Intergenerational Engagement for Advancing Young Women's Leadership (CSW70 Side Event)

Good morning.

White women leadership.

Sumarmoste estate la commission.

De la Muhar Hobbing and.

Contact.

In Parliamentos.

Los parlamentarios.

Ho.

Gracias, senora hendricks.

Marinos.

Include.

Papel degenero establishment.

Them are participant Julia Coximas.

Segundo.

De Informacion.

And help each other resist the forces trying to silence us.

But tackling barriers isn't just about calling them out. It is about putting policies and structures, strategies in place that actively support young women and youth.

A key tool in EU external action is the Youth Peace and Security Agenda. YPS. YPS guides how we engage with youth globally in conflict affected areas. It recognizes youth in all their diversity and sees them as essential agents of change. In practice, we have mainstreamed all grounds of non discrimination in the newly launched Strategy for Intergenerational Fairness.

Its overarching goal is to guarantee that current decisions are made with the future in mind. It aims to ensure a fair balance of benefits and burdens across all generations. And last year we celebrated 10 years of UN Security Resolution 202050 on YPS, the first of its kind. The EIS Co hosted the YPS conference bringing together more than 120 young peacemakers from 85 countries. As part of the overall program, we held a panel on Equality, intersectionality and Youth Peace and Security.

This is where Youth Peace and security makes a real difference. By giving youth a voice, a role and real power to shape peace and security and to build inclusive societies.

To conclude young women's voices are needed for democracy to thrive. When diverse voices are included, policies are more effective, equitable and sustainable. When we connect women across generations with peer support and shared experience, we can transform individual courage into collective power.

We need to continue supporting initiatives such as White and keep engaging in multilateral agendas such as yps. Only then we will see a pipeline of young women who are not just present in decision making, but who are powerful, effective, and here to stay. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Julia, for sharing these important opening remarks. And to our other speakers as well, thank you so much. It shows how urgent this work is needed to ensure that women are included in all aspects of leadership. Also conveying our thanks to European Union for supporting wide women's leadership initiative. Thank you very much.

All right, before we continue, we have a short video bringing us some of the voices of inspiring young women who have participated in wide activities around the globe this last year. Please turn your eyes to the screen. Thank you very much.

Las jovenes y las mujeres.

It's important that our young women have allies. And when they do decide to take that leap, you will have people that have your back.

That's how you build the capacity of others to succeed. Because passing down information for generations to come is extremely important. Let us shadow you. We learn so much from just being right next to you.

Thank you very much. I hope you enjoyed this short video that just gave you a snapshot of all the young women who have participated at this point. Thank you to our previous speakers who have now exited the podium. At this point, I would like to invite all our panelists to join me here on the podium at this time. And as they come through, I will introduce them.

We have Ms. Maria Gay Russell with us. I will introduce them properly, but I'm just inviting them to come. Ms. Bina Maseno as well. Please join us. We will change the names shortly.

Yeah, well, please feel free to sit and then we will change the names. Do you want to come here? Yeah, of course. All right.

Yes. Maria Kenya. All right. Yes. Okay.

All right. Fantastic. While we sort out the logistics of names, I'm really delighted to welcome Ms. Maria Eugenia Gay Russell. She's the second deputy mayor of the Barcelona City Council and sixth vice president of the Barcelona Provision Provision Provisional Council in Spain. Welcome, Mayor.

Thank you so much. Please give her a round of applause.

So, Ms. Gay Russell, through your roles in the local and provincial governments, you engage directly with young women entering leadership at the local level. What are the biggest challenges young women face in accessing decision making spaces at the local level? And how do you see intergenerational models helping to bridge these gaps? Could you share with us one or two examples from your experience where mentorship, solidarity or youth driven initiatives have actually helped to shift power dynamics over to you, Mayor.

Thank you so much. It is an honor to show you. Okay, thank you so much. It is an honor to join you today. I came together with two other elected women of the Barcelona Provincial Council, and it's an honor to speak on behalf of United Cities and local governments.

I am deeply grateful for this invitation. Agradesco muchissimo est invitacion y me participare dialogo.

An institution's response more closely to the everyday realities of people's lives. In many urban contexts, policies designed to address the feminization of poverty help confront deep rooted structural inequalities. Likewise, urban planning approaches that prioritize safe mobility and share responsibility expand women's participation in economic, social, and civic life. These efforts are further supported by leadership networks that bring together counselors, mayors, and young women in local government. Such networks open pathways to responsibility for emerging generations.

It is clear that when women's leadership strengthens democratic values drives collective progress. For this reason, ensuring young women's effective access to positions of power represents more than a matter of equality. It is a fundamental condition for democratic development. However, access alone does not guarantee sustained participation. Democracies must also create environments that allow women to remain in political life and to be real political actors, not just a gender quota.

Institutional cultures, political structures, and social expectations. Expectations all influence women ability to build long term leadership trajectories. Support networks therefore becomes essential. Mentorship, cooperation and solidarity among women leaders help prevent withdrawal from public responsibility and reinforce political engagement. Over time, these dynamics allow societies to build parity based democracy systems in which decision making reflects social diversity and where women's voices shape public policy at every level of governance.

