Tuesday, March 28, 2023
The Parliament of Zimbabwe has recently launched two initiatives to engage more youth and women in parliament.A new voluntary Youth Caucus has been set up to spearhead the inclusion of youth-related issues in the legislative process. The goal is to advocate for youth development, empowerment, participation and representation across all spheres of life in Zimbabwe. Representatives in the Caucus are aged between 15 and 35 years. However, parliamentarians of any age are encouraged to advance youth issues.Launching the Caucus in December 2022, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. J.F.N... Read more
The Parliament of Zimbabwe has recently launched two initiatives to engage more youth and women in parliament.
A new voluntary Youth Caucus has been set up to spearhead the inclusion of youth-related issues in the legislative process. The goal is to...
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
At the 146th IPU Assembly in Manama, Bahrain, IPU Members voted in new Presidents of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians and the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians. Both Presidents were elected for two-year terms. They will also serve as Ex Officio Members of the IPU Executive Committee.Ms. Cynthia López Castro from Mexico becomes President of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians succeeding Ms. Lesia Vasylenko from Ukraine.Ms. López Castro has been a member of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies since 2018 representing Mexico City. In 2017, at the age of 30,... Read more
At the 146th IPU Assembly in Manama, Bahrain, IPU Members voted in new Presidents of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians and the Board of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians. Both Presidents were elected for two-year terms. They will also serve as...
Tuesday, March 28, 2023
According to the latest IPU report, Women in Parliament 2022, women’s participation in parliament has never been as diverse and representative as it is in many countries today. And for the first time in history, not a single functioning parliament in the world is male-only.The findings in the annual IPU report are based on the 47 countries that held elections in 2022. In those elections, women took an average 25.8% of seats up for election or appointment. This represents a 2.3 percentage point increase compared to previous renewals in these chambers.Brazil saw a record 4,829 women who... Read more
According to the latest IPU report, Women in Parliament 2022, women’s participation in parliament has never been as diverse and representative as it is in many countries today. And for the first time in history, not a single functioning parliament...
Tuesday, March 07, 2023
Geneva/New York — More women than ever hold political decision-making posts worldwide, but gender parity is still far off, according to the 2023 edition of the IPU-UN Women Map of Women in Politics.The map presents the latest rankings and regional distribution of women in executive positions and national parliaments as of 1 January 2023. The data shows that the number of women in political leadership roles, both in government and in parliament, has increased overall but some regions lag far behind.UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said: “This data tells us that women are still... Read more
Geneva/New York — More women than ever hold political decision-making posts worldwide, but gender parity is still far off, according to the 2023 edition of the IPU-UN Women Map of Women in Politics.
The map presents the latest rankings and regional...
Thursday, March 02, 2023
Elections in Colombia saw a political shift in 2022, and the greatest gains in terms of women’s representation in the Americas. The new government includes Francia Márquez, the country’s first Afro-Colombian vice-president and only the second woman to hold this position. Women now hold 29.6% of the seats in the upper house (+8.3 percentage points) and 28.9% in the lower house (+10.2 percentage points). This jump in women’s representation in both chambers was reflected in the country’s Indigenous and Afro-descendant constituencies, and brings Colombia in line with the South American... Read more
Elections in Colombia saw a political shift in 2022, and the greatest gains in terms of women’s representation in the Americas. The new government includes Francia Márquez, the country’s first Afro-Colombian vice-president and only the second woman...
Tuesday, December 06, 2022
The IPU condemns in the strongest possible terms the violence that took place in the Senegal National Assembly this week, committed by two parliamentarians, Mr. Yewi Askanwi and Mr. Moustapha Sy, against a pregnant parliamentarian, Ms. Gniby Amy Ndiaye.Any physical attack on a parliamentarian or between parliamentarians is totally unacceptable, regardless of what is under discussion. Violence against women parliamentarians is particularly shocking, even more so during the annual campaign of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence that follows the International Day for the... Read more
The IPU condemns in the strongest possible terms the violence that took place in the Senegal National Assembly this week, committed by two parliamentarians, Mr. Yewi Askanwi and Mr. Moustapha Sy, against a pregnant parliamentarian, Ms. Gniby Amy...
