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More ambitious measures and stronger political commitment are needed to enhance women’s representation in parliament and keep apace with the significant progress achieved worldwide over the last decade, says the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

IPU’s “Women in Parliament in 2016: The year in review” released ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March calls for renewed momentum to ensure women’s voices everywhere are included in decision-making processes. As in previous years, the report hammers home the point that women’s political empowerment cannot be taken for granted.

The worldwide average of women in national parliaments increased from 22.6 per cent in 2015 to 23.3 per cent by the end of 2016. Ten years ago, women held 16.8 per cent of parliamentary seats in the world – a 6.5 percentage point gain over the last decade. However, the rate of progress has stabilized in recent years, underlining the need for relentless efforts in order to achieve gender balance in politics.

As of December 2016, women accounted for at least 30 per cent of the seats in 68 chambers (25% of chambers) and less than 10 per cent in 44 chambers (16%). Still today, there are no women at all in five chambers. 

“We must seize the opportunity to build on the successes of recent years because hard-won progress can often be fragile and readily lost, particularly at a time when engaging in politics has become even more challenging. Parliaments are crucial to ensuring women are among the world’s most high-profile leaders and to strengthening the policies and legislation needed to meet the goal of gender equality and women’s full and equal participation at all levels by 2030,” says IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong.

The slight increase in the number of women MPs contrasts with  the higher rate of progress for women Speakers of Parliament, which has reached an all-time high, with 53 women heading a parliamentary chamber (out of the 273 posts globally). Women hold now 19.1 per cent of all presiding officer posts in the world, an almost three-per-cent point increase since 2015.

Nine new women Speakers were elected or appointed in 2016. The new Speakers of the Parliaments of the Syrian Arab Republic and Viet Nam made history last year, becoming the first women to be elected to that position in their respective countries.

Regional highlights

In a year when parliamentary elections took place in 53 countries, the greatest gains and setbacks were recorded in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where the relatively smaller size of parliaments has a bigger impact on women’s share of seats.

The highest gains made by women in parliament in 2016 were in the Pacific, a region not traditionally known for gender-inclusive political leadership. The regional average of women in parliament increased to 17.4 per cent in 2016 from 15.8 per cent in 2015. These gains came in the wake of the 2012 Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration that focused more attention on women and decision-making.

In Europe, women’s parliamentary representation increased from 24.4 per cent in 2015 to 26.3 per cent in 2016, with significant gains in Cyprus, Iceland and Montenegro. In Ireland, a legally binding candidate quota introduced in 2012 resulted in a 7.1 per cent point increase in the number of women in the lower house. On the other hand, there were important electoral losses, particularly in Croatia, Lithuania and Belarus; in Spain, where the electoral law mandates “gender balance”, it proved difficult for women to go beyond the 40 per cent target.

In the Arab States, women’s share of seats in parliament increased to 18.1 per cent in 2016, maintaining steady progress over the past decade to ensure greater gender inclusiveness in politics. Much of this has come as a response to public and international pressure for greater transparency and democratic accountability in the region. The strongest gains were made – notably in Morocco and Jordan – where political leaders heeded these calls.

Last year was no exception and elections in Asia were held without any dramatic changes. Women’s representation in parliament increased by 0.5 per cent, from 18.8 per cent in 2015 to 19.3 per cent in 2016. Increases, albeit moderate, were registered in all countries holding elections (Iran, Japan, Laos, Mongolia, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, and Viet Nam), with one notable exception - India. This demonstrated that incremental change can still be meaningful and powerful.

The Americas remain the region with the highest regional average for women in parliament after recording a 0.9 point increase in 2016, up to 28.1 per cent of parliamentary seats. The pursuit of legislative reform designed to enable women to hold 50 per cent of decision-making positions contributed in large measure to these advances. For example, Nicaragua made gender balance in party lists mandatory and the Dominican Republic introduced legally binding candidate quotas.
Legally binding electoral gender quotas were also a key factor in the relatively moderate increase in the share of women parliamentarians in sub-Saharan Africa (from 23.2 per cent in 2015, to 23.6 per cent in 2016). It showed that quotas allow countries to maintain a relatively stable representation of women in parliament. Where quotas were not in place, substantial setbacks were recorded.  