Cities really play a decisive role in this transformation. As local governments constitute the first institutional space where democratic participation becomes tangible. They create environments where leadership emerges, where cooperation networks take shape, and where new generations gain access to public responsibility. These efforts respond to a broader structural reality. According to the Inter Parliamentary Union, women currently hold around 27.5% of parliamentary seats worldwide.

This imbalance has direct implications for governance. Institutions regulating technological development, economic transformation, and international security are determining the conditions under which societies will evolve in the coming decades. Decision making structures that fail to incorporate social diversity inevitably limit the perspectives informing those decisions.

In this scenario, we need to highlight that digital transition introduces an additional challenge. Technological transformation is without a doubt one of the most complex and decisive global challenges of our time. Redefining the way we live, work, and interact, it challenges the pillars of our democracies. This shapes our economy and conditions social cohesion. It represents a promise of progress but also a landscape where inequality, exclusion, information manipulation and the concentration of power can take root.

And in this sense, as Michel Bachelet said, data is power and big data is an immense power. Unlike all forms of power, it can be used either to protect or to violate. Today, more than ever, we must urgently ask ourselves how and for what purpose. The data we generate at every moment is collected, stored and used. It is essential to activate mechanisms that ensure that individuals are not reduced to profiles, scores or algorithmic predictions.

We are human beings endowed with dignity, and that must be the foundation upon which any technological system is built. Artificial intelligence and algorithmic transparency should understand of diversity and equality as it tackles a question of fundamental rights. This particularly urgent for women in politics, particularly to the young ones who often face inequality, visibility, discriminatory data models and heightened exposure to online hate speech. Ethical and inclusive digital governance is therefore indispensable for warranting women's full participation and and equal opportunities in public life. Internet should be a space of liberty for them.

The current geopolitical environment further underscores the importance of inclusive leadership. Contemporary conflicts and prolonged international tensions require leadership capable of mediation, cooperation and strategic vision. Evidence consistently shows that peace agreements negotiated with the meaningful participation of women endure longer and lead to more stable institutional outcomes.

When women lead, democracy does not simply become more inclusive. It becomes stronger, wiser and better prepared to advance the progress of our societies. Placing gender equality at the heart of our democracies is not only a matter of rights, it is a democratic imperative. Reinforcing the values that sustain democratic governance requires women's active and transformative leadership, not merely their presence. We must amplify our voice across the world to confront inequality and to transform political dialogue.

Exercising power effectively is essential if we are here to change reality and build more just and equal societies. And to do so, we need strong alliances capable of facing the challenges that persist. That is violence against elected women, the unequal border of care, double standards and persistent prejudice, economic disparities and the cultural resistance to sharing power. Intergenerational solidarity among women, supporting, mentoring and empowering one another in is the force that strengthens leadership, sustains participation and guarantees that the next generation inherits democracies that are more inclusive, more resilient and more courageous. Dear colleagues, let's build together this legacy.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, Mayor. Appreciate your contribution. Allow me now to hand over to Ms. Bina Masseno. She is the Executive director of Badili Africa, an organization that is feminizing political spaces in Kenya. Ms. Bassena, welcome.

Your work at Badili Africa focuses on feminizing political space spaces and building collective power to be more inclusive and responsive to young women. Can you tell us how Badilli is achieving this and what kinds of intergenerational strategies have you found to be most effective in equipping young women with political skills, confidence and networks? Over to you.

Thank you very much. I'm honored to be here to represent the very many young women who are doing the everyday work that needs to be done in transforming the political spaces. I think for me, this particular topic today and this question that you're asking is this work is deeply personal because Personally, I was 22 years old when I ran for office in 2013. And I always say that nothing prepared me for the kind of environment that I would face. And I realized very fast that passion and skills and knowledge were not enough for me to navigate that particular environment.

You know, I say that the very first time I even faced violence, I remember sitting with the different leaders and one of them mentioning to me that, you know what, Bina, violence is not only normalized in political spaces, but you must have capacity to met violence as well if you need to survive. And I realized this political environment, especially for women, it's a matter of life and death just because you have political ambition. And I think for me, this particular conversation becomes even more important because when we look at data globally, IPU talks about 2.6% of young people are elected leaders globally. But for young women, it's less than 1%. And that is, I mean, that is data statistic that is common in many of our countries because even in my own country, young women represent less than 1% of elected leaders.

So what are the implications of this? When you look at our communities, the challenges we face disproportionately affect young women. Talk about gender based violence, talk about femicide. There is a global conversation right now, majority of the people being killed are young women. Yet even the question of femicide doesn't even make it to our political manifestos.

When men are running for office, talk about, you know, human trafficking, sex trafficking, still women, young women and children talk about and paid care work, talk about access to education. Yet we are not represented in spaces where decisions are being made, in spaces where budgets are being discussed. And so for me, after my experiences running for political office, we did stock taking to figure out how do we proceed. And we came up with different strategies. So at Badili Africa, we turn unconventional spaces into civic classrooms.

