WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY INTERNATIONAL NEWS
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2009

U.N. Puts Female Peacekeepers on Display
June 28, 2009 - (Women'seNews) They are squatting down to speak to children, interviewing rape victims with concern in their eyes, wielding guns or a stethoscope with equal ease. These are the faces and postures of female peacekeepers, brought to visual life in "Women in Peacekeeping: The Power to Empower," a multimedia exhibit in the visitors' lobby of the United Nations that runs through August 4.

UN EXPERTS TACKLE ‘CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE’ OVER SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN WARTIME
June 24, 2009 (UN News Centre) Women’s rights activists, senior military figures and top United Nations officials met in New York this week to discuss what the world body’s former humanitarian chief Jan Egeland described as “one of the biggest conspiracies of silence in history” – the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.

POLITICS: Will Women Be an Afterthought at U.N. Crisis Meet?
June 23, 2009 - (IPS) A groundbreaking U.N. General Assembly conference on the global economic crisis and its impact on development, set to begin Wednesday, may sideline women's numerous concerns, civil society groups say.

Migiro urges greater efforts to end violence against women
June 19, 2009 – (UN News Centre) Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro has pledged the support of the United Nations in ending violence against women, which she said will require adopting new laws, enforcing the ones that exist and working to change the backward mindsets that contribute to this scourge.

"UN Resolution on Women, Peace and Security: Anniversary Worth Celebrating?", Donald Steinberg in Reuters: The Great Debate
June 19, 2009 - (International Crisis Group) Preparations are now starting for the 10th anniversary of the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. This groundbreaking resolution was passed unanimously in October 2000 to address abuses against women during armed conflict, including sexual violence and displacement, and to bring women more fully into conflict prevention and peacemaking.

Peace is failing women across the world: A Global Monitoring Checklist on Women, Peace and Security
June 19, 2009 - (International Alert) Only one in forty signatories to peace agreements over the last twenty-five years were women, reveals a new report by Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS), a UK research and advocacy group of which International Alert is a member.

Global: Violence against women: Mandate of special rapporteur must be strengthened
June 19, 2009 - (Pambazuka) The mandate of the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences (SRVAW) must be strengthened if the elimination of all forms of violence against women is to become a reality. This was a key recommendation from the parallel event ‘15 years of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women: gains, challenges and the way forward’ held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland on June 5, 2009, in parallel to the 11thsession of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC).

UN: WOMEN'S GROUPS SEEK GENDER EQUITY AT SUMMIt
June 19, 2009 - (IPS) An international coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), mostly comprised of women’s groups, is calling for a "gender equitable" response to the global financial crisis, which is to be debated at a UN summit of world leaders next week.

RIGHTS: Sexual Violence in War Hauled Out of the ShadowS
June 16, 2009 - (IPS) On Jun. 19, 2008, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 1820, expressly addressing the problems of sexual violence in conflict situations. One year later, three experts in the field gathered to speak at the United States Institute of Peace to evaluate the implementation of 1820 and consider how it might better prevent this widespread crime.

Rich countries, poor countries (and the W-8)
June 5, 2009 - (SocialWatch) The agenda of this year’s G-8 meeting is expected to be topped by the global crisis. In order to dramatize the need for more aid in education and health in the developing countries, OXFAM has organized the W-8: eight women leaders from developing countries, including the Philippines, were chosen as OXFAM ambassadors. The W-8 will be linking the Social Watch Philippines’ campaign and the Alternative Budget Initiative to the global campaign for more resources for essential services. (first published in ABS-CBN Interactive 06/01/2009)

UN partners with filmmakers to give voice to women suffering in silence
May 14, 2009 – (UN News) There are women around the world suffering violence or the oppression of poverty who remain silent and invisible, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today told the opening of an international documentary filmmakers’ forum aimed at bringing their stories into focus.

Iceland Retains First Woman, Gay Prime Minister
April 27, 2009 - (Feminist Daily News) Iceland formally elected Johanna Sigurdardottir, who is both the first woman and openly gay Prime Minister in the nation’s history in general elections Saturday. She is currently the only openly gay national leader in the world.

Ireland: Cross Border Women's Reconciliation Programme Launched in Donegal
April 24, 2009 - (Donegal Sunday) The Cross Border Women's Reconciliation Programme was launched in Ballyshannon last Thursday. The Donegal-based Second Chance Education Project for Women (SCEPW) and Fermanagh Women's Network (FWN) have come together in this programme to provide community-arts based education opportunities for women in both regions, allowing them to explore and share their experiences of living in a border area during the conflict.

Progress in gender and security issues requires women’s participation – Migiro
April 24, 2009 – The real measure of women’s progress in peace and security issues is not the setting up of processes but women’s participation in sustainable peace agreements and post-conflict reconstruction efforts, the United Nations’ Deputy-Secretary-General said today.