The way ahead

The year 2016 showed once again that quotas, as they stand today, are clearly effective in delivering greater numbers of women in politics and ensuring a minimum level of women’s representation in parliament. However, they do not always extend beyond the so-called “critical mass” of 30 or 35 per cent of women’s seats in parliament, and remain difficult to adopt (last year the only new quota law to be passed was in Liberia) for various reasons.  

The IPU report also highlights the misogynistic and sexist sentiments that permeate public and private spheres when women claim their space in politics, revealing the extent to which women still struggle every day to be considered legitimate political actors. Efforts must be redoubled to address those factors that deter women from entering politics.

“It is time for more ambitious measures to take women’s participation and political voice to the next level. A great deal has been achieved in recent years, but more needs to be done to effectively embody gender equality and deliver it,” adds Secretary General Chungong.

To read the full report, please click http://archive.ipu.org/pdf/publications/WIP2016-e.pdf

Source: IPU

More ambitious measures and stronger political commitment are needed to enhance women’s representation in parliament and keep apace with the significant progress achieved worldwide over the last decade, says the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

IPU’s “Women in Parliament in 2016: The year in review” released ahead of International Women’s Day on 8 March calls for renewed momentum to ensure women’s voices everywhere are included in decision-making processes. As in previous years, the report hammers home the point that women’s political empowerment cannot be taken for granted.

The worldwide average of women in national parliaments increased from 22.6 per cent in 2015 to 23.3 per cent by the end of 2016. Ten years ago, women held 16.8 per cent of parliamentary seats in the world – a 6.5 percentage point gain over the last decade. However, the rate of progress has stabilized in recent years, underlining the need for relentless efforts in order to achieve gender balance in politics.

As of December 2016, women accounted for at least 30 per cent of the seats in 68 chambers (25% of chambers) and less than 10 per cent in 44 chambers (16%). Still today, there are no women at all in five chambers. 

“We must seize the opportunity to build on the successes of recent years because hard-won progress can often be fragile and readily lost, particularly at a time when engaging in politics has become even more challenging. Parliaments are crucial to ensuring women are among the world’s most high-profile leaders and to strengthening the policies and legislation needed to meet the goal of gender equality and women’s full and equal participation at all levels by 2030,” says IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong.

The slight increase in the number of women MPs contrasts with  the higher rate of progress for women Speakers of Parliament, which has reached an all-time high, with 53 women heading a parliamentary chamber (out of the 273 posts globally). Women hold now 19.1 per cent of all presiding officer posts in the world, an almost three-per-cent point increase since 2015.

Nine new women Speakers were elected or appointed in 2016. The new Speakers of the Parliaments of the Syrian Arab Republic and Viet Nam made history last year, becoming the first women to be elected to that position in their respective countries.

Regional highlights

In a year when parliamentary elections took place in 53 countries, the greatest gains and setbacks were recorded in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where the relatively smaller size of parliaments has a bigger impact on women’s share of seats.

The highest gains made by women in parliament in 2016 were in the Pacific, a region not traditionally known for gender-inclusive political leadership. The regional average of women in parliament increased to 17.4 per cent in 2016 from 15.8 per cent in 2015. These gains came in the wake of the 2012 Pacific Leaders Gender Equality Declaration that focused more attention on women and decision-making.

In Europe, women’s parliamentary representation increased from 24.4 per cent in 2015 to 26.3 per cent in 2016, with significant gains in Cyprus, Iceland and Montenegro. In Ireland, a legally binding candidate quota introduced in 2012 resulted in a 7.1 per cent point increase in the number of women in the lower house. On the other hand, there were important electoral losses, particularly in Croatia, Lithuania and Belarus; in Spain, where the electoral law mandates “gender balance”, it proved difficult for women to go beyond the 40 per cent target.

In the Arab States, women’s share of seats in parliament increased to 18.1 per cent in 2016, maintaining steady progress over the past decade to ensure greater gender inclusiveness in politics. Much of this has come as a response to public and international pressure for greater transparency and democratic accountability in the region. The strongest gains were made – notably in Morocco and Jordan – where political leaders heeded these calls.

