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IWD: EU Decries Low Women Representation in Politics

Published

1 year ago

March 7, 2024

Ochuwa Ibrahim

IWD: EU Decries Low Women Representation in Politics

By: Michael Mike

The European Union has decried the low number of women in political offices, insisting that there is no just gender representation in politics.

A statement by EU on Thursday to mark the International Women’s Day read: “Today, the percentage of women in politics is still far from being representative of our diverse societies. The overall proportion of female members in single or lower houses of parliament currently stands on average at 33% in EU Member States and 26.5% globally. We must continue to do more to inspire and promote the inclusion of women in politics.
2024 is a landmark year for elections throughout the world, with over 4 billion people being asked to cast their votes, including more than 400 million EU citizens who will vote in June in the European Parliament elections. On this International Women’s Day, we recognise the courageous activism of European suffragettes who fought for the right to vote when it was the privilege of men, and to every woman in all their diversity who plays a part in shaping a fairer and more equal society.

The statement added that: “In many parts of the world, regrettably women are still prevented from taking part in public life and in some contexts are entirely excluded from decision-making and public space. Across all societies, women continue to face discrimination and are at increased risk of online and offline violence. This is particularly acute for women politicians, journalists, and activists, in particular human rights defenders.

“In this year of elections, we encourage all women, including young women, everywhere to exercise their right to vote, to claim their space in society and to feel empowered to participate in political life.”

The statement said the global theme of the 2024 International Women’s Day is “Inspire Inclusion”, which is in line with this year’s United Nations theme “Invest in women: Accelerate progress”. Women’s participation in society is of the essence, including in decision-making positions.

It revealed that on 6 March 2024, Vice-President Jourová opened the Commission’s “Women in public life” high-level event in Brussels, in the context of the forthcoming European Parliament elections, noting that different panels focused on challenges faced by women in politics, journalism, and civil society.

It added that participants discussed why women decide to leave public-facing positions and identified concrete solutions to end this trend, including with the engagement of the media platforms, regulatory bodies, and political parties.

The statement decried that women continue to be underrepresented in politics. In 2023, only 6 Member States achieved a gender balance of greater than 40% in their members of parliament (MP), with 7 Member States having fewer than 25% female MPs. The European Parliament is close to a gender balance of members of 40% women and 60% men.

It stated that: “As of January 2024, only 5 Member States out of 27 have female heads of state. Globally, women hold just 26.7% of parliamentary seats, 35.5% of local government seats and only 28.2% of management positions in the workplace. With the current slow pace of change, women’s share of workplace management positions will reach only 30% by 2050. The Commission will support Member States in developing and implementing more effective strategies to increase the number of women in decision-making positions, such as the introduction of gender balanced electoral lists that lead to better policies, to an anti-discrimination and anti-sexist culture and to stronger democracies that address the different social needs better.”

It further added that: “Today, the Commission also published its 2024 Report on Gender Equality in the EU, providing an overview of the progress made in implementing the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025. Most of the actions set out in the strategy have already been accomplished. The first Commission led by a woman and composed of a gender-balanced College of Commissioners, and the first Commissioner for Equality have succeeded in putting gender equality at the heart of the EU agenda. The Commission also made sustainable progress in reaching gender balance at all levels of management. On 1 March 2024 women held 48.5 % of all management positions within the Commission.
The most recent breakthrough is the political agreement reached on 6 February 2024 between the European Parliament and the Council on the Commission’s proposal for a Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence. The Directive is the first comprehensive legal instrument at EU level to tackle violence against women, which is still too pervasive. The Directive criminalises certain forms of violence against women across the EU, both offline and online. Female genital mutilation and forced marriage will be criminalised as stand-alone crimes. The most widespread forms of cyberviolence will also be criminalised, including the non-consensual sharing of intimate images (including deepfakes), cyber-stalking, cyber-harassment, misogynous hate speech and “cyber-flashing”. The Directive also provides for comprehensive measures for victims’ protection, access to justice and support, such as shelters, rape crisis centres and helplines. These measures will benefit victims of all forms of violence against women which are criminalised at national level.