So we organize where women in all their diversity already gather. We organize with women in salons, we have something we call transformative gossip, where we shift the conversation in the salons to talk about how we need. Yeah, because women spend a considerable amount of time in the salon, about three to six hours. And that's time we can take to discuss organizing. How do we rally women in the different spaces?

We talk about women in Stockvilles in Chalmers, where we meet to pull our resources. And we are pulling resources because politics is not working for us. So then how do we still use those spaces to organize, you know, for our priorities to be central when it comes to governance in our communities, but also how do we nurture women in those very spaces? And also at the university level, we are building political and leadership pipelines, because also when you look at our governments, majority of the men in politics, their journey was honed from the student leadership spaces at the University of. But very few women, especially young women, transition from the university space to national politics.

So there's a broken political pipeline that we need to invest in pretty early so that you see yourself as a leader even when you leave the campus spaces. And when you talk about the question on intergenerational spaces that we need to create, I think what I've also seen that has also benefited the kind of work that we do is that when we look at intergenerational collaboration and intergenerational organizing is to create spaces where young women benefit from the wisdom of those who have engaged in the spaces we want to get in before. But also for the seasoned women to also appreciate their political imagination, the new tools and the ways we are organizing, you know, it's for them to appreciate that so that we are able to appreciate whatever each other is bringing to the table. You're bringing the wisdom of how you organize in the past. You're opening up the way.

But also we are seeing nuanced ways of how younger women are showing up. We are seeing nuanced ways of how digital platforms are being used to organize across class, across age, across generations. Yeah. So it's to do that. And my other two points is to also say that a critical part of this work is also to look at narrative power, because politics is just not shaped by institutions.

It's also shaped by the stories that we tell on who has the legitimacy to lead. It's the stories we tell on who has the legitimacy to occupy the spaces that need to be occupied. And so we have also seen many a times when it comes to political narratives, seasoned women and even younger women are written out of the stories we Tell every other day. And we need to reclaim that. Because whatever you're hearing every day, whatever you're seeing every day shapes your perception about women in leadership.

And I think lastly is to say that despite the challenges that we continue to face, and especially as young women, and I think sometimes you feel, you know, like you can feel so discouraged not to run for office because of what is is being discussed in different spaces. But then I want to say that running for office is just not about winning. It's about shifting the conversation is about refusing to be excluded in these spaces. Yeah. And so we have to continue running for office and we also have to look at the different ways within the political spectrum on how women engage as strategists and as organizers.

Thank you very much. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much, Bina. Now, I'm pleased to introduce Hon. Ruth Cross Kwessing. Thank you for joining us, Hon. She is the Minister for Youth, Women, Sports and Social affairs and member of Parliament from Kiribati.

Minister, welcome. Thank you. Yes. Let me just ask the question, if that's okay. Fabulous.

Minister, what do you see as the most significant barriers preventing young women from accessing political and public leadership roles, whether social, cultural or institutional? Could you share concrete examples with us of how your ministry or parliament has worked to overcome these barriers and what forms of intergenerational engagement or mentorship has proven effective? Over to you. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Apologies, I was getting a bit over excited and jumping onto the mic. And apologies also for being late. I'm feeling so hot right now, so in demand, running from different engagements. It's a good problem to have. It's a real honour to be in this room today here at the UN and speak to a matter that's not abstract to me.

It's a very personal topic. I'm a woman, I'm a mother. I'm a first generation politician from a small island developing state on the front lines of climate change. I represent 120,000 people, the approximate population of Kirwas right now. But now also as the Pacific Islands Forum political champion for gender and social inclusion, I speak also for the region.

And I carry these voices into every room that I speak in, including this room here today. Now, I came into politics because I reached a point in my humanitarian and development work where I realized that locally led band aid solutions were not enough. And that is why I ran and that's why I won. And that's why I'm here today because. And that's why we are all here Today, because far too many women still feel locked out of the rooms that we need to be in.

In Kitipas, following our 2024 election, we achieved a record five numbers of women entering into Parliament. And that's out of 45 members of parliament. We celebrated this. Out of those five women, we have two ministers, a deputy speaker of the House, and also a leader of opposition. And this is a great accomplishment.

But we're also sobered by the fact that it's only 11% of the leadership. And although we're proud of that, we're also aware that the progress at this pace is not enough. So these numbers reflect something deeper than representation gaps. They reflect the full architecture of exclusion, discriminatory and harmful norms that shape what is considered appropriate for women. Unequal access to and control over resources that political participation requires.

Legislation and policies have not yet been reformed to create genuinely level ground. And there are limited spaces for women to exercise meaningful agency over decisions that affect public their own lives. When all of these forces operate together, they do not simply slow progress. They determine who governs, whose priorities shape policy and whose communities are heard. For the Pacific, this is especially sharp.

Young women face compounding barriers, patriarchal harmful norms, financial constraints, the absence of support. As this side event rightly highlights, the escalating threat of technology facilitated violence against women in politics, which is actively driving talented young women away from public life before they even begin. I've personally encouraged highly capable women, women with skills and experience and vision, to stand for Parliament time and time again. The answer is the same. Family, finances, fear.