Last year was no exception and elections in Asia were held without any dramatic changes. Women’s representation in parliament increased by 0.5 per cent, from 18.8 per cent in 2015 to 19.3 per cent in 2016. Increases, albeit moderate, were registered in all countries holding elections (Iran, Japan, Laos, Mongolia, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, and Viet Nam), with one notable exception - India. This demonstrated that incremental change can still be meaningful and powerful.

The Americas remain the region with the highest regional average for women in parliament after recording a 0.9 point increase in 2016, up to 28.1 per cent of parliamentary seats. The pursuit of legislative reform designed to enable women to hold 50 per cent of decision-making positions contributed in large measure to these advances. For example, Nicaragua made gender balance in party lists mandatory and the Dominican Republic introduced legally binding candidate quotas.
Legally binding electoral gender quotas were also a key factor in the relatively moderate increase in the share of women parliamentarians in sub-Saharan Africa (from 23.2 per cent in 2015, to 23.6 per cent in 2016). It showed that quotas allow countries to maintain a relatively stable representation of women in parliament. Where quotas were not in place, substantial setbacks were recorded.  

The way ahead

The year 2016 showed once again that quotas, as they stand today, are clearly effective in delivering greater numbers of women in politics and ensuring a minimum level of women’s representation in parliament. However, they do not always extend beyond the so-called “critical mass” of 30 or 35 per cent of women’s seats in parliament, and remain difficult to adopt (last year the only new quota law to be passed was in Liberia) for various reasons.  

The IPU report also highlights the misogynistic and sexist sentiments that permeate public and private spheres when women claim their space in politics, revealing the extent to which women still struggle every day to be considered legitimate political actors. Efforts must be redoubled to address those factors that deter women from entering politics.

“It is time for more ambitious measures to take women’s participation and political voice to the next level. A great deal has been achieved in recent years, but more needs to be done to effectively embody gender equality and deliver it,” adds Secretary General Chungong.

To read the full report, please click http://archive.ipu.org/pdf/publications/WIP2016-e.pdf

Source: IPU

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

“My sister, who's a lawyer and a woman rights activist, encouraged me to run for local elections. I hesitated at first; even if women are selected, they are expected to be a mere accessory. But I had worked for many years as a volunteer and social worker. I had a grasp on the real issues that my community was facing.

In the beginning, none of the decision-makers involved in the election process liked the fact that a young woman was going to file as a candidate. They resisted me at every turn and said I couldn’t win because of my age and gender.

I campaigned door-to-door. I visited every home, introduced myself and explained why I would be a good candidate. Everyone was surprised when the results came out—I received more votes compared to many male candidates!

I made history by becoming the youngest City Council member in Jordan.

There are Syrian refugees in my town. I am finding ways to involve them in community interactions so that we build their engagement and also the community’s tolerance and acceptance.

For me, educating women on their basic legal rights is the need of the hour. Many have no information on how to protect themselves or exercise their rights. The entire future of a woman can change if that changes.” 

Abla Al Hajaia, 28, from the south-west town of Tafila, is the youngest City Council member in Jordan. At present, she is working to establish a national youth alliance in the country. She was among 104 women who received leadership trainings in 2016, as part of UN Women’s regional Spring Forward programme. In 2016, 20 female Member of Parliaments were elected in Jordan—the highest number of female MPs in the history of Jordan—out of which, seven had participated in capacity building initiatives by UN Women and the Jordanian National Commission for Women. Ms. Al Hajaja’s work exemplifies Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality and its target on ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making.

Read more stories in the “From where I stand...” editorial series. 

Source: UN Women

As countries start implementing the Sustainable Development Goals towards achieving a sustainable and gender equal future by 2030, discriminatory laws continue to hold women and girls back. Begoña Lasagabaster, UN Women Chief of Leadership and Governance Section, talks about a new UN Women initiative, Roadmap for Substantive Equality: 2030, launched on 14 February at the UN Headquarters, which will coordinate efforts to repeal and amend all laws that discriminate against women and girls.

What does legal reform have to do with gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals?

The year 2016 marked the first year of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by all countries around the world, envisioning a “world in which every woman and girl enjoys full gender equality and all legal, social and economic barriers to their empowerment have been removed”. The SDGs place gender equality at the heart of sustainable development. But how can there be equality between all genders when laws discriminate against women and girls?

