Partner News

Across the world, too many women and girls spend too many hours on household responsibilities—typically more than double the time spent by men and boys. They look after younger siblings, older family members, deal with illness in the family and manage the house.

More ambitious measures and stronger political commitment are needed to enhance women’s representation in parliament and keep apace with the significant progress achieved worldwide over the last decade, says the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

As countries start implementing the Sustainable Development Goals towards achieving a sustainable and gender equal future by 2030, discriminatory laws continue to hold women and girls back.

A new partnership focused on reforming gender-discriminatory laws was unveiled on February 14, 2017 at an event co-hosted by UN Women, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Equality Now, in New York.

By Marie Doucey

From 27-30 November 2016, International IDEA Haiti office organized a conference for the National Federation of Women Mayors of Haiti (FENAFEMH), in partnership with the South Training Institute (IFOS).

By Sophie Kemkhadze, UNDP Nepal Country Director

By Corinne Roberts