Political Inclusion

Diverse leadership matters

Gender specialist Hawa Games Dahab Gabjenda stands in a doorway. — Hawa Games Dahab Gabjenda, a gender specialist who has worked on women’s empowerment, development, humanitarian and peacebuilding initiatives, participated as a gender observer in the Juba peace talks held between the Transitional Government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in 2021. Photo: UN Photo/Maimana El Hassan.

Women are systematically underrepresented in decision-making processes, including around COVID-19 response and recovery. Due in part to this disparity, many COVID response and recovery plans have failed to incorporate gender-sensitive policies.

What can governments do?

Prioritize women’s representation and leadership in the creation, implementation and evaluation of COVID response and recovery plans.
Ensure women’s involvement in COVID-19 specialized groups or task forces, as well as legislative, policy, and budgetary decision-making processes — even if this requires special measures, such as quotas, to guarantee their participation.
Collaborate with women’s organizations and feminist activists and take their concerns into account in pandemic response and recovery measures.
Design and implement gender responsive laws, policies and budgets for COVID support and recovery by identifying gender-specific needs and priorities.
Assess the gender-specific impacts of COVID-19 support and recovery plans.

What is UN Women doing?

Generating actionable policy recommendations through Rapid Gender Assessment Surveys (RGAs) and consultations with civil society organizations.
Monitoring women’s participation in COVID-19 task forces through the COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker, created in partnership with UNDP.
Supporting efforts to increase women’s representation in decision-making processes, including:
- Coordinating efforts to bring indigenous women to the forefront of COVID-19 prevention and response efforts in Guatemala and Mexico;
- Promoting women’s leadership in Fiji, Uganda and Moldova;
- Training women on gender-responsive and inclusive governance in Nepal;
- Facilitating women’s political participation and leadership in the Europe and Central Asia region and the Solomon Islands.
Mobilizing, empowering and equipping women-led organizations and networks, including:
- Expanding support to women’s organizations through UN Women’s Women, Peace and Humanitarian Fund, the Spotlight Initiative and the Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women;
- Partnering with women’s networks on relief efforts in Liberia, Myanmar and Bangladesh and anti-gender-based violence efforts in Tanzania;
- Providing support to women’s organizations in Kosovo, Albania, Turkey and the Pacific region;
- Supporting the establishment of a network of civil society and women’s organizations in the Arab States region.