Secretary-General: empowering women promotes peace
April 17, 2009 – (UN News) Empowering women is essential to build better lives for all, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling for greater efforts to achieve gender equality. “We are still far from turning this understanding into universal practice,” Mr. Ban said in a video message to the “Women for Peace” dinner in New York.

Women at war face sexual violence
April 17, 2009 - (BBC) Over 206,000 US women have served in the Middle East since March 2003. In her new book, The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq, Helen Benedict examines the experience of female soldiers serving in the US military in Iraq and elsewhere.

Council of Europe - First Meeting of the Committee of Experts Responsible for Preparing a Convention to Combat All Forms of Violence Against Women
April 2, 2009 - (WUNRN) There is a clear need for a Convention to prevent and combat domestic violence and other forms of violence against women and to protect and support the victims. The Council of Europe is the first European organisation to tackle this problem head on by setting up the Ad Hoc Committee on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence which, beginning in April 2009, will start working on one or more legally binding instruments.

Men and boys must play their part in ending violence against women – Ban
March 30, 2009 – (UN News) Greater efforts are required worldwide to end violence against women and girls, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stated, stressing that men and boys in particular must play their part.

The United Nations, Barbie & I: Socio-political exhibit explores identity, conflict & resolution
March 25, 2009 - (The Villager) This past March, I unintentionally celebrated Women’s History Month for the very first time, and between the ‘Barbie 50th Anniversary Beauty Pageant’ I entered and a ‘socio-political’ art exhibit I went to (UN-SCR-1325 at Chelsea Art Museum), I finally made up for decades of ignorance.

BYU study links women's safety, nation's peace
March 22, 2009 - (Salt Lake Tribune) In Pakistan's scenic and once-peaceful Swat Valley, Islamic militants shut down 200 girls schools in January, leveling many with explosives. Besides foreclosing education for some 50,000 girls, such gender-targeted hostility may also undermine a nation's security and peacefulness, according to a new study led by a Brigham Young University scholar. The study, titled "Heart of the Matter," in the Harvard-published journal International Security , concludes the best predictor of societies' peacefulness is how well they safeguard the interests of women. To determine that, researchers looked at data on such factors as women's voice in government, access to victim services, crime statistics, maternal health, and laws and social mores regarding women's rights.

Obama Creates White House Women's Council
March 10, 2009 - (Washington Post) President Obama will sign an executive order tomorrow to establish a White House Council on Women and Girls, according to an administration official familiar with the move.

U.N. Official Calls for More Female Peacekeepers
March 10, 2009 - (WOMENSENEWS) The female ranks of U.N. peacekeepers are going up, but not fast enough, according to the organization's top cop in charge of peacekeeping strategy.

African women bear brunt of global crises, warn delegates at UN conference
March 4, 2009 – (UN News Centre) The global economic, food and climate change crises have hit African women the hardest, a delegation of African and United Nations female officials attending a conference on gender equality cautioned today.

Q&A: "Time Has Come for a New U.N. Women's Agency"
March 3, 2009 - (IPS) After being blind for years to the needs and rights of women, the United Nations is finally well on its way to create a "fully-resourced" women's agency, says Stephen Lewis, the former U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Ireland: New Programme to Empower Women to Tackle Community Issues
March 2, 2009 - (Fund for Ireland) A new cross-border and cross-community programme which will develop leadership skills and empower women to bring about positive change within their local communities has been launched today by Denis Rooney CBE, Chairman of the International Fund for Ireland and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

The Simple Tool That Saves Women's Lives
March 1, 2009 - (Parade) A cardboard box is saving the lives of thousands of people in Africa. It’s called a solar cooker, and it is pure ingenuity. Take two pieces of cardboard, add some tinfoil and sunlight—and anything can be cooked. You can even get water to boil.

Office on 'gender' proposed for UN
February 26, 2009 - (Spero News) At a forum hosted by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in New York this week, a former top United Nations (UN) official criticized the UN’s “deplorable” record on women and the “the hypocrisy within the UN” on gender. In a presentation entitled “The United Nations and Gender: Has Anything Gone Right?,” Stephen Lewis promoted a radical overhaul of the United Nations, starting with a the creation of a new, billion dollar gender office.

U.N. Flunking on Gender Empowerment, Women Say
Feb 26, 2009 - (IPS) The United Nations is coming under heavy fire for the lack of vibrant leadership and the continued absence of adequate structures to advance the long-touted cause of gender empowerment worldwide.

Accountability key to meeting national gender equality goals, says UN report
February 20, 2009 - (UN News) Strengthening accountability for commitments made by governments will be vital to achieving gender equality and women’s rights, according to a new report released today by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

Exclusive: Amazon selling rape simulation game
February 18, 2009 - (AWID) A game that involves the player stalking victims and then raping them in a virtual world is being offered for sale by online retailer Amazon.com, the Belfast Telegraph's website can reveal.