Friday, November 25, 2022
Women account for just over 26% of parliamentarians worldwide according to the IPU’s latest figures. Despite progress made in recent years, significant obstacles continue to block their path to parity with their male counterparts. One of the biggest obstacles is sexism, harassment and gender-based violence.IPU reports show that sexist abuse persists across all parliaments in all parts of the world. A landmark 2016 IPU survey of women parliamentarians worldwide revealed that 82% had been subject to psychological violence, whether it was sexist remarks, threats or harassment.... Read more
Women account for just over 26% of parliamentarians worldwide according to the IPU’s latest figures. Despite progress made in recent years, significant obstacles continue to block their path to parity with their male counterparts. One of the biggest...
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Parliamentarians from around the world have adopted the Kigali Declaration Gender equality and gender-sensitive parliaments as drivers of change for a more resilient and peaceful world at the end of the 145th IPU Assembly in Kigali, Rwanda. The Declaration represents a milestone in progress towards gender equality and gender-sensitive parliaments. It encourages IPU Members to step up their efforts to promote gender equality in institutions and society.The Declaration recommends that parliaments implement electoral gender quotas to achieve parity in... Read more
Parliamentarians from around the world have adopted the Kigali Declaration Gender equality and gender-sensitive parliaments as drivers of change for a more resilient and peaceful world at the end of the 145th IPU Assembly in Kigali, Rwanda.
The...
Monday, September 26, 2022
As Liz Truss becomes the UK’s next PM, here’s how women parliamentarians can gain ground in politics.Succeeding in politics is tough – succeeding as a woman is even harder. Millions of women around the world face discrimination, sexism and violence, with women parliamentarians being no exception.Liz Truss’s appointment as the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister was the third occasion a woman has become head of government and follows Margaret Thatcher’s 11-year stint in the role and Theresa May’s three years.Click here to read the full article published by The Inter-Parliamentary Union on 23... Read more
As Liz Truss becomes the UK’s next PM, here’s how women parliamentarians can gain ground in politics.
Succeeding in politics is tough – succeeding as a woman is even harder. Millions of women around the world face discrimination, sexism and violence...
Thursday, September 15, 2022
Democratization is under pressure across the globe. Here are five major threats to democracy, and how to mitigate them.Democracy is as precarious as it is precious. Some 25 years after the IPU issued its Universal Declaration on Democracy, its principles continue to be challenged and eroded by corruption, populism and autocracy. But there are other, more insidious threats to democracy that have become more apparent at this particular moment in world history. The IPU has identified five critical challenges to democracy, as well as examples from the global parliamentary community to... Read more
Democratization is under pressure across the globe. Here are five major threats to democracy, and how to mitigate them.
Democracy is as precarious as it is precious. Some 25 years after the IPU issued its Universal Declaration on Democracy, its...
Monday, September 05, 2022
It’s no secret that women have had to put up a tenacious fight to be seen and heard in politics worldwide. As late as 2005, the number of women in parliament speaker posts stood at just over 8 per cent worldwide, reflecting a considerable lack of female representation. Although that number has increased, women still account for just 23 per cent of parliamentary speakers around the world today according to the latest IPU figures.There is still a long way to go to achieve gender-equal representation in parliaments worldwide - and the Inter-Parliamentary Union leads the way in reaching... Read more
It’s no secret that women have had to put up a tenacious fight to be seen and heard in politics worldwide. As late as 2005, the number of women in parliament speaker posts stood at just over 8 per cent worldwide, reflecting a considerable lack of...
Wednesday, July 06, 2022
On the eve of the International Day of Parliamentarism and the IPU’s 133rd anniversary on 30 June, a snapshot of the state of parliaments and parliamentarians offers mixed results.According to the latest IPU figures, some parliaments are becoming more representative, with the proportion of MPs who are women and who are young on the increase. However, IPU data also shows that the numbers of functioning parliaments and sitting parliamentarians have decreased slightly. More women in parliamentThe proportion of parliamentarians who are women stands at an all-time high of 26.2%. This compares... Read more
On the eve of the International Day of Parliamentarism and the IPU’s 133rd anniversary on 30 June, a snapshot of the state of parliaments and parliamentarians offers mixed results.
According to the latest IPU figures, some parliaments are becoming...