“The past four years were marked by several important legislative milestones advancing gender equality. Just one year after the adoption of the Gender Equality Strategy, in March 2021, the Commission put forward a proposal for a Directive strengthening the equal pay principle through pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms. A political agreement on the Pay Transparency Directive, was reached in December 2022, in record time, paving the way for the adoption of the Directive in May 2023. The new transparency and remedies rules will help to ensure that the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value, enshrined in the Treaty since 1957, finally becomes a reality on the ground.
As of August 2022, the new EU-wide work-life balance rights for parents and carers started applying. In September 2022, the Commission presented the European Care Strategy, linked to new targets on early childhood education and care to enhance women’s labour market participation.

“In November 2022, ten years after it was proposed by the European Commission, the Directive on Gender Balance on Corporate Boards was adopted. This new EU law will help break barriers hindering women’s career advancement.
On 8 March 2023, the Commission launched the #EndGenderStereotypes campaign, which ran throughout last year. The campaign challenges viewers to reveal and question gender stereotypes in career choices, care responsibilities and decision-making.

“In October 2023, the Commission became a party to the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence – the Istanbul Convention. The EU is now bound by ambitious and comprehensive standards to prevent and combat violence against women in the area of judicial cooperation in criminal matters, asylum and non-refoulement and with regard to its public administration. This includes funding, policy, and legislative measures.

“In Autumn 2023, the Commission established an EU network on the prevention of gender-based violence and domestic violence. The network provides the space for Member States and stakeholders to discuss new and emerging issues of violence prevention, exchange of knowledge and good practice.

“The Commission will put forward a Recommendation on preventing and combating harmful practices against women and girls in the course of 2024. The Recommendation will identify actions that Member States could take on the ground to tackle harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, forced sterilisation, forced abortion and early and forced marriage.

“Throughout the years, the Commission has funded projects and organisations promoting gender equality and tackling gender-based violence through the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme. All projects funded under the CERV programme are expected to take into account gender equality and non-discrimination in their design. Currently, two calls for proposals of a combined total of up to €35 million are open for submission to prevent gender-based violence and support victims, and to address the causes of the gender care gap and implement the Pay Transparency Directive.

“There was also progress in the EU external action. Advancing women’s equal participation and leadership is one of the priorities of the Gender Action Plan III for EU external action. Increasing the voice and leadership of young women in policy and decision-making is also a priority of the first-ever Youth Action Plan in EU external action. One of its flagships, the Women and Youth in Democracy Initiative is focused on strengthening the rights, empowerment, and participation in public and political life of youth and women as key actors of development and change. On March 14th the €11.5 million Women’s Political Participation component will be launched in the framework of the Commission of the Status of Women in New York.

“In November 2023, the Commission and The High Representative have issued the Joint Mid-term Report on the Implementation of the EU Gender Action Plan, focussed on the results of EU external action for gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment. Since the adoption of the GAP III three years ago, major new EU initiatives and programmes have been launched at global, regional and national level, including several Team Europe Initiatives supporting women and girls’ empowerment from sexual and reproductive health and rights to equal access to quality education, to access to finance for young female entrepreneurs.
In 2021, the EU renewed its commitment to the 2021-2025 roadmap of the ‘Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies’ launched in 2013. This is a global initiative to implement structural changes in the humanitarian system to address Gender-based Violence.”

IWD: EU Decries Low Women Representation in Politics

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President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice Pays Courtesy Visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State

Published

21 hours ago

May 2, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice Pays Courtesy Visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State

By: Michael Mike

As part of the preparation for its upcoming External Court Sessions and sensitization campaign scheduled to take place respectively from 5 to 7 May and from 8 to 16 May 2025 in Lagos, the President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Hon. Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, led an advance delegation of the Court to Lagos from 28 April to 4 May 2025.

On 30 April 2025, the President paid a courtesy visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State at the Lagos High Court’s premises, during which both judicial leaders engaged in a rich and forward-looking discussion on legal collaboration, institutional challenges, and the role of regional justice mechanisms in West Africa.

