International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics

11/09/2026

🌿 Can self-care be a pathway to stronger political participation?

The World Health Organization defines self-care as the ability of individuals and communities to promote and maintain their own health and wellbeing. Self-care is not just about individual resilience. It can increase agency, strengthen wellbeing, and help people thrive in demanding environments.

For women in politics, however, self-care often exists alongside gendered expectations, the double burden of care responsibilities, harmful stereotypes, and violence that can affect their wellbeing and ability to participate fully in political life.

Join us on 24 September for a thematic webinar presenting the findings of a new fact sheet on the impact of gender and social norms on self-care, wellbeing, and women's political participation and representation.

🎙️ Speaker: Maansi Verma, Lead Author of the Fact Sheet

📅 24 September 2026
🕚 11:00-12:30 CET

Together, we will explore how individual wellbeing, supportive institutions, and social norm transformation can help create political environments where women can thrive.

Register: https://iknowpolitics.org/en/event/thematic-webinar-presenting-findings-fact-sheet-gender-and-social-norms-impact-self-care-and

09/09/2026

This March, as part of our commitment to advancing women’s political participation and representation, with a particular focus on young women, we launched the Young Women’s Empowerment Portal through the EU-funded WYDE Women’s Leadership Initiative.

Developed with the support and expertise of International IDEA, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), and UN Women, the Portal brings together knowledge, data, stories and practical resources to support efforts to advance young women’s participation and representation in political and public life.

The Portal is free and open to all and offers a range of resources for young women, advocates, organisations and other actors working to promote more inclusive political systems.

A key feature is a quick snapshot of the latest data on young people’s political representation, complemented by stories and experiences of young women from around the world, with a particular focus on the Global South. Together, these resources offer insights into the realities, challenges and opportunities shaping young women’s political participation today.

The Portal also highlights the work of its partners and provides practical resources, including training modules and materials that can be used to replicate youth empowerment and leadership academies in different contexts.

The Portal is a living and evolving resource and will continue to be expanded and regularly updated with new data, stories, tools and resources. It is currently available in English, with Arabic, French and Spanish versions coming soon.

We welcome your comments, suggestions and feedback as we continue to develop the Portal. You can reach us at [email protected]. https://iknowpolitics.org/en/young-womens-empowerment-portal

09/09/2026

Women in peacekeeping strengthen the effectiveness of peace operations.

Women serve as military, police and civilian personnel across UN peacekeeping missions, contributing to the protection of civilians, political and civil affairs, justice and corrections, planning, logistics and communications.

Progress has been significant. In 1993, women represented just 1% of uniformed personnel. By 2022, women accounted for 7.9% of military, police, justice and corrections personnel in UN field missions.

Greater diversity helps peacekeeping teams better understand and engage with the communities they serve, build trust and bring broader perspectives to decision-making.

Despite this progress, women remain significantly underrepresented in military contingents.

Women are deployed as police,

08/09/2026

Thirty-one years after the 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women, significant gaps remain between gender equality commitments and implementation.

Across Africa, women continue to face limited political representation and barriers to land ownership, financing, economic opportunities and leadership.

Current advocacy is increasingly focused on policy enforcement, strategic litigation, political participation and accountability to ensure gender commitments translate into measurable outcomes.

The focus is shifting from policy declarations to implementation and institutional reform.

Thirty-one years after the historic 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women, a new wave of socio-political advocacy is sweeping across Africa and the globe, demanding concrete systemic reforms rather than the rhetorical promises that have characterized the past three decades.

08/09/2026

The upcoming selection of the next UN Secretary-General presents a significant opportunity for greater gender and regional representation in global leadership.

For the first time in the UN’s 80-year history, five women from Latin America and the Caribbean are among the candidates: Michelle Bachelet, Rebeca Grynspan, María Fernanda Espinosa, Ivonne A-Baki and Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.

The discussion goes beyond electing a woman. It highlights the continued underrepresentation of women in diplomacy and international decision-making, while recognising the expertise and leadership women from the region bring to global affairs. Representation alone does not guarantee institutional change, but greater diversity in leadership can help broaden whose perspectives shape global priorities.