GLOBAL: East Asians trafficked far and wide, says UN report
February 13, 2009 - (IRIN) East Asia is a major source of human trafficking, with victims dispersed in more than 20 countries, sometimes as far away as South Africa, a UN report has found.

Women must be included in solving global economic meltdown, UN says
February 6, 2009 – (UN News Centre) Governments must give women a key role in making decisions aimed at resolving the current global economic crisis, which is likely have a serious impact on the full realization of gender equality, a United Nations committee warned today.

UNICEF appeals for just over $1 billion to help children and women suffering in emergencies
January 27, 2009 – (UNICEF) UNICEF’s 2009 Humanitarian Action Report (HAR) highlights the plight of children and women around the globe in humanitarian emergencies.

Progress on gender equality will mean improvements for all in society
January 21, 2009 – (UN News Centre) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today encouraged top government officials from around the world gathered in Guatemala City to push for greater progress on gender equality, stressing that women’s empowerment is key to realizing other major international development targets.

A Structure to Match the Vision
January 14, 2009 - (Huffington Post) Watching Hillary Clinton before the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee was an unalloyed joy. Smart, committed, grounded. Values I've admired ever since we first worked together in 1992 on her husband's campaign. The gains made on behalf of women by Senator Clinton in the Democratic primary will continue with her selection as Secretary of State. The woman who 13 years ago at the UN Conference on Women in Beijing declared unapologetically that "women's rights are human rights" will more than ever stand on a global platform.

International Criminal Court: Clarifying the scope of the crime of rape
January 13, 2009 - (Amnesty International) On the eve of the first hearing in the International Criminal Court (ICC) to decide whether to confirm charges of rape as a crime against humanity and as a war crime, Amnesty International hopes that the Pre-Trial Chamber will confirm in its judgments a strong definition of rape which will help ensure prosecutions for this crime which pervades so many current conflicts.

Women's Rights - what happened in 2008?
January 9, 2009 - (Women's net) This first Friday File for 2009 presents a brief summary of some key events and issues that shaped the global women’s rights landscape in 2008. Last year was a year of challenges and opportunities for women worldwide… Key events and issues in 2008 – resulting in both losses and gains for women - include: Barack Obama’s election as President of the United States (US); the severe and continued crackdown on women’s human rights defenders; Rwanda setting a new world record for female representation in Parliament; a global food crisis; a global financial crisis; UN Member States passing a resolution to establish a new UN Agency for women; and, unfortunately, increasing crackdowns on women’s freedoms due to fundamentalist forces. Below is a summary of some of these, with a focus on the overarching issues influencing our work and our lives.

Women crucial in better East-West Relations
January 5, 2009 - (CGNews-PiH/UPI) Samuel Huntington's 1993 "Clash of Civilisations" depicts a world in which fundamental cultural differences form the basis of conflict between Muslims and the West. Current events seem to bear out his warnings, as the US wages its Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism (a.k.a. the Global War on Terror or, less favourably among some, the War on Islam) and Muslim perceptions of the United States sink to new lows.

2008

Seeking Justice for Women in Post Conflict Situations
December 15, 2008 – (UN OHCHR) The design of any post-conflict social and economic order must include women and women's rights in order to facilitate their access to justice, says an expert panel on the prosecution of sexual violence organized by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on 15 December.

Rape as genocide
December 3, 2008 – (IHT) 'In this society if you rape one woman, you have raped the entire tribe" - so said one observer of the mass rape occurring in Darfur. People hear the word genocide and think of six million victims of the Holocaust or an estimated 800,000 dead in Rwanda. They do not imagine that mass rape can be so well planned and targeted that it wipes out a substantial part of an ethnic group as thoroughly, though more slowly, than widespread killings.

Africa: New UN Report Says Accountability is Significant to Ensure Gender Equality
December 1, 2008 - (AllAfrica) The African continent is scheduled to witness and experience development only when the economic empowerment of women is deemed a matter of more rapid and concrete development.

Millions join UN in urgent call to step up and eliminate violence against women
November 25, 2008 – (UN News) More than five million individuals around the world have sent a clear and unequivocal message to their governments to take decisive action in stopping the relentless cycle of violence against women, at the conclusion of an Internet-based United Nations campaign today.

Violence against women remains widespread and largely unpunished – UN officials
November 25, 2008 – (UN News) Violence against women is the least punished crime in the world, United Nations officials said today, urging governments to end the widespread impunity and to take measures to ensure that the laws and policies that aim to protect women and girls are enforced.

Ban urges greater efforts to boost women’s role in peace and security
October 24, 2008 - (UN News Center) Countries need to take more action to increase the role of women in the search for peace and justice and enhance their input in decision-making, even though positive steps have been made in recent years, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon writes in a report made public today.

Violence against women remains endemic, UN expert reports
October 24, 2008 - (UN News Center) Women around the world continue to endure violence, abuse and discrimination and often have no recourse to justice, an independent United Nations human rights expert told the General Assembly today as she urged Member States to make greater efforts to record and publicize violations.

