Nearly 30 members of Niger’s national assembly discussed the relationship between gender and Islam during a one-day forum organized by NDI in Sadoré (40 km from Niamey, the capital of Niger) on March 7. Their objective  was to familiarize members of parliament (MPs) with the different schools of thought that exist within Islam on themes connected to gender, human rights and education.

On February 6, 1918, a select group gained suffrage but it took 10 more years before all women had the same voting rights as men. Yet at the last election, in 2010, more than nine million women didn’t use that hard-won right. As we approach polling day on May 7, it is worth remembering what women were doing 100 ago to secure the right to vote.

Ending two years of speculation and coy denials, Hillary Rodham Clintonannounced on Sunday that she would seek the presidency for a second time, immediately establishing herself as the likely 2016 Democratic nominee.

UNDP has been providing training to 25 aspiring women, offering information on advocacy and lobbying tools, and also a chance to network. 

To listen to Julie Bukikkun, UNDP Assistant Representative for Governance in UNDP PNG Country Office, speaking on ABC Radio Australia about how and why women should be more involved in leadership and policy-making please click here.

Since 2001, at least 14 political parties with a women-oriented political agenda have emerged across India, according to an analysis of an official list of political parties from April 2001 to January 2015.

International IDEA’s West Asia and North Africa programme began in 2011 and has been working to support women in politics since as the objective of gender equality is indivisible from International IDEA’s goal of sustainable democracy worldwide. This is of particular importance in the context of the transitions to representative democracy throughout much of the West Asia and North Africa Region.

UN Women together with the European Commission, the Belgian Development Cooperation, and UNRIC is organizing a Comic and Cartoon Competition on Gender Equality.

The People’s Democracy Party (HDP) has co-chairs for all representative levels. A female and male official share the responsibility. The party is chaired by Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag. The HDP has become the fastest-growing political movement in Turkey since the August 2014 election.