- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – President of the Republic of Liberia
- Joyce Banda – President of the Republic of Malawi
- Catherine Samba-Panza – Interim President of the Central African Republic
There is progress here and there on the continent regarding women's rights . We must go much further to ensure greater gender equality in Africa. It is not just a matter of justice....When women take their rightful place at the negotiating table, in the parliament and in leadership positions across society, we can unleash Africa’s enormous potential..." UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
To learn more about women's political participation, please visit the following websites:
Source: IPS Gender Wire
Following another Islamist landslide in the second round of legislative polling, Egypt's first post-Mubarak parliament will likely see Islamist parties - especially the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) - calling the shots. While high-profile secular figures warn of looming "theocracy", many local analysts believe an Islamist-led parliament won't make any radical legislative changes.
Shakers and Movers: 2011 has put a number of women all over the world in the spotlight and they stood out for all sorts of reasons. Below we shun and applaud some women.
A delegation from Abyei yesterday demanded that women of Abyei should also benefit from the 25% women representation in the South Sudan
Source: Garowe Online
The Ministry of Women held a meeting to support the Garowe Principles which was signed in Garowe on the 24th December 2011at the end of the Somali National Consultative Constitutional Conference, Radio Garowe reports.
Source: The Star
POLITICAL activist Mary Wambui has advised women to seek political seats. Wambui said many women are interested in vying for seats but are sometimes intimidated by men. She said the women should be empowered and financed so that they can go for the many seats in the counties and at national level.
Source: The Star
POLITICAL activist Mary Wambui has advised women to seek political seats. Wambui said many women are interested in vying for seats but are sometimes intimidated by men. She said the women should be empowered and financed so that they can go for the many seats in the counties and at national level.
Source: Leadership
Hajiya Zainab Konchi, the only female candidate in the 2012 Adamawa governorship election, has kicked off her campaign with a call on the people of Adamawa not to sell their votes.
Will the rights of the women, who participated in the struggles leading to fall of Gaddafi, be put under pressure in the new Libya? Kathryn Spellman-Poots assesses women’s status under Gadaffi and points to the perils ahead.
Source: The New Times
The First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, on Saturday, launched the Rwanda Women Leaders Network (RWLN), to serve as a platform for women in leadership to share experiences and ideas on how to maintain their contribution towards the development of the country.
Source: acessed from allAfrica
December 2011Women's participation in the political life of a country has always faced an uphill struggle. Beginning with the fight for the right to vote, which was granted very late even in such well-developed countries as Switzerland, a major hurdle has been the underlying patriarchy of many nations.
This year’s election in Nigeria saw some important gains in women’s political participation. President Goodluck Jonathon appointed 33% of cabinet positions to women (up from 10% in the last government), including the ministerial portfolios of finance and education. This is in keeping with Nigeria’s commitments to gender equality, encapsulated in the National Gender Policy, which sets the benchmark for women’s seats in Parliament at 35% - 5% higher than the international standard.