In a good example of parliamentary outreach to young people, the second edition of the Guyana National Youth Debating Competition takes place on Friday, 8 April.

During a motion of no confidence in March 2025, opposition member of parliament Fuiono Tenina Crichton heckled Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’

This is a “win for all women.”

There are fewer women in politics in the Pacific Islands than in any other part of the world, according to UN Women.

(Thomson Reuters Foundation) - An impasse between Samoa’s incumbent prime minister and female opposition leader could see a backlash against gender quota rules in the small Pacific island nation and stop other women from entering politics across the

Samoa is set to get its first female prime minister, marking the end of unprecedented political drama in the small Pacific island nation of 200,000 people.

Following last week’s election, Samoa’s long-time ruler could be displaced by the country’s first female leader.

Wellington (AFP) – Samoa’s cliff-hanger general election is a victory for under-represented women in Pacific island politics, regardless of the final outcome, opposition leader Fiame Naomi Mataafa said Monday.

The deputy prime minister of Samoa

Following her appointment as Deputy

Years before Jan (preferred pronoun “he”), a 33-year-old non-binary Egyptian, came out or even knew about the LGBTQ+ community, he would search online for people like him. He often found himself deceived by strangers on social media — people pretending to be LGBTQ+, or men posing as women.

As we commemorate World Telecommunications and Information Society Day this year, with its theme of g

Calls for peace filled the air as representatives from over 20 existing and newly emerging women’s anti-war initiatives from various civic and political backgrounds and geographical locations within S

Egypt is hosting a regional dialogue to boost women's political participation in the Arab world, bringing delegations from 11 Arab countries.

By Fatma Tawfik

In the fierce competition for individual seats in the Senate elections, women compete for 91 seats in 20 electoral districts nationwide, out of 787 candidatesin Cairo Governorate.

Egypt’s House of Representatives approved, on Tuesday, a new law that will see the country’s parliamentary electoral districts redrawn. 

The Egyptian Parliament has approved an amendment to an article in the constitution to allocate 25 percent of seats to women, local daily Egypt Today reported.

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing us all to enter a new normal; a new way of life that is pushing us to change the way we work, create and understand the world.

Nazra for Feminist Studies launches a campaign entitled: “A Shuttered Public Sphere”, as part of the events of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign that starts on the 25th of November each year, which is the international da

The UN Women Organization lauded the strong initiative adopted by Egypt and its decision to work out the first national plan of action to put into effect UN resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. 

The proposed amendments to the constitution have granted women a fixed quota. If the amendments are approved, women will hold 25 percent of the total parliamentary seats by the power of law. 

CAIRO — Egypt has yet to pass a law needed to hold local elections, but hundreds of women will not be wallflowers waiting for an invitation to run for office.

“The merciful heart of the revolution,” a title given by late President Gamal Abdel Nasser to Hikmat Abu Zaid, the first Egyptian woman to be named a minister when she was appointed as the Minister of Social Affairs in 1962.

Nadia Ahmed Abdou is the first fema

Local rights groups criticized on Tuesday the legal provision on female genital mutilation (FGM) in its current format, proposing several amendments besides those pu

When the Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRD) Regional Coalition for Middle East and North Africa met last month in Beirut, one seat was noticeably empty.

The Centre for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance (CEWLA) has slammed MP Ahmed al-Tahawy, member of the parliamentary health committee, for saying that it is not appr

Dear Mr. President,

A few months prior the UNESCO elections for the post of Director-General, Egypt decided to nominate the Egyptian ambassador and diplomat, Moushira Khattab to the

The Executive Director of Nazra For Feminist Studies center, Mozn Hassan, was banned from traveling last month. Nazra published the following statement:

The Arab Consultancy Office (ACO) in cooperation with the Egyptian Centre for Women’s

Abstract: The election of Sanae Takaichi as Japan’s first female prime minister in October 2025, coupled with the Liberal Democratic Party’s historic supermajority in the February 2026 lower house election, invites examination of what women’s political leadership actually mea

Gender equality and women empowerment remain a globally important priority policy issues.

Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won the general election on 8 February 2026 in the biggest win for any Japanese party since the LDP’s formation in 1955. It captured 316 seats in the Diet’s lower house, well above the 233 seats needed for a simple majority.

Nearly 60 female lawmakers in Japan, including the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, have submitted a petition calling for more toilet

Sanae Takaichi just broke Japan’s highest glass ceiling.

Japan could soon see its first female prime minister, with Sanae Takaichi emerging among the front runners in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership race, a significant achievement in a country where women leaders remain a rarity.

A record number of 42 female candidates were elected in Sunday’s Upper House election, marking a step forward for gender representation in Japan’s political landscape.

Tokyo, July 4 (Jiji Press)--Women account for less than 30 pct of candidates competing in the July 20 election for Japan's House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament.

Over 50% of female local assembly members in Japan have been troubled with harassment, more than double the proportion of such male members, according to a Cabinet Office report.

A female Japanese politician has received about 8,000 emails containing death threats after proposing free sanitary pads in public toilets – a wave of online abuse that experts say reflects a deepe

Gender equality in politics is still elusive in Japan, which marks the 80th anniversary of women's suffrage this year.

