- EINO VATILENI
Member of the National Council Hon. Iswarin Rooi says Namibia continues to lead the continent in political parity with a cabinet of over 50% women.
She made these remarks while giving her contribution during the Forum of Women Parliamentarians on the role of parliaments in establishing robust post-conflict management mechanisms and restoring a just and lasting peace.
Hon. Rooi said Namibia made history by inaugurating its first female President, H.E Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, and first female Vice President, H.E Lucia Witbooi.
She added that the National Assembly is headed by a woman, Hon. Saara Kuukongelwa-Amadhila and Hon. Emma Muteka, as the Vice Chairperson of the National Council.
“Namibia has thus proven that when you empower women at the highest levels of governance, you create a leadership model rooted in the principles of the Maputo Protocol and the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda,” She said.
According to her, with nearly 45% of Namibia’s parliamentary seats held by women, the number of women parliamentarians is made possible by the ‘Zebra System’ of the ruling Swapo Party which calls for 50/50 gender representation.
“To further strengthen and optimize women participation and inclusion, I am pleased to announce that the Namibian Parliament formally constituted a Joint Women Caucus of which I was elected as secretary,” she said.
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
The member of parliament added that despite the high representation of women in government and the Third National Gender Equality and Equity Policy (2025 –2035),Namibia continues to record an increase of gender-based violence with 4,400 cases reported between 2024 and 2025 alone.
“As parliamentarians, our duty is to ensure that our high representation in the house translates into safety for every girl in our rural constituencies,” she said.
POST-CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
On Post-Conflict Management, Hon. Rooi said the world must move beyond the participation of women to the institutionalization of women’s leadership.
“Peace is only sustainable when women are at the core of mediation and early warning systems, as outlined in our Windhoek+25 Roadmap and on Sustainable Global Economy, we must advocate for gender-responsive budgeting at the international level,” Hon. Rooi said.
IN SUPPORT
Speaking at the same forum, President of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians Hon. Cynthia López Castro says women representation in different parliaments world wide is crucial for women to air their voices and concerns.
She further raised concerns on the zero representation of women in some parliaments calling for their inclusion in their upcoming elections.
She added that the world now has a total of 28 female heads of state.
It will be the first in the history of IPU as it is expected for the assembly to elect a female Secretary General of the IPU and a female President of the IPU.