European Union and United Nations to push for action to effectively address violence against women
October 10, 2008 - (IRIN) From Commitment to Action conference will spotlight urgent concerns of women's security in conflict and post-conflict. Brussels/Paris — The French Presidency of the European Union and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) jointly call upon EU Member States today for urgent action on enhancing implementation and accountability for the security of women. "From Commitment to Action" — the one-day conference organized in cooperation with the European Commission — focuses on detailed practical response to systematic sexual violence faced by women in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Financial crisis must not diminish support to improve women’s lives, urges Ban
October 8, 2008 – (UNNews) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stressed the importance of continued support for the efforts of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to empower the world’s women, particularly to improve maternal health and promote gender equality, even in the midst of the economic woes countries are currently facing.

Nobel Laureates Honour Afghan recipient of International Human Rights Award
October 7, 2008 – (NobelWomensInitiative) Thankfully there are courageous women around the world who, like Anna Politkovskaya, are willing to speak truth to power. Malalai Joya—the recipient of this year’s award—is one such woman. The youngest-ever elected member of Afghanistan’s national parliament, Joya has bravely stood up for Afghanistan's citizens. Like Politkovskaya, her outspokenness has come with a high price.

Africa: World Bank, OECD Report Mixed Results Towards Gender Equality
October 5, 2008 - (AllAfrica) Women's health and education have improved substantially in most countries, but progress is lagging on improving their economic opportunities, according to a new report released today. The report was released by the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Africa: Continent's Women to Benefit From New UN Gender Equality Project
October 3, 2008 - (AllAfrica) Women in five African countries will gain new access to resources and services at the local level through gender-responsive planning, programming and budgeting under an $8 million, three-year United Nations programme announced this week.

AFRICA: Children take on the fight against sexual exploitation
September 26, 2008 - (IRIN) Children should not be seen as victims of sexual exploitation, but rather the front-line fighters against it, said non-profit Save the Children Sweden at a preparatory meeting in Dakar in advance of the World Congress against sexual exploitation of children and adolescents to be held in Rio, Brazil in November 2008.

UN-INSTRAW Press Release: International Day of Peace: Gender Equality Key to Effective Peacekeeping
September 21, 2008 – (AWID) On the International Day of Peace, September 21st 2008, the UN Systems turns its attention to the role of peacekeepers in promoting and strengthening human rights. Adding its voice to multitude calling for an end to war and conflict throughout the world, UN-INSTRAW emphasizes the crucial role that gender equality plays in making peacekeeping more effective, sustainable and just.

High Commissioner’s First Speech to the Human Rights Council
September 2008 – (OHCHR) High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay opened the ninth Session of the Human Rights Council this week highlighting the importance of impartiality and adherence to the standard represented by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is “applied equally to all without political consideration.”

ICC appeal for Africa war victims
September 10, 2008 – (BBC) The International Criminal Court (ICC) has appealed for $14m (£8m) to help the nearly two million victims of sexual violence in Africa's wars. The ICC said sex attacks against women and girls had been found to be the most widespread form of criminality.

Africa: Time for Female Soldiers to Do More Than Secretarial Work
September 5, 2008 – (AllAfrica) The low level of participation of women in African militaries was in the limelight in August, which is celebrated in several parts of the continent as the month of heroines of the anti-colonial struggle. As of February 2008, only five per cent of soldiers in the world were female. The figure is not any better for Africa, which behoves governments to increase the ratio of women in their disciplined forces and introduce gender-sensitive policies to empower female soldiers already in service.

UN-Backed Gathering Tackles Gender Equality
August 25, 2008 - (allAfrica) A joint United Nations and African Union (AU) gathering to address gender equality and the advancement of women on the continent kicked off today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE DISCUSSES HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN
August 6, 2008 - (UN Press Release) Pierre Sob of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) gave a brief overview of the OHCHR Women's Rights and Gender Unit's seven focus areas on human rights of women: gender sensitive administration of justice; piloting an integrated gender strategy for country engagement; gender mainstreaming in the work of the Human Rights Council; responses to sexual exploitation and abuse within the UN system; mainstreaming gender and women's human rights in OHHCR and with UN system partners; mainstreaming and protecting the rights of perceived sexual minorities, trans gender and intersex persons; and health and reproductive rights.

Behind the Woman Behind the Bomb
August 2, 2008 – (The New York Times) FOUR more Iraqi women carried out suicide bombings in Iraq this week, bringing to at least 27 the number of such attacks this year in that country involving female terrorists. Anyone reading the newspapers or watching television has been treated to a flurry of popular misconceptions about the root causes of female suicide terrorism.