Laws play out in our daily lives in very tangible ways. Take the issue of child marriage, for example. Over 700 million women alive today were married as children. Child marriage interrupts girls’ education, limits their livelihood options and forces them to take on the roles of wives and mothers before they are ready.
It’s a vicious cycle of inequality—girls married early are condemned to a life of dependency and poverty, and rendered more vulnerable to violence. They bear children before their bodies are fully matured, jeopardizing their own health and that of their children.

In countries where the law allows this to happen, child marriage thrives on. Conversely, where national laws that set the minimum age for marriage at 18 years are implemented and enforced, they can stop this practice. This is just one of many urgent legal reforms that are needed to make gender equality a reality for women and girls. Well-designed laws, when implemented, can be a powerful tool to improve the situation of the poorest and most marginalized women.

What is the Roadmap for Substantive Equality: 2030?

The Roadmap for Substantive Equality: 2030 is a UN Women initiative led by the Executive Director, which will focus on repealing or amending discriminatory laws in countries, and support the implementation of national laws that to advance gender equality and human rights.

This initiative is about acceleration of current programmes and initiatives; securing commitments from governments on designing and implementing gender-sensitive laws; and, strengthening partnerships with various stakeholders on the ground to leverage our unique strengths and roles in ending discriminatory laws . Passing of a law involves many steps and actors. You need the expertise as well as collaborations, from the start to finish—from drafting to lobbying, convincing politicians, accompanying the law through the parliament and then making sure that it is implemented in practice. Moving from policy to practice too requires a tremendous amount of coordination among the international and regional organizations, within national governments, parliaments, justice sector and civil society.

Building new partnerships and strengthening existing collaborations are at the core of this initiative. On 14 February, UN Women, along with Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Equality Now, will be co-hosting the first of many dialogues with more than 20 partners, about how to meet the target of SDG 5, which calls for ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls in laws, policies and practice and identify strategies to eliminate legal barriers to women’s full and equal participation in the workforce by 2030.

How will the initiative work on the ground and in countries? What will be UN Women’s role?

No country in the world has achieved substantive gender equality—by which, I mean equality in policy and practice. The persistence of discriminatory laws, lack of laws that advance gender equality and lack of their implementation, drives and condones inequality between men and women, boys and girls, in practice.

In all countries where UN Women has presence, our mandate enables us to work on advancing legal frameworks for gender equality. Much of this work is already happening. What we need now are new synergies and a coordinated approach that accelerates the progress. The Sustainable Development Goal 5 gives us an unprecedented opportunity to bring efforts and partners together towards tangible outcomes.

The goal of the initiative is to ensure that by 2030, no country has legislation that discriminates against women and by 2020, we should be able to gauge the progress we are making. The initiative will leverage powerful advocates at the global, regional and national levels to bring on board decision-makers to repeal discriminatory laws and enforce laws that promote gender equality. It will form partnerships across and within countries to share good practices, winning strategies and increase collaboration to draft, reform and implement laws. UN Women will be building the capacity of government institutions and civil society to monitor progress.

Are there some specific areas where there’s more or less progress and opportunities than others?

Some areas of law reform have seen more progress than others.

For example, data from the UN Women Progress Report 2015 – 2016 shows that over 115 countries have passed laws on domestic violence, on sexual harassment, equal pay and guaranteed paid maternity leave. Similarly, women have equal rights to own property in over 100 countries, by law. Nevertheless, these numbers also indicate that there are a host of other countries that need to reform their laws in the same areas. No matter how small the number of countries, the presence of discriminatory laws can hinder substantive equality. For example, 27 countries discriminate against women in their ability to confer nationality on their children. In addition, over sixty countries deny women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality, or confer their nationality on their non-national spouse. In many cases this has resulted in “statelessness” for their spouse and children. Statelessness negatively impacts education and employment opportunities because securing jobs and going to school often requires proof of citizenship and residence.

Even where there are laws, the work is still unfinished, because often implementation is lacking. So more efforts are needed to secure their implementation through appropriate budgets and policies.

Gender discriminatory laws are often rooted in discriminatory social norms. How will this initiative change these pervasive norms?

