Partner News

Nation-building processes cannot work and development goals cannot be achieved if women are denied meaningful political participation. To ensure this, Pakistan’s Parliament introduced in 2002 a 17 percent gender quota in all legislative houses.

But despite accounting for 22 percent of the federal parliament, from 2002 to 2007, women could not achieve much in terms of lawmaking except the Women’s Protection Act. In the subsequent mandate of 2008-2013, however, women made more progress, overseeing policy implementation and raising important issues in all Houses.

Geneva, 6 June 2014 – The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has welcomed a new Egyptian decree punishing sexual harassment as a first but crucial step to tackle the growing problem of violence against women and urged other countries to do more on the issue.

The decree, issued by the outgoing interim President Adly Mansour, makes sexual harassment a crime punishable by up to five years of imprisonment. Until now, there has been no specific law defining sexual harassment in Egypt.

Through the training of women in disaster management, as well as national lobbying, the contribution of women has been recognized and a government decree now gives the Women’s Union an official space in decision-making bodies.

We invite you to read the full article published June 4, 2014 by our partner, UN Women

Kosovo’s first woman mayor, Mimoza Kusari-Lila of Gjakova, thinks that politics is a bit like riding a bicycle. You shouldn’t look down, but concentrate on the road ahead. “When you run for office, you shouldn’t focus on bumps and obstacles in the road,” she said, “but bear in mind the reason you entered politics.”  Read the article here. 

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delivered the keynote address at NDI’s May 19 Madeleine K. Albright Grant luncheon, encouraging people to “dare the difference” through the three “L’s” of women’s empowerment — learning, labor and leadership.

The stories of gang-rape, forced marriage and fathers being forced to rape their own daughters at gunpoint keep her awake at night. Saran Keïta Diakité has listened to countless women recount the atrocities that the people of her war-torn country (Mali) have endured at the hands of armed groups since a military coup d’état in March 2012.