UN dispatch: women’s conference day 3—mixed progress for women’s political participation
Source: Jurist
The third day of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) featured a day-long, two-part session with parliamentarians discussing women’s political representation and access to justice. The day concluded with a program discussing the growing threat of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).
Parliamentary Progress
To open the day, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women unveiled the 2026 Women in Politics Map, revealing a mixed global picture of women’s political participation.
Women now hold 27.5 percent of parliamentary seats globally, and the number of countries with gender-parity or women-majority parliaments grew from six to seven. Countries that have reached parity or have a women-majority parliament are Andorra, Bolivia, Cuba, Mexico, Rwanda, Nicaragua and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Several countries that held elections in 2025 recorded gains, including Kyrgyzstan (+12.9 percent), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (+12.3 percent), and St. Lucia (+9.1 percent).
The third day of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) featured a day-long, two-part session with parliamentarians discussing women’s political representation and access to justice. The day concluded with a program discussing the growing threat of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).
Parliamentary Progress
To open the day, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women unveiled the 2026 Women in Politics Map, revealing a mixed global picture of women’s political participation.
Women now hold 27.5 percent of parliamentary seats globally, and the number of countries with gender-parity or women-majority parliaments grew from six to seven. Countries that have reached parity or have a women-majority parliament are Andorra, Bolivia, Cuba, Mexico, Rwanda, Nicaragua and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Several countries that held elections in 2025 recorded gains, including Kyrgyzstan (+12.9 percent), St. Vincent and the Grenadines (+12.3 percent), and St. Lucia (+9.1 percent).