Most interventions aimed at addressing discrimination or violence against women and girls have focused on legislations and policies. While an important step, such strategies in many cases do not address the root causes of gender inequalities and social norms, which make these issues particularly tenacious. Many discriminatory norms can even find their way into legislative drafting and interpretations when law makers are not cognizant of these biases and their impacts. This includes situations in which a woman’s testimony may be valued less than a man’s; or where a rapist can marry the survivor of the violence he committed the crime against (and get away with it); or where a man it entitled to commit a crime of “honour” against his wife; and where sons inherit twice as much as daughters.

UN Women has found that partnering with civil society and grassroots activists to raise knowledge and awareness of the public and that of lawmakers and the judiciary to be an effective catalyst for changing perceptions and norms. The Roadmap for Substantive Equality: 2030 initiative will therefore work with communities and leaders to understand which gendered social norms are at play in laws for different groups of women. Also, the initiative will support grassroots activists to raise awareness in communities and organize collective action against discriminatory laws and practices. 

Source: UN Women

As countries start implementing the Sustainable Development Goals towards achieving a sustainable and gender equal future by 2030, discriminatory laws continue to hold women and girls back. Begoña Lasagabaster, UN Women Chief of Leadership and Governance Section, talks about a new UN Women initiative, Roadmap for Substantive Equality: 2030, launched on 14 February at the UN Headquarters, which will coordinate efforts to repeal and amend all laws that discriminate against women and girls.

What does legal reform have to do with gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals?

The year 2016 marked the first year of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by all countries around the world, envisioning a “world in which every woman and girl enjoys full gender equality and all legal, social and economic barriers to their empowerment have been removed”. The SDGs place gender equality at the heart of sustainable development. But how can there be equality between all genders when laws discriminate against women and girls?

Laws play out in our daily lives in very tangible ways. Take the issue of child marriage, for example. Over 700 million women alive today were married as children. Child marriage interrupts girls’ education, limits their livelihood options and forces them to take on the roles of wives and mothers before they are ready.
It’s a vicious cycle of inequality—girls married early are condemned to a life of dependency and poverty, and rendered more vulnerable to violence. They bear children before their bodies are fully matured, jeopardizing their own health and that of their children.

In countries where the law allows this to happen, child marriage thrives on. Conversely, where national laws that set the minimum age for marriage at 18 years are implemented and enforced, they can stop this practice. This is just one of many urgent legal reforms that are needed to make gender equality a reality for women and girls. Well-designed laws, when implemented, can be a powerful tool to improve the situation of the poorest and most marginalized women.

What is the Roadmap for Substantive Equality: 2030?

The Roadmap for Substantive Equality: 2030 is a UN Women initiative led by the Executive Director, which will focus on repealing or amending discriminatory laws in countries, and support the implementation of national laws that to advance gender equality and human rights.

This initiative is about acceleration of current programmes and initiatives; securing commitments from governments on designing and implementing gender-sensitive laws; and, strengthening partnerships with various stakeholders on the ground to leverage our unique strengths and roles in ending discriminatory laws . Passing of a law involves many steps and actors. You need the expertise as well as collaborations, from the start to finish—from drafting to lobbying, convincing politicians, accompanying the law through the parliament and then making sure that it is implemented in practice. Moving from policy to practice too requires a tremendous amount of coordination among the international and regional organizations, within national governments, parliaments, justice sector and civil society.

Building new partnerships and strengthening existing collaborations are at the core of this initiative. On 14 February, UN Women, along with Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Equality Now, will be co-hosting the first of many dialogues with more than 20 partners, about how to meet the target of SDG 5, which calls for ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls in laws, policies and practice and identify strategies to eliminate legal barriers to women’s full and equal participation in the workforce by 2030.

How will the initiative work on the ground and in countries? What will be UN Women’s role?

No country in the world has achieved substantive gender equality—by which, I mean equality in policy and practice. The persistence of discriminatory laws, lack of laws that advance gender equality and lack of their implementation, drives and condones inequality between men and women, boys and girls, in practice.

In all countries where UN Women has presence, our mandate enables us to work on advancing legal frameworks for gender equality. Much of this work is already happening. What we need now are new synergies and a coordinated approach that accelerates the progress. The Sustainable Development Goal 5 gives us an unprecedented opportunity to bring efforts and partners together towards tangible outcomes.

