Gender | Commonwealth

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13th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting

21 August 2023 to 23 August 2023

Conference

The 13th Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (13WAMM) will be held at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in Nassau, the Bahamas, from 21 to 23 August 2023 under the theme ‘Equality Toward a Common Future’.

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The Commonwealth Secretary-General urges early and targeted action to reduce crime

Speaking at an event in Trinidad and Tobago aimed at tackling male violence, especially young men, The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, KC, has called for societies to “act together” to reverse the tide of violence amongst men.

Commonwealth experts call for improved opportunities for women in ocean sector

Ocean scientists and advocates have underscored the vital role of women in ocean-related sectors and the blue economy, calling for intensified efforts to achieve gender parity in these areas across the Commonwealth.

Spouses and partners of Commonwealth Heads of Government unite for cervical cancer elimination

Spouses and partners of Commonwealth Heads of Government have pledged to champion advocacy and action on eliminating cervical cancer in their countries.

Blog: Women’s representation in the judiciary has come a long way but remains far from being equal

This month, the Commonwealth joined the international community to mark the inaugural International Day of Women Judges on 10 March. It is a day designated by the United Nations to promote women’s full and equal participation at all levels of the judiciary.

Addressing Online Violence Against Women and Girls in the Commonwealth Europe Region

This report contributes to the Commonwealth study on online violence against women and girls (OVAWG) and considers the prevalence of online violence and the role of bystanders as well as therelevant laws, institutions, policies and practices to address the problem in the European region of the Commonwealth, namely Cyprus, Malta and the United Kingdom of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland (UK).

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Addressing Online Violence Against Women and Girls in the Commonwealth Africa Region

This report provides a summary of the phenomenon of online violence against women in various African Commonwealth membercountries and describes the legal frameworks and their limitations and the challenges these present.

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Samoan Prime Minister and Commonwealth Secretary-General urge stronger efforts to get more women into leadership

The Prime Minister of Samoa, the Hon Fiame Naomi Mata’afa and the Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, have called for stronger efforts to address the gender imbalance in leadership.

Commonwealth and ITC work to bridge the digital gap for female entrepreneurs in the developing world

On International Women’s Day, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the International Trade Centre (ITC) jointly hosted a discussion on ‘Bridging the digital gap for women-led businesses in developing economies’.

Opinion: A life without violence for every woman starts with making homes places of safety

By Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC

Joint Statement on International Women’s Day: Equality in Law for Women and Girls in a Digital Age

Joint statement by partners of the Global Strategy for Equality in Law for Women and Girls by 2030: A Multi-stakeholder Strategy for Accelerated Action

Join our campaign to celebrate women in ocean action

Please join us in promoting women’s contributions to the ocean and blue economy sector.

Blog: Integrating gender equality in climate action through the Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub

Addressing climate change can only be successful with a holistic approach that includes the most vulnerable at heart.

Report calls for bystander intervention laws to address online violence against women in Pacific

A new report by the Commonwealth Secretariat calls on policymakers from Pacific countries to consider adopting laws requiring bystanders to report online violence against women and girls.

Addressing Online Violence Against Women and Girls in the Commonwealth Pacific Region

This report focuses on the role of online bystanders in reducing online violence against women and girls (VAWG), including consideration of any related policies or laws.

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Addressing Online Violence Against Women and Girls in the Commonwealth Asia Region

Online violence is increasing rapidly and is emerging as one of the biggest threats facing the online world today. Acts of online violence take multiple forms, including cyberstalking, cyberbullying, sexual harassment, sex trolling, doxing, hate speech, public shaming and intimidation.

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Addressing Online Violence Against Women and Girls in the Commonwealth Caribbean and the Americas

The purpose of this report is to map the prevalence of online violence against women and girls, with a particular focus on so-called innocent bystanders and the state of laws, institutions, policies and practices within the Caribbean and Americas regionof the Commonwealth (Canada).

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Commonwealth Secretary-General urges everyone to take responsibility for ending violence against women

The Commonwealth Secretary-General made an urgent appeal to everyone to take personal responsibility in putting an end to violence against women and girls.

New guide launched to integrate gender and climate action

The Commonwealth Secretariat has launched a new best practice guide that will assist policymakers and practitioners across the Commonwealth to integrate gender equality into national climate action.

Actions and inspirations towards ending violence against women and girls in the Commonwealth

2 December 2022 to 2 December 2022

Event

The Commonwealth Secretariat will host a gathering of high commissions, businesses, academia, women’s rights campaigners and civil society representatives on 2 December to look at and discuss actions and inspirations towards ending violence against women and girls in its 56 member countries.

Gender Integration in NDCs

This best practice guide supports Commonwealth member countries to integrate gender into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – the documents at the apex of national frameworks for climate mitigation and adaptation actions, through which gender equality outcomes can be progressed.

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Commonwealth Secretary-General vows to keep on fighting to end violence against women and girls

The Commonwealth Secretary-General has said she is more determined than ever to bring change and end violence against women and girls across the Commonwealth.

Cameroonian women entrepreneurs trained to increase digital trade opportunities under new partnership

The Commonwealth Secretariat has partnered with the Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), a member of the Islamic Development Bank Group, and Cameroon’s Ministry of Trade to deliver the first of a series of digital boot camp training workshops to build the capacity of women-owned micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) across the west central African country.

Commonwealth Women's Forum

The Commonwealth Women’s Forum (CWF) was held in Kigali, Rwanda, from 20 to 21 June 2022, drawing together 500 delegates from around the Commonwealth.

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Spouses and partners of Commonwealth Heads of Government commit to action on cervical cancer elimination

Cancer survivors were given the unique opportunity to share their journeys with spouses and partners of Commonwealth Heads of Governments and Foreign Ministers at a luncheon on cervical cancer elimination.