Women Now Hold Top Three Positions in Government
Namibia has made history by becoming the first African country to have its top government positions held by women. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was recently sworn in as Namibia’s president after winning 58 percent of the vote. With her election, she becomes Namibia’s first female head of state but as well as Africa’s second-ever directly elected female president. Nandi-Ndaitwah promptly expanded the number of roles held by women upon taking office, appointing Lucia Witbooi as vice president and Saara Kuugongelwa–Amadhila as speaker of the National Assembly. This is also the first time these roles have been held by women. Nandi-Ndaitwah also made history with her cabinet appointments. For the first time, women hold the majority of positions. Sixty percent of Namibia’s fourteen ministers are now women and hold offices in finance, foreign affairs, health, education, and gender equality. The new president said her election should encourage other women because “I was not elected because I’m a woman, but on merit. Women are capable members of society.” Her priorities in this new administration are to diversify Namibia’s economy and reduce the country’s debt.
Significant Rates of Violence and Sexual Harassment Against Women Parliamentarians in the Asia Pacific
An Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) report published on Tuesday illustrates the serious problem posed by sexism, harassment, and violence against women in parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region. Over a nine-year period, the IPU carried out confidential interviews with 150 women parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from 33 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The study found that 76 percent of women members of parliament (MPs) experienced psychological violence and 25 percent endured sexual violence, with more than half of the incidents taking place on parliamentary premises and committed by their male counterparts. The abuse also extended to parliamentary staff, with 63 percent of women reporting that they had suffered physiological violence and 36 percent reporting sexual violence. The report concluded that such acts represent efforts to delegitimize women’s presence in politics and force them into silence or invisibility. The author of the report, Brigitte Filion, said the risk of attacks against women in politics affects their ability to fulfill their roles and shows “the dangers for the future generations are obvious: this can discourage young women from getting involved in politics.”
International Olympic Committee Elects First Woman President; DNA Sex Testing Mandated for Track and Field
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Kirsty Coventry, a seven-time Olympic champion for Zimbabwe, has been elected as the new International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, making her the first woman and African in the role. Upon taking the position, Coventry said that her goal is to make the Olympics “a bridge between countries and cultures, a source of hope and a force for good.” Coventry is expected to face challenges in the role, including increasing scrutiny on including trans athletes in the games. She has previously endorsed an overall ban on trans women competing in categories for women within the games. “I want to ensure that front and foremost, we protect (the) female category. I don’t believe that transgender female athletes should be competing at the Olympic Games,” she said during a European Olympic Committee meeting in February. It is currently up to each individual sport to determine eligibility requirements for participation. To that end, track and field recently announced that it would require mandatory DNA sex testing for athletes to be eligible for women’s category competitions. Coventry has said she will set up a task force to assess the current policies and did not rule out the requirement of sex testing, which the IOC has declined to implement to date and has been deemed a harmful practice by several human rights organizations.
Diya Mehta is the intern for the Women and Foreign Policy Program
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Women This Week: Namibia Inaugurates Its First Woman President
Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers March 8 to March 14.
March 31, 2025 1:57 pm (EST)
- Post
- Blog posts represent the views of CFR fellows and staff and not those of CFR, which takes no institutional positions.
Women Now Hold Top Three Positions in Government
Namibia has made history by becoming the first African country to have its top government positions held by women. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was recently sworn in as Namibia’s president after winning 58 percent of the vote. With her election, she becomes Namibia’s first female head of state but as well as Africa’s second-ever directly elected female president. Nandi-Ndaitwah promptly expanded the number of roles held by women upon taking office, appointing Lucia Witbooi as vice president and Saara Kuugongelwa–Amadhila as speaker of the National Assembly. This is also the first time these roles have been held by women. Nandi-Ndaitwah also made history with her cabinet appointments. For the first time, women hold the majority of positions. Sixty percent of Namibia’s fourteen ministers are now women and hold offices in finance, foreign affairs, health, education, and gender equality. The new president said her election should encourage other women because “I was not elected because I’m a woman, but on merit. Women are capable members of society.” Her priorities in this new administration are to diversify Namibia’s economy and reduce the country’s debt.
Significant Rates of Violence and Sexual Harassment Against Women Parliamentarians in the Asia Pacific
An Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) report published on Tuesday illustrates the serious problem posed by sexism, harassment, and violence against women in parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region. Over a nine-year period, the IPU carried out confidential interviews with 150 women parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from 33 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The study found that 76 percent of women members of parliament (MPs) experienced psychological violence and 25 percent endured sexual violence, with more than half of the incidents taking place on parliamentary premises and committed by their male counterparts. The abuse also extended to parliamentary staff, with 63 percent of women reporting that they had suffered physiological violence and 36 percent reporting sexual violence. The report concluded that such acts represent efforts to delegitimize women’s presence in politics and force them into silence or invisibility. The author of the report, Brigitte Filion, said the risk of attacks against women in politics affects their ability to fulfill their roles and shows “the dangers for the future generations are obvious: this can discourage young women from getting involved in politics.”
International Olympic Committee Elects First Woman President; DNA Sex Testing Mandated for Track and Field
More on:
Kirsty Coventry, a seven-time Olympic champion for Zimbabwe, has been elected as the new International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, making her the first woman and African in the role. Upon taking the position, Coventry said that her goal is to make the Olympics “a bridge between countries and cultures, a source of hope and a force for good.” Coventry is expected to face challenges in the role, including increasing scrutiny on including trans athletes in the games. She has previously endorsed an overall ban on trans women competing in categories for women within the games. “I want to ensure that front and foremost, we protect (the) female category. I don’t believe that transgender female athletes should be competing at the Olympic Games,” she said during a European Olympic Committee meeting in February. It is currently up to each individual sport to determine eligibility requirements for participation. To that end, track and field recently announced that it would require mandatory DNA sex testing for athletes to be eligible for women’s category competitions. Coventry has said she will set up a task force to assess the current policies and did not rule out the requirement of sex testing, which the IOC has declined to implement to date and has been deemed a harmful practice by several human rights organizations.
Diya Mehta is the intern for the Women and Foreign Policy Program
More on:
