Latest content: Gender

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.

Senior judges and officials have urged leaders to work with judiciary and the civil society to remove discriminatory gender laws and introduce equal rights in the legal system. 

Commonwealth women’s affairs ministers will assemble in Nairobi on 19 and 20 September for their triennial meeting to consider a robust strategy to achieve gender equality goals in all 53 member countries by 2030.

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.