The goal of the initiative is to ensure that by 2030, no country has legislation that discriminates against women and by 2020, we should be able to gauge the progress we are making. The initiative will leverage powerful advocates at the global, regional and national levels to bring on board decision-makers to repeal discriminatory laws and enforce laws that promote gender equality. It will form partnerships across and within countries to share good practices, winning strategies and increase collaboration to draft, reform and implement laws. UN Women will be building the capacity of government institutions and civil society to monitor progress.

Are there some specific areas where there’s more or less progress and opportunities than others?

Some areas of law reform have seen more progress than others.

For example, data from the UN Women Progress Report 2015 – 2016 shows that over 115 countries have passed laws on domestic violence, on sexual harassment, equal pay and guaranteed paid maternity leave. Similarly, women have equal rights to own property in over 100 countries, by law. Nevertheless, these numbers also indicate that there are a host of other countries that need to reform their laws in the same areas. No matter how small the number of countries, the presence of discriminatory laws can hinder substantive equality. For example, 27 countries discriminate against women in their ability to confer nationality on their children. In addition, over sixty countries deny women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality, or confer their nationality on their non-national spouse. In many cases this has resulted in “statelessness” for their spouse and children. Statelessness negatively impacts education and employment opportunities because securing jobs and going to school often requires proof of citizenship and residence.

Even where there are laws, the work is still unfinished, because often implementation is lacking. So more efforts are needed to secure their implementation through appropriate budgets and policies.

Gender discriminatory laws are often rooted in discriminatory social norms. How will this initiative change these pervasive norms?

Most interventions aimed at addressing discrimination or violence against women and girls have focused on legislations and policies. While an important step, such strategies in many cases do not address the root causes of gender inequalities and social norms, which make these issues particularly tenacious. Many discriminatory norms can even find their way into legislative drafting and interpretations when law makers are not cognizant of these biases and their impacts. This includes situations in which a woman’s testimony may be valued less than a man’s; or where a rapist can marry the survivor of the violence he committed the crime against (and get away with it); or where a man it entitled to commit a crime of “honour” against his wife; and where sons inherit twice as much as daughters.

UN Women has found that partnering with civil society and grassroots activists to raise knowledge and awareness of the public and that of lawmakers and the judiciary to be an effective catalyst for changing perceptions and norms. The Roadmap for Substantive Equality: 2030 initiative will therefore work with communities and leaders to understand which gendered social norms are at play in laws for different groups of women. Also, the initiative will support grassroots activists to raise awareness in communities and organize collective action against discriminatory laws and practices. 

Source: UN Women

As countries start implementing the Sustainable Development Goals towards achieving a sustainable and gender equal future by 2030, discriminatory laws continue to hold women and girls back. Begoña Lasagabaster, UN Women Chief of Leadership and Governance Section, talks about a new UN Women initiative, Roadmap for Substantive Equality: 2030, launched on 14 February at the UN Headquarters, which will coordinate efforts to repeal and amend all laws that discriminate against women and girls.

What does legal reform have to do with gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals?

The year 2016 marked the first year of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by all countries around the world, envisioning a “world in which every woman and girl enjoys full gender equality and all legal, social and economic barriers to their empowerment have been removed”. The SDGs place gender equality at the heart of sustainable development. But how can there be equality between all genders when laws discriminate against women and girls?

Laws play out in our daily lives in very tangible ways. Take the issue of child marriage, for example. Over 700 million women alive today were married as children. Child marriage interrupts girls’ education, limits their livelihood options and forces them to take on the roles of wives and mothers before they are ready.
It’s a vicious cycle of inequality—girls married early are condemned to a life of dependency and poverty, and rendered more vulnerable to violence. They bear children before their bodies are fully matured, jeopardizing their own health and that of their children.

In countries where the law allows this to happen, child marriage thrives on. Conversely, where national laws that set the minimum age for marriage at 18 years are implemented and enforced, they can stop this practice. This is just one of many urgent legal reforms that are needed to make gender equality a reality for women and girls. Well-designed laws, when implemented, can be a powerful tool to improve the situation of the poorest and most marginalized women.

What is the Roadmap for Substantive Equality: 2030?