It's not a weakness. This is a rational response to a system that was not designed with them in mind. The Prime Minister from Tuvalu, who also struggled to attract women members of Parliament, mentioned that women have other priorities. And it's true, because women do tend to prioritise other important things in their lives. So before I speak to solutions, I want to name a gap that's too often left unspoken.

We talk about women's exclusion from political life, but within that exclusion, there are layers. And women with disabilities face some of the steepest barriers of all. Our own government's data makes the picture clear. The Kiribati Disability monograph produced often found that women in Kiribati have a higher rate of disability than men, compared to 5.2% of the male population. Females outnumber males with disabilities in both rural and urban areas and in every island group in Kitabas.

At the Asia Pacific Beijing ministerial conference in 2024, women with disabilities from across our region gathered to make the case clearly and powerfully that inclusion of women in the leadership must mean inclusion in all our diversity. And they should not have to make that case. It should be something that is already understood. When we speak about intergenerational mentoring, opening doors, we must ask honestly, or this is something that I ask myself because of the work that I've done trying to recruit women leaders. Are women hungry enough for change?

Are women determined enough? Because stepping through these doors is. It is tough. The sacrifices are significant and we dig deep. And I'll be honest with you, what we're stepping into is not an easy world or an easy life because we are digging deeper than men must.

We have no one's shoulders to stand on when we step into this room, because we are the shoulders. There is no one behind a woman but herself.

We had the great honor earlier this week of meeting Her Excellency Anna Baerbock. The other day, the President of the United Nations General assembly, formerly Germany's foreign minister, a highly accomplished and extraordinarily intelligent woman, undisputedly well equipped to literally lead the leaders of the world. And as I met her and I was looking at her, I thought I had noticed that she's actually lost a bit of weight in the last year since entering and since shouldering this load. Now, I'm an incredibly busy woman myself, but I don't forget to eat yet. I haven't quite reached that level of busyness now, and maybe it'll happen soon.

But nobody watches a woman like a hawk to make sure her life is being lived in optimum conditions. That's what women usually do. That's what we usually do. We dedicate our time to our family and our leaders to make sure that they have everything that they need. So who can give her that when she's the one who needs that support?

There are no shoulders for her to stand on. She must carry her own weight.

My sisters, you will carry your leadership, your womanhood, your family and your responsibilities. And you'll do it well. It will be hard. Do it anyway. When I entered Parliament, I had the advantage of international exposure through the East West Centre's leadership program, the Obama Foundation's Asia Pacific Leaders Programs.

And these weren't just training courses. They were stepping stones that helped me recognize my gifts, and they gave me my courage to take a seat at the table. Not every woman who could be a great leader has had that exposure. And that is precisely why intergenerational mentoring matters. I attended the wide Intergenerational dialogue in Fiji last October the waves of change Pacific women lead across generations.

And what I witnessed was not just knowledge sharing, it was a transfer of courage. And that is what Mentoring for Thought Leadership does. In the Pacific, leadership has been traditionally shaped by elders. There is wisdom in that. But wisdom is not the exclusive preserve of any one gender or generation.

Youth are already doing extraordinary work across Kiribati, leading climate action, food security innovation and bridging traditional knowledge and digital technology. When women elders and youth work together, together we create more comprehensive, more legitimate and more sustainable solutions, Specifically on temporary special measures. When I was elected to Parliament, I maintained that women could get there purely based on merit, as I had done. I have since come to understand that I was way off the mark. Structural barriers require extraordinary effort to overcome, and the situation is actually far more complex for women.

Therefore, we do need reserve seats, gender quotas and targeted financial support for women candidates. And critically, those measures must explicitly include women with disabilities who are doubly marginalised within existing systems. Second, on intergenerational investment, tools like the Inopolitics, you, Young Women's Empowerment portal matter precisely because access to knowledge itself is a form of power. We must resource these platforms and ensure that they are accessible to women with different types of disabilities. Third, on technology facilitated violence.

We cannot speak about increasing young women's participation without addressing the digital environment that they must navigate. Parliaments, technology platforms and governments must act together to ensure that speaking up online does not come at the cost of harassment or harm.

Lastly, on funding, we must protect investment in gender equality. When budgets are cut, women's programs are often the first to go. And that is a choice, and we must name it as one. I began my journey in politics because my mother told me I was meant to serve. Not every woman in the Pacific has that voice in her corner.

We, all of us in this room, must be that voice for the next generation, for all of them. Young women from outer islands, women navigating motherhood and public service, Women who have not yet been told that they belong.

Leadership is a mindset before it's a role. I love how a German diplomat reminded me where attention goes, energy flows. If we fix our attention on the possibility of young women leading in all their diversity, that's where our energy will flow.

The Pacific is a region of navigators. Our ancestors cross the largest ocean on earth, guided by the stars, the currents and collective wisdom. We do not need to have already accomplished something incredible before we know we can do it. What stands between Pacific women and their rightful place in leadership is not a lack of courage or capability. It's the persistence of harmful norms and structures that have never been designed for us.

It's the absence of legal and policy frameworks that would genuinely obligate change. It is unequal access to and control over the resources required for political participation. When we dismantle those barriers, when we reform the laws and shift the norms and redistribute the resources, women will lead. We already are. The question is whether the systems around us will move fast enough to keep up so that they can take some of the credit for getting us there.

