Number of women legislators crawling globally, UN Reports.

By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,

PARROTS UG | GENDER REPORTS:

A new report by the United Nations on Women in politics has indicated that there were sluggish gains in the global growth of women legislators in 2021.

“There were also sluggish gains in the global growth of women legislators in 2021, as shown in the IPU’s annual report on “Women in parliament”,

The new IPU-UN Women map presents new data for women in executive, government, and parliamentary positions as of 1 January 2021.

According to a new report that was launched last week, findings indicate that as of 1 January 2021, the global share of women in national parliaments slightly increased by 0.6% from 24.9 percent in 2020 to 25.5 per cent in 2021.

The UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said the report shows the need for global boldness, decisive action to bring women in decision-making spaces in large numbers.

“No country prospers without the engagement of women. We need women’s representation that reflects all women and girls in all their diversity and abilities, and across all cultural, social, economic, and political situations. This year’s map shows us that we still need bold, decisive action across the world to bring women into the heart of the decision-making spaces in large numbers and as full partners. There’s no doubt this can and should be done. It should be done now.” Phumzile said.

IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong said the growth in the numbers of women in political decision-making is not enough considered to other sectors such as health, and public service.

“This year’s growth in the number of women in political decision-making is just not good enough. Especially when you consider that 70 per cent of healthcare, and service workers during this pandemic are women. It’s up to all of us, both men and women, to keep pushing for greater representation of women in politics. We have the tools to make it happen. What we need now is the political will.” IPU SG Chungong said.

The new data was presented ahead of the Commission of the Status of Women, the largest UN gathering on gender equality.

This year’s commission of status of women is prioritised on the theme, “Women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.”

UN says the gathering comes in the run-up to the Generation Equality Forum that will deliver multi-stakeholder, game-changing Action Coalitions on six topics including leadership and feminist movements.

About IPU:

The IPU is the global organization of national parliaments. It was founded more than 130 years ago as the first multilateral political organization in the world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between all nations.

Today, the IPU comprises 179 national Member Parliaments and 13 regional parliamentary bodies. It promotes democracy and helps parliaments become stronger, younger, gender-balanced, and more diverse. It also defends the human rights of parliamentarians through a dedicated committee made up of MPs from around the world. Twice a year, the IPU convenes more than 1,500 parliamentary delegates and partners in a world assembly, bringing a parliamentary dimension to global governance, including the work of the United Nations and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.