 per cent in the upper houses of parliaments, according to the first Women's Political Participation: Africa Barometer 2021.

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. 

The theme of 2021 International Women’s Day is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.” We asked participants in the UNDP Enhancing Women’s Role in Politics and Decision-Making at the Subnational Level in Ukraine project to share their thoughts about women in leadership.

The data is clear. Despite women’s increased engagement in public decision-making roles, equality is far off: women hold about 21 percent of ministerial positions globally, only three countries have 50 percent or more women in parliament, and 22 countries are headed by a woman. At the current rate of progress, gender equality will not be reached among Heads of Government until 2150, another 130 years.

Shirley Chisholm, the first black US Congresswoman once said: “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair”.

The future is better with women at every table where decisions are being made. Trailblazing women like Shirley Chisholm have been claiming their space and demanding women’s inclusion and equality throughout history, and now it’s on us.

Following elections in 2020, the global proportion of women in parliament reached a record 25.5 per cent, representing an increase of 0.6 points compared with 2019, according to the IPU’s latest Women in Parliament report.

Women of the world want and deserve an equal future free from stigma, stereotypes and violence; a future that’s sustainable, peaceful, with equal rights and opportunities for all. To get us there, the world needs women at every table where decisions are being made.