Combasin DAPA and thank you.

Thank you so much, Minister.

Really appreciate your contribution. I want to be mindful of time, so let me quickly move to Ms. Lydia Koshgran. She is the chair of Save the Children Youth Organization in Sweden and youth representative for the Swedish CSW 70 delegation. Welcome, Lydia. As a young leader yourself, how do you see intergenerational cooperation shaping opportunities for young women in leadership?

What forms of mentorship or structured youth adult partnerships have been most empowering in your experience, could you reflect on on what kind of support would young women like to see from seasoned leaders? And finally, what would a truly youth inclusive decision making space look like? Over to you, Lydia. Thank you. And thank you for your question.

And thank you to all the organizers who have made this event an opportunity for us youth to speak. My own journey into leadership reflects why intergenerational cooperation means so much. Growing up, I always wanted to lead and contribute to social change. But like many young people, I did not always find spaces where that leadership could truly grow and flourish. It was through civil society, particularly within my organization, Save the Children Youth Sweden, that these opportunities finally flourished.

Much of that growth came through my own initiative. But it was also possible because young people, together with adults, had created structures where the youth could step forward. Today, I serve as chair of the organization. What makes our model unique is that we believe in direct decision making by young people themselves, and we actively work against ageism. Our national board ranges from the ages of 12 to 24 years old, and I'm the oldest member.

This is a very concrete reflection of trust in young people's leadership. As we often say, young people are not only the future, they are the present and they are the present leaders. At the same time, we need to reflect critically on how youth participation is structured globally. According to UNICEF, there are approximately 1.3 billion adolescents under 18, about 16% of the global population. Other data show that people under 25 make up 40, 40% of the world's population.

Yet in many international forums, a single youth representative is invited to speak on behalf of them all. Youth is not a homogenous group, nor are women different. Women experience barriers depending on their religion, race, migration, background, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental abilities and more. Age perspectives are also different. Within youth group groups, methods need to be developed in line with the specific age group which is being targeted.

Supporting young women in leadership therefore requires an intersectional perspective where young women from different communities support each other and bring diverse experiences into decision making. Intergenerational cooperation matters because often power works as scarcity. Minorities or youth leaders grow up thinking there's only one seat at the table. We see competition even between youth and the elderly. When someone finally reaches that chair, the system teaches them to protect their power, reproducing gatekeeping even among those historically excluded.

Expanding leadership opportunities, especially for young women, requires challenging that mindset. True intergenerational cooperation means previous generations hold the baton together with us, using their influence to widen doors for those who come after. It is not a choice between youth and experienced leadership. It is shared power creating more than one seat at the table. From my experience, the most empowering youth adult partnerships do not always come from formal mentorship programs.

Often they arise through structures that give young people real responsibility rather than purely advisory roles. In my role as chair, I work closely with our Secretary General, who has significantly more professional experience than me. What makes this partnership empowering is mutual respect and shared space. I have the same opportunity to shape decisions and articulate positions, and my contributions are taken seriously, independent of age or experience or gender. This often requires what I'd call the hit the ground running approach.

Young leaders are trusted with real responsibility from the start. It can be intimidating and imposterous. Syndrome is real. Yet being entrusted with authority allows confidence and leadership capacity to grow.

Empowerment works best through experience and structured practice, not only advice. Examples include the youth delegate programs like ones we see here at the UN level, where young people work alongside experienced diplomats and national bodies. Child rights delegations, which we have in Sweden, which institutionalize youth participation. These structures ensure participation is consistent, meaningful and influential. In my opinion, support for young women must be both personal and structural.

In the personal aspect, encouragement and recognition matter. Self doubt will always creep in, no matter the experience. Affirmation and constructive feedback help young women develop confidence and leadership capacity. In the structural aspect, leaders need to create safe spaces where young women can learn, experiment and practice leadership. Programs like one called Fatima within our organization illustrate this.

Older girls mentor younger ones in structured ways through training weekends, ongoing group meetings, etc. Leadership is extremely experienced. It's not just discussed. Importantly, mentorship should be intersectional considering race, migration, sexuality, gender identity and other factors so that young women from diverse communities are supported both within and across communities. Finally, support means avoiding tokenism.

Too often youth are invited after decisions are made where a single young person is included for show. Real support involves trust, sharing power and ensuring young women shape the decisions themselves.

A truly youth inclusive space starts with the concept of as we heard previously, nothing about young women without young women. Intergenerational engagement should shape decisions together, not just consult youth. Occasionally, youth participation often lacks clear standards. Without proper structures, participation risks being symbolic. A helpful framework such as Save the Children's requirements for meaningful childhood participation helps their principles emphasize transparency, voluntary engagement, respect and relevance, accessibility and inclusivity, training and support, and safety and accountability when implemented, these create a space when different generations recognize each other's expertise, policies are co created and young women's perspectives genuinely shape outcomes.

