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In order to strengthen the performance of women candidates who will participate in the General Elections in Bolivia in 2019, women facilitators in different regions had a training on strategic knowledge to replicate this knowledge in as a broad manner as possible.

This space was propel by the "Coordinadora de la Mujer" and International IDEA with support of the Swedish Embassy. The women facilitators were trained for the implementation of eight training modules in workshops in each department.

This process covered the following modules:

• Regulatory Framework which encourages women’s political participation;
• The Law of Political Organizations for a Parity-based Democracy;
• Law N° 243 against Political Harassment and Violence;
• Exercise of Public Power and Governance with gender equality;
• Joint responsibility of citizens;
• Political Communication and vocal workshop for Women Leaders;
• Horizons and guidelines to move towards a parity-based democracy and depatriarchalization; and

The challenge of transforming the political culture.

Likewise, the plan is to strengthen the different candidates skills in the management of several digital political marketing tools.

The women facilitators come from institutions that are members of the "Coordinadora de la Mujer", with a wide experience in the field of Human Rights, and Women’s Rights in particular.

This process is taking place within the framework of campaign #Protagonistas, which aims to promote women and youth candidacies to ensure the consolidation and deepening of a parity-based and inclusive democratic system.

The training spaces for women candidates in each region are open to all political forces, in a pluralist and diverse manner.

International IDEA has been working for a long time in support of democratic process in Bolivia and has encouraged, among other aspects, the strengthening of women’s political participation in the country.

“We know that most of women candidates have ample experience in organizational leadership and have a long and noteworthy track-record. This training process aims to further reinforce the strengths of women candidates in order to consolidate the parity achieved in the previous General Elections in 2014, thereby overcoming the historical exclusion suffered by women”, points out Alfonso Ferrufino, Senior Adviser of International IDEA in Bolivia.

After the elections in the year 2014, Bolivia became the second country in the world with the greatest participation of women in the legislative field (51 per cent), a historic and emblematic figure for the Latin American Region.

The training process of women candidates seeks to enhance and deepen the achieved parity, moving forward to the substantive participation of women in the construction and management of the bodies of Public Power.

Source: International IDEA.

In order to strengthen the performance of women candidates who will participate in the General Elections in Bolivia in 2019, women facilitators in different regions had a training on strategic knowledge to replicate this knowledge in as a broad manner as possible.

This space was propel by the "Coordinadora de la Mujer" and International IDEA with support of the Swedish Embassy. The women facilitators were trained for the implementation of eight training modules in workshops in each department.

This process covered the following modules:

• Regulatory Framework which encourages women’s political participation;
• The Law of Political Organizations for a Parity-based Democracy;
• Law N° 243 against Political Harassment and Violence;
• Exercise of Public Power and Governance with gender equality;
• Joint responsibility of citizens;
• Political Communication and vocal workshop for Women Leaders;
• Horizons and guidelines to move towards a parity-based democracy and depatriarchalization; and

The challenge of transforming the political culture.

Likewise, the plan is to strengthen the different candidates skills in the management of several digital political marketing tools.

The women facilitators come from institutions that are members of the "Coordinadora de la Mujer", with a wide experience in the field of Human Rights, and Women’s Rights in particular.

This process is taking place within the framework of campaign #Protagonistas, which aims to promote women and youth candidacies to ensure the consolidation and deepening of a parity-based and inclusive democratic system.

The training spaces for women candidates in each region are open to all political forces, in a pluralist and diverse manner.

International IDEA has been working for a long time in support of democratic process in Bolivia and has encouraged, among other aspects, the strengthening of women’s political participation in the country.

“We know that most of women candidates have ample experience in organizational leadership and have a long and noteworthy track-record. This training process aims to further reinforce the strengths of women candidates in order to consolidate the parity achieved in the previous General Elections in 2014, thereby overcoming the historical exclusion suffered by women”, points out Alfonso Ferrufino, Senior Adviser of International IDEA in Bolivia.

After the elections in the year 2014, Bolivia became the second country in the world with the greatest participation of women in the legislative field (51 per cent), a historic and emblematic figure for the Latin American Region.

The training process of women candidates seeks to enhance and deepen the achieved parity, moving forward to the substantive participation of women in the construction and management of the bodies of Public Power.

Source: International IDEA.

In order to strengthen the performance of women candidates who will participate in the General Elections in Bolivia in 2019, women facilitators in different regions had a training on strategic knowledge to replicate this knowledge in as a broad manner as possible.

This space was propel by the "Coordinadora de la Mujer" and International IDEA with support of the Swedish Embassy. The women facilitators were trained for the implementation of eight training modules in workshops in each department.

This process covered the following modules:

• Regulatory Framework which encourages women’s political participation;
• The Law of Political Organizations for a Parity-based Democracy;
• Law N° 243 against Political Harassment and Violence;
• Exercise of Public Power and Governance with gender equality;
• Joint responsibility of citizens;
• Political Communication and vocal workshop for Women Leaders;
• Horizons and guidelines to move towards a parity-based democracy and depatriarchalization; and

The challenge of transforming the political culture.

Likewise, the plan is to strengthen the different candidates skills in the management of several digital political marketing tools.

The women facilitators come from institutions that are members of the "Coordinadora de la Mujer", with a wide experience in the field of Human Rights, and Women’s Rights in particular.

This process is taking place within the framework of campaign #Protagonistas, which aims to promote women and youth candidacies to ensure the consolidation and deepening of a parity-based and inclusive democratic system.

The training spaces for women candidates in each region are open to all political forces, in a pluralist and diverse manner.

International IDEA has been working for a long time in support of democratic process in Bolivia and has encouraged, among other aspects, the strengthening of women’s political participation in the country.

“We know that most of women candidates have ample experience in organizational leadership and have a long and noteworthy track-record. This training process aims to further reinforce the strengths of women candidates in order to consolidate the parity achieved in the previous General Elections in 2014, thereby overcoming the historical exclusion suffered by women”, points out Alfonso Ferrufino, Senior Adviser of International IDEA in Bolivia.

After the elections in the year 2014, Bolivia became the second country in the world with the greatest participation of women in the legislative field (51 per cent), a historic and emblematic figure for the Latin American Region.

The training process of women candidates seeks to enhance and deepen the achieved parity, moving forward to the substantive participation of women in the construction and management of the bodies of Public Power.

Source: International IDEA.

