Outcome LAC_D_1.1

Latin America and the Caribbean democratic institutions are strengthened, and States advance towards gender parity in political participation at all decision-making levels

In 2023, this outcome has important progress, even though no new laws or reforms to advance gender balance in decision-making were adopted in the current year, progress was made in setting parity as a key pillar for the strengthening of democracies and the advance of gender equality agendas in the region. UN Women advocated for the full exercise of women’s political rights, focusing on the promotion of legal measures and institutional mechanisms to ensure parity representation in decision-measures, a comprehensive mitigation of violence against women in politics, as inclusive political financing, through advocacy, capacity-building and knowledge production initiatives, contributing to build consensus towards parity democracies, including within the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament ( Declaration ), the Ibero-American Congress of Municipalities ( Declaration ), as well as the Association of Women Electoral Magistrates of the Americas ( Agreements ). At country level, progress was made especially in Uruguay in support to the legislative debate on the parity bill , which is expected to be considered by parliament in March 2024. Both through coordinated UN System’s advocacy , as through UN Women specific technical assistance and incidence within sessions of the Commission on Human Rights and Gender Equality of the Senate, arguments in favor of a parity law were strengthened.

Latin America and the Caribbean democratic institutions are strengthened, and States advance towards gender parity in political participation at all decision-making levels

In 2025, women’s political participation in Latin America and the Caribbean registered incremental yet uneven advances, consolidating the region’s global leadership in parliamentary representation while underscoring persistent gaps in executive and local decision-making spaces. Women now hold 36.4 per cent of seats in national parliaments (ECLAC/IPU, 2025), a modest increase compared to previous years, and account for 39.5 per cent of justices in supreme courts (ECLAC, 2025), reflecting substantive progress in judicial leadership. At the same time, eight countries are led by women heads of State or Government (UN Women, 2026), signaling women’s presence at the highest level of political leadership. However, no progress was observed in the adoption of temporary special measures or parity laws, with the number of countries maintaining such frameworks stagnant at 18 (UN Women, 2025). By contrast, normative advances were achieved in addressing violence against women in politics, with Colombia’s adoption of a specific law in 2025 raising to 15 the number of countries with legal frameworks recognizing this issue (UN Women, 2025). UN Women’s efforts during 2025—including capacity-building initiatives that reached over 600 women leaders and decision-makers through the Atenea–FLACSO platform, mentorship programs for emerging leaders, and advocacy around CEDAW’s General Recommendation No. 40 —contributed to strengthening institutional commitments and equipping women with practical tools to defend their rights, run for office, and promote gender-responsive governance. These actions, combined with regional advocacy in parliamentary and intergovernmental forums, including the XVI Regional Conference on Woman in Latin America and the Caribbean and the Parliamentary Forum hosted in this framework ( https://lac.unwomen.org/es/stories/noticia/2025/08/parlamentarias-de-america-latina-y-el-caribe-llaman-a-acelerar-normas-y-politicas-para-avanzar-la-sociedad-del-cuidado-2025 )- have supported incremental improvements in women’s representation and laid the groundwork for more inclusive and equal decision-making systems across the region ( https://lac.unwomen.org/es/digital-library/publications/2026/01/contribuciones-del-foro-parlamentario-en-el-marco-de-la-xvi-conferencia-regional-sobre-la-mujer ).

Latin America and the Caribbean democratic institutions are strengthened, and States advance towards gender parity in political participation at all decision-making levels

In the LAC region, seven countries have achieved or are nearing gender parity at the parliamentary level, with over 40% of women in elected national positions. Although there was no significant increase in women's participation at the parliamentary level compared to 2023, maintaining the regional average around 35.4% compared to 27,2% globally, the number of female heads of state or government rose to seven following Mexico's general elections, which resulted in the country's first elected female president. Significant progress has been made in establishing parity as a key pillar for strengthening democracies and advancing gender equality agendas, including in regional parliamentary and intergovernmental forums, as in key United Nations processes, such as the drafting CEDAW's new general recommendation No. 40 on Equal and Inclusive Representation in Decision-Making Systems. Notably, there is a growing understanding among both men and women of the importance of parity representation in decision-making positions, as highlighted by a recent survey in Uruguay showing wide citizen support for a parity law and more women in decision-making positions. These positive changes are thanks in part to a stronger normative framework promoting women’s full and effective political participation, with 9 countries counting with legal measures towards parity, 9 countries with quota laws and 14 countries with laws and institutional mechanisms addressing violence against women in politics. UN Women has played a pivotal role in ensuring policymakers have access to cutting-edge knowledge and tools to adopt and implement measures to promote women’s participation in political processes and institutions, including through gender-responsive political financing, as to combat violence against women in politics. Thanks to UN Women’s partnership with the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), UNDP, International IDEA, CLADEM and DIAKONIA, more women count with capacities to defend their political and electoral rights, run for office and promote gender equality agendas, having benefitted 1096 women and diversities at regional level during 2024, including 166 decision-makers, 661 aspirants and 51 candidates to an elective position.