Because no democracy can be fully equal until women and girls share power and have access to justice. When young women are trusted as leaders, participation moves beyond token consultation towards shared power, stronger institutions and more inclusive democracies. Leadership opportunities for young women and all young people stop being exceptional. They become the norm. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much Lydia. And now we will move quickly to Hon. Fatma Onsh. She's a Member of Parliament from Turkey and Vice President of the ipu. Beru of women.

Parliamentarian MP Onshu is a strong defender of women in politics and women with disabilities. Welcome mp. We would just like to hear your perspective on women's, young women's political leadership and participation and where you see the opportunities for intergenerational exchanges. Over to you MP.

And w.

Yes, thank you so much. Thank you so much. Good morning distinguished panelists. Dear participants and WIDA partners. It is an honor to be at this panel with all of you today.

I would like to thank UN Women, International, ADA and United States and local governments for convening this important discussion during the 17th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. This conversation is timely and necessary. Democracy cannot be fully represented when half the population, and especially young women remain under president in political leadership. The new 2026 data released by IPU and UN Women, her and GSV confirm a warning reality. Women hold only 27.5% of parliamentary seats worldwide.

That is an inclusive of just 0.3% point compared to to last year. In other words, progress is far too slow. Structural barriers enable power relations stratopies and political violence continue to make political feel distant, incasible or even hostile for many young women. If we want stronger democracies, we must open the doors of political leadership much wider and much earlier for young women. Turning to your question, from my perspective, there are three urgent major parliamentaries should adapt create stronger peoples for young women.

First, mentorship and international alliance. As young women often enter political without network or institutional knowledge, mentorship programs cannot experience. Women parliamentaries with young leaders can transfer knowledge, confidence and release strangers on intergenerational allies. Second, implement reform that supports women candidates. This includes gender quiets that include pretty probation.

For the equal participation of young men and young women in the IPUs. I say yes to youth in parliamentary campaign. Third, make political suffer for women violence agents. Women in political, including on leave violence remain a major barrier. When political life becomes hostile, my talented young woman simply decide not to enter or not to stay.

No woman should have to choose between serving her democracy and protecting her dignity.

International achievement should not be a one way relationship. Young woman bring new perspectives, invitation and urgently to political life. While experienced leaders contribute institutional knowledge and strategic expenses. When these perspectives come together, they create powerful momentum for change. At the Inter Parliamentary Union, we are also commitment to building this bridge.

Through the IPU barriers of former parliamentaries and the barrier of young mp, we create space for dialogues, mentorship and exchange.

Let me counsel with the message to the young woman here today. Your voices are needed in politics.

Your perspectives are essential for shaping the policies that will define our future. Do not wait for permission to lead. And to my fellow parliamentaries and partners, we share the responsibility to make political space inclusive, supportive and accessible to the next generation. Together, through mentorship, institutional reform and international solidarity, we can ensure that more young women more from participation to full representation and leadership. Empowering young women today means stricting democracy tomorrow.

I hope understand. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much, MP Unchu. Thank you very much for your contribution. All right, so as we move to closing, we have the pleasure to share with you a very concrete tool dedicated to young women's empowerment which is being launched here today.

I'm pleased to now hand over the floor to Ms. Rumbid Zai Kandawazvika Nhundu. She is the principal advisor for democracy and inclusion at International Idea. Over to you, Rumbit.

Thank you, Obi and sisters. Brothers, let's have some energy.

Debunk social norms. Okay, so what I'm going to start with is to acknowledge that as international Idea, we're really pleased to be a partner for the Wide Women's leadership led by UN women in partnership with the Inter Parliamentary Union, UCLG and UN women, of course, they are the leader. Yeah. My point here is to reinforce the elements that have been mentioned with regards to the intergenerational dialogue and empowerment. My first point is the fact that the in person initiatives that we have, they have to be reinforced by online resources and tools because we are living in that digital era and in addition to that we also have hard copies of resources and tools.

But the whole point for having the Young Women's Empowerment portal under INO politics, it has been referenced to by some of the speakers, is the very fact that we need to realize that empowerment is generational. Empowerment is a generational inheritance issue and we can't afford to have ad hoc or by the way, interventions. And in this regard you find that the CEL portal is bringing the experiences of young women from across the world through the initiatives that have been implemented under the Wide Women's Leadership initiative. But it's not just limited to those who have engaged under the Wide Women's Leadership Initiative, but to women, young women in particular across the world. And it will be in Arabic, it will be in English, it will be in Spanish and it will be in French.

And that's very important because the power of language. We are addressing the issue of the power of language and expecting and opening spaces for young women across the world to be the agents of the change that they would like to see. One of the key elements I want to highlight, please if you can see this, show the slide on GENIE mapping of young women in politics. We have made references to documenting the stories of young women. And under this sub portal we believe we need to write her story.

It's not history, it's her story. And we need to debunk the issue of documenting young women and women in particular their experiences and their journeys. So this is why under the sub portal we'll have a huge section on young women journey mapping in terms of their experiences. We also have a function on youth advisors. We have heard from all the presenters that it cannot be about us without us.

