- 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:
Four political parties in Sierra Leone, the All People Congress APC, the Sierra Leone Peoples Party SLPP, the Peoples Movement for Democratic Change PMDC and the National Democratic Alliance NDA have called on for the participation of more women, youths and the disabled in the 2012 general elections.
iKNOW Politics, an online network dedicated to the advancement of women in politics around the world, has come to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Source: Zambian Watchdog
UN resident coordinator in Zambia Kanni Wignaraja says no country can attain higher levels of human development where many of its women citizens lag behind, cannot fully participate in the economic or political life of the country on equal terms or feel disempowered.
While gender equality ratios have improved in 85 percent of countries over the past six years, economic participation and political empowerment for women has failed to match the steady progress of health and education, says a new report by the World Economic Forum.
The United States introduced in the UN General Assembly on Tuesday a draft resolution entitled Women and Political Participation.
Source: Reuters
Women are almost on par with men around the world in health and education, but they still lag in economic and political participation and opportunities, according to a World Economic Forum report released on Tuesday.
Political parties in the country have been advised to assist in increasing the participation of women and Persons with Disability in politics, by instituting gender sensitive and disability friendly measures in the selection and election of candidates and officials.
Source: allAfrica.com
Delegates from nearly 30 African countries are set to convene a preliminary meeting of the Eighth African Governance Forum (AGF-VIII) multi-stakeholder Policy Dialogue on "Gender Equality, Elections and democracy" on Novermber 1, 2011.
Source: Ghana News Agency
Mrs Hillary Gbedemah, a Lawyer and Gender Activist, on Thursday stated that women needed to develop “thick skins” as they aspire for leadership positions in society.
Source: IPS
When post-revolution Egypt holds presidential elections next year, Buthaina Kamel is set to become the first woman in the country's modern history to run for the highest office. Although she knows her chances of winning are slim to none, she says she's doing it out of principle.
Just mention her name and anyone with a goodwill for this tiny, landlocked, poverty impoverished southern African state honestly agrees that she is one of few, humble daughters of substance and a role model for a girl child and fellow women at all levels in this country and even beyond the borders!