General Women, Peace and Security

For many women who live here, the list of Delhi's “100 Most Unsafe Places,” recently compiled by Whypoll, a citizens' networking group, resonates with unpleasant associations.

As wars become less about states and more about societies, women can play a greater role in shaping or ending conflicts. So why do we still think of war as inherently male?

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro has commended Uruguay for joining the United Nations campaign that seeks to end violence against women by raising awareness and generating political will to implement measures to stem the scourge.

Defying authority and often braving physical harm, female protesters in Arab Spring demonstrations from Bahrain to Egypt have shown they are ready to speak out on public issues. Since the protests began early this year, these women have emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the Middle East -- a development reflected in the decision to award Yemeni activist Tawakkol Karman the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

War has been much on the American mind lately. In just the last month we have seen an assassination short-circuit an already dubious peace process in Afghanistan, a promise from our president to pull most of our forces out of Iraq by the end of 2011 and the conviction in an American court of the notorious arms dealer Victor Bout, the “merchant of death” who supplied weapons to the Taliban and fueled civil wars in Africa.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will participate in a special session of the APEC 2011 CEO Summit on “Women and the Economy” in a conversation with FORTUNE Washington Columnist and Senior Editor Nina Easton.

The discussion follows up on Secretary Clinton's speech on the inclusion of women as an economic growth strategy in September in San Francisco and will take place on November 11, 2011.

This week marks the 11th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. Passed unanimously on October 31, 1999, this seminal resolution was the first of five focused on the need for and the value of increased women's participation and protection in efforts to prevent, resolve, and rebuild following conflict.

Last month women worldwide were delighted to hear that three women from the global south were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman were honored for their nonviolent struggles for justice in Liberia and Yemen, and for the right of women to fully participate in peacemaking.

DR Congo: As Electoral Campaign Starts, Congolese and International NGOs Call for Urgent Measures to Prevent Escalating Violence

Contested election could lead to widespread violence, warns a coalition of 41 NGOs

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo should immediately arrest an armed group leader running for political office who is wanted for crimes against humanity, including mass rape, Human Rights Watch said today. A Mai Mai militia leader, Ntabo Ntaberi Sheka, is running as a candidate for the National Assembly in elections scheduled for November 28, 2011.