And I recall when we were constructing the functionalities, at some point there was about something about experts and I said no, we don't want that terminology that creates silos of them as experts and they receiving from the experts. That's why we decided it will be youth advisors and it will be intergenerational youth advisors. So it's not just us, the born before the computers, the BBC, who feel we are young at Heart. But we are not young anymore. Just because we are young at heart, it doesn't mean we are young.

And we shouldn't take the spaces of the young people. So that's why that section will be called Youth Advisors, so that they can be intergenerational learning and exchanging the challenge that we are dealing with distinguished delegates. It's about the redistribution of power and it's about the transformation of narratives. And if we don't capture our stories and debunk the narratives, we'll constantly be hearing that leadership is perceived and it continues to be predominantly dominated by men. I conclude by saying having the I Know Politics platform and also having the sub portal, we can start having a narrative that shows that our problem across the world is the over representation of men, not the under representation of women.

So we need to change the narrative. The problem is the over representation of men. Let's name it for what it is and how it's driven by patriarchy. Thank you. We encourage all of us to be the users, to benefit and also to share and disseminate the young Women's empowerment portal on I know Politics.

And let's contribute in the different languages so that it's not just about Anglophone, but also all the languages and regions of the world are represented. Thank you so much and all the best.

Thank you so much. Rumbitzai. That was super insightful. And we will be using the portal. Thank you for your patience with us so far.

We didn't want to end this session without giving the floor an opportunity. We have time just for two burning questions. If you have any questions for our panel, please raise your hand. I see one over there. It must have been burning.

And just to be fair, we'll go over to this side and I'll go all the way to the back over there. Thank you very much. If you can please just use your mic and please ask your question. Thank you very much. Introduce yourself as well.

Thank you.

Is it working?

Hello. Ah, wonderful. So excited to be here. My name is Sajida Noor. Not in politics at all.

I work in tech. But coming here and hearing from your voices raised a lot of questions in my mind. One being that we're talking about intergenerational and intersectional knowledge crossing. I would love to hear more about

inter socioeconomic classes as well and how we're connecting with people who come from various backgrounds from a socioeconomic background. That's one question is how do we address that not just from an age perspective, but also from a class perspective? For lack of a better Phrase. And my second question is around our technology, around AI.

I am very close to the space, and

there aren't a lot of female, as a matter of fact, barely any female voices within the development of AI and the development, utilizing data that we have. Right. It's mainly, I have to say it, white men that essentially kind of have the voice of building this technology that's

going to be taking over our world. So how do we address that as well? Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.

All right, let's take the second question and then we'll come back to our panel and wrap up. Over to you. Go ahead.

It's coming on. I'm sure.

It needs to switch to red. That's good. Oh, perfect. Thank you. Well, hi, all.

My name is Nicole Casares. I'm from Mexico. And, well, I'm actually an international relations student. And I would want to know, like, for us as students, as they mentioned, it's really difficult to make the big jump to these type of spaces. So just in a few words, what would be the main characteristic that you would like to see in doing the

jump between the university areas and the public spaces in policies? Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

All right.

We were supposed to. No, I'm so sorry.

Yes. We were supposed to go all the way to the top, but the microphone didn't come on there.

Yes, please, can we quickly just take that and then we'll come and wrap up? Thank you. Sorry. Go ahead. Good afternoon.

Thank you so much for sharing these very empowering, important, and inclusive insights today on young women and in leadership. I'm a representative for People Centered Lighthouse, an organization that is centered around people and the virtues of all people. We are an organization that isn't about one person in the singular tense, but the people in the plural tense, as we are together on one planet. My question for the panel today is how can governments in international organizations and communities better empower young women to take leadership roles in shaping policies and the initiatives aimed at eliminating violence against women and girls in legal systems, such as

coercion, manipulation, representation, that taking leadership from the classroom into the world so that there is no more silence but the power of our voices and actions? Thank you. Thank you so much.

So I'm going to come back to the panel and give you an opportunity to respond in one minute as you share your closing thoughts. Minister, can I start with you, please? Thank you very much. One minute, please. Thank you so much for understanding.

Sure. Thank you for the opportunity to respond. So I'll cover across the Inter social barriers and just mention this is why things like the temporary special measures are important. When you go to developing countries, for example, people with equal lack of academic qualifications, males more predominantly will be able to enter into parliamentary circles, whereas women will struggle even though they have equally just as little development experience and backgrounds. So when we talk about special measures, that's making sure that those inter social barriers start to become unraveled, giving women equal opportunity to cross through with the same challenges.

And with AI, I just want to let you know that in a developing country, it's incredibly transformative. Isolated rural areas don't have access to the knowledge that they need in order to develop complex solutions, in order to unlock funding mechanisms. And the reason why AI is so transformative for developing countries is it gives them the ability to do things that they never were able to do. So when we want to see more or better comprehensive solutions, we obviously need to see women entering into this space to understand why it's so important, because they start to take it where it really needs to be and develop comprehensive solutions. Mexico I just want to answer your question about the characteristic that I think is most important, to be able to break through those barriers very quickly and get to where you need to be.

And I think it's fearless and passionate problem solving. And that's what gets you noticed and that's what breaks through all those perceived levels that you think are in the way of getting you noticed, to getting you into high level positions so that you can become a leader that solves problems at scale.

