The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, visited Somalia on Sunday, to express her solidarity with Somali women’s calls for full and equal participation in political life, and the support of the international community for timely, inclusive, peaceful and credible elections.

India ranks 148th in a list of 193 countries based on the percentage of elected women representatives in their national parliaments.

New Delhi, India – “This is a special day in the history of our country…”

These were the opening remarks of a debate that took place on September 12, 1996, in the Lok Sabha, the Indian parliament’s lower house.

A two-day forum in Somalia that brought together women, the youth, academics, women’s rights activists and political experts concluded deliberations on Wednesday with a call for 30 percent women quota in political representation to be guaranteed.

Somalia is halving the registration fees for women candidates to encourage more participation in the upcoming elections.

Last week, the National Consultative Council, an organ created with representation from the Prime Minister and five federal states, finally fixed a definite timeline for elections that will culminate in presidential polls on October 10.