Following General Assembly approval, Secretary-General appoints Navanethem Pillay of South Africa as High Commissioner for Human Rights
July 28, 2008 – (Relief Web) The Secretary-General, following approval by the General Assembly, has appointed Navanethem (Navi) Pillay of South Africa as the new High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Human rights commissioner fought a long battle for her own rights
July 26, 2008 – (The Sydney Morning Herald) THE new United Nations high commissioner for human rights,the South African judge Navanethem Pillay, has spent a lifetime toppling barriers and exceeding expectations.

What are the challenges in using transitional justice structures to address sexual violence in situations of conflict?
July 25, 2008 - (AWID) Women’s understanding of harm may not be the same as the understanding given by transitional justice mechanisms, and as in countless other cases, their equal access to and standing before these mechanisms is usually limited.

The Nobel Women’s Initiative peace mission to the Thai-Burma border, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Chad
July 24, 2008 – (Rights & Democracy) The mission, which started on July 21, will continue until August 8. The delegation’s objectives are three-fold:

* To listen to and convey messages from women’s organizations working for peace, justice and equality between women and men;

* Call attention to their courageous efforts for peace and justice;

* Promote effective resolutions to the political crisis facing Burma and the escalated conflict in Darfur.

Female soldiers raise alarm on sexual assaults
July 21, 2008 - (MSNBC) Even as women distinguish themselves in battle alongside men, they're fighting off sexual assault and harassment. It's not a new consequence of war. But the sheer number of women serving today — more than 190,000 so far in Iraq and Afghanistan — is forcing the military and Department of Veterans Affairs to more aggressively address it.

Sexual Violence: An Issue of Health
July 21, 2008 – (Aids-freeworld.org) Stephen Lewis addresses the Tides Foundation "Momentum" conference with the message: Sexual violence is a global health crisis. "It can safely be said that not a day goes by without some authoritative report from some country of hideous sexual violence directed at women. It has become a world-wide contagion. And it is a huge issue of public health: the health of the women, psychological, emotional and physical is torn asunder."

UN: New Human Rights Commissioner Should Take Bold Steps to Confront Abusers
July 18, 2008 – (HRW) Navanethem Pillay, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s presumptive nominee for the post of High Commissioner for Human Rights, should commit herself to be a voice for victims and human rights defenders worldwide, Human Rights Watch said today. An announcement of Pillay’s nomination is expected shortly, and will go to the UN General Assembly for approval.

Departing Rights Official Louise Arbour Raised Volume on Issues
July 6, 2008 - (New York Times) She has been doing a job with a mandate that many would call impossible: to safeguard human rights around the globe. Yet as Louise Arbour steps down after four years as the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, she is not entirely pessimistic.

Women at Work: Preventing Gun Violence
IANSA Women’s Network Bulletin #15, July 2008
July 2008 – (IANSA Women’s Network) In the IANSA Women’s Network’s July bulletin, there are articles focused on UNSC 1325, peacekeeping, and small arms. Such articles include Uganda using UNSC 1325 in small arms research, Argentina holding its First Regional Workshop on gender and peacekeeping where UNSC 1325 was used as point of discussion, and WILPF’s participation in the Dublin Conference on Cluster Munitions.

The Bureaucracy of Rape
June 30, 2008 - (The Nation) The Bush Administration has made much of its June 19 triumph in the Security Council in getting unanimous backing for a resolution aimed at curtailing sexual violence against women caught up in conflict. This was no small feat, given the perennial reluctance of some Council members to accept that rape and other violent abuses of women and girls are matters of peace and security.

Rape in War: Will the United Nations Walk Its Talk?
June 25, 2008 - (HRW) On June 19, 2008, the United Nations Security Council made history by declaring that rape in war is such a bad idea they plan to do something about it. That's right. After decades of reports on vicious sexual violence in conflicts across the globe, the highest decision-making body of the United Nations has decided that it is time to act. In fact, no other international actor has as much power to do something about rape in war, and as disappointing a record, as the United Nations Security Council.

UN campaign to end violence against women backed by 10 more countries
June 24, 2008 - (UN News Center) Prime ministers and foreign ministers from 10 countries have signed on to the “Say NO to Violence against Women Campaign” – a move welcomed by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which is organizing the drive.

Women Leaders Ask, "Where Is Our Money?"
June 22, 2008 (Truthout.org) - Even though seven out of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) impact on women, both donors and governments receiving aid overlook the need to make resources available for gender empowerment.

UNICEF reports rising trend of violence against children in strife-torn countries
June 20, 2008 - (UN News Center) The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports that child kidnappings are on the rise in several countries affected by violence – including Haiti where more than 50 children have been abducted so far this year – and more than half of them are girls.

UN-INSTRAW welcomes the adoption of Resolution 1820 on Sexual Violence against Civilians in Conflict
June 20, 2008 - (INSTRAW) The Resolution condemns the use of rape and other forms of sexual violence in conflict situations, stating that rape can constitute a war crime, a crime against humanity, or a constitutive act with respect to genocide. UN-INSTRAW joins in the demand for an immediate and complete cessation by all parties to armed conflict of all acts of sexual violence against civilians.

