Latest content: Gender

Patricia Scotland has received a Distinguished Champion award at the WEConnect Gala in Washington DC for her tireless efforts to empower women and achieve gender equality across the world.

Namibia’s Ombudsman has conducted a roundtable on sexual orientation and gender identity in his country with support from the Commonwealth.  The conference builds on an earlier roundtable that focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Patricia Scotland will receive a Distinguished Champion award at the WEConnect Gala in Washington DC for her tireless efforts to empower women and achieve gender equality across the world.

A young Nigerian woman who is helping thousands of sexual and domestic abuse victims, has been named Commonwealth Young Person of the Year. Twenty-eight-year-old Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, from Lagos, was presented with the award by Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland at Marlborough House.

High commissioners and women’s rights activists have joined Secretary-General Patricia Scotland to salute the unwavering courage of women in their struggle for equality. 

Women rights campaigners, lawyers and officials joined Secretary-General Patricia Scotland to stand in solidarity with survivors of gender-based violence and to call for a robust response to end it.

Climate change affects women more profoundly than men. Often, women bear the brunt of extreme weather events because they lack economic, political and legal power, especially in developing countries.

The Commonwealth has taken part in a two-day meeting to enhance women’s political participation and leadership in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has urged bold action to close the persistent economic gap between men and women and help pave the way to achieving the SDGs.

Secretary-General Patricia Scotland today encouraged young diplomats to take the lead in tackling the globe’s pressing social and economic challenges.

Seychelles loses over USD 65 million each year to violence against women and girls (VAWG). That’s according to a new report to be launched by the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland on her first official visit to the country.

A gathering of senior women commentators, columnists and activists heard about the Commonwealth’s practical action towards achieving gender equality across its 53 member states by 2030.

The Commonwealth has reinforced its commitment to get more women leading and participating in sport.

The Commonwealth Charter underscores our common commitment to the values of equality and respect for the protection and promotion of human rights.

One-stop health centres should be established across the Commonwealth to help address the scourge of gender-based violence and offer vital support to victims.

The Indian MP and Bollywood legend, Kirron Kher, has called for Commonwealth member states to speed up their efforts towards achieving gender equality in their respective countries.

Abolish laws that allow discrimination and replace them with legislation that protect women’s rights. This was one of 14 big asks presented to Foreign Ministers today from the Women’s Forum.

Collective action to help women overcome barriers to entrepreneurship makes good economic sense. This is the message that rang loud and clear as government leaders, ministers, activists and world-renowned professionals met to deliberate women’s economic empowerment on the second day of the Commonwealth Women’s Forum in London today.

Female genital cutting (FGC) is one of the more hidden, yet wide reaching, barriers to the empowerment of women and girls in at least 45 countries all over the world. It intersects with a variety of other issues.

The Commonwealth Women’s Forum today endorsed a set of recommendations for getting more women into political leadership.

The Second Commonwealth Women’s Forum begins in London on Monday with a call for women’s rights to be firmly on the agenda of leaders when they meet later in the week.

To commemorate International Women’s Day, the Commonwealth’s Gender Section hosted an event at Marlborough House entitled ‘Progress for Women and the Vote in the Commonwealth’.

Forced labour, child labour and exploitation were all addressed at an event marking International Human Rights Day.

The horror of sexual violence in conflict must be challenged by educating women about their human rights and empowering men and boys as champions against such abuses, says leading women's rights activist Dr Denis Mukwege.