A record number of women have been elected to Japan's house of represent

The city of Shiroi, located in the northwestern part of Chiba Prefecture and known for its sprawling commuter towns, is home to one of the few female-majority local assemblies in Japan. Of the 18 assembly members, 10 are women.

ODAWARA, Kanagawa

A record number of women are running in Japan’s general election this month, although they still account for less than a quarter of candidates, local media said Wednesday.

New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday named two women ministers to his Cabinet, down from five in the outgoing administration.

When Japan’s ruling political party, the Li

The first woman governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, has won a third term – against another woman candidate. The race between multiple women signifies a push for greater female representation in Japanese politics, which is still overwhelmingly dominated by men.

TOKYO -- Women account for a mere 18.1% of prospective candidates to be fielded by Japan's six major political parties in the 289 single-seat constituencies in the next House of Representatives election, a Mainichi Shimbun survey has found.

TOKYO -- A study group headed by Mari Miura, a professor at Sophia University's Faculty of Law in Tokyo, with an objective to achieve gender equality in Japan from local levels, has compiled a Japanese gender gap index by prefecture.

The Japanese Communist Party (JCP) chose Tomoko Tamura as its first-ever female leader Thursday, apparently in the hope of broadening its support base and attracting a wider array of voters.

Despite lacking ties to this city and being described as a poor public speaker, a former social worker won an election here to become the youngest female mayor in Japan.

Normal
0




false
-->

Normal
0




false
-->

Normal
0




false
-->

Japan has fallen in the global gender gap rankings, coming in nine positions lower than last year at 125th out of 146 countries, according to a World Economic Forum report

TSU, MIE PREF.

A group of researchers and female politicians said Monday that they will start a campaign to help mothers with young children run in next April’s nationwide gubernatorial and municipal assembly elections.

Sunday’s Upper House election saw a record 35 seats go to women, with veteran lawmakers and new contenders of all stripes voted in.

Local politicians across Japan feel that more needs to be done to help women enter and remain in politics, from combatting sexual harassment to beefing up maternity leave policies, according to a new survey.

TOKYO - A record number of both women and LGBTQ candidates are campaigning to win over voters in the House of Councillors election on Sunday and potentially bring change to Japan's male-dominated political landscape.

TOKYO -- A record 181 of the 545 people standing in Japan's July 10 House of Councillors election are women, comprising 33.2% of all candidates, also a high.

Japan's Lower House of the Diet plans a questionnaire on women's participation in politics as the country largely lags behind in female representation in national parliaments.

In Sunday's general election, 45 women were elected to the 465-seat House of Representatives, down two from the previous contest in 2017, despite a law promoting female participation in the political field, data showed Monday.

Harassment is common for women who run for office and female MPs comprise just 9.9% of lower house.

TOKYO – Just 186 of the 1,051 candidates standing in Japan's House of Representatives election this month, or 17.7%, are women -- on par with the low level seen in the previous lower house race in 2017.

Two women are in contention to become prime minister of Japan for the first time in its history — a potential turning point for a country that ranks below Saudi Arabia in terms of female political representation.

Two women have entered the race for the leadership of Japan’s ruling party for the first time in its 66-year history, putting in the spotlight both the strides taken and the hurdles that still face female politicians in a country that lags far behind

TOKYO – Japanese political parties are competing with each other to promote female candidates ahead of a lower house election that must be held by this fall, but some worry that, like similar efforts before, the initiative may be more sloganeering th

A councilwoman who was ousted from the town assembly in a famous Japanese hot springs resort after accusing the mayor of sexual assault said Friday her case highlights the problems of male-dominated small town politics in which women are often silenced.

80 years ago, a landmark referendum empowered women in Italy and led to the birth of the Italian Republic.

Women in Italy: What the Data Really Says in 2025

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today reviewed the eighth periodic report of Italy, with Committee Experts commending the State on its robust gender architecture, while asking questions about human trafficking and gen

Normal
0




-->

Normal
0




-->

Breastfeeding members of the chamber of deputies will be allowed to sit in the top row of the assembly, or in a reserved gallery.

Italy's far-right leader Giorgia Meloni says she would be "honoured to break a taboo" and become the country's first female prime minister.

The leader of the Italian extreme right, Giorgia Meloni, is the great favorite to win the legislative elections in September, according to the latest polls. If the trend continues, Meloni could become the first woman in charge of the head of government.

Pope Francis has appointed the first-ever woman to head the governorate of the Vatican City. Sister Raffaella Petrini will serve as secretary-general of the Governorate and become the highest-ranking woman in the world's smallest state.

Women in Italy have demanded a greater role in the country's official response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Since the unification of Italy in the late 19th Century, the country has had 58 prime ministers - every one a man.

Voices is part of a new IPU web series in which we interview parliamentarians from around the world. The views and opinions they express are their own and do not necessarily reflect the IPU’s position.

Five women are among the names floated to lead a transitional government in Italy in what some speculate could be President Sergio Mattarella’s attempt to break with tradition while the

Italy may not have a government yet, but it does have nearly 1,000 new legislators.

On the evening of Italy’s March 4 general election, Tiziana Stellato will be counting ballots in the hospital where she works. But like many disgruntled Italians, she may not even vote.

"Men, enough sexism, it's 2016," th

In Rome, 37-year-old lawyer Virgini

Former Burundian government minister and spokeswoman Hafsa Mossi was shot dead by unknown assailants in the capital Bujumbura last month.