U.N. Security Council says sexual violence akin to war crimes
June 20, 2008 – (Los Angeles Times) The U.N. Security Council affirmed Thursday that rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, and called for measures to combat such attacks.

UN: Finally, a Step Toward Confronting Rape in War
June 19, 2008 – (Human Rights Watch) The UN Security Council’s new resolution on sexual violence is a historic achievement for a body that has all too often ignored the plight of women and girls in conflict, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch applauds the council for setting out in the resolution a clear path to systematic information-gathering on sexual violence. Until now, the Security Council has asked for information on such violence only in selected cases.

Ban leads call for greater efforts to end ‘silent war’ of sexual violence in conflict
June 19, 2008 – (UN News Center) Noting that an increasing number of women and girls are falling victim to the “silent war” of sexual violence in conflict areas, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today led a chorus of United Nations officials in urging greater efforts to combat the scourge.

Rice to host U.N. talks on rape, Zimbabwe
June 18, 2008 - (Associated Press) Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice promised to send a "strong message" to Zimbabwe on the importance of a transparent election when she presides over United Nations debate Thursday.

United Nations System Support to Member States on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment
June 17, 2008 – (UNIFEM) The membership of the UN General Assembly discussed a “Note on the United Nations System Support to Member States on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment” prepared by UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, during an informal consultation held on 16 June 2008, which was co-chaired by the Permanent Representatives of Ireland and Tanzania.

Australia: $2m boost for women activists
June 15, 2008 – (The Sydney Morning Herald) A FEMALE anti-war body and Christian and Muslim groups will share in $2 million in grants to be announced today.

The Weapon of Rape
June 15, 2008 - (New York Times) The United Nations Security Council will hold a special session on sexual violence this Thursday, with Condoleezza Rice coming to New York to lead the debate. This session, sponsored by the United States and backed by a Security Council resolution calling for regular follow-up reports, just may help mass rape graduate from an unmentionable to a serious foreign policy issue.

UN Security Council Should Listen to Women Hurt by War
June 11, 2008 - (WURUN) The United Nations Security Council should effectively address sexual violence in conflict as a weapon of war and its destabilizing impact on communities, Human Rights Watch and the International Women’s Tribune Center said today.

Africa: UN Must Empower Peacekeepers to Stop Rape
June 10, 2008 – (AllAfrica) The United Nations Security Council should effectively address sexual violence in conflict as a weapon of war and its destabilizing impact on communities, Human Rights Watch and the International Women's Tribune Center said today.

Make forced marriage a crime against humanity: The UN must protect conflict zone 'bush wives'
June 9, 2008 - (CSMonitor) "Labeling forced marriage a crime against humanity has a number of important effects. It allows the international community to step in and prosecute whether or not local laws and legal authorities wish to pursue the cases. It validates the suffering of these women [...] Perhaps most important, it helps remove the stigma of "victimization" of women in conflict that has led to their systematic exclusion from peace processes and postconflict governance" deputy president of the International Crisis Group and former US Ambassador in Angola, Donald Steinberg writes in The Christian Science Monitor.

Women Bear the Brunt of Conflict
June 8, 2008 – (AllAfrica) Appalling. Inhuman. Atrocious. They are some of the words that describe the gruesome acts committed against women in times of war or conflict. Yet, even though women bear the brunt of conflict, they are often sidelined during the writing of peace accords to resolve these conflicts. But there are women in the midst of the misery who have determined to look for beauty in the ashes by engaging in peace-making activities, convinced that when the conflict is eradicated, the cases of sexual violence will dwindle.

United Nations: HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL DISCUSSES VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, MATERNAL MORTALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN
June 5, 2008 – (UN Office at Geneva) The Human Rights Council this afternoon held two panel discussions on the human rights of women, the first discussing violence against women – identification of priorities, and the second discussing maternal mortality and the human rights of women.

Perpetrators of violence against women must be held to account – Louise Arbour SAId
June 5, 2008 – (UN News Center) Governments and other actors in positions of power and influence must make it a priority to bring perpetrators of violence against women to account, the top United Nations human rights official said today.

Time to turn commitment to ending gender-based violence into action – Migiro
June 4, 2008 - (UN News Center) Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro today pressed for action to end gender-based violence, stressing that stopping the deadly scourge will free up the world's women - a powerful weapon in the fight for peace, development and human rights.

The First Casualties in Wartime Happen to be Women
June 2, 2008 – (Daily Star) Truth is often said to be the first casualty in wartime. But if the real truth is told, it is women who are the first casualties. In conflict zones, the United Nations children's agency UNICEF recently observed, sexual violence usually spreads like an epidemic. Whether it is civil war, pogroms, or other armed conflicts, all too often women's bodies become part of the battlefield. The victims of large-scale sexual atrocities range from baby girls to old women.

