Para 107) During the reporting period, Government appointed (four) 4 out of six (6) Specially Elected Members of Parliament. In addition, women were appointed in the following leadership positions:
• The first woman Minister of Finance and Economic Development;
• The first woman to head the Civil Service, that is, Permanent Secretary to the President;
• Deputy Permanent Secretary to the President;
• The first woman to be President of the Court of Appeal of the Republic of Botswana;
• The first female Commissioner to head the Botswana Prisons Service;
• The first woman to head the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS); and
• Vice Chancellors of the Botswana Open University and the University of Botswana, respectively.
Para 108) Within the wider Public Service, as at January 2023, women represented 44% at Executive level being Director level and above.
Para 28) Highlighting the relatively low representation of women in parliament, JS3 stated that Botswana had not adopted quotas to advance political participation of women. Also, women were not represented in party leadership positions and a lack of funding had precluded women from participating in politics. The economic empowerment of women was key to facilitating their participation at all levels of decision-making, including in political institutions.
Para 37) Expressing relevant concerns, including about the low level of representation of women in the Parliament, the House of Chiefs and local government, as well as in decision-making positions …