Welcoming the delegation, Honorable Justice Kazeem Olanrewaju Alogba, the Chief Judge of Lagos State expressed deep appreciation for the visit, describing it as an honour to host such a distinguished judicial institution. He commended the ECOWAS Court for its high standards of jurisprudence and its commitment to justice in the sub-region. Acknowledging the Court’s achievements, he emphasized the importance of continued collaboration and exchange between national and regional judicial bodies.

The Chief Judge provided an overview of the Lagos State Judiciary’s structure and recent developments, including its expansion across five judicial divisions (Lagos Island, Ikeja, Epe, Badagry, and Ikorodu) and newer courts in high-density areas like Iba and Yaba. He also outlined plans to establish more courts along underserved areas such as the Apapa–Badagry corridor, with support from local authorities and the judiciary’s leadership.

While highlighting that the judiciary in Lagos enjoys a fair degree of government support, the Chief Judge noted infrastructural constraints, particularly the adaptation of their current facility following the destruction of the previous High Court during the #EndSARS protests.

On the issue of enforcement of regional court decisions, the Chief Judge echoed a familiar challenge: the difficulty of enforcing judgments in sovereign states with diverse political climates. He noted, however, that international charters must be respected once ratified, and that the existence of judicial bodies like the ECOWAS Court play a vital role in ensuring legal accountability and curbing impunity, even when direct enforcement mechanisms are limited.

In his response, President Ricardo who was accompanied by his Vice president, Honorable justice Sengu Mohamed Koroma and Dr. Yaouza Ouro-Sama, the Chief Registrar of the Court expressed gratitude to the Chief Judge and his colleagues for the warm welcome and institutional support. He emphasized that the visit and upcoming court activities in Lagos would not have been possible without their cooperation. He took the opportunity to extend a formal invitation to the Chief Judge to attend the opening ceremony of the ECOWAS Court’s next judicial year, expected to take place in October or November 2025.

President Ricardo acknowledged the withdrawal of three member states from ECOWAS, which has reduced the number of participating states in the Court from 15 to 12. He described the development as regrettable but affirmed the Court’s continued commitment to its mandate.

He also outlined the ECOWAS Court’s core jurisdictions, which include: human rights protection (representing over 80% of its caseload), interpretation and application of ECOWAS legal instruments, disputes involving community civil servants, and advisory legal opinions to ECOWAS institutions.

Finally, the President highlighted the upcoming sensitization campaign, to be held from 5 to 7 May 2025 in Lagos, aimed at increasing public awareness about the Court’s role and improving access to regional justice.

President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice Pays Courtesy Visit to the Chief Judge of Lagos State

National News

President Tinubu Poised To Unleash Nigeria’s Full Potential On African Continent, Says VP Shettima

Published

21 hours ago

May 2, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

President Tinubu Poised To Unleash Nigeria’s Full Potential On African Continent, Says VP Shettima

** As FG seeks stronger ties with Berlin’s Hertie School on human capital development

By: Our Reporter

Vice President Kashim Shettima said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is fully committed to unlocking Nigeria’s full potential and positioning the country as a leading force on the African continent, driven by strategic investments in human capital and bold economic reforms.

According to him, Nigeria is actively seeking expertise from the global best institutions to enhance policy formulation and implementation, particularly in human capital development.

Speaking during a visit by a delegation from the Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, led by Senior Fellow Dr. Rolf Alter, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, the Vice President noted that President Tinubu is determined to elevate Nigeria to its rightful position as a leading force in Africa.

“The current crop of leadership in Nigeria under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is ready and willing to unleash the full potential of the Nigerian nation on the African continent. We are laying the groundwork through strategic reforms, and at the heart of it is human capital development,” VP Shettima stated.

He described the Hertie School as a valuable partner in the journey, noting that “Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, has the track record and institutional knowledge to add value to our policy formulation and delivery, especially in this disruptive age.”