In order to strengthen the performance of women candidates who will participate in the General Elections in Bolivia in 2019, women facilitators in different regions had a training on strategic knowledge to replicate this knowledge in as a broad manner as possible.

This space was propel by the "Coordinadora de la Mujer" and International IDEA with support of the Swedish Embassy. The women facilitators were trained for the implementation of eight training modules in workshops in each department.

This process covered the following modules:

• Regulatory Framework which encourages women’s political participation;
• The Law of Political Organizations for a Parity-based Democracy;
• Law N° 243 against Political Harassment and Violence;
• Exercise of Public Power and Governance with gender equality;
• Joint responsibility of citizens;
• Political Communication and vocal workshop for Women Leaders;
• Horizons and guidelines to move towards a parity-based democracy and depatriarchalization; and

The challenge of transforming the political culture.

Likewise, the plan is to strengthen the different candidates skills in the management of several digital political marketing tools.

The women facilitators come from institutions that are members of the "Coordinadora de la Mujer", with a wide experience in the field of Human Rights, and Women’s Rights in particular.

This process is taking place within the framework of campaign #Protagonistas, which aims to promote women and youth candidacies to ensure the consolidation and deepening of a parity-based and inclusive democratic system.

The training spaces for women candidates in each region are open to all political forces, in a pluralist and diverse manner.

International IDEA has been working for a long time in support of democratic process in Bolivia and has encouraged, among other aspects, the strengthening of women’s political participation in the country.

“We know that most of women candidates have ample experience in organizational leadership and have a long and noteworthy track-record. This training process aims to further reinforce the strengths of women candidates in order to consolidate the parity achieved in the previous General Elections in 2014, thereby overcoming the historical exclusion suffered by women”, points out Alfonso Ferrufino, Senior Adviser of International IDEA in Bolivia.

After the elections in the year 2014, Bolivia became the second country in the world with the greatest participation of women in the legislative field (51 per cent), a historic and emblematic figure for the Latin American Region.

The training process of women candidates seeks to enhance and deepen the achieved parity, moving forward to the substantive participation of women in the construction and management of the bodies of Public Power.

Source: International IDEA.

In order to strengthen the performance of women candidates who will participate in the General Elections in Bolivia in 2019, women facilitators in different regions had a training on strategic knowledge to replicate this knowledge in as a broad manner as possible.

This space was propel by the "Coordinadora de la Mujer" and International IDEA with support of the Swedish Embassy. The women facilitators were trained for the implementation of eight training modules in workshops in each department.

This process covered the following modules:

• Regulatory Framework which encourages women’s political participation;
• The Law of Political Organizations for a Parity-based Democracy;
• Law N° 243 against Political Harassment and Violence;
• Exercise of Public Power and Governance with gender equality;
• Joint responsibility of citizens;
• Political Communication and vocal workshop for Women Leaders;
• Horizons and guidelines to move towards a parity-based democracy and depatriarchalization; and

The challenge of transforming the political culture.

Likewise, the plan is to strengthen the different candidates skills in the management of several digital political marketing tools.

The women facilitators come from institutions that are members of the "Coordinadora de la Mujer", with a wide experience in the field of Human Rights, and Women’s Rights in particular.

This process is taking place within the framework of campaign #Protagonistas, which aims to promote women and youth candidacies to ensure the consolidation and deepening of a parity-based and inclusive democratic system.

The training spaces for women candidates in each region are open to all political forces, in a pluralist and diverse manner.

International IDEA has been working for a long time in support of democratic process in Bolivia and has encouraged, among other aspects, the strengthening of women’s political participation in the country.

“We know that most of women candidates have ample experience in organizational leadership and have a long and noteworthy track-record. This training process aims to further reinforce the strengths of women candidates in order to consolidate the parity achieved in the previous General Elections in 2014, thereby overcoming the historical exclusion suffered by women”, points out Alfonso Ferrufino, Senior Adviser of International IDEA in Bolivia.

After the elections in the year 2014, Bolivia became the second country in the world with the greatest participation of women in the legislative field (51 per cent), a historic and emblematic figure for the Latin American Region.

The training process of women candidates seeks to enhance and deepen the achieved parity, moving forward to the substantive participation of women in the construction and management of the bodies of Public Power.

Source: International IDEA.

In order to strengthen the performance of women candidates who will participate in the General Elections in Bolivia in 2019, women facilitators in different regions had a training on strategic knowledge to replicate this knowledge in as a broad manner as possible.

This space was propel by the "Coordinadora de la Mujer" and International IDEA with support of the Swedish Embassy. The women facilitators were trained for the implementation of eight training modules in workshops in each department.

This process covered the following modules:

• Regulatory Framework which encourages women’s political participation;
• The Law of Political Organizations for a Parity-based Democracy;
• Law N° 243 against Political Harassment and Violence;
• Exercise of Public Power and Governance with gender equality;
• Joint responsibility of citizens;
• Political Communication and vocal workshop for Women Leaders;
• Horizons and guidelines to move towards a parity-based democracy and depatriarchalization; and

The challenge of transforming the political culture.

Likewise, the plan is to strengthen the different candidates skills in the management of several digital political marketing tools.

The women facilitators come from institutions that are members of the "Coordinadora de la Mujer", with a wide experience in the field of Human Rights, and Women’s Rights in particular.

This process is taking place within the framework of campaign #Protagonistas, which aims to promote women and youth candidacies to ensure the consolidation and deepening of a parity-based and inclusive democratic system.

The training spaces for women candidates in each region are open to all political forces, in a pluralist and diverse manner.

International IDEA has been working for a long time in support of democratic process in Bolivia and has encouraged, among other aspects, the strengthening of women’s political participation in the country.

“We know that most of women candidates have ample experience in organizational leadership and have a long and noteworthy track-record. This training process aims to further reinforce the strengths of women candidates in order to consolidate the parity achieved in the previous General Elections in 2014, thereby overcoming the historical exclusion suffered by women”, points out Alfonso Ferrufino, Senior Adviser of International IDEA in Bolivia.

After the elections in the year 2014, Bolivia became the second country in the world with the greatest participation of women in the legislative field (51 per cent), a historic and emblematic figure for the Latin American Region.

The training process of women candidates seeks to enhance and deepen the achieved parity, moving forward to the substantive participation of women in the construction and management of the bodies of Public Power.

Source: International IDEA.