The Roadmap for Substantive Equality: 2030 is a UN Women initiative led by the Executive Director, which will focus on repealing or amending discriminatory laws in countries, and support the implementation of national laws that to advance gender equality and human rights.

This initiative is about acceleration of current programmes and initiatives; securing commitments from governments on designing and implementing gender-sensitive laws; and, strengthening partnerships with various stakeholders on the ground to leverage our unique strengths and roles in ending discriminatory laws . Passing of a law involves many steps and actors. You need the expertise as well as collaborations, from the start to finish—from drafting to lobbying, convincing politicians, accompanying the law through the parliament and then making sure that it is implemented in practice. Moving from policy to practice too requires a tremendous amount of coordination among the international and regional organizations, within national governments, parliaments, justice sector and civil society.

Building new partnerships and strengthening existing collaborations are at the core of this initiative. On 14 February, UN Women, along with Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Equality Now, will be co-hosting the first of many dialogues with more than 20 partners, about how to meet the target of SDG 5, which calls for ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls in laws, policies and practice and identify strategies to eliminate legal barriers to women’s full and equal participation in the workforce by 2030.

How will the initiative work on the ground and in countries? What will be UN Women’s role?

No country in the world has achieved substantive gender equality—by which, I mean equality in policy and practice. The persistence of discriminatory laws, lack of laws that advance gender equality and lack of their implementation, drives and condones inequality between men and women, boys and girls, in practice.

In all countries where UN Women has presence, our mandate enables us to work on advancing legal frameworks for gender equality. Much of this work is already happening. What we need now are new synergies and a coordinated approach that accelerates the progress. The Sustainable Development Goal 5 gives us an unprecedented opportunity to bring efforts and partners together towards tangible outcomes.

The goal of the initiative is to ensure that by 2030, no country has legislation that discriminates against women and by 2020, we should be able to gauge the progress we are making. The initiative will leverage powerful advocates at the global, regional and national levels to bring on board decision-makers to repeal discriminatory laws and enforce laws that promote gender equality. It will form partnerships across and within countries to share good practices, winning strategies and increase collaboration to draft, reform and implement laws. UN Women will be building the capacity of government institutions and civil society to monitor progress.

Are there some specific areas where there’s more or less progress and opportunities than others?

Some areas of law reform have seen more progress than others.

For example, data from the UN Women Progress Report 2015 – 2016 shows that over 115 countries have passed laws on domestic violence, on sexual harassment, equal pay and guaranteed paid maternity leave. Similarly, women have equal rights to own property in over 100 countries, by law. Nevertheless, these numbers also indicate that there are a host of other countries that need to reform their laws in the same areas. No matter how small the number of countries, the presence of discriminatory laws can hinder substantive equality. For example, 27 countries discriminate against women in their ability to confer nationality on their children. In addition, over sixty countries deny women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality, or confer their nationality on their non-national spouse. In many cases this has resulted in “statelessness” for their spouse and children. Statelessness negatively impacts education and employment opportunities because securing jobs and going to school often requires proof of citizenship and residence.

Even where there are laws, the work is still unfinished, because often implementation is lacking. So more efforts are needed to secure their implementation through appropriate budgets and policies.

Gender discriminatory laws are often rooted in discriminatory social norms. How will this initiative change these pervasive norms?

Most interventions aimed at addressing discrimination or violence against women and girls have focused on legislations and policies. While an important step, such strategies in many cases do not address the root causes of gender inequalities and social norms, which make these issues particularly tenacious. Many discriminatory norms can even find their way into legislative drafting and interpretations when law makers are not cognizant of these biases and their impacts. This includes situations in which a woman’s testimony may be valued less than a man’s; or where a rapist can marry the survivor of the violence he committed the crime against (and get away with it); or where a man it entitled to commit a crime of “honour” against his wife; and where sons inherit twice as much as daughters.

UN Women has found that partnering with civil society and grassroots activists to raise knowledge and awareness of the public and that of lawmakers and the judiciary to be an effective catalyst for changing perceptions and norms. The Roadmap for Substantive Equality: 2030 initiative will therefore work with communities and leaders to understand which gendered social norms are at play in laws for different groups of women. Also, the initiative will support grassroots activists to raise awareness in communities and organize collective action against discriminatory laws and practices. 

Source: UN Women