Partner News

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -- A prominent group of women leaders representing the Central Asian states and the United Nations launched a new platform, the Central Asian Women Leaders’ Caucus, today to support women in the region to attain a more prominent political, economic and social role and enable them to increasingly influence the decision-making process on issues related to peace, stability and sustainable development in the region.

International delegates lauded Vietnam’s contributions to affirming women’s roles in building and sustaining peace while attending the International Conference on Women, Peace and Security held by the Foreign Ministry in partnership with the United Nations on December 7-9.

UAE, in conjunction with Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, GIWPS, has launched a research report and a UN action plan to advance women’s participation in post-conflict reconstruction, following a year-long series of high-level panel discussions on the subject, UAE's state-run news agency Wam reported.

Men’s Forum on Gender is pushing for the enactment of electoral laws that compel political parties to implement the 50/50 gender representation in their structures before being allowed to contest in an election.

Padare/Enkundleni is a men and boys’ organisation that seeks to achieve gender justice in society.

It is piloting a project for Enhancing Women Political Participation (EWPP) in Hwange, Bulawayo, Harare and Chipinge in partnership with International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (Idea).

Only 15 women make it into parliament thanks to quota system for minorities.

The results of this week’s Jordanian parliamentary vote announced on Wednesday were disappointing for advocates of gender equality, as only 15 women were elected to the 130-deputy House of Representatives, down from 20 in the outgoing body.

There were 360 women among the 1,674 registered candidates. Around 4.6 million Jordanians were eligible to vote.

The U.N. Security Council defeated a Russian resolution Friday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of a U.N. measure demanding equal participation for women in activities promoting global peace, with opponents objecting to its failure to adequately address human rights and the key role of civil society in pushing for gender equality.

The email vote on the resolution was 5-0, with 10 countries abstaining, far less than the minimum nine “yes” votes required for adoption.

Priyanca Radhakrishnan was appointed as New Zealand’s first-ever Indian-origin minister today, November 2. Radhakrishnan is one of the five new members that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has brought into her executive. She will manage the following portfolios: Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment. Forty-one-year-old Radhakrishnan is all set to be sworn in on Friday, November 6.

Personal Life And Education

Women make up more than half of Africa's population, but their representation in politics in the past decade has been insignificant.

With a numerical significance of 52 percent against their male counterparts, women are least likely to hold political positions and exercise authority across the continent. They are also the majority of voters, but sadly they are not represented in politics and governance despite their calls for inclusion over the years.

What then could be the reason for this mismatch between numbers and political representation?

A few days ago, Chile held a historical plebiscite to decide whether the country should draft a new constitution, and through which mechanism; a fully elected constitutional convention, with gender parity, or a mixed convention integrated by current members of congress and elected citizens. This was the first national referendum since the ones that initiated the transition to democracy in 1988 and 1989.