Côte d'Ivoire has been in a political impasse since the declaration of contested results of a second round of presidential elections held in November 2010. Since both candidates claimed victory and have been sworn in, the country has two presidents and two governments.

Despite their 20 percent share of the population, Mayan women in Guatemala have limited political and economic power. They have the country's highest rates of poverty and illiteracy, and, according to an NDI-supported study, are far less likely to vote than any other sector of the population. Only four of 158 deputies in Congress are Mayan women and only one of 333 mayors.

The uprising and social unrest in Tunisia and Egypt – and now possibly continuing in the region - are the result of decades of mistreatment and neglect of the populations in these countries.

Women are constantly forced to negotiate for their rights between family, community and the state. But situations of conflict, strife and unrest pose myriad different challenges to them and render their negotiations with these institutions extremely complex. To understand women's gendered roles, issues and problems in conflict zones, a two-day conference will be organized on 5-6th Feb. 2011 in Mumbai.

Former U.S. Ambassador Nancy Soderberg has dealt with the global issues of war, terrorism, poverty, debt, trade, climate change and health, or in other words, any issue that affects national security.

As the first speaker in the Women's Center of Jacksonville “Women, Words and Wisdom” lecture series Tuesday, she will discuss “Meeting Today's National Security Challenges.”

A new Violence Against Women Federal and Tribal Prosecution Task Force being formed this year is being directed to produce a trial practice manual on the federal prosecution of violence against women offenses in Indian Country.

Attorney General Eric Holder and United States Attorney for the District of Montana, Michael W. Cotter, announced the formation and inaugural meeting of the task force this week.

Few new organizations are formed with as much anticipation as the new UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women -- or "UN Women," for short. Given its bulky official name, some of us feared a "bulky" or bureaucrat start. But, many of those fears were allayed when Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile, was appointed last September as Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director.

Ostensibly, my recent chat with Tamara Kreinin, executive director of Women and Population at the United Nations Foundation, was supposed to be about International Women's Day. And while it was, we also got sidetracked into talking extensively about Tamara's recent trip to Haiti. Her observations were too insightful not to share.