Empowering and supporting women to participate in local government, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 5, is a key priority of CLGF. Since the launch of the Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network (ComWLG) in 2017, the group has gone from strength to strength, with many individual country and regional chapters having been established.

Expertise and talent

Much of this success is due to the expertise and talent of CLGF's women members and CLGF is pleased to continue the strong and competent leadership of the network with Chief Cllr Frazette Gibson, Bahamas Association of Local Government Authorities, Bahamas (BALGA), as the new Chair of the Network.

At the recent South Asia Regional Meeting of the Network held in Colombo, Sri Lanka at the end of June, in her keynote speech, Cllr Gibson set out some of her views on the importance of this work. Speaking about the profound impact of women’s voices in shaping our societies, fostering inclusive communities, and building effective governance.

Effectiveness of gender quotas

She quoted the Observer Research Foundation, which stated that legislated gender quotas are proving to be effective in increasing women’s political representation. As of January 2023, 88 countries introduced legislated gender quotas for local elections. Countries with such quotas have a 7% higher representation of women in local governments. But her message was clear that, despite significant progress, women still remain underrepresented in the worldwide political arena.

Call for change

She explained that according to United Nations statistics, in 141 countries worldwide, only 35.5% of elected members are women and only three countries have reached 50%. She gave the example of the Parliament of the Bahamas, where only 17% of the representatives are women, when they represent 51% of the population. In the host country of the meeting, Sri Lanka, even though women make up 51% of the population, only 5.33% of the seats in Parliament are held by women and stated emphatically that “A change must take place.” 

Research collected by the United Nations Women’s Organisation, undoubtedly confirms that women's political participation fosters great inclusivity and equity, ensuring that the needs and rights of all citizens are addressed. Women political representatives ensure better distribution of essential public goods than men, and strengthen sustainable development at the grassroots in the true spirit of inclusive and decentralized democratic governance. In times of crisis, such as natural disasters or economic downturns, the inclusion of women in leadership roles has proven to result in more comprehensive and effective responses.

Limited solutions

She went on to quote the World Bank’s World Development Report on gender equality and development which identified women’s voice, agency, and participation as a key dimension of gender equality and as a major policy priority. Cllr Gibson stated: “The undeniable reality is, under-representation of women in government hinders and limits the breadth of perspectives and solutions brought to the governing table.”

Setting the scene for this important meeting which had attracted CLGF members and delegates from Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan, St Lucia and Nepal, Cllr Gibson asked participants to use the discussions to look at all the ways we can support and increase women's political representation; ways we can build each other up and not tear each other down. 

Challenging societal norms

She said: “We must continue to advocate women bringing unique perspectives to governance and further prioritising issues such as healthcare, education, social welfare, and community development.”

She continued: “In so doing, we must continue to aggressively challenge societal norms and biases, provide mentorship and support networks, and advocate for policies that promote gender equality. By empowering women to take on leadership roles, we are investing in stronger, more adaptable, and better equipped communities.”

Social resilience 

The concept of building resilience throughout the Commonwealth was the theme for the Commonwealth Local Government Conference 2023, and will be discussed at the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in October. Linking to this theme, Cllr Gibson concluded by calling for insightful discussions and inspiring ideas to reinforce social resilience through women's political representation. She reminded delegates that this is “not just a matter of justice and equality; it is a matter of utmost necessity!”