In order to strengthen the performance of women candidates who will participate in the General Elections in Bolivia in 2019, women facilitators in different regions had a training on strategic knowledge to replicate this knowledge in as a broad manner as possible.

This space was propel by the "Coordinadora de la Mujer" and International IDEA with support of the Swedish Embassy. The women facilitators were trained for the implementation of eight training modules in workshops in each department.

This process covered the following modules:

• Regulatory Framework which encourages women’s political participation;
• The Law of Political Organizations for a Parity-based Democracy;
• Law N° 243 against Political Harassment and Violence;
• Exercise of Public Power and Governance with gender equality;
• Joint responsibility of citizens;
• Political Communication and vocal workshop for Women Leaders;
• Horizons and guidelines to move towards a parity-based democracy and depatriarchalization; and

The challenge of transforming the political culture.

Likewise, the plan is to strengthen the different candidates skills in the management of several digital political marketing tools.

The women facilitators come from institutions that are members of the "Coordinadora de la Mujer", with a wide experience in the field of Human Rights, and Women’s Rights in particular.

This process is taking place within the framework of campaign #Protagonistas, which aims to promote women and youth candidacies to ensure the consolidation and deepening of a parity-based and inclusive democratic system.

The training spaces for women candidates in each region are open to all political forces, in a pluralist and diverse manner.

International IDEA has been working for a long time in support of democratic process in Bolivia and has encouraged, among other aspects, the strengthening of women’s political participation in the country.

“We know that most of women candidates have ample experience in organizational leadership and have a long and noteworthy track-record. This training process aims to further reinforce the strengths of women candidates in order to consolidate the parity achieved in the previous General Elections in 2014, thereby overcoming the historical exclusion suffered by women”, points out Alfonso Ferrufino, Senior Adviser of International IDEA in Bolivia.

After the elections in the year 2014, Bolivia became the second country in the world with the greatest participation of women in the legislative field (51 per cent), a historic and emblematic figure for the Latin American Region.

The training process of women candidates seeks to enhance and deepen the achieved parity, moving forward to the substantive participation of women in the construction and management of the bodies of Public Power.

Source: International IDEA.

In order to strengthen the performance of women candidates who will participate in the General Elections in Bolivia in 2019, women facilitators in different regions had a training on strategic knowledge to replicate this knowledge in as a broad manner as possible.

This space was propel by the "Coordinadora de la Mujer" and International IDEA with support of the Swedish Embassy. The women facilitators were trained for the implementation of eight training modules in workshops in each department.

This process covered the following modules:

• Regulatory Framework which encourages women’s political participation;
• The Law of Political Organizations for a Parity-based Democracy;
• Law N° 243 against Political Harassment and Violence;
• Exercise of Public Power and Governance with gender equality;
• Joint responsibility of citizens;
• Political Communication and vocal workshop for Women Leaders;
• Horizons and guidelines to move towards a parity-based democracy and depatriarchalization; and

The challenge of transforming the political culture.

Likewise, the plan is to strengthen the different candidates skills in the management of several digital political marketing tools.

The women facilitators come from institutions that are members of the "Coordinadora de la Mujer", with a wide experience in the field of Human Rights, and Women’s Rights in particular.

This process is taking place within the framework of campaign #Protagonistas, which aims to promote women and youth candidacies to ensure the consolidation and deepening of a parity-based and inclusive democratic system.

The training spaces for women candidates in each region are open to all political forces, in a pluralist and diverse manner.

International IDEA has been working for a long time in support of democratic process in Bolivia and has encouraged, among other aspects, the strengthening of women’s political participation in the country.

“We know that most of women candidates have ample experience in organizational leadership and have a long and noteworthy track-record. This training process aims to further reinforce the strengths of women candidates in order to consolidate the parity achieved in the previous General Elections in 2014, thereby overcoming the historical exclusion suffered by women”, points out Alfonso Ferrufino, Senior Adviser of International IDEA in Bolivia.

After the elections in the year 2014, Bolivia became the second country in the world with the greatest participation of women in the legislative field (51 per cent), a historic and emblematic figure for the Latin American Region.

The training process of women candidates seeks to enhance and deepen the achieved parity, moving forward to the substantive participation of women in the construction and management of the bodies of Public Power.

Source: International IDEA.

In order to strengthen the performance of women candidates who will participate in the General Elections in Bolivia in 2019, women facilitators in different regions had a training on strategic knowledge to replicate this knowledge in as a broad manner as possible.

This space was propel by the "Coordinadora de la Mujer" and International IDEA with support of the Swedish Embassy. The women facilitators were trained for the implementation of eight training modules in workshops in each department.

This process covered the following modules:

• Regulatory Framework which encourages women’s political participation;
• The Law of Political Organizations for a Parity-based Democracy;
• Law N° 243 against Political Harassment and Violence;
• Exercise of Public Power and Governance with gender equality;
• Joint responsibility of citizens;
• Political Communication and vocal workshop for Women Leaders;
• Horizons and guidelines to move towards a parity-based democracy and depatriarchalization; and

The challenge of transforming the political culture.

Likewise, the plan is to strengthen the different candidates skills in the management of several digital political marketing tools.

The women facilitators come from institutions that are members of the "Coordinadora de la Mujer", with a wide experience in the field of Human Rights, and Women’s Rights in particular.

This process is taking place within the framework of campaign #Protagonistas, which aims to promote women and youth candidacies to ensure the consolidation and deepening of a parity-based and inclusive democratic system.

The training spaces for women candidates in each region are open to all political forces, in a pluralist and diverse manner.

International IDEA has been working for a long time in support of democratic process in Bolivia and has encouraged, among other aspects, the strengthening of women’s political participation in the country.

“We know that most of women candidates have ample experience in organizational leadership and have a long and noteworthy track-record. This training process aims to further reinforce the strengths of women candidates in order to consolidate the parity achieved in the previous General Elections in 2014, thereby overcoming the historical exclusion suffered by women”, points out Alfonso Ferrufino, Senior Adviser of International IDEA in Bolivia.

After the elections in the year 2014, Bolivia became the second country in the world with the greatest participation of women in the legislative field (51 per cent), a historic and emblematic figure for the Latin American Region.

The training process of women candidates seeks to enhance and deepen the achieved parity, moving forward to the substantive participation of women in the construction and management of the bodies of Public Power.

Source: International IDEA.

