Participation

Around 95 representatives from civil societies and governments from Southeast Asian countries namely Indonesia, Cambodia, Timor Leste, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines call on more participation of women in corruption eradication programs.

The statement was made during the Southeast Asia Regional Conference held in Jakarta here on Tuesday.

Finance Minister Yair Lapid on Friday appointed Yael Andorn to be the next Finance Ministry director-general. Andorn, who was previously deputy director of the ministry's budget department, will be the first woman ever to fill the position, replacing current director-general Doron Cohen.

With the focus of local and international media on Kenya's ability to maintain peace and stability, improvements in women's political participation were an unsung success story of the country's national elections, held earlier this month.

PRESIDENT-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto want to have at least one woman from each of Kenya's eight province appointed to the Cabinet to meet the 30 per cent constitutional gender requirement.

State house political adviser Nancy Gitau, earlier touted for the Head of Civil Service, is now being considered for appointment as a Cabinet secretary. Nancy was at the top of the hierarchy in Uhuru's presidential campaign.

The majority of the women elected to the last Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on reserved seats have applied for tickets of their respective parties for the upcoming elections — but many feel the political culture is still not favourable for them.

Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection has highlighted the lack of women participation in politic in Indonesia, hence they will push the female contribution through several policies.

For most women in Pakistan's war-torn and ultra-conservative frontier region, casting a vote in an election is an impossible dream, let alone standing as a candidate.

But one woman from Bajaur, a strife-ridden area bordering Afghanistan, has stunned her community by announcing that she is running for a parliamentary seat, despite the high risk of incurring the wrath of Taliban militants.

A good presidential election will benefit not only Afghanistan's future but also the future of the region, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) chief said Tuesday.

Women lawmakers, civil society members, media professionals, and government staff have formed a movement to back women's rights in the upcoming presidential election, beginning with a proposal to parliament on securing gender quotas for women candidates.

Tanvir Zehra is one of thousands of women across Pakistan entering politics for the first time. Carefully adjusting her black headscarf, she wades into the crowd at the polling station, gently cajoling the hundreds of queuing voters to elect her to the town council at Bahawalpur, deep in the province of Punjab.