General Women, Peace and Security

Colombia's former minister of justice emphasized the need for the country's judges to familiarize themselves with international judicial norms and Colombia's international obligations at a Medellin seminar on justice for women on Thursday.

According to Colombia's former minister of justice, Ruth Stella Correa, judges in Colombia need to study and be able to implement and interpret international norms regarding women's rights.

Everywhere I go there is a palpable sense of anger and sadness at the recent spate of abuse and killing of women and children in our country. The shocking incidents in Reiger Park and Westbury where children were killed have no place in our society. Government is saddened by these deaths and I convey my deepest condolences to the families and friends who lost their loved ones.

"Two excellent stories, one by Buzzfeed's Jina Moore and another by Lauren Wolfe at Foreign Policy, recently brought to light the fact that women make up 75 percent of the current Ebola epidemic's victims in Liberia. Earlier in the week, the Washington Post reported that in other affected states women have comprised 55 to 60 percent of the dead.

"The United Nations Development Programme in Ethiopia announced the appointment of its Goodwill Ambassador for Entrepreneurship at a high profile event held in Addis Ababa drawing members of the government, private sector and development partners.

Women groups and Civil Society Organisations have made their inputs into the Sierra Leone in-country monitoring of the United Nation Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820 Report for 2014.

It has been four months since the 14th of April -- the beginning of a life-changing horror story for almost 300 school girls in Nigeria. The recent kidnapping of these girls reminded me, the G(irls) 20 Summit delegate representing South Africa, of my position in the world as a woman, and made me grateful for the opportunities that I receive.

Operation Protective Edge and the costs of war in the latest round of the Israel-Palestine conflict have dominated all our newspaper headlines in the past month. Images of harm and horror have come to be the stock and trade of the media reporting on the ongoing hostilities. International law has been repeatedly invoked in this war, although often in ways that suggest its breach and even impotence.

Activist groups called on African government officials to ban child marriage amid President Barack Obama's first U.S.-Africa summit Tuesday.

“Child marriage is a complex human rights issue. It violates myriad women's rights,” said Amanda Klasing, a women's rights researcher for Human Rights Watch, during a discussion at United Nations Foundation on Tuesday hosted by the International Center for Research on Women.

The Sadc Protocol on Gender and Development is a perfect instrument that needs to implemented by all member States to ensure the advancement of women in the region.

That there is no gender equality in most of Sadc countries is not a secret, considering that many countries are taking measures in a bid to address the situation.

Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Susan Shabangu has launched the 2014 National Women's Month programme, which will see the building of almost 2 000 houses in each province.

Speaking during the launch of Women's Month on Thursday, Minister Shabangu announced that the Department of Human Settlements will on 4 August 2014 launch its annual Women's Built Project, where 1 956 houses will be built in each province.