UN to debate sexual violence resolution
May 30, 2008 - (Reuters) The U.N. Security Council is to debate a new resolution next month that aims to enshrine sexual violence as a security issue for the first time, senior diplomats said.

UN peacekeeping chief: More for missions
May 29, 2008 - (Washington Times) On thursday, day of the 60th anniversary of U.N. peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guehenno pleaded with the international community to address gaps in support for peacekeeping missions. Head of UN peacekeeping Department also said that rooting out [sexual] abuse by peacekeepers would require "a cultural change" among troop contributors.

Belgian woman wages war for Al Qaeda on the Web
May 27, 2008 - (Herald Tribune) She calls herself a female holy warrior for Al Qaeda. She insists that she does not disseminate instructions on bomb-making and has no intention of taking up arms herself. Rather, she browbeats Muslim men to go and fight, and rallies women to join the cause.

united nations: More action needed to combat civilian deaths
May 27, 2008 - (Reuters) Much more needs to be done to prevent the killing and displacement of civilians in places such as Darfur, Somalia, Israel and Columbia, U.N. humanitarian affairs chief John Holmes said on Tuesday. Sexual violence is one of the most recurrent forms of violation against civilians.

Child abuse by aid workers, peacekeepers rife-study
May 27, 2008 - (Reuters) Sexual abuse of children by aid workers and peacekeepers is rife and efforts to protect young people are inadequate, said a report published on Tuesday. The study by charity Save the Children UK said there were significant levels of abuse in emergencies, much of it unreported and unless the silence ended, attempts to stamp out exploitation would "remain fundamentally flawed".

UN Security Council Resolution 1325: Recognizing Women's Vital Roles in Achieving Peace and Security
May 15, 2008 - (Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International USA) In its Resolution 1325 from October 2000, the United Nations Security Council outlined what the United Nations and its member states need to do to incorporate a gender perspective into peacekeeping operations and to promote women's full involvement in all efforts to maintain and promote peace and security. As the Subcommittee considers this part of Security Council Resolution 1325, we urge attention both to women's participation and to substantive representation of women's needs and experiences on peace and security agendas.

Women hold key to breaking out of global food crisis, stresses Migiro
May 1, 2008 – (UN News Centre) Not only do women suffer the most from global problems, such as the current crisis arising from the surge in food prices, but they can also contribute the most to its solutions, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said today.

UN-backed TV series peels back silence surrounding worldwide sexual violence
April 17, 2008 – (UN News Centre) With one in three women worldwide suffering rape or attempted rape during her lifetime and at least one in three likely to be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused, a United Nations-backed television series starting tomorrow will seek to peel away the silence surrounding these brutalities.

IPU Report on Women's Political Representation
April 16, 2008 - (IPS) A new report by the Geneva-based Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) has shown that women are changing the priorities and sometimes the tone of legislatures around the world. But, it also highlights the slow pace at which the number of parliamentary seats held by women is increasing.

Women face bias worldwide - UN
April 5, 2008 - (BBC News) Women are discriminated against in almost every country around the world, a UN-commissioned report says. The report, which was prepared for UN Human Right Commissioner Louise Arbour, says rape within marriage has still not been made a crime in 53 nations.

Women call for greater role in conflict resolution
March 10, 2008 - (USA Today) Leading female power-brokers from around the world appealed Thursday for a larger political role for women in solving conflicts and poverty.

CAN WOMEN FIND UNIQUE WAYS OUT OF WAR?
March 8, 2008 - (The Christian Science Monitor) Women leaders from 45 nations meet in India this week to discuss their role in conflict resolution.

When will they ever learn? Women, men and peace-building
March 6, 2008 – (Open Democracy) International Women's Day is a moment to press global power-brokers to realise the aspiration of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 to allow women to take their rightful place at the heart of peace-building, says Lesley Abdela.

International Women leaders to discuss about Security and Women empowerment
March 6, 2008 - (Asiantribune.com) Sri Lanka’s former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge would be one of the 50 women leaders from all continents who will meet today in Brussels on the invitation of Ferrero-Waldner, EU-Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, to discuss about "Women: Stabilising an Insecure World."

Women's Day, a time to grieve, a time to be inspired
March 6, 2008 – (Reuters) Whether they're widows left destitute after decades of war, or victims of sexual violence and abuse, women are often disproportionately affected in times of conflict. In honour of International Women's Day on March 8, the media is reporting heavily on the soaring rates of violence against women around the globe. It's an important topic and a worrying trend, but it's important to remember the positive stories too.

Push for Creation of a Centralized UN Women’s Agency
March 6, 2008 - (Feminist Daily News Wire) The Campaign for Stronger Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) called for the creation of a centralized UN women's agency last week. The activist groups leading the campaign include Amnesty International, Center for Women's Global Leadership, International Planned Parenthood Federation, and Women's Environment and Development Organization. The campaign was launched last week during the 52nd Commission on the Status of Women, which ends on March 7.