Thank you, thank you so much. Minister Binary over to you.

Thank you very much. I think I'll just quickly respond to the question about our learning institutions. And I'd love to say that engaging in the student government processes gives you an opportunity to understand most of these processes because also student governments deal with budgets. You know, I don't know about maybe the system in your school, but in many institutions there's a bit of money from your school fees that goes into the student kitty to take care of welfare. And it's important to question whether that focuses on your priorities as a young person running for office, organizing for candidates who are interested.

All this gives you an opportunity to understand in the broader sense how national politics looks like. Because the student governments, they mirror to some extent how national politics looks like and even in the clubs, I mean, how you're debating about most of these issues. It's very, very critical to build that skill then. And I think lastly is to say that even most of the challenges that we Discuss in national politics. Also younger people face them because while we face especially physical violence in national politics, digital violence is very rife at the university space, at the college space, you know, and when we talk about some of the solutions, that is a very good space to ensure that you, you push for the solutions that are being discussed at the national level.

And lastly, in terms of organizing across, you know, like class as well, I think the examples that I did give on our end have shown that you can organize across class. Because when you look at even the spaces I quoted, like the work we do in salons, any salonist is working with women across tribe, class, age. We get to meet there already. In Africa, Stockvilles and chamas are very, very popular. And also they cut across class.

You know, you have maybe very high end stockvilles or chamas where hondurables like a boss a day seats, you know, those ones for traveling. But also you have stockvilles at the community level. Just kidding. At the community level. And I think is to also look in our personal spaces because we also are influential in our own spaces where we hung out and turn that particular space into a civic classroom because then you will be talking to your own peers.

And lastly, I think it's the platforms that WIDE has been able to provide because the kind of leaders I have met at programs like wide, they come from, you know, across different classes, from the rural area, from the urban area, you know, and then across countries as well. And that helps enrich the experiences that we are talking about. Yeah, I want to finish with this quote. And this is my quote, my finishing thoughts. And I like this quote from Ellen Saliff Johnson, Hon.

And it says full political participation will become a reality for us as women when quarters and set asides become a relic of the past, when our access in participatory institutions at all levels is considered a right, and when we no longer feel compelled to wage campaigns and stage protests in order to have a say in the decisions that affect our lives, be it at the peace table or in the political and economic arenas. Thank you. Thank you so much. Bina

Mayor, over to you.

Thank you. I will answer in Spanish so you can.

The fact is that we have dealt with very important issues. But I'd like to focus my answer by emphasizing the progressive political parties because they are the ones that empower youth to have relevant roles in party politics. They promote youth so that they have access to positions of power and so they can change the structures, these laws, these ways of organizing. Therefore, I encourage young women to affiliate with a democratic progressive political party who.

Who respect all these truths. But there are other ways. In my case, I was a young president of the bar association in Barcelona because I had this vocation to improve the quality of life from the standpoint of rights. I recommend to young women not to be afraid of being passionate about defending human rights, equality, justice, improving social services. Those of the most vulnerable to prioritize

to have cities which facilitate access, inclusion and equity for all citizens, and especially the young ones, so that the spaces are there for them, so that they can exchange experiences and spaces that allow young women to develop and who are able to work in countries like Spain and like all of us here. Final thoughts. I'll be really brief. I have two thoughts addressing the socio economic question.

I think if we don't see people from different socioeconomic backgrounds, it's because structures and programs aren't existing in those areas. So we need to target those areas. We need to make sure that the structures and programs and institutions that want more people from different socioeconomic backgrounds to be part of parliament, to be part of politics, to be part of civil society. We need to make sure that they function. It's as simple as that.

Yeah. And the same with women in stem. If we don't see women in STEM in politics and parliament and civil society, it's because we don't have structures that are functioning and are targeting those areas. And the second question about bridging the path from university to work and to this area. I'm in the same boat.

I think it's really difficult. I grew up in Paraguay, so it's very different from where I live now in Sweden. And I do see that there are very different opportunities given in the Global north and Global South. But I'd say take hold of every single opportunity that comes your way. Find your passionate area.

Find the question that drives you, that gets you up in the morning, and opportunities will come your way because we need more young people and we need to focus on getting young people in power, in politics and yeah, just keep on going and you will find an opportunity. Thank you so much, Lydia.

All right. Is this working? I'm not sure.

Do you hear me? Yes. Not sure. I don't think. Oh, great.

There we go. All right. So as we conclude this event, I know that we're beginning to leave, but we have resources down here for you to live with. So allow me just wrap up and then you'd be able to come and get them. As we conclude this event, I'd like to thank the organizers, partners of Wide Women Leadership Initiative and the European Union for this strategic partnership and funding this project.

Thank you to all our speakers and participants for such insightful contribution. Today's discussion has clearly shown that incorporated increasing young women's participation in public life is not only about opening doors, but also about building networks, mentorship and solidarity that allow the next generation of leaders to thrive. Intergenerational engagement is a powerful tool to challenge barriers, shift norms, and ensure that young women are not just present in decision making spaces, but able to shape them. Finally, thank you for having me here today. It has been an honor to be your moderator.

Thank you very much.