What better way to advance women's rights than by increasing the number of women in political decision-making positions? There is a need for more women to participate in politics, as they play a crucial role in decision-making. It's important to have more women in positions of power, which is why political participation by women is a pressing issue. To encourage and facilitate women's political engagement and representation in UNDP, UN Women support women's political participation in Iraq, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) teamed up with UN Women. On 2nd of November in Baghdad, the two United Nations agencies officially joined forces in a partnership worth $1 million.

The collaborative project aims to address the constraints on women's political voices, strengthen women's decision-making and leadership in elected spaces, and increase leadership in civic spaces. According to UNDP Resident Representative, Ms. Zena Ali-Ahmad, women leaders benefit everyone, especially in fragile contexts like Iraq. According to the research, more women in parliament help bring more attention to women's issues. In order to achieve true democracy and gender parity, women must have a voice in politics. UN Women's former Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka stated, "no country prospers without the engagement of women." Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 requires the equal participation and leadership of women in politics and the public sphere. Nonetheless, statistics indicate that women are underrepresented at all levels of decision-making globally and that gender parity in political life is a distant goal. Women's political participation is on the rise, but the rate remains low; efforts should be made to encourage more women to enter politics for a better tomorrow.

By: Baniz Wasman