Bosnea, who had earlier left law school after marrying, had aspirations of her own. Already active as a community leader, she turned to a UN Women-supported pre-election training programme to learn skills related to public speaking, fundraising and image management. “I thought it would be difficult to run…,” she says. “But with the encouragement of the programme it was much easier than I expected.”

She and the other new councillor, Varvara Duminica, 54, are enthusiastic about what they can achieve in their four-year terms. They speak of better educating youth and ensuring people can make a decent living. The councillors intend to take every opportunity to raise awareness around gender equality and get more women into decision-making to improve life for all Moldovans.

In Myanmar, continuing political transition since 2011 has provided scope for embedding gender equality in new democratic institutions and processes, including elections. UN Women’s sustained support for women’s participation in the peace process, coupled with extensive training for women leaders, culminated in a nationwide ceasefire agreement in October 2015 that made explicit commitments to non-discrimination and women’s inclusion in political dialogue. A subsequent framework for political dialogue echoed these principles, and set a minimum of 30 per cent for women’s participation in ongoing talks to shape the future of this fledgling democracy. For the 2015 elections, UN Women reached out to diverse groups, including influential Buddhist monks in Mon State, to promote the election of more women. The monks then encouraged people in surrounding communities to consider voting for women candidates and—as well-respected advisers—they also agreed to call on political parties to adopt policies to boost the number of women in their ranks.