Imagine a world where over half the population possesses untapped potential to lead, innovate, and shape the future. This is not just hypothetical—it reflects our current global landscape. Despite women constituting more than half of the global population, their representation in leadership roles lags strikingly behind. 

The most recent UN SDGs 2023 report paints a picture of slow progress: as of January 1, 2023, women held just 26.5% of seats in parliaments worldwide. At the local government level, women occupied 35.5% of the seats. In the corporate world, the gap remains pronounced: women accounted for nearly 40% of the total workforce yet held a mere 28.2% of managerial positions as of 2021. 

While in the public administration, as per data available by UNDP-Pitt 2021 Global Report on Gender Equality in Public Administration (GEPA), on average women are 46% of public administrators but occupy only 31% of top leadership roles and just 30% of senior managerial positions. 

These disparities are not just a matter of fairness or equality—it’s about harnessing a broader range of insights, experiences, and skills that women bring to the table, which are crucial for innovation and effective, responsive and accountable governance and achieving the SDGs. 

Read more at: https://www.undp.org/asia-pacific/blog/charting-advancement-womens-leadership-public-sector-asia-pacific