Latest content: Gender

Accelerating gender equality for sustainable development will top the agenda when 53 ministers for gender and women’s affairs meet in Kenya for the 12th Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting (12WAMM) on 19-20 September in Nairobi.

Inequality, child marriage and social and cultural norms are just some of the barriers that girls face in their pursuit of education.

A Commonwealth workshop has trained a group of Tongan civil servants on gender and development, and introduced the prevention of sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. The Commonwealth hosted the two-day workshop in Nuku’alofa in collaboration with Tonga’s Public Service Commission, in line with the government’s 2019 national policy on gender and development.

Ministers have welcomed the Commonwealth’s “timely” intervention to assist St Kitts and Nevis in developing community dialogues as part of the Government’s “holistic approach to crime reduction”.

At a Commonwealth seminar entitled ‘Peace in the home: ending domestic violence together', experts in health, gender, law and human rights have called for more action aimed at eliminating gender-based violence, particularly domestic violence.

The Commonwealth has held a training session for more than 30 Cameroonians designed to highlight the role women can play in building peace, understanding conflict and countering violent extremism. Participants from Cameroon’s civil society attended the four-day workshop in Douala.

The Malawi election result shows women are gaining ground in the country’s politics. This month’s tripartite elections saw female candidates increase their share of parliamentary seats from 16 per cent to 23 per cent.

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.