UN Women

Although much progress has been made, the statistics around women’s political participation remain stark:

• Women make up less than 10 percent of world leaders.
• Globally less than one in five members of parliament is a woman.
• The 30% critical mass mark for women’s representation in parliament has been reached or exceeded in only 28 countries
• In the UK, there are currently 144 female MPs out of a total of 650.

Yesterday, female Heads of State and Government, Foreign Ministers, and High Representatives (including Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women; H.E. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State of the United States of America and Rt. Hon. Baroness Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission) gathered at the United Nations in New York to draw attention to these issues, share their stories and sign a joint statement affirming their belief that  “that women’s political participation is fundamental to democracy and essential to the achievement of sustainable development and peace.”

RT. Hon Theresa May, the UK Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, gave a statement in which she asked of attendees “My challenge to every woman in this room today, is what are you doing to help other women participate in politics?”

The event was presented by Katie Couric , the US’ first solo news anchor woman and a webcast is available here:

For a full transcript of Michelle Bachelet’s speech visit the website.

For a full transcript of the joint statement visit the website.

Join the discussion on Twitter with hashtag #WomenLeaders

Follow UN Women in the UK on Twitter @UNWomenUK