At the start of 2020, preparations were well under way for the fifth such Conference to be held in Vienna, Austria, but the COVID-19 pandemic led to the decision to hold a virtual segment of the Conference in August 2020.

The present regional study, the second in the series, focuses on parliaments in Africa and was carried out in partnership with the African Parliamentary Union (APU). It is based on confidential interviews conducted with 224 women parliamentarians and members of parliamentary staff from 50 countries and one subregional parliamentary assembly. The aim of the study is to enrich the documentation and knowledge available on violence against women in parliaments in Africa, taking into account their voices and realities in the local context of the continent.

Equality in law is crucial to gender equality, as women and girls look to the laws of their State to protect, fulfil and enforce their rights. Laws that discriminate and deny them equal rights with men and boys betray their trust in society and signal that gender discrimination is acceptable, normal and expected. Women and girls left behind by discriminatory laws are often permanently excluded from the benefits of development.

Parliamentarians have a key role to play in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including in ensuring that funding and resources are invested effectively to support sustainable development.