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 13 April, the second forum on the topic "The role of women parliamentarians in the development of Uzbekistan" was held in the capital. The event was organized by the Republican Commission on Women’s Role in Society, Gender Equality and the Family, the Senate Committee on Women and Gender Equality, and the OSCE.It was attended by senators and deputies, deputies of local Kengashes, members of the Youth Parliament, senior officials of state bodies and public organizations, representatives of international organizations and the media.The event was addressed... Read more
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 13 April, the second forum on the topic "The role of women parliamentarians in the development of Uzbekistan" was held in the capital. The event was organized by the Republican Commission on Women’s Role in...
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Quotas are critical in ensuring greater representation of women, according to the latest IPU Women in Parliament report.The numbers are clear. In 2021, countries with some form of gender quotas elected 31.9 per cent women on average to their lower/single house, while those without quotas elected 19.5 per cent women cumulatively.Among upper houses, 29.1 per cent women were elected in the four countries that have some type of quota in place, while in countries without any such affirmative action, 23.9 per cent women were elected.Click here to read the full article published by The Inter-... Read more
Quotas are critical in ensuring greater representation of women, according to the latest IPU Women in Parliament report.
The numbers are clear. In 2021, countries with some form of gender quotas elected 31.9 per cent women on average to their lower/...
Wednesday, March 09, 2022
The global proportion of women parliamentarians has increased by 0.6 percentage points to reach 26.1 per cent according to the IPU’s latest Women in Parliament in 2021 report. This is in line with progress seen in the past two years. The increase can be largely attributed to the critical role played by well-designed quotas.In the 48 countries that had parliamentary elections in 2021, women candidates won 28.6 per cent of the new seats, a cumulative improvement of 2.1 percentage points compared to previous elections. Five countries now have gender parity or a greater share of women in... Read more
The global proportion of women parliamentarians has increased by 0.6 percentage points to reach 26.1 per cent according to the IPU’s latest Women in Parliament in 2021 report. This is in line with progress seen in the past two years. The increase...
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Following the publication of the IPU’s regional study on Sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Africa, many African parliaments accepted the IPU’s call to amplify the findings of the study and talk about sexism with the following local initiatives.In December 2021, the IPU presented the African study at an online meeting of the Arab Parliament to mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence.Click here to read the full article published by IPU on 17 January 2022. Read more
Following the publication of the IPU’s regional study on Sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in Africa, many African parliaments accepted the IPU’s call to amplify the findings of the study and talk about sexism with the...
Thursday, April 01, 2021
Despite increases in the number of women at the highest levels of political power, widespread gender inequalities persist, according to the 2021 edition of the IPU-UN Women Map of Women in Politics.The IPU-UN Women Map presents new data for women in government and parliamentary positions as of 1 January 2021. The data shows all-time highs for the number of countries with women Heads of State and/or Heads of Government, as well as for the global share of women Ministers.However, after last year’s map showed a spike at 21.3 per cent of women ministers, progression has slowed – with just a... Read more
Despite increases in the number of women at the highest levels of political power, widespread gender inequalities persist, according to the 2021 edition of the IPU-UN Women Map of Women in Politics.
The IPU-UN Women Map presents new data for women...
Friday, March 05, 2021
Following elections in 2020, the global proportion of women in parliament reached a record 25.5 per cent, representing an increase of 0.6 points compared with 2019, according to the IPU’s latest Women in Parliament report.The IPU has tracked women’s participation in parliament for decades, allowing it to measure progress and setbacks. Every year, the IPU publishes a report to coincide with International Women’s Day on 8 March. Although progress has been steady over the past few years, it is still excruciatingly slow. At the current rate, it will take another 50 years before gender parity... Read more
Following elections in 2020, the global proportion of women in parliament reached a record 25.5 per cent, representing an increase of 0.6 points compared with 2019, according to the IPU’s latest Women in Parliament report.
The IPU has tracked women’...
Tuesday, February 02, 2021
By Emma BathaLONDON, Feb 1 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Boosting the number of female leaders and government ministers will help build a stronger post-pandemic world, the head of U.N. Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, said on Monday as data showed women may wait 130 years to see equality at the top.Here are some key facts about women in leadership positions:- There are 22 countries with elected female heads of state or government. Recent additions to the list include Peru, Lithuania and Moldova.*- On Jan. 25, Estonia became the only country with a female president and female prime minister.- A... Read more
By Emma Batha
LONDON, Feb 1 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Boosting the number of female leaders and government ministers will help build a stronger post-pandemic world, the head of U.N. Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, said on Monday as data showed...