In order to strengthen the performance of women candidates who will participate in the General Elections in Bolivia in 2019, women facilitators in different regions had a training on strategic knowledge to replicate this knowledge in as a broad manner as possible.

This space was propel by the "Coordinadora de la Mujer" and International IDEA with support of the Swedish Embassy. The women facilitators were trained for the implementation of eight training modules in workshops in each department.

This process covered the following modules:

• Regulatory Framework which encourages women’s political participation;
• The Law of Political Organizations for a Parity-based Democracy;
• Law N° 243 against Political Harassment and Violence;
• Exercise of Public Power and Governance with gender equality;
• Joint responsibility of citizens;
• Political Communication and vocal workshop for Women Leaders;
• Horizons and guidelines to move towards a parity-based democracy and depatriarchalization; and

The challenge of transforming the political culture.

Likewise, the plan is to strengthen the different candidates skills in the management of several digital political marketing tools.

The women facilitators come from institutions that are members of the "Coordinadora de la Mujer", with a wide experience in the field of Human Rights, and Women’s Rights in particular.

This process is taking place within the framework of campaign #Protagonistas, which aims to promote women and youth candidacies to ensure the consolidation and deepening of a parity-based and inclusive democratic system.

The training spaces for women candidates in each region are open to all political forces, in a pluralist and diverse manner.

International IDEA has been working for a long time in support of democratic process in Bolivia and has encouraged, among other aspects, the strengthening of women’s political participation in the country.

“We know that most of women candidates have ample experience in organizational leadership and have a long and noteworthy track-record. This training process aims to further reinforce the strengths of women candidates in order to consolidate the parity achieved in the previous General Elections in 2014, thereby overcoming the historical exclusion suffered by women”, points out Alfonso Ferrufino, Senior Adviser of International IDEA in Bolivia.

After the elections in the year 2014, Bolivia became the second country in the world with the greatest participation of women in the legislative field (51 per cent), a historic and emblematic figure for the Latin American Region.

The training process of women candidates seeks to enhance and deepen the achieved parity, moving forward to the substantive participation of women in the construction and management of the bodies of Public Power.

Source: International IDEA.

In order to strengthen the performance of women candidates who will participate in the General Elections in Bolivia in 2019, women facilitators in different regions had a training on strategic knowledge to replicate this knowledge in as a broad manner as possible.

This space was propel by the "Coordinadora de la Mujer" and International IDEA with support of the Swedish Embassy. The women facilitators were trained for the implementation of eight training modules in workshops in each department.

This process covered the following modules:

• Regulatory Framework which encourages women’s political participation;
• The Law of Political Organizations for a Parity-based Democracy;
• Law N° 243 against Political Harassment and Violence;
• Exercise of Public Power and Governance with gender equality;
• Joint responsibility of citizens;
• Political Communication and vocal workshop for Women Leaders;
• Horizons and guidelines to move towards a parity-based democracy and depatriarchalization; and

The challenge of transforming the political culture.

Likewise, the plan is to strengthen the different candidates skills in the management of several digital political marketing tools.

The women facilitators come from institutions that are members of the "Coordinadora de la Mujer", with a wide experience in the field of Human Rights, and Women’s Rights in particular.

This process is taking place within the framework of campaign #Protagonistas, which aims to promote women and youth candidacies to ensure the consolidation and deepening of a parity-based and inclusive democratic system.

The training spaces for women candidates in each region are open to all political forces, in a pluralist and diverse manner.

International IDEA has been working for a long time in support of democratic process in Bolivia and has encouraged, among other aspects, the strengthening of women’s political participation in the country.

“We know that most of women candidates have ample experience in organizational leadership and have a long and noteworthy track-record. This training process aims to further reinforce the strengths of women candidates in order to consolidate the parity achieved in the previous General Elections in 2014, thereby overcoming the historical exclusion suffered by women”, points out Alfonso Ferrufino, Senior Adviser of International IDEA in Bolivia.

After the elections in the year 2014, Bolivia became the second country in the world with the greatest participation of women in the legislative field (51 per cent), a historic and emblematic figure for the Latin American Region.

The training process of women candidates seeks to enhance and deepen the achieved parity, moving forward to the substantive participation of women in the construction and management of the bodies of Public Power.

Source: International IDEA.

“This is an obvious point to make, but it is, sadly, one that we cannot repeat enough”, she said, opening the day-long discussion at UN Headquarters in New York to identify best practices aimed to knock down barriers hindering women’s full participation and leadership, in what she called “our shared mission this year”.

As the fourth woman in UN history to ever preside over the General Assembly, the Organization’s main and most representative deliberative body, María Fernanda Espinosarecognized that women decision-makers must lead by example to safeguard achievements and accelerate progress towards gender equality.

Noting that women have come a long way since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action nearly 25 years ago, she pointed out that they still lag behind on virtually every Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

“For example, just 42 per cent of countries give women the same rights to land ownership; just 60 per cent give women equal access to financial services”, she flagged. “And the gap is even greater for women in rural areas, women with disabilities, indigenous women and older women”.

Moreover, “no country has achieved full gender equality” and women continue to face discrimination in every region of the world, “from suffocating stereotypes to discriminatory laws, harmful practices and violence”, she maintained.

This runs counter to the “wealth of hard evidence” of the positive impact that “women’s participation and leadership have on economic stability, good governance and investment, including in health, education and social protection.

Child mortality decreases by almost 10 per cent for each additional year of education women of reproductive age have.

“This is just an example of the transformative, society-wide benefits of women’s empowerment”, Ms. Espinosa said. “Today’s discussion is anchored in this crucial link”.

Call for Action

The event, “Gender Equality and Women’s Leadership for a Sustainable World”, issued a 'Call for Action' that aligned with the theme of this year’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development: 'Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”. The Forum, the main UN platform monitoring follow-up on States’ actions towards the SDGs, is currently under way in New York.

She invited all leaders to join the global “Call”, which 18 world leaders supported, as new synergies were being explored with other initiatives.

“Many of you will have heard me refer to gender equality as the closest thing we have to a ‘magic formula’ for sustainable development”, she said, noting that while “magical in terms of impact”, there is “nothing magical about how to achieve gender equality”.

The 2030 Agenda and the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action set out what must be done to empower women and girls, and what is needed now are “greater political will; a razor-sharp focus on the most transformative, practical actions; and to widen their scale and impact” according to the Assembly President.

