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WFD's Annual Report and Accounts, which were laid before Parliament on 13 July 2023.
2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol). As we commemorate two decades of this groundbreaking treaty, we take stock of its significance and impact, and the work that still lies ahead.
In the last nine months Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) Nigeria – in partnership with the Nigerian National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) – focused on modalities for inclusive and effective participation of underrepresented groups in political parties. Through a project titled Political Party Watch (PPW), the partnership built on an earlier study conducted by WFD in 2021. The study found there was a need to increase the level of transparency, accountability, and inclusion of underrepresented groups to participate effectively into political parties’ procedures and operations.
Supporting women’s political leadership and women MP retention through stakeholder mapping in Malawi
SNP WFD’s partnership with the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus (PWC) in Malawi focuses on enhancing women’s political representation to create a more just political environment. To achieve this, SNP WFD began a stakeholder mapping project. Stakeholder mapping surveys voters and other stakeholders and enables MPs to be more prepared for and understand what is expected of them within their constituencies. It also helps them identify and attain resources needed to achieve more equal representation in Parliament.
During the recent Ukraine Recovery Conference, WFD, alongside NDI hosted a roundtable for Ukrainian civil society on democratic aspects of the country's recovery. WFD's Senior Programme Manager (ECA), Rob van Leeuwen reflects on what we learned from our Ukrainian partners about the crucial role civil society has to play in helping communities recover and restore the damage done by the war.
The Senate of Kenya, with the support of Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), conducted a self-assessment on its utilisation of post-legislative scrutiny. Here is a breakdown of the findings and recommendations from the evaluation.
Following months of engagement with multiple national and regional stakeholders, WFD organised a high-level workshop to develop a draft resolution proposal to be presented at the 44th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA). In addition to greater women’s political leadership, the draft resolution proposal also covers financial access and green jobs transition for women in Southeast Asia.
Making the law count: towards greater public consultation practices within the Parliament of Ukraine
While facing Russia’s brutal invasion of the country, the Parliament of Ukraine continues to build its democratic institutions. On the eve of International Day of Parliamentarism, on 29 June, three parliamentary committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (VRU), the Parliament of Ukraine, presented their committees’ post-legislative scrutiny (PLS) inquiries to a wide audience of Ukrainian stakeholders, who came together in Kyiv. The inquiries ran from November 2022 - 2023 with the support of WFD and the USAID funded RADA Next Generation program.
As of June 2022, total public debt was at a 50-year high in low and middle-income economies. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, global inflation, impacts on exchange rates and the rise of interest rates have affected many countries, impacting on their ability to service their debts and prioritise development objectives. All these factors have resulted in a systematic decline in the quality of social services available to citizens, especially women and girls. Janet Bamisaye, WFD's Deputy Finance Director explains what this means and how we should work to ensure that policies and practices related to public debt do not negatively impact the delivery of public services.
Developed under the program "Advancing Environmental Protection, Climate Change and Democratic Resilience in Georgia: Phase 2," these resources are designed to foster the dissemination of the latest scientific data and predictions, ultimately contributing to public awareness and debate on the pressing climate crisis.
On the International Day of Parliamentarianism, Franklin De Vrieze, our Head of Practice for Accountability and Transparency at Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), shares with us his recommended WFD resources on Post-Legislative scrutiny for Parliamentarians and our wider parliamentary community.
Chief Executive's introduction to Westminster Foundation for Democracy's Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023
Foreword to Westminster Foundation for Democracy's Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023 by Rt Hon. Richard Graham MP, Chair of WFD’s Board of Governors
Foreword to Westminster Foundation for Democracy's Annual Report and Accounts 2022-2023 by Rt Hon. Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons and WFD’s Patron
WFD is delighted that Lord Ahmad has appointed Liz Saville Roberts MP and Milica Delevic as members of WFD's Board of Governors.