Latest content: Gender

The Caribbean and Africa will be the first to benefit from action to get more women into political leadership, the Commonwealth Secretariat has announced.

The Commonwealth has joined ministers and civil society leaders from across the globe to make strong commitments on women’s rights and empowerment at the 61st Session of United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

Young women across the Commonwealth are set to benefit from a new initiative to help them acquire critical life skills and to progress in their careers.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland and Secretary-General Designate Dr Joanna Newman, of the Association of Commonwealth Universities met on International Women’s Day todiscuss how their two organisations could work even more closely together.

Campaigners, Commonwealth high commissioners, parliamentarians and members of civil society today stood behind a new initiative to support its member governments to eliminate domestic violence.

International Women’s Day 2017 is being celebrated as we complete twelve months of celebrating ‘An Inclusive Commonwealth’, and our focus for the year ahead shifts to ‘A Peace-building Commonwealth’.

The Commonwealth launches new initiative to help member states bring down rates of domestic violence.

As the Commonwealth launches the Peace in the Home: Ending domestic violence together initiative, we look back on some of the best articles from young Commonwealth Correspondents on gender equality and tackling violence and discrimination.

A leading international academic on the prevention of violence says the Commonwealth is uniquely placed to take forward cross-sector policy interventions that could protect millions of lives.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has made her inaugural speech at the High Level Segment of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

A delegation of more than 30 speakers and parliamentary officials met with Secretary-General Patricia Scotland last week to hear her plans and share advice on how to best work together to achieve equality.

Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera has expressed hope that the Commonwealth will continue to fight for the values that have strengthened Sri Lanka in recent times, such as human rights, rule of law and democracy.

Enala Ngulu lives in Karonga, in rural Malawi. She lost both her parents when she was only eight years old. At the age of 13 she was married to a man of 47. He had two other wives. At a time when she should have been in school, learning about the world and how to make a contribution as a young woman, she was forced to grapple with adult responsibilities such as a marriage, a household and child-bearing.

The “Together We End Violence Against Women” award will recognise and celebrate simple, innovative activities and practices that promote ending violence against women.

Exactly a quarter of a century ago, on 20 October 1991, Commonwealth heads of government signed the historic Harare Commonwealth Declaration which defined the association’s fundamental political values.

October 1991: Commonwealth vows to safeguard democracy and human rights

Tackling the issues facing women and girls should be at the heart of all the internationally-agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Secretary-General Patricia Scotland told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

Addressing a crowd of more than sixty thousand people in New York’s Central Park, Secretary-General Patricia Scotland pledged the Commonwealth’s support to help countries “level the law” to end discrimination against women and girls.

Secretary-General Patricia Scotland today urged Commonwealth citizens to hold their governments to commitments made on the internationally ratified Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS).

Women affairs ministers at a high-level Commonwealth meeting have promised to take action to end gender discrimination and violence.

Ministers and lawmakers at the Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting today received a “cutting-edge” resource to help beef-up East African laws that protect women against violence.

The under-representation of women and increasing gender inequalities must be reversed if sustainable development goals are to be met, according to the Commonwealth at the Women’s Affairs Ministerial Meeting in Apia.