Submitted by Editor on Tue, 09/08/2026 - 04:01 Back The UN Has Never Had a Woman Become Secretary-General. Latin America Could Change That. Source: Missing Perspectives "Women do not need to prove they can save the United Nations to deserve the opportunity to lead it. And Latin American women should...

08/09/2026

Ending gender-based violence starts with prevention.

Recent cases of femicide in Kenya are a stark reminder of the urgent need to act. The Government of Kenya, UN Women Kenya and partners have renewed their commitment to implementing the Presidential Technical Working Group recommendations on GBV and femicide through concrete, coordinated and adequately financed action.

That means confronting the harmful beliefs and social norms that normalize violence. It means engaging men and boys as partners in prevention. It means strengthening survivor-centred services, improving data and accountability, protecting witnesses, and ensuring institutions work together.

Nairobi, Kenya, 27 July 2026 – The Government of Kenya, through the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action under the Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services, UN Women Kenya and partners concluded a two-day National Consu

04/09/2026

"Ser joven no significa tener menos capacidad. Una democracia de calidad requiere diversidad, nuevas voces y espacios para quienes históricamente han sido menos visibles." — Julieta Sierra

Julieta Sierra, la parlamentaria más joven de Uruguay, comparte su experiencia enfrentando prejuicios por su edad y género en la política.

Nos recuerda que una democracia más fuerte necesita la participación de personas de distintas generaciones, géneros, territorios y experiencias.

Frente a la polarización y los discursos de odio, apuesta por una política basada en el respeto, la escucha y la construcción de consensos.

Abrir espacios a nuevas voces no solo amplía la representación: transforma la forma en que hacemos política. https://iknowpolitics.org/es/our-interviews/julieta-sierra-franco

04/09/2026

📊 The numbers tell a story. But young women can change the story.

Women and young people continue to face major barriers to political representation. One striking figure: there are only 409 women parliamentarians under the age of 30 worldwide, compared with 555 men in the same age group.

Representation matters.
When young women have a seat at the table, they bring new perspectives, lived experiences and fresh ideas to the decisions shaping our communities and our future.

🌱 The question isn't whether young women have a role in politics. It's how we make sure they have the opportunity to lead.
Explore the Young Women’s Empowerment Portal at https://iknowpolitics.org/en/young-womens-empowerment-portal
International IDEA Inter-Parliamentary Union UN Women

YOUNG WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT PORTAL Young women’s political participation & representation are essential for the resilience and sustainability of democracy. Yet, despite their critical role, global levels of young women in political and leadership positions remain alarmingly low.     See more Ther...

03/09/2026

🇦🇷 Participar en política no debería significar soportar violencia.

En 2025, ONU Mujeres realizó en Argentina la primera encuesta probabilística de alcance nacional sobre violencia contra las mujeres en política (VCMP).

El estudio recogió las experiencias de 521 mujeres con cargos electivos y representa a un universo de 2.139 legisladoras en todo el país.

El objetivo: medir la prevalencia de la violencia, identificar sus distintas formas y analizar cómo afecta las trayectorias políticas de las mujeres. Porque la desigualdad política no se explica únicamente por quién llega al poder, sino también por las barreras y violencias que enfrentan quienes intentan ejercerlo.

Para contribuir a cerrar esa brecha, ONU Mujeres llevó a cabo en 2025 la primera encuesta probabilística de alcance nacional sobre violencia contra las mujeres en política (VCMP) en Argentina.

03/09/2026

🇲🇦 Au Maroc, les 90 sièges régionaux de la Chambre des représentants seront, pour la première fois, réservés exclusivement aux femmes.

À l’approche des législatives du 23 septembre, cette réforme change profondément les règles du jeu : les listes régionales, qui représentent 90 des 395 sièges de la Chambre, deviennent entièrement féminines.

Une avancée importante pour la représentation des femmes en politique mais qui soulève aussi une question : la parité doit-elle passer par des mécanismes réservés, ou par une transformation durable des partis et des candidatures locales ?

Autre changement : les 30 sièges auparavant réservés aux jeunes hommes disparaissent, sans dispositif équivalent.

Le dépôt des candidatures s’est ouvert ce lundi matin pour les élections du 23 septembre. Une nouveauté modifie la physionomie du scrutin : les listes régionales, qui pourvoient 90 des 395 sièges de la Chambre des représentants, sont cette année exclusivement féminines.