A Step Forward, Women’s Inclusive Political Participation, South Asia

This chapter analyses the initiatives on women’s empowerment introduced by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the 

SAARC agenda on women’s issues, and progress and challenges related to advancing the gender agenda and promoting women’s empowerment at the 

regional level. It also sets out the need for a stronger regional mechanism for institutionalizing the achievements of SAARC on gender and women’s 

empowerment in order to promote women’s participation and representation in politics.  It concludes with a key recommendation on the appointment of a Gender Accountability Commission as a regional mechanism to ensure the empowerment of women and gender equality in the SAARC region.