MSC Women Parliamentarians Program

With the MSC Women Parliamentarians Program (WPP), the MSC aims to establish a network which connects young female decision-makers globally. The program creates a space for parliamentarians to generate new ideas in foreign, security, and development policy and to connect them across borders, regions, and party affiliations.

As a leading international platform for debating foreign and security policy issues, the MSC is convinced that relevant and effective dialogue must include diverse voices. Yet studies show that politics remains the sector with the largest gender gap globally, and women are still particularly underrepresented in foreign and security policy. That is why, with the Women Parliamentarians Program (WPP) and the support of the Gates Foundation, the MSC aims to strengthen voices that still remain underrepresented in many discussions on security policy today – female, young, from countries in the Global South – and provide them with access to relevant fora and networks.

Through selected formats, such as participation in MSC events, study trips, and background discussions, we strive to enable participants to engage with international leaders from the MSC network and provide a platform for jointly generating new ideas and approaches for foreign, security, and development policy.

The program will bring together a select group of around 15-20 young, female, recently elected parliamentarians every year, who work in the fields of foreign, security, and/or development policy, from different parts of the globe.

Women Parliamentarians Program Annual Meeting 2025

The first WPP Annual Meeting, which brought together members from all cohorts, took place in New York City from September 18 to 20, just a few days before the UN General Assembly (UNGA) High Level Week. Members from a total of 12 different countries participated in a program that comprised 16 background and roundtable discussions on a variety of timely issues with high-level speakers from UN organizations, NGOs, press, and the private sector.

The Annual Meeting started with a series of high-level conversations at the United Nations. The group met with the new UNGA President, Annalena Baerbock, and spoke to her about her priorities and expectations for the ensuing UNGA High Level Week in this decisive period for multilateralism. The exchange with Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs, emphasized the erosion of international norms and the pressing necessity to regulate autonomous weapons. Martha Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, shed light on the reform priorities for peacekeeping and peace operations, as budget cuts risk fueling a further escalation of violence. The theme also emerged in the discussion with Pramila Patten, Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, who shared insights into the brutal reality of the excessive use of rape as a war tactic.

Over the next two days, WPP members debated the global rise of authoritarianism, the decline of democratic institutions, and persistent human rights violations with Binaifer Nowrojee (President of the Open Society Foundations), Christine Wormuth (former US Secretary of the Army), and Federico Borello (Interim Executive Director of Human Rights Watch). Central to the discussions with Ricklef Beutin (German Permanent Representative to the UN), Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein (President of the International Peace Institute), and María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (former UNGA President) were the need to reform the multilateral system to better meet today’s challenges, including the escalation in the Middle East. The short- and long-term consequences of the substantial cuts to development and humanitarian budgets were a prominent topic in conversations with David Miliband (President of the International Rescue Committee) and a high-level UNDP delegation.

Other topics that carried through many of the discussions, in particular with Foreign Policy editors and Yasmin Green (CEO of Jigsaw), were threats to free press and the rise of mis- and disinformation, which undermine public trust. Finally, during two roundtable discussions, the WPP members explored the current state of climate cooperation amid geopolitical rivalries and the resurgence of hard security politics, as well as the forces and alliances that are driving the global gender and rights pushback.

An MSC dinner reception at the Central Park Boathouse on the occasion of the WPP Annual Meeting provided an excellent opportunity for the group to engage with the wider MSC network. The WPP members left with fresh insights into the state of multilateral affairs and new ideas to pursue in their home countries and constituencies.

18 - 20 Sep 2025

New York City

MSC Women Parliamentarians Program Annual Meeting 2025

The MSC Women Parliamentarians Program Annual Meeting took place from September 18 to 20, 2025 on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly in New York City. The background discussions and roundtables brought together diverse perspectives on the shift in the multilateral system, the future of development cooperation, and the global gender backlash.

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At the MSC 2025

Sanna Marin at the Women Parliamentarians Program Dinner, MSC 2025
Women Parliamentarians Program Reception at the MSC 2025
Kristrún Mjöll Frostadóttir at the Women Parliamentarians Program Kick-Off Event, MSC 2025
Fawzia Koofi at the Women Parliamentarians Program Dinner, MSC 2025
Women Parliamentarians Program Dinner at the MSC 2025
Women Parliamentarians Program Kick-Off Event, MSC 2025
The Women Parliamentarians with Alexander De Croo at the MSC 2025
The Women Parliamentarians with Christoph Heusgen at the MSC 2025

At this year’s Munich Security Conference, we kicked-off the third cohort of our MSC Women Parliamentarians Program with a global group of young female parliamentarians. On Thursday evening, the group gathered for the first time to get to know each other at an informal Welcome Reception.

On Friday afternoon, the parliamentarians were joined at the official Kick-Off Event by Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Mjöll Frostadóttir, Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, and former Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo for dedicated background discussions. The exchanges covered numerous foreign policy and security issues, ranging from the rise of populism and developments in Ukraine, to working with the new US administration and strengthening women in political leadership positions.

