Women in Parliaments

History

In 2013, Silvana Koch-Mehrin, former Vice-President of the European Parliament (2009-2011) and Member of the European Parliament (2004-2014), founded and chaired the Women in Parliaments Global Forum (WIP). The WIP Executive Board is chaired by Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir, former Minister of Interior of Iceland, Mayor of Reykjavík, and President of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Parliament of Iceland. Women are a small minority in politics. Today, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, almost 80% of parliamentary seats are held by men. In total, globally around 9,000 women are members of national Parliaments. WIP was created with the mission of advancing society by increasing the number and influence of women in political leadership.

Organisation

WIP consists of Members of Parliaments at national levels, including Members of the European Parliament. Organs of WIP are the Advisory Board, the Administrative Board, the Executive Board and the network of WIP Ambassadors. WIP is also supported by a variety of non-governmental organizations, foundations, institutions and other civil society actors, which are valuable contributions to WIP’s mission.

Activities

WIP carries out a broad variety of work to promote women’s political participation. This includes hosting global and regional summits, conducting academic research and promoting female leadership with advocacy campaigns. WIP’s work is not focused on classical gender policies.

Summits

Female Parliamentarians from around the world convene at the WIP Summits. WIP Summits offer an opportunity for participants to take part in political dialogue that reflect perspectives in many policy areas of today’s female decision-makers.

2013 WIP Inaugural Summit “Advancing Society” in the European Parliament

On the occasion of 120-year anniversary of the first time women were allowed to vote (in New Zealand), the inaugural Summit took place in Brussels at the European Parliament where around 400 Members of Parliament attended representing 100 countries. Keynote speakers included Portia Simpson-Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica (2012-2016), Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland (2009-2013).

WIP Summer Summit 2014 in Parliament of Rwanda

The 2014 WIP Summer Summit took place at the Parliament of Rwanda with around 200 Members of Parliament from 51 countries. The WIP Summit was part of the 20th Commemoration of the Genocide in Rwanda. With 64% of its Parliamentarians being women, the Rwandan Parliament is the global champion. At this Summit, keynote speakers included Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway, and Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda.

2015 WIP Global Summit “New Leadership for Global Challenges” in the fAfrican Union Headquarters

The Summit themed “New Leadership for Global Challenges” took place at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the occasion of the “Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063”. At this WIP Summit there were around 400 Members of Parliament in attendance from 90 countries. Keynote Speakers included Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union, Irina Bokova, Secretary General of UNESCO, Lakshmi Puri, Representing the Secretary General of United Nations, Mari Kiviniemi, OECD Deputy Secretary General and Prime Minister of Finland (2010-2011) and Joyce Banda, President of Malawi (2012-2014).

2015 WIP Summit “Make it Happen! Influence and Power of Women in Parliaments” in the Senate of Mexico

The WIP Global Summit took place at the Senate of Mexico with around 200 Members of Parliament from 60 countries. It marked the 40th anniversary of the First World Conference on Women in Mexico. This meeting took place shortly after the Mexican Constitutional reform (2014) that obliges political parties to respect the principle of gender parity in the composition of candidates’ lists for elective office. Keynote Speakers included Mexican Foreign Minister, Rebecca Grynspan, Viviane Reding, Member of the European Parliament and Former Vice President of the European Commission (2010-2014) and Laura Chinchilla, Former President of Costa Rica (2010-2014).

2016 WIP Global Summit “Women in Politics: Fast Forward” in the Parliament of Jordan

The most recent WIP Global Summit occurred in the Jordanian Parliament with around 200 Members of Parliament from 80 countries. This summit was the first of its kind to be held in a Middle East North African (MENA) country. Keynote Speakers included Dalia Grybauskaite, President of Lithuania and Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders, Mari Kiviniemi, OECD Deputy Secretary General and Prime Minister of Finland (2010- 2011) and Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta.

WIP Studies

In addition to creating a platform for female parliamentarians, WIP partners with other organizations to launch relevant reports.

The Female Political Career

The study “The Female Political Career”, produced by Yale University and the London School of Economics, is the result of a partnership between the Women in Parliament Global Forum (WIP), the World Bank and EY. It reflects survey results from male and female parliamentarians across 84 countries, designed to understand the hurdles women face in launching and sustaining successful political careers.

Social Media: Advancing Women in Politics?

The study “Social Media: Advancing Women in Politics?”, produced by Harvard University, is the result of a partnership between the Women in Parliaments Global Forum (WIP), the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, and Facebook. It is based on a survey that examined the use of social media by over 900 female Parliamentarians from 107 countries.

WIP Awards

WIP presents a series of Annual WIP Awards to countries outperforming on female political leadership. The awards are based on the rankings of the World Economic Forum's “Global Gender Gap Report” and the Inter Parliamentary Union. WIP also presents the “WIP Award for Lifetime Achievements in Female Political Empowerment”.

WIP Awards 2013

Winners in the Categories of Political Empowerment:

Winners by Region in Closing the Gender Gap:

Achievements in Closing the Gender Gap in the Arab World

WIP Awards 2014

“WIP Award for Lifetime Achievements in Female Political Empowerment” Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, received the WIP Award during the WIP Study Trip to Iceland (3-4 April 2014) as the first woman in the world to be democratically elected Head of State.

WIP Awards 2015

Winners in the Categories of Political Empowerment:

Winners in Closing the Gender Gap:

Achievements in Closing the Gender Gap in the Arab World

WIP Awards 2016

“WIP Award for Lifetime Achievements in Female Political Empowerment” Honourable Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma received the WIP Award for Lifetime Achievement in Female Political Empowerment during the 3rd African Union High Level Panel on Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment, in Kigali.

WIP Certificates of Recognition 2016 (WIP Global Summit in Jordan, May 2016):

Winners in Legislative Reform:

WIP Leadership Campaign

The campaign “We need more Women in Parliaments and as political leaders because…” aims to highlight the commitment of male Presidents and Prime Ministers around the world to increase the number of women in politics. Over 60 male leaders have supported this campaign including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of Columbia Manuel Santos. Prime Minister of Iceland, Mr Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, became the co-patron of the WIP Leadership Campaign in August 2016.

“Peace and Security"

WIP has started a conversation on the importance of including more women in peace processes. Female Parliamentarians from all around the globe, as well as members of the WIP Advisory Board, have contributed to this initiative by sharing their ideas on how to increase the participation of women in conflict resolution, which is one of the strategic objectives of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which turned 20 years in 2015.

Call for Action to Step It Up for Gender Equality

Female Parliamentarians attending the 2015 WIP Global Summit “New Leadership for Global Challenges” signed a UN Women call for action that focuses on three specific actions: Renewed political commitment to close remaining gaps and fully implement the 12 critical areas of the Beijing Platform for Action by 2020; the empowerment of women, the realization of human rights of women and girls, and the expiry of gender inequality by 2030; and an end to the funding gap on gender equality, and the matching of commitments with the means of implementation.