Over 90 women parliamentarians from around the world, as well as members of Irish civil society groups, women in sport and in business have gathered at Dublin Castle for the first International Congress of Women's Caucuses.

Almost 50 countries are represented by over 200 delegates who are discussing supporting women’s participation in politics around the world, as well as developing legislation and initiatives on issues affecting women worldwide.

"The proportion of women in national parliaments will be a key measure of success in achieving gender equality and would spur, in turn, further progress”, President Michael D Higgins has said.

Women will take 61 per cent of seats in the next Lower House of Parliament (Chamber of Deputies) going by the latest results from this week’s parliamentary elections.

The National Electoral Commission (NEC) released provisional results from this week’s election, which saw the governing RPF-Inkotanyi take most seats out of the 53 that are openly contested for.

To further discuss the establishment of a gender electoral network in the Arab region, the Organization of Arab Electoral Management Bodies (Arab EMBs), the UNDP and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) agreed last July to hold a meeting in August 2018.

Djibouti’s new legislature is making great efforts to become more representative of the country’s people. Elections in February changed the composition of the National Assembly with an intake of 60 per cent of new MPs. Women are better represented, making up 26 per cent of the intake, up from 11 per cent in the last legislature; the Assembly is also proactively reaching out to civil society and youth.