On Saturday evening, a WPP Dinner provided a great opportunity for members of all three WPP cohorts to connect. The event was enriched by inputs from former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Afghan political leader and women’s rights activist Fawzia Koofi, who engaged the group in conversations on the uphill battle for gender equality and the key role of women in crises. In addition to the designated WPP events, the parliamentarians were able to attend the entire conference program, including main agenda sessions and side events.

WPP 2025 Members

Aleksandra Uznańska-Wiśniewska

Chair of the Polish-American Parliamentary Group and Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament of the Republic of Poland, Warsaw; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

Anna Cavazzini

Chair of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, The Greens/EFA Parliamentary Group, European Parliament, Brussels; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

Aura Salla

Member of the Committee on Industry, Technology and Research, EPP Parliamentary Group, European Parliament Brussels; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

Elena Motta

Member, Congress of the Republic of Guatemala, Guatemala City; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

Fasiha Hassan

Member at Portfolio Committee on Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, Cape Town; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

Hanah Lahe

Member of the Committee on the Environment, Parliament of the Republic of Estonia, Tallinn; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

Jennifer Dalley Pedraza Sandoval

Member of the Chamber of Representatives, Congress of the Republic of Colombia, Bogotá; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

Laura Kyrke-Smith

Member of Parliament for Aylesbury, House of Commons, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, London; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

Melanie Ward

Member of Parliament for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy, House of Commons, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, London; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan

Senator in the National Assembly, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Abuja; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

Sabrina Repp

Member of the Committee on Regional Development, S&D Parliamentary Group, European Parliament, Brussels; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

Tsenguun Saruulsaikhan

Member of Parliament, State Great Hural of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar; Women Political Leaders Network; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

Umulkher Harun Mohamed

Member of Parliament, National Assembly of the Republic of Kenya, Nairobi; Women Political Leaders Network; Women Parliamentarians Program 2025

About WPP 2024

The Women Parliamentarians with Veronica Escobar during the study trip to Washington, DC
The Women Parliamentarians with Phil Gordon at the White House
The Women Parliamentarians with Anshula Kant during the study trip to Washington, DC
The Women Parliamentarians in conversation with Alejandro Mayorkas during the study trip to Washington, DC
The Women Parliamentarians with Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli during the study trip to Washington, DC
The Women Parliamentarians with Neera Tanden during the study trip to Washington, DC
The Women Parliamentarians with Michael Turner during the study trip to Washington, DC
The Women Parliamentarians in front of the White House

The Kick-Off for WPP 2024 took place at the margins of the Munich Security Conference 2024 in February. WPP members met with senior leaders including Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita of the US House of Representatives. The discussions ranged from policy priorities, to personal experiences of the challenges faced by women in politics and how to leverage female networks to advance policy. The members also participated in the entire conference program, including the main program of the conference and side-events, took advantage of ample opportunities for bilateral exchanges, and connected with the members of the WPP 2023 cohort in an informal setting.

In June 2024, members of the program took part in a study trip to Washington, DC. The agenda was filled with a series of high-level background discussions, which enabled the participants to connect with senior representatives of the US administration, multilateral organizations, and NGOs.

The study trip started with meetings on Capitol Hill with Republican Congressman Michael Turner, discussing the US role in the world, and Democratic Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, talking about, amongst other topics, the persistent challenges faced by women and minorities in public service. In the White House, the parliamentarians met with Phil Gordon, National Security Advisor to the Vice-President, and discussed matters currently on top of the US national security agenda, including the situation in the Middle East. During the exchange with Neera Tanden, who advises the President on domestic policy, the upcoming US elections and in particular key domestic issues shaping public opinion were at the center.

The conversation with Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas provided insights into the US approach to migration and to an increasingly polarized society. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines shared her experience with intelligence cooperation in times of geopolitical tensions as well as the threats posed to democracies worldwide, such as disinformation. In addition to government representatives, the parliamentarians also had the opportunity to speak with the new President and CEO of the ONE Campaign, Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, about the power of advocacy and key strategies to tackle mounting development challenges, including food systems transformation. In an exchange with Anshula Kant, Managing Director and CFO at The World Bank, potential reforms of the multilateral space and innovative approaches to sustainable financing were discussed.

The parliamentarians left Washington with a heightened sense of the foreign, security, and development policy priorities of the US, as well as new input regarding the state of, and perspectives for, multilateral cooperation in several policy fields for their parliamentary work in their respective countries.

Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings
Member of the Defence and Interior Committee, Parliament of the Republic of Ghana, Accra

Priyanka Chaturvedi
Deputy Leader of the Shiv Sena Party, Parliament of India, New Delhi

Daiana Fernandéz Molero
Member of the National Congress, Parliament of the Argentine Republic; WPL Network Member, Buenos Aires

Arielle Kayabaga
Member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, Parliament of Canada, Ottawa

Anne König
Member of the Committee for Climate Protection and Energy, CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag, Berlin

Yevheniia Kravchuk
Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, Parliament of Ukraine, Kyiv

Angélica Lozano Correa
Member of the Cámara de Representantes, Parliament of the Republic of Colombia, Bogotá

Neema Lugangira
Member of Standing Committee on Social and Community Development, Parliament of Tanzania; WPL Country Ambassador, Dodoma

Patience Masua
Member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence & Security, Parliament of the Republic of Namibia, Windhoek

Lídia Pereira
Member of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Group of the European People's Party, European Parliament, Brussels

Amira Saber Qandil
Secretary General of the Foreign Relations Committee, Member of the Coordination’s Committee of Parties’ Youth Leaders and Politicians, Parliament of Egypt; Vice President, Egyptian Social Democratic Party, WPL Network Member, Cairo

Dovilė Šakalienė
Member of the Committee on National Security and Defence, Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania; Vice President, Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, Vilnius

Ria Schröder
Member of the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment, FDP Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag, Berlin

Sanela Shkrijelj
Member of the Committee on European Affairs, Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, Skopje

Dandara Tonantzin Silva Castro
Member of the Câmara dos Deputados, Parliament of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Brasília

Wang Zhen
Deputy, 14th National People's Congress, People's Republic of China; President of Inner Mongolia Erdos Investment Holding Group, Beijing

About WPP 2023

The first cohort of the WPP meets Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly during MSC 2023
Nancy Pelosi in conversation with the Women Parliamentarians at the MSC 2023
The Women Parliamentarians discuss with Nancy Pelosi
Ottilie Klein, Serap Güler, and Marja-Liisa Völlers at the MSC 2023
Amadée Mudie-Mantz (Policy Advisor, MSC) and the Women Parliamentarians Svenja Hahn, Zanda Martens, and Catarina Dos Santos-Wintz during MSC 2023

To kick off the WPP program, the members were invited to participate in the Munich Security Conference 2023. They were able to attend the entire conference program, including the main program and side events. At the margins of the conference, the parliamentarians came together for a meeting with Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita of the US House of Representatives, and Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, who shared personal experiences and recommendations for succeeding as women in politics. The group also met with Bill Gates, who highlighted the importance of female empowerment in the work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and provided some insights into the priorities of the Foundation's work.

The first WPP study trip brought the group to Geneva, the humanitarian capital. A series of high-level background discussions gave the parliamentarians insights into the work of, priorities, and challenges for international organizations like WHO, UNHCR and others. Overall, the conversations made clear how important Germany, the second biggest humanitarian donor, is as a partner - even more so as heightened geopolitical tensions, numerous crises, and increasing budget cuts put immense pressure on humanitarian organizations to fulfil their mandate.

Meetings with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Grandi, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Al-Nashif, WHO Executive Director Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and ICRC President Spoljaric Egger highlighted the dire humanitarian situation in many parts of the world. Balanced policies and funding are needed to address the challenges around migration, protection of civic space, pandemic preparedness, and complex conflict environments. The conversations with Beatrice Fihn, founder of the Nobel Peace Prize winning campaign ICAN, and Robin Geiß, Director of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, focused on nuclear security and disarmament, emphasizing the growing importance of multilateralism and norms in the face of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Finally, an exchange with German Permanent Representative Katharina Stasch gave concrete insights into Germany's role in the UN environment and the challenges of multilateral negotiations in times of increasing systemic competition.

The parliamentarians left Geneva with a deepened understanding of the current challenges for international (humanitarian) organizations and new input for their parliamentary work.

Sanae Abdi
Member of the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development, SPD Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag, Berlin

Delara Burkhardt
Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, S&D Parliamentary Group, European Parliament, Brussels

Catarina Dos Santos-Wintz
Member of the Committee on European Union Affairs, CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag, Berlin

Schahina Gambir
Spokesperson of the Inquire Commission "Lessons from Afghanistan for future German Engagement, Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Alliance 90/The Greens Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag, Berlin

Serap Güler
Member of the Defence Committee, CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag, Berlin

Svenja Hahn
Member of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, Renew Europe Parliamentary Group, European Parliament, Brussels

Lamya Kaddor
Deputy Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Alliance 90/The Greens Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag, Berlin

Ottilie Klein
Member of the Committee on European Union Affairs, CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag, Berlin

Zanda Martens
Member of the Legal Affairs Committee, SPD Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag, Berlin

Merle Spellerberg
Member of the Defence Committee; Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Alliance 90/The Greens Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag, Berlin

Marja-Liisa Völlers
Member of the Defence Committee, SPD Parliamentary Group, German Bundestag, Berlin

MSC Women Parliamentarians Program

Women Parliamentarians Program Annual Meeting 2025

MSC Women Parliamentarians Program Annual Meeting 2025

At the MSC 2025