Fund to Fight Gender Violence Puts Donors to the Test
March 6, 2008 - (IPS) The U.N. "Trust Fund to End Violence against Women" has risen significantly over the last year: from 3.5 million dollars in 2006 to over 15 million dollars in 2007. The U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which manages the Trust Fund on behalf of the U.N. system, has now set an ambitious goal: to raise about 100 million dollars a year by 2015.

New-Improved Women's Agency Vies for U.N. Priority
March 6, 2008 - (WOMENSENEWS) A United Nations panel's recommendation to bolster the worldwide promotion of women's rights is getting a renewed push by advocates gathered in New York for the U.N.'s annual Commission on the Status of Women meeting, which ends March 7, the eve of International Women's Day.

Women Out in the Cold at Peace Talks
March 3, 2008 - (IPS) As the United Nations continues its two-week long discussions on the status of women worldwide, there is one nagging fact hovering around the conference rooms in the Secretariat: peacemaking is still largely in the hands of "men in suits, puffing on cigars".

WOMEN’S FULL PARTICIPATION IN CONFLICT PREVENTION, PEACEBUILDING NEEDED TO END USE OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE AS WEAPON, ENSURE LEGAL RIGHTS, SAY COMMISSION SPEAKERS
February 29, 2008 - (UN) Women must be allowed to participate fully in peacebuilding and conflict prevention in order to end sexual violence against women as a method of warfare and ensure women’s full legal, socio-economic and political rights after the fighting was over, several speakers told the Commission on the Status of Women this morning.

We ‘cannot wait’ to end violence against women – Secretary-General Ban
February 25, 2008 – (UN News Center) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today kicked off a multi-year global campaign bringing together the United Nations, governments and civil society to try to end violence against women, calling it an issue that “cannot wait.”

Do or Die: Learn to Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
February 22, 2008 - (HRW) I am a failure. Not because of an early divorce, or a failure to learn Chinese. Not even because, after 15 years abroad, I sometimes sound like a foreigner when speaking my native Danish language. All of those things, while potentially uncomfortable or painful, are the consequences of choices I have made. I am a failure because I have not been able to create equality in my own relationship -- despite being defined by my business card as a "women's rights advocate."

AFRICA: First ladies fight for peace
February 18, 2008 - (IRIN) In a bid to support initiatives to restore and strengthen peace on the unrest-prone continent, wives of African heads of state or their representatives have formed a conflict-resolution group.

OSCE representative urges parliamentarians to step up fight against human trafficking
February 12, 2008 - (OSCE) The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Eva Biaudet, said today that parliamentarians have a crucial role to play in the fight against trafficking.

Rape "epidemic" in African conflict zones – UNICEF
February 12, 2008 – (Reuters) Rape and sexual violence against children and women are spreading in conflict zones in Africa like an epidemic, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF said on Tuesday.

International: Today: the International Day Against Female Genital Mutilation
February 6, 2008 - (UNFPA) Today UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, calls for stronger commitment to end female genital mutilation. We call on governments to protect the rights of women and girls.

Europe: 2008, European Year of the Intercultural Dialogue – With Women?
February 2, 2008 - (Women Living Under Muslim Laws) The Intercultural Dialogue can be a good mechanism to voice, expose & condemn those practices that violate women’s rights and silence women’s voices. Intercultural dialogue and diversity of culture should be promoted in a way that respects women’s rights.

UN Gender Equality Architecture: Strengthened in 2008?!
January 2008 - (WIDE) After a slowdown of the process within the UN to discuss UN reform and as part of it the recommendations to strengthen UN Gender Equality Architecture (GEA), new developments that may lead to final decisions made in favour of a strengthened GEA are now taking place.

Global: How did women fare in 2007?
Januay 15, 2008 - (Pambazuka News) Last year saw three female presidents come into power. In Argentina, left-leaning Cristina Fernandez was elected president, becoming the country's second ever woman to occupy its highest office. In her inaugural speech, Fernandez vowed to ensure the conclusion of the numerous human rights abuses cases arising from the dictatorship era from 1976 to 1983.

UN probes allegations of corruption, fraud
January 10, 2008 - (Reuters) A U.N. internal investigative unit has found an unexpected amount of fraud and abuse at the United Nations and is currently investigating 250 cases, including alleged sexual and financial offenses.

UNHCR Urges Women Leaders to Empower Female Refugees
January 2008 - (African Refugee Network Newsletter) A Norwegian polar explorer joined more than 50 senior businesswomen and aid workers in Geneva in mid-December to look at ways in which women leaders could help female refugees empower themselves through livelihood projects.

Dutch Action Plan 1325
January 2008 - (WPP In Action) "Resolution 1325 (2000) holds out a promise to women across the globe that their rights will be protected and that barriers to their equal participation and full involvement in the maintenance and promotion of sustainable peace will be removed. We must uphold this promise." (UN Secretary-General's 2004 report on Women, Peace and Security)