“Women’s political participation is a fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy. Women’s participation in all walks of life is essential for an inclusive, strong, and prosperous society in Afghanistan, both to meet the many challenges the country faces today and to succeed tomorrow. It is therefore critical that political decision-making processes are participatory, responsive, equitable, and inclusive,” stated Pramila Patten.

Born and raised in Morocco, Yasmina Benslimane witnessed first-hand how oppressive laws affect women and force them to remain silent out of fear of breaking the status quo. She runs Politics4Her, a feminist blog and youth-led movement that advocates for the inclusion of girls and women in politics.

In her remarks at the Brussels V Conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region”, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Åsa Regnér said: "With increased and better coordinated resources earmarked for women and girls, we can collectively do more, and our overall impact will increase".

Violence against women creates significant barriers for women aspiring for political office, says UN Women. It’s critical to reform and fully implement laws to prevent and stop violence against women in politics.

UN Women aligns with the statements made by the UN Secretary-General in strongly condemning the violent crackdown and the use of lethal force against peaceful protestors over the past month in Myanmar and expresses its deep concern over the targeted and disproportionate violence against women being recorded in this situation.

Elena Crasmari decided to run for office so that the local administration could meet the needs of all members of her community. She won a local councillor seat, making her the only woman on a nine-person team, and one of six local councillors with a disability in Moldova, out of 10,472 local councillors.

Bernadette Gomina is a Member of Parliament for the administrative division of Bayanga, in the south of the Central African Republic (CAR) and one of two women elected in the first round of the 2020–2021 legislative elections in the country. She details the challenges that women leaders face and how the Forum of Women Parliamentarians has helped spark change.

Despite increases in the number of women at the highest levels of political power, widespread gender inequalities persist, according to the 2021 edition of the IPU–UN Women “Map of women in politics”. The data shows all-time highs for the number of countries with women Heads of State and/or Heads of Government, as well as for the global share of women ministers.

Meet three women mayors from rural Moldova who have defied deeply entrenched gender stereotypes about women’s leadership and led their communities through the COVID-19 pandemic. From building public infrastructure to enabling citizen participation virtually, they have made their communities safer and more resilient.

As part of the Leaders for Generation Equality campaign, UN Women, together with Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession, Stanford Law School Center on the Legal Profession, and University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, paid tribute to the global legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in a high-level interactive discussion with eminent leaders, jurists and experts across the world on International Human Rights Day 2020.

In an op-ed during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Asa Regner writes: "What this year has shown us is that there are no obstacles too great for traffickers to overcome, so we must reduce the demand at its source."

In her remarks to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, 75th session, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Asa Regner emphasized how the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of all nations and peoples, and disproportionately affected women and girls everywhere who bear the brunt of the massive health, social and economic impact of the pandemic.

Around the world, women are shining through as outstanding leaders as the COVID-19 pandemic escalates. From Germany to New Zealand and Denmark to Iceland, women leaders have shown clarity in their decisions and policies, they are compassionate, empathetic, strong communicators and they show solidarity. Her Excellency Vjosa Osmani, the first woman assembly president in Kosovo, has been praised for her professionalism in leading the assembly during the crisis. She is a Doctor of Legal Sciences, former professor and mother of two girls.

As governments respond to the global COVID-19 crisis under huge pressures to act fast, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Asa Regner, calls on leaders and decision-makers to answer 10 key questions about how their responses and policies will include and impact women and girls

Women’s representation in political decision-making continues to increase but at a dragging pace, with three-quarters of parliamentary seats still held by men, according to new data presented in the 2020 edition of the IPU UN Women map of Women in Politics. The data’s publication coincides with the 25-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, which remains the world’s most comprehensive agenda for gender equality.

In this new intergenerational series for Generation Equality campaign, young people take the lead to shape the conversations. Marguerite Ramadan, Social Affairs Advisor Prime Minister’s Office in in the Central African Republic and Chairperson of the longest standing women’s organization (the Organisation of Central African Women), talks about women’s leadership with Pamela Audrey Derom, who was recently elected to the National Youth Council.

UN Women Deputy Executive Director Åsa Regnér visited Brussels, Belgium, from 4 to 5 February 2020.

Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and UN Women Deputy Executive Director, Åsa Regnér, completed her first official mission to Nigeria from 21 to 25 October.

At a high-level event during the 74th UN General Assembly, UN Women and the Council of Women World Leaders came together to lend their voices and power to the Generation Equality campaign.

The UN deputy chief issued an impassioned plea on Sunday for Afghans to reconcile with the past and put “women at the centre” of all efforts to forge a durable peace, and a truly inclusive political process where women’s voices are truly heard.