Reiterating the government’s priority on upskilling Nigerians, VP Shettima said, “Skills are very important, and with our Human Capital Development (HCD) 2.0 programme, we are in a position to unleash the full potential of the Nigerian people by enhancing their capital skills.”

The Vice President acknowledged the vital support of international development partners in this effort: “I want to thank the World Bank, the European Union, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and all our partners in that drive to add value to the Nigerian nation,” he maintained.

Specifically, the Vice President said human capital development is both an economic imperative and a social necessity, just as he said, “We can only turn our demographic bulge into a demographic dividend when we invest in the human capital of the people.”

Assuring the visiting delegation of the government’s readiness to deepen cooperation, he said, “We need the skills and the capacity from your school. The world is now knowledge-driven. I wish to implore you to have a very warm and robust partnership with the government and people of Nigeria.”

VP Shettima further explained recent economic decisions of the government, including fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange reforms, saying, “The removal of fuel subsidy, the unification of the exchange rate regime and the revolution in the energy sector are all painful processes, but at the end of the day, the Nigerian people will laugh last.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a very modern leader who is willing to take far-reaching, courageous decisions to reposition the Nigerian economy,” he added.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Dr Alter, congratulated the Tinubu administration for the successful launch and implementation of the Human Capital Development (HCD) strategy, which he described as ambitious and targeted towards the improvement of the lives of the citizens.

He expressed satisfaction with the outcome of his engagements since arriving in the country, applauding the zeal, commitment, energy and goodwill observed among stakeholders in the implementation of Nigeria’s HCD programme.

Dr Alter said the Hertie School of Governance will work closely with authorities in Nigeria across different levels to deliver programmes that are specifically designed to address the unique needs of the country.

He, however, stressed the need for government officials at different levels to be agile and amenable to the dynamics of the evolving world, particularly as Nigeria attempts to successfully accelerate its human capital development aspirations.

Also present at the meeting were the Ambassador of Germany to Nigeria, Annett Gunther; Director General of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Dr Abdulateef Shittu; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb Dunoma Ahmed; representatives of the Director General of the Budget Office, the Gates Foundation, the World Bank and other officials from the Hertie School of Governance, among others.

President Tinubu Poised To Unleash Nigeria’s Full Potential On African Continent, Says VP Shettima

National News

NIMC Announces Price Review for Services

Published

21 hours ago

May 2, 2025

Ochuwa Ibrahim

NIMC Announces Price Review for Services

By: Michael Mike

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced a price review for its products and services.

Some of the services offered by the Commission include: modification like date of birth, name , address , phone number , Diaspora Enrolment, and verification service, among others

A statement on Thursday by the Commission’s Head, Corporate Communications Unit, Dr. Kayode Adegoke read: “The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) wishes to inform the general public of a price review for its products and services. After a decade of maintaining the same pricing structure, NIMC has conducted a comprehensive review to ensure alignment with current operational costs and industry standards.

“The revised pricing structure aims to maintain the quality and integrity of NIMC’s services while ensuring affordability and accessibility for Nigerians. The new prices will take effect immediately.

“NIMC warns all Front-End Partners (FEPs) to adhere strictly to the new pricing structure. Any FEP found charging more than the approved rates will face sanctions, including license revocation.”

Adegoke assured that: “NIMC is committed to protecting the interests of Nigerians and ensuring that our services are delivered at fair and transparent prices.”

He disclosed that: “The new pricing structure will be published on NIMC’s website -www.nimc.gov.ng (where it will be accessible to all Nigerians and relevant stakeholders.

NIMC reaffirmed its commitment to providing secure and reliable identity services to Nigerians, encouraging
the public to report any FEP charging above the approved rates to its inspectorate and enforcement unit via ieu@nimc.gov.ng or call 08155015388.

Meanwhile, the NIMC DG/CEO, Engr Abisoye Coker-Odusote has thanked Nigerians, sister agencies and all the Commission partners for their steadfast support, while expressing her deep appreciation to President Tinubu, the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Harmonization partners, Management and staff of NIMC for their immeasurable support towards building a strong and lasting National Identity System.

NIMC Announces Price Review for Services