“Today, we find ourselves in urgent need of renewed leadership, partnership and mobilization”, stressed Ms. Espinosa. “It is no secret that some of the SDG targets relating to women’s rights were the subject of tough negotiations… and the landscape has become more challenging even since then”.

She underscored that “we cannot take for granted the gains we have made”. And painted a picture of women on the ground working hard, “under duress and at great personal risk” to push back against a pushback, spelling out that they “need our support”.

“This is our opportunity to recommit to women’s rights and empowerment, to rise to challenges old and new, and – reclaim the agenda”, concluded the Assembly President.

Agents of change

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the meeting that women have a strong track record as agents of change.

“From boardrooms to parliament, from military ranks to peace tables and, of course, in the United Nations itself, more women decision-makers mean more inclusive solutions that will benefit everyone”.

Because women understand “intrinsically” the importance of dignity, equality and opportunity for all, the deputy UN chief upheld that “women’s leadership and greater gender balance will lead to unlocking trillions for economies, enhanced bottom lines for the private sector and stronger, more sustainable peace agreements”.

In addition to that, she stressed that “it is critical that we emphasize that women’s equal participation is a basic democratic right”.

For her part, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, said that next year, when we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the implementation of Beijing Platform, “our theme is ‘Generation Equality’ because we are emphasizing the importance of intra-generational participation and the role of young people to take us forward”.

“All of these, drawn together, give us a fighting chance to increase and sustain the participation of women”, she underscored. “We can’t wait people, time is up. Time is really, really up”.

The high-level meeting brought together prominent women leaders from around the globe, including a Mexican Member of Parliament Gabriela Cuevas Barron who is also the president of the Inter Parliamentarian Union and Helen Clark, former head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).  

Source: UN News.

“This is an obvious point to make, but it is, sadly, one that we cannot repeat enough”, she said, opening the day-long discussion at UN Headquarters in New York to identify best practices aimed to knock down barriers hindering women’s full participation and leadership, in what she called “our shared mission this year”.

As the fourth woman in UN history to ever preside over the General Assembly, the Organization’s main and most representative deliberative body, María Fernanda Espinosarecognized that women decision-makers must lead by example to safeguard achievements and accelerate progress towards gender equality.

Noting that women have come a long way since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action nearly 25 years ago, she pointed out that they still lag behind on virtually every Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

“For example, just 42 per cent of countries give women the same rights to land ownership; just 60 per cent give women equal access to financial services”, she flagged. “And the gap is even greater for women in rural areas, women with disabilities, indigenous women and older women”.

Moreover, “no country has achieved full gender equality” and women continue to face discrimination in every region of the world, “from suffocating stereotypes to discriminatory laws, harmful practices and violence”, she maintained.

This runs counter to the “wealth of hard evidence” of the positive impact that “women’s participation and leadership have on economic stability, good governance and investment, including in health, education and social protection.

Child mortality decreases by almost 10 per cent for each additional year of education women of reproductive age have.

“This is just an example of the transformative, society-wide benefits of women’s empowerment”, Ms. Espinosa said. “Today’s discussion is anchored in this crucial link”.

Call for Action

The event, “Gender Equality and Women’s Leadership for a Sustainable World”, issued a 'Call for Action' that aligned with the theme of this year’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development: 'Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”. The Forum, the main UN platform monitoring follow-up on States’ actions towards the SDGs, is currently under way in New York.

She invited all leaders to join the global “Call”, which 18 world leaders supported, as new synergies were being explored with other initiatives.

“Many of you will have heard me refer to gender equality as the closest thing we have to a ‘magic formula’ for sustainable development”, she said, noting that while “magical in terms of impact”, there is “nothing magical about how to achieve gender equality”.

The 2030 Agenda and the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action set out what must be done to empower women and girls, and what is needed now are “greater political will; a razor-sharp focus on the most transformative, practical actions; and to widen their scale and impact” according to the Assembly President.

“Today, we find ourselves in urgent need of renewed leadership, partnership and mobilization”, stressed Ms. Espinosa. “It is no secret that some of the SDG targets relating to women’s rights were the subject of tough negotiations… and the landscape has become more challenging even since then”.

She underscored that “we cannot take for granted the gains we have made”. And painted a picture of women on the ground working hard, “under duress and at great personal risk” to push back against a pushback, spelling out that they “need our support”.

“This is our opportunity to recommit to women’s rights and empowerment, to rise to challenges old and new, and – reclaim the agenda”, concluded the Assembly President.

Agents of change

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the meeting that women have a strong track record as agents of change.

“From boardrooms to parliament, from military ranks to peace tables and, of course, in the United Nations itself, more women decision-makers mean more inclusive solutions that will benefit everyone”.

Because women understand “intrinsically” the importance of dignity, equality and opportunity for all, the deputy UN chief upheld that “women’s leadership and greater gender balance will lead to unlocking trillions for economies, enhanced bottom lines for the private sector and stronger, more sustainable peace agreements”.

In addition to that, she stressed that “it is critical that we emphasize that women’s equal participation is a basic democratic right”.

For her part, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, said that next year, when we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the implementation of Beijing Platform, “our theme is ‘Generation Equality’ because we are emphasizing the importance of intra-generational participation and the role of young people to take us forward”.

“All of these, drawn together, give us a fighting chance to increase and sustain the participation of women”, she underscored. “We can’t wait people, time is up. Time is really, really up”.

The high-level meeting brought together prominent women leaders from around the globe, including a Mexican Member of Parliament Gabriela Cuevas Barron who is also the president of the Inter Parliamentarian Union and Helen Clark, former head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).  

Source: UN News.

“This is an obvious point to make, but it is, sadly, one that we cannot repeat enough”, she said, opening the day-long discussion at UN Headquarters in New York to identify best practices aimed to knock down barriers hindering women’s full participation and leadership, in what she called “our shared mission this year”.

As the fourth woman in UN history to ever preside over the General Assembly, the Organization’s main and most representative deliberative body, María Fernanda Espinosarecognized that women decision-makers must lead by example to safeguard achievements and accelerate progress towards gender equality.

Noting that women have come a long way since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action nearly 25 years ago, she pointed out that they still lag behind on virtually every Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

“For example, just 42 per cent of countries give women the same rights to land ownership; just 60 per cent give women equal access to financial services”, she flagged. “And the gap is even greater for women in rural areas, women with disabilities, indigenous women and older women”.

