EmpowerHer: Breaking Barriers to Women Leadership

Project justification
Despite progress in many areas, women and girls continue to face significant barriers to participate in leadership and decision-making roles. This perpetuates gender inequality and limits the potential for inclusive and sustainable development. Women and girls are often underrepresented in political, corporate and other public leadership positions due to systemic barriers such as discriminatory practices, stereotypes and entrenched power dynamics.  When women and girls are excluded from leadership roles, societies miss out on the diverse perspectives, talents and experiences they bring. This hampers effective governance, innovation and social progress. Ensuring women and girls have equal opportunities to participate in leadership and decision-making process is essential for upholding human rights principles and promoting social justice. Empowering women and girls in leadership positions has positive economic impacts, including increased productivity, improved governance and enhanced social cohesion. Closing gender gap in leadership can contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction. Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires full participation of women and girls. Breaking down barriers to their leadership contributes to the realization of the SDGs, particularly those related to gender equality, inclusive societies and sustainable development.

Major goals of the project
The main goal of this project is to catalyze systemic change and foster an environment where women and girls will fully participate in leadership and electoral processes, challenging existing norms and structures to create inclusive spaces for decision-making.  

The project aims to increase understanding of the barriers preventing women and girls from assuming leadership roles, including societal norms, traditions and power dynamics; enhance the leadership skills of women and girls to navigate and challenge existing systems; advocate for gender equality and address discriminatory practices within electoral and leadership processes.