Latest content: Gender

The Commonwealth Secretariat is supporting women from Africa and the Caribbean in overcoming political hurdles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commonwealth officials and women’s rights experts are developing a toolkit designed to help member countries realise UN-agreed gender equality targets by 2030.

A Commonwealth report has revealed violence against women and girls costs Lesotho more than $113 million (about Lesotho loti 1.9 billion) a year.

Dozens of discriminatory gender laws should be repealed or revised in The Gambia to guarantee equal rights for women and girls within the legal framework.

The Commonwealth Secretariat and NO MORE Foundation have today launched a new campaign designed to help tackle the immediate crisis of the rapid increase in domestic and sexual violence due to the impacts of COVID-19

As economies, institutions and social welfare sectors continue to buckle under the strain of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic crisis, there is a dangerous escalation in the risk to the millions of people caught in the clutches of domestic and gender-based violence. 

International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia takes place on 17 May. This year’s theme is 'Breaking the Silence', which seeks to highlight the voices of the most vulnerable and marginalised in society while embracing our individual identities.

The Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub has successfully helped Jamaica to secure a grant of over US$270,000 to integrate gender concerns into their climate action planning process. 

A Commonwealth gathering has called for an end to gender inequality by 2030 so every girl can have the same opportunities as boys.

The Commonwealth has announced a new partnership designed to reduce domestic violence in member countries. Today, Secretary-General Patricia Scotland signed a memorandum of understanding with the NO MORE Foundation which is a global movement of 1,400 allied organisations and 40 international chapters working together to stop and prevent domestic violence and sexual assault.

The countdown to the 2020 Commonwealth Women’s Forum has begun.

Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Dr Arjoon Suddhoo has said more must be done to address the fact that women account for two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population.

The Commonwealth has partnered-up with the Malawi Centre for Multi-Party Democracy (CMD-M) for a workshop designed to advance women’s political party leadership, strategy, advocacy and engagement.

Malawian women in politics have been taking stock of their success in the May elections and brainstorming how to gain an even greater say in the running of their country.

The Commonwealth has called on its member countries to collect and share data of victims of gender-based killings.

Women’s affairs ministers have agreed on actions to accelerate gender equality to be presented to Commonwealth leaders when they meet in Rwanda next year. The priorities are set out in the outcome statement made by the 12th Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya.

A new Commonwealth paper finds “impressive improvements” in women’s access to maternal health, enrolment in primary school and participation in the workforce. The technical paper was released at the 12th Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.

An all-female panel opened the 12th Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (WAMM) in Nairobi, 34 years after the first such event featured an all-male panel. WAMM has been held every three years since 1985 and provides the opportunity for ministers, senior officials, civil society, private sector and partner agencies to explore and agree on workable strategies and solutions to tackle gender disparities.

A Commonwealth handbook launched today will help East African judicial officers proactively handle cases of violence against women and girls (VAWG), which affects up to one in three women in their lifetime.

This week Kenya is hosting the 12th Commonwealth Women Affairs Ministers’ Meeting (12WAMM), an initiative of the Commonwealth member countries which brings together ministers, senior officials, civil society organisations, academia and development partner agencies to discuss critical issues in advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality in the Commonwealth.

This month the Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting will assemble in Nairobi, Kenya. It has taken place regularly since 1985, to take stock of the current status of gender equality in our member countries, and to share perspectives and experience of how progress on this important Commonwealth priority can be achieved more swiftly.