Moreover, “no country has achieved full gender equality” and women continue to face discrimination in every region of the world, “from suffocating stereotypes to discriminatory laws, harmful practices and violence”, she maintained.

This runs counter to the “wealth of hard evidence” of the positive impact that “women’s participation and leadership have on economic stability, good governance and investment, including in health, education and social protection.

Child mortality decreases by almost 10 per cent for each additional year of education women of reproductive age have.

“This is just an example of the transformative, society-wide benefits of women’s empowerment”, Ms. Espinosa said. “Today’s discussion is anchored in this crucial link”.

Call for Action

The event, “Gender Equality and Women’s Leadership for a Sustainable World”, issued a 'Call for Action' that aligned with the theme of this year’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development: 'Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”. The Forum, the main UN platform monitoring follow-up on States’ actions towards the SDGs, is currently under way in New York.

She invited all leaders to join the global “Call”, which 18 world leaders supported, as new synergies were being explored with other initiatives.

“Many of you will have heard me refer to gender equality as the closest thing we have to a ‘magic formula’ for sustainable development”, she said, noting that while “magical in terms of impact”, there is “nothing magical about how to achieve gender equality”.

The 2030 Agenda and the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action set out what must be done to empower women and girls, and what is needed now are “greater political will; a razor-sharp focus on the most transformative, practical actions; and to widen their scale and impact” according to the Assembly President.

“Today, we find ourselves in urgent need of renewed leadership, partnership and mobilization”, stressed Ms. Espinosa. “It is no secret that some of the SDG targets relating to women’s rights were the subject of tough negotiations… and the landscape has become more challenging even since then”.

She underscored that “we cannot take for granted the gains we have made”. And painted a picture of women on the ground working hard, “under duress and at great personal risk” to push back against a pushback, spelling out that they “need our support”.

“This is our opportunity to recommit to women’s rights and empowerment, to rise to challenges old and new, and – reclaim the agenda”, concluded the Assembly President.

Agents of change

Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the meeting that women have a strong track record as agents of change.

“From boardrooms to parliament, from military ranks to peace tables and, of course, in the United Nations itself, more women decision-makers mean more inclusive solutions that will benefit everyone”.

Because women understand “intrinsically” the importance of dignity, equality and opportunity for all, the deputy UN chief upheld that “women’s leadership and greater gender balance will lead to unlocking trillions for economies, enhanced bottom lines for the private sector and stronger, more sustainable peace agreements”.

In addition to that, she stressed that “it is critical that we emphasize that women’s equal participation is a basic democratic right”.

For her part, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, said that next year, when we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the implementation of Beijing Platform, “our theme is ‘Generation Equality’ because we are emphasizing the importance of intra-generational participation and the role of young people to take us forward”.

“All of these, drawn together, give us a fighting chance to increase and sustain the participation of women”, she underscored. “We can’t wait people, time is up. Time is really, really up”.

The high-level meeting brought together prominent women leaders from around the globe, including a Mexican Member of Parliament Gabriela Cuevas Barron who is also the president of the Inter Parliamentarian Union and Helen Clark, former head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).  

Source: UN News.

Why hasn’t Japan been able to eliminate the perception that politics is a man’s world? Gender equality, women’s active participation in the workplace and female empowerment have taken root in society, but women’s participation in the all-important realm of politics remains sluggish. Is the problem structural or related to how society thinks? The election campaign for the House of Councillors that began on Thursday offers a good opportunity to explore issues related to women and politics.

On June 26, Iceland’s former interior minister Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir stood before a large group of female politicians from around the world in the Members’ Office Building of the lower house in Tokyo. She announced it would take more than 200 years to achieve an equal number of male and female politicians at the current rate, before adding, “No thank you!”

As the room filled with thunderous applause, another participant shouted in response: “We must change the world with our actions!”

The setting was the Women Political Leaders Summit, which was being held in Asia for the first time. More than 300 people from about 80 countries participated, including many elected representatives.

The upper house election is the first nationwide Diet election since the Law on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field came into effect in May last year. The law requires political parties to aim for equality in the number of male and female candidates in public elections.

According to a survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of parliaments worldwide, female parliamentarians outnumbered men in Rwanda (No. 1 at 61.3 percent), Cuba and Bolivia as of Feb. 1. Japan ranked 165th among the 193 countries surveyed, with women comprising only 10.1 percent of the lower house. Japan was dead last among the 36 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “Japan must work harder to increase the number of female lawmakers,” said a representative from Romania who took part in the leaders summit.

Click here to read the full article published by The Japan News on 8 July 2019.

Why hasn’t Japan been able to eliminate the perception that politics is a man’s world? Gender equality, women’s active participation in the workplace and female empowerment have taken root in society, but women’s participation in the all-important realm of politics remains sluggish. Is the problem structural or related to how society thinks? The election campaign for the House of Councillors that began on Thursday offers a good opportunity to explore issues related to women and politics.

On June 26, Iceland’s former interior minister Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir stood before a large group of female politicians from around the world in the Members’ Office Building of the lower house in Tokyo. She announced it would take more than 200 years to achieve an equal number of male and female politicians at the current rate, before adding, “No thank you!”

As the room filled with thunderous applause, another participant shouted in response: “We must change the world with our actions!”

The setting was the Women Political Leaders Summit, which was being held in Asia for the first time. More than 300 people from about 80 countries participated, including many elected representatives.

The upper house election is the first nationwide Diet election since the Law on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field came into effect in May last year. The law requires political parties to aim for equality in the number of male and female candidates in public elections.

According to a survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of parliaments worldwide, female parliamentarians outnumbered men in Rwanda (No. 1 at 61.3 percent), Cuba and Bolivia as of Feb. 1. Japan ranked 165th among the 193 countries surveyed, with women comprising only 10.1 percent of the lower house. Japan was dead last among the 36 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “Japan must work harder to increase the number of female lawmakers,” said a representative from Romania who took part in the leaders summit.

Click here to read the full article published by The Japan News on 8 July 2019.

Why hasn’t Japan been able to eliminate the perception that politics is a man’s world? Gender equality, women’s active participation in the workplace and female empowerment have taken root in society, but women’s participation in the all-important realm of politics remains sluggish. Is the problem structural or related to how society thinks? The election campaign for the House of Councillors that began on Thursday offers a good opportunity to explore issues related to women and politics.

