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The German government in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation, Hope for Family Development Initiative (HFDI) is set to train 300 women in three Southwest states on campaign strategies, leadership skills, and political engagement.
The project, tagged ‘Advancing Women’s Political Participation through Female Elected Candidates in South West Nigeria’, would be held in Osun, Oyo, and Ekiti states.
Speaking during a media parley held at NUJ Press Center, Osogbo, HFDI Program Manager, Adeola Falana, said the region still faces significant disparities in political representation despite the increase in the number of women holding political positions in the country.
Falana said the NGO would be implementing capacity-building training for women aspirants, town halls meeting with community stakeholders, consultative meetings with stakeholders, and sensitization workshops for young girls on the importance of women’s involvement in politics.
She called on stakeholders to work collectively to support women’s leadership and ensure women have an equal voice in shaping the future of our communities and nation.
Read here the full article published by the Nigerian Tribune on 12 March 2024.
Image source: Nigerian Tribune
Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa, has one of the world’s fastest growing populations. The country houses more than nine million women, yet the state of women’s health remains a critical issue. Women in Mali face significant challenges. A lack of awareness and respect for human rights, especially for women and children, continues to drive disparities in education, governance, economic independence, and security. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ranks Mali in a low human development category, placing it 186th out of 191 countries and territories globally.
Gender-based violence and female genital mutilation persist as major issues for women in Mali, further undermining women’s health and well-being. Legal avenues for justice are often inaccessible to women due to social pressures and a lack of awareness of their rights. Moreover, Mali’s political landscape has become very unstable in recent years, leading to a humanitarian crisis and the displacement of more than 470,000 people in the country.
Click here to read the full article published by The Borgen Project on 19 February 2024.
Image source: the Borgen Project
With Victorian council elections to be held in October, the state government’s target of reaching 50-50 gender representation at the local level is under threat.
While the state achieved a record 43.8% of women elected to councils in 2020, outperforming most federal and state parliaments, and succeeded in achieving gender parity in 47 out of 76 councils, the overall 50-50 gender representation target by 2025 will still be difficult to reach.
Globally, gender quotas have been a tried and tested way of lifting women’s political representation. But research also shows quotas can divide public opinion, and they work better in some contexts than others. With this in mind, we wanted to test alternative measures to support women in politics, which also attract public support.
Click here to read the full article published by The Conversation on 8 February 2024.
Image source: The Conversation
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today reviewed the eighth periodic report of Italy, with Committee Experts commending the State on its robust gender architecture, while asking questions about human trafficking and gender parity in politics.
A Committee Expert commended Italy on its gender architecture, which was in accordance with the Convention. The gender architecture was composed of the Ministry of Equal Opportunities, the Department on Equal Opportunities directly linked to the Prime Minister, and the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Human Rights. The political and institutional structure was robust but complex.
Another Committee Expert said Italy was at the forefront of the reception of refugees. Many women were trafficked during several parts of their journey. How did the State party guarantee these women’s access to protection in all circumstances? Were non-governmental organizations permitted to run interviews with trafficked persons to assist them? How was individualised risk assessment conducted before forced removals? How would the State party implement a referral and identification process throughout Italy and strengthen the capacity of the reception system?
One Expert regretted the slow progress made by Italy regarding political representation. The 2017 electoral law imposed a 40 per cent quota on electoral lists. However, these rules were not respected. There were fewer female members of parliament in this term, compared to the previous one. Why was there not a fifty-fifty parity? What measures did the State party plan to take to encourage parity at all levels? How many standing committees in parliament were chaired by women?
Click here to read the full article published by the United Nations Geneva on 1 February 2024.
Australian government, political and defence force leaders came together at Parliament House this morning to officially launch the Australian celebrations of International Women’s Day – ahead of the UN Global Day of Observance on 8 March.
Co-hosted by the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia, and the Hon. Peter Dutton MP, Leader of the Opposition, the annual UN Women Australia event brings together the leaders and decision makers of our nation to celebrate the progress made and the commitment required to achieving gender equality and SDG 5.
The Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and Minister for Foreign Affairs each addressed the event, speaking to the importance of International Women’s Day, which this year centres on the need for economic inclusion and investment to accelerate progress for women and girls everywhere.
Click here to read the full article published by The National Tribune on 7 February 2024.
Image source: The National Tribune
Over 60 percent of Americans support abortion rights—but last year Roe was overturned and 14 states now ban abortions in most circumstances. A president who lost the popular vote by millions appointed three staunch opponents of abortion to the Supreme Court, who joined two right-wing members of the Court to overturn a half-century-old constitutional right to abortion. Then politicians in states with high levels of gerrymandering and voter suppression—such as Texas, Louisiana and West Virginia—banned abortion.
One reason women are losing the right to abortion is that men who do not support women’s rights have supermajority control of most state legislatures and Congress.
In states banning abortion, women’s political representation is remarkably low.
Click here to read the full article published by Ms Magazine on 3 January 2024.