Statement by Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, president of the Republic of Namibia, at the High-Level Meeting on the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, United Nations General Assembly Hall, 22 September 2025
Gender equality and women’s empowerment have been key priorities for Namibia’s government since independence in 1990. We have demonstrated strong political will through adopting international commitments, including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which we integrated into our national gender policies.
Thirty years ago in Beijing, we affirmed that “women’s rights are human rights.” Since then, Namibia has built on this strong foundation to link women’s empowerment with development. Our progress in political inclusion and legal reforms is rooted in this principle and underpins our deep commitment to advancing the empowerment of women.
As a result, Namibia has closed 81.1% of its gender gap, ranking eighth globally and first in Africa, according to the 2025 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report.
I am proud to highlight a historic milestone: Namibia now has a female president, vice president, speaker of the National Assembly, and secretary general of the Swapo Party, our ruling party.
Women currently hold 57% of Cabinet positions and 38.5% of seats in the National Assembly, including leadership in key ministries such as finance, health, education, and international relations and trade.
While we celebrate this progress, we recognise that our work is not complete. Economic inclusion remains a challenge, particularly for rural women who are still on the margins of economic activity. Many face barriers to credit, land, and markets, with 70% of informal traders being female, especially young women.
To address this, Namibia’s National Gender Equality and Equity Policy 2025-2035 promotes equal access to resources, capacity building, and support for women-owned micro-enterprises to boost income generation.
Agriculture, a key informal economic activity, is also supported through initiatives such as Agribank of Namibia programmes that assist young people and women venturing into farming.
On this 30th anniversary of the Beijing Conference – a conference I had the honour of serving as rapporteur general – Namibia recommits to accelerating the Beijing Declaration by tackling gender-based violence, addressing harmful social norms, strengthening partnerships, and advancing gender-responsive budgeting. These measures are part of our contribution to the full realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 5 and beyond.
I thank you.