Friday, January 08, 2021
In the early afternoon of May 13, 2020, Joana Mamombe, a member of parliament in Zimbabwe, was seized by security officers after she participated in a pop-up protest, demanding aid for the poor during the Covid pandemic. She and two other rights advocates were accused of violating a lockdown, an act intended to demonstrate the urgency of the issue, according to Mamombe’s account.For this civil violation, the result was brutal.“Before they could be formally charged, they were taken to an undisclosed destination, where they were subjected to intense torture and degrading treatment,” an Inter-... Read more
In the early afternoon of May 13, 2020, Joana Mamombe, a member of parliament in Zimbabwe, was seized by security officers after she participated in a pop-up protest, demanding aid for the poor during the Covid pandemic. She and two other rights...
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
On 12 August, International Youth Day 2020, the IPU celebrates the 10th anniversary of its resolution, Youth participation in the democratic process.Adopted by IPU Member Parliaments in 2010 in Thailand, the resolution is a call to action to include more young people in political decision-making. It also led to the creation of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, which has become the premier meeting space for the world’s young MPs.Since the resolution was passed, IPU data on young parliamentarians has become the reference for the participation of young people in parliament. The IPU... Read more
On 12 August, International Youth Day 2020, the IPU celebrates the 10th anniversary of its resolution, Youth participation in the democratic process.
Adopted by IPU Member Parliaments in 2010 in Thailand, the resolution is a call to action to...
Monday, June 08, 2020
The Inter-Parliamentary Union condemns the imprisonment of 43 Members of Parliament around the world, saying they lack legal recourse to attain justice. The IPU is focusing especially on MPs detained in overcrowded, cramped cells in Venezuela, Ivory Coast and Turkey. The IPU says they are at particular risk of infection from COVID-19 and should be released immediately.An IPU human rights committee is monitoring the cases of 139 Members of Parliament in Venezuela. It says they have been subjected to intimidation, harassment, detention and attacks by government security forces because of their... Read more
The Inter-Parliamentary Union condemns the imprisonment of 43 Members of Parliament around the world, saying they lack legal recourse to attain justice. The IPU is focusing especially on MPs detained in overcrowded, cramped cells in Venezuela, Ivory...
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Press ReleaseGeneva, Switzerland and New York City, USA – 10 March 15:00 CET/10:00 ETWomen’s representation in political decision-making continues to increase but at a sluggish pace according to new data presented in the 2020 edition of the IPU‑UN Women map of Women in Politics. The data’s publication coincides with the 25-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, the world’s most comprehensive agenda for gender equality.The IPU-UN Women map presents global rankings for women in parliament and government positions as of 1 January 2020. It shows all-... Read more
Press Release
Geneva, Switzerland and New York City, USA – 10 March 15:00 CET/10:00 ET
Women’s representation in political decision-making continues to increase but at a sluggish pace according to new data presented in the 2020 edition of the IPU‑UN...
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the IPU has published a comprehensive set of guidelines to combat sexual harassment and violence against women in parliament. The guidelines offer advice and practical information for parliamentarians and parliamentary staff on how to transform parliaments into gender-sensitive environments free from sexism and abuse. They also contain numerous examples of good practice from parliaments around the world.The Guidelines for the Elimination of Sexism, Harassment and Violence against Women in Parliament... Read more
On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the IPU has published a comprehensive set of guidelines to combat sexual harassment and violence against women in parliament. The guidelines offer advice and...
Friday, April 12, 2019
The IPU and UN Women held a joint parliamentary event at the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) on 13 March 2019 in New York. Participants at the event discussed ways of making social protection programmes more gender responsive.The parliamentary event, Investing in gender equality: Parliaments ensuring social protection, public services and infrastructure deliver for women and girls, was attended by over 170 people, including three women Speakers from Namibia, Togo and Zimbabwe; 110 MPs from 35 countries, of which 100 were women; parliamentary staff... Read more
The IPU and UN Women held a joint parliamentary event at the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW63) on 13 March 2019 in New York. Participants at the event discussed ways of making social protection programmes more gender...
