Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, the Right Honourable Nelly B. K Mutti, SC, MP, FAPRA says that International cooperation is the panacea to translate Parliament’s efforts into concrete policy actions by Governments on international best practices on advancing women’s participation in decision-making.

Speaking when she addressed a Plenary Session of the Fourth Eurasian Women's Conference being held under the captivating theme, “Women for Strengthening Trust and Global Cooperation” on Wednesday, 18th September, 2024 in St. Petersburg, Russia, Speaker Mutti said that the global statistics on women’s involvement in politics are not encouraging.

The Speaker bemoaned the recent 2024 Interparliamentary Union Statistics on global women in parliaments, which reveal that only 11,950 female Members of Parliament sit in Parliament, representing 27% female representation in Parliaments.

“To also give context to my country Zambia, women make up only 15 per cent of the total membership. Out of 167 Members in Parliament, 25 are women Parliamentarians. Following my election as the first female Speaker of our Parliament, I have advocated for the transformation of the Women Parliamentary Caucus into a Standing Parliamentary Committee on Women Affairs to give prominence to women’s rights and welfare in the country,” the Speaker said.

Speaker Mutti has called for international cooperation in advancing women’s participation in decision-making stressing that need for more women to be involved in politics has increasing become urgent.

The Speaker said that one of the ways to increase women’s participation in contemporary society is through parliamentary action and international cooperation stating that Parliament’s three core functions provide many different entry points through which Parliamentarians can advance women’s empowerment and strengthen trust and cooperation, at national, regional and global levels.

The Speaker called for Parliamentarians to strengthen the legal framework and the policies pertaining to women empowerment and gender equality and ensuring entrenchment in the constitution to guarantee implementation.

She further urged Parliamentarians to push for budgetary provisions dedicated to women empowerment programmes and critical social sectors in a manner that promotes sustainable development and inclusion.

The Eurasia women’s conference was also graced by His Excellency Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation and Her Excellency, Mrs. Matvienko, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.

The Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia, Hon. Nelly Mutti, SC is in Russia for an official visit at the invitation of the Russian Federation.