There are now 11 women heads of state or government, in countries on every continent. And three countries -- Chile, Spain and Sweden -- now have gender parity in government.

We are going to work with the Congolese people and the government to make sure we make progress and consolidate peace and stability.

More countries have understood that women's equality is a prerequisite for development.

There is no development strategy more beneficial to society as a whole - women and men alike - than the one which involves women as central players.

The balance must be redressed.

We can wait until everything is perfect but how much time will that take? One year, two years, three years? Will the population accept this even though they haven't had a chance to vote for 40 years?