On June 26, Iceland’s former interior minister Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir stood before a large group of female politicians from around the world in the Members’ Office Building of the lower house in Tokyo. She announced it would take more than 200 years to achieve an equal number of male and female politicians at the current rate, before adding, “No thank you!”

As the room filled with thunderous applause, another participant shouted in response: “We must change the world with our actions!”

The setting was the Women Political Leaders Summit, which was being held in Asia for the first time. More than 300 people from about 80 countries participated, including many elected representatives.

The upper house election is the first nationwide Diet election since the Law on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field came into effect in May last year. The law requires political parties to aim for equality in the number of male and female candidates in public elections.

According to a survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of parliaments worldwide, female parliamentarians outnumbered men in Rwanda (No. 1 at 61.3 percent), Cuba and Bolivia as of Feb. 1. Japan ranked 165th among the 193 countries surveyed, with women comprising only 10.1 percent of the lower house. Japan was dead last among the 36 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “Japan must work harder to increase the number of female lawmakers,” said a representative from Romania who took part in the leaders summit.

Click here to read the full article published by The Japan News on 8 July 2019.

Why hasn’t Japan been able to eliminate the perception that politics is a man’s world? Gender equality, women’s active participation in the workplace and female empowerment have taken root in society, but women’s participation in the all-important realm of politics remains sluggish. Is the problem structural or related to how society thinks? The election campaign for the House of Councillors that began on Thursday offers a good opportunity to explore issues related to women and politics.

On June 26, Iceland’s former interior minister Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir stood before a large group of female politicians from around the world in the Members’ Office Building of the lower house in Tokyo. She announced it would take more than 200 years to achieve an equal number of male and female politicians at the current rate, before adding, “No thank you!”

As the room filled with thunderous applause, another participant shouted in response: “We must change the world with our actions!”

The setting was the Women Political Leaders Summit, which was being held in Asia for the first time. More than 300 people from about 80 countries participated, including many elected representatives.

The upper house election is the first nationwide Diet election since the Law on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field came into effect in May last year. The law requires political parties to aim for equality in the number of male and female candidates in public elections.

According to a survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of parliaments worldwide, female parliamentarians outnumbered men in Rwanda (No. 1 at 61.3 percent), Cuba and Bolivia as of Feb. 1. Japan ranked 165th among the 193 countries surveyed, with women comprising only 10.1 percent of the lower house. Japan was dead last among the 36 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “Japan must work harder to increase the number of female lawmakers,” said a representative from Romania who took part in the leaders summit.

Click here to read the full article published by The Japan News on 8 July 2019.

Why hasn’t Japan been able to eliminate the perception that politics is a man’s world? Gender equality, women’s active participation in the workplace and female empowerment have taken root in society, but women’s participation in the all-important realm of politics remains sluggish. Is the problem structural or related to how society thinks? The election campaign for the House of Councillors that began on Thursday offers a good opportunity to explore issues related to women and politics.

On June 26, Iceland’s former interior minister Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir stood before a large group of female politicians from around the world in the Members’ Office Building of the lower house in Tokyo. She announced it would take more than 200 years to achieve an equal number of male and female politicians at the current rate, before adding, “No thank you!”

As the room filled with thunderous applause, another participant shouted in response: “We must change the world with our actions!”

The setting was the Women Political Leaders Summit, which was being held in Asia for the first time. More than 300 people from about 80 countries participated, including many elected representatives.

The upper house election is the first nationwide Diet election since the Law on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field came into effect in May last year. The law requires political parties to aim for equality in the number of male and female candidates in public elections.

According to a survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of parliaments worldwide, female parliamentarians outnumbered men in Rwanda (No. 1 at 61.3 percent), Cuba and Bolivia as of Feb. 1. Japan ranked 165th among the 193 countries surveyed, with women comprising only 10.1 percent of the lower house. Japan was dead last among the 36 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “Japan must work harder to increase the number of female lawmakers,” said a representative from Romania who took part in the leaders summit.

Click here to read the full article published by The Japan News on 8 July 2019.

Why hasn’t Japan been able to eliminate the perception that politics is a man’s world? Gender equality, women’s active participation in the workplace and female empowerment have taken root in society, but women’s participation in the all-important realm of politics remains sluggish. Is the problem structural or related to how society thinks? The election campaign for the House of Councillors that began on Thursday offers a good opportunity to explore issues related to women and politics.

On June 26, Iceland’s former interior minister Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir stood before a large group of female politicians from around the world in the Members’ Office Building of the lower house in Tokyo. She announced it would take more than 200 years to achieve an equal number of male and female politicians at the current rate, before adding, “No thank you!”

As the room filled with thunderous applause, another participant shouted in response: “We must change the world with our actions!”

The setting was the Women Political Leaders Summit, which was being held in Asia for the first time. More than 300 people from about 80 countries participated, including many elected representatives.

The upper house election is the first nationwide Diet election since the Law on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field came into effect in May last year. The law requires political parties to aim for equality in the number of male and female candidates in public elections.

According to a survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of parliaments worldwide, female parliamentarians outnumbered men in Rwanda (No. 1 at 61.3 percent), Cuba and Bolivia as of Feb. 1. Japan ranked 165th among the 193 countries surveyed, with women comprising only 10.1 percent of the lower house. Japan was dead last among the 36 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “Japan must work harder to increase the number of female lawmakers,” said a representative from Romania who took part in the leaders summit.

Click here to read the full article published by The Japan News on 8 July 2019.

Why hasn’t Japan been able to eliminate the perception that politics is a man’s world? Gender equality, women’s active participation in the workplace and female empowerment have taken root in society, but women’s participation in the all-important realm of politics remains sluggish. Is the problem structural or related to how society thinks? The election campaign for the House of Councillors that began on Thursday offers a good opportunity to explore issues related to women and politics.

On June 26, Iceland’s former interior minister Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir stood before a large group of female politicians from around the world in the Members’ Office Building of the lower house in Tokyo. She announced it would take more than 200 years to achieve an equal number of male and female politicians at the current rate, before adding, “No thank you!”

As the room filled with thunderous applause, another participant shouted in response: “We must change the world with our actions!”

The setting was the Women Political Leaders Summit, which was being held in Asia for the first time. More than 300 people from about 80 countries participated, including many elected representatives.

The upper house election is the first nationwide Diet election since the Law on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field came into effect in May last year. The law requires political parties to aim for equality in the number of male and female candidates in public elections.

