UN experts commend launch of Women Parliamentarians Council

GENEVA – UN experts* today commended the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and women parliamentarians for establishing the Women Parliamentarians Council at the Global Parliamentary Forum and congratulated the newly elected chair of the Forum, Sahar Albazar.

"The Women Parliamentarians Council provides an important platform to advance the role of women’s leadership and meaningful participation in governance and ensure gender responsive approaches, including implementation of commitments to women’s human rights, that are central to all levels of economic decision-making," said the UN experts.

Established earlier this year by the IMF and World Bank, the Council aims to address the gendered impacts of economic policies and ensure equitable outcomes for women and girls.

"This significant step empowers women legislators to develop and lead institutional changes that eliminate discriminatory legal barriers faced by women in many countries, promote gender responsive budgeting, advance oversight and accountability, and promote equality through their leadership and diplomacy, moving towards an economy prioritising care and well-being, rather than focused merely on economic growth for the few,” the experts said.

They previously called on the IMF to consider in their Strategy Toward Mainstreaming Gender the challenges faced by women and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, gender equality setbacks, debt crises, and climate change. In May 2024, the experts met with the IMF to discuss the importance of gender-disaggregated data and advocate for an intersectional approach which takes into account factors beyond gender, such as migration status and rural versus urban demographics, from a human rights perspective.

The experts remain ready to collaborate with the IMF, the World Bank, and the Women Parliamentarians Council to further these objectives, offering their expertise and support to strengthen gender-responsive economic strategies.