According to a survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of parliaments worldwide, female parliamentarians outnumbered men in Rwanda (No. 1 at 61.3 percent), Cuba and Bolivia as of Feb. 1. Japan ranked 165th among the 193 countries surveyed, with women comprising only 10.1 percent of the lower house. Japan was dead last among the 36 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “Japan must work harder to increase the number of female lawmakers,” said a representative from Romania who took part in the leaders summit.

Click here to read the full article published by The Japan News on 8 July 2019.

Why hasn’t Japan been able to eliminate the perception that politics is a man’s world? Gender equality, women’s active participation in the workplace and female empowerment have taken root in society, but women’s participation in the all-important realm of politics remains sluggish. Is the problem structural or related to how society thinks? The election campaign for the House of Councillors that began on Thursday offers a good opportunity to explore issues related to women and politics.

On June 26, Iceland’s former interior minister Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir stood before a large group of female politicians from around the world in the Members’ Office Building of the lower house in Tokyo. She announced it would take more than 200 years to achieve an equal number of male and female politicians at the current rate, before adding, “No thank you!”

As the room filled with thunderous applause, another participant shouted in response: “We must change the world with our actions!”

The setting was the Women Political Leaders Summit, which was being held in Asia for the first time. More than 300 people from about 80 countries participated, including many elected representatives.

The upper house election is the first nationwide Diet election since the Law on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field came into effect in May last year. The law requires political parties to aim for equality in the number of male and female candidates in public elections.

According to a survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of parliaments worldwide, female parliamentarians outnumbered men in Rwanda (No. 1 at 61.3 percent), Cuba and Bolivia as of Feb. 1. Japan ranked 165th among the 193 countries surveyed, with women comprising only 10.1 percent of the lower house. Japan was dead last among the 36 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “Japan must work harder to increase the number of female lawmakers,” said a representative from Romania who took part in the leaders summit.

Click here to read the full article published by The Japan News on 8 July 2019.

Why hasn’t Japan been able to eliminate the perception that politics is a man’s world? Gender equality, women’s active participation in the workplace and female empowerment have taken root in society, but women’s participation in the all-important realm of politics remains sluggish. Is the problem structural or related to how society thinks? The election campaign for the House of Councillors that began on Thursday offers a good opportunity to explore issues related to women and politics.

On June 26, Iceland’s former interior minister Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir stood before a large group of female politicians from around the world in the Members’ Office Building of the lower house in Tokyo. She announced it would take more than 200 years to achieve an equal number of male and female politicians at the current rate, before adding, “No thank you!”

As the room filled with thunderous applause, another participant shouted in response: “We must change the world with our actions!”

The setting was the Women Political Leaders Summit, which was being held in Asia for the first time. More than 300 people from about 80 countries participated, including many elected representatives.

The upper house election is the first nationwide Diet election since the Law on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field came into effect in May last year. The law requires political parties to aim for equality in the number of male and female candidates in public elections.

According to a survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of parliaments worldwide, female parliamentarians outnumbered men in Rwanda (No. 1 at 61.3 percent), Cuba and Bolivia as of Feb. 1. Japan ranked 165th among the 193 countries surveyed, with women comprising only 10.1 percent of the lower house. Japan was dead last among the 36 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “Japan must work harder to increase the number of female lawmakers,” said a representative from Romania who took part in the leaders summit.

Click here to read the full article published by The Japan News on 8 July 2019.

Why hasn’t Japan been able to eliminate the perception that politics is a man’s world? Gender equality, women’s active participation in the workplace and female empowerment have taken root in society, but women’s participation in the all-important realm of politics remains sluggish. Is the problem structural or related to how society thinks? The election campaign for the House of Councillors that began on Thursday offers a good opportunity to explore issues related to women and politics.

On June 26, Iceland’s former interior minister Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir stood before a large group of female politicians from around the world in the Members’ Office Building of the lower house in Tokyo. She announced it would take more than 200 years to achieve an equal number of male and female politicians at the current rate, before adding, “No thank you!”

As the room filled with thunderous applause, another participant shouted in response: “We must change the world with our actions!”

The setting was the Women Political Leaders Summit, which was being held in Asia for the first time. More than 300 people from about 80 countries participated, including many elected representatives.

The upper house election is the first nationwide Diet election since the Law on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field came into effect in May last year. The law requires political parties to aim for equality in the number of male and female candidates in public elections.

According to a survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of parliaments worldwide, female parliamentarians outnumbered men in Rwanda (No. 1 at 61.3 percent), Cuba and Bolivia as of Feb. 1. Japan ranked 165th among the 193 countries surveyed, with women comprising only 10.1 percent of the lower house. Japan was dead last among the 36 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “Japan must work harder to increase the number of female lawmakers,” said a representative from Romania who took part in the leaders summit.

Click here to read the full article published by The Japan News on 8 July 2019.

Why hasn’t Japan been able to eliminate the perception that politics is a man’s world? Gender equality, women’s active participation in the workplace and female empowerment have taken root in society, but women’s participation in the all-important realm of politics remains sluggish. Is the problem structural or related to how society thinks? The election campaign for the House of Councillors that began on Thursday offers a good opportunity to explore issues related to women and politics.

On June 26, Iceland’s former interior minister Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir stood before a large group of female politicians from around the world in the Members’ Office Building of the lower house in Tokyo. She announced it would take more than 200 years to achieve an equal number of male and female politicians at the current rate, before adding, “No thank you!”

As the room filled with thunderous applause, another participant shouted in response: “We must change the world with our actions!”

The setting was the Women Political Leaders Summit, which was being held in Asia for the first time. More than 300 people from about 80 countries participated, including many elected representatives.

The upper house election is the first nationwide Diet election since the Law on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field came into effect in May last year. The law requires political parties to aim for equality in the number of male and female candidates in public elections.

According to a survey by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of parliaments worldwide, female parliamentarians outnumbered men in Rwanda (No. 1 at 61.3 percent), Cuba and Bolivia as of Feb. 1. Japan ranked 165th among the 193 countries surveyed, with women comprising only 10.1 percent of the lower house. Japan was dead last among the 36 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. “Japan must work harder to increase the number of female lawmakers,” said a representative from Romania who took part in the leaders summit.

Click here to read the full article published by The Japan News on 8 July 2019.