General Women, Peace and Security

Burma's horrific military tactics drag on thanks to Asean's silence, inaction in 1989, following the collapse of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), a number of armed ethnic armies entered into a series of ceasefire agreements with Rangoon. The fighting stopped, to a degree, but deep down nobody believed it would last. It was just a matter of time before the various groups resumed fighting.

The struggle for equal opportunities for women in all aspects of Sierra Leone's socio-economic life is as crucial for our country's future as it is to women. Consequently, men and women must fight this battle together.

Women's groups in Sierra Leone are robustly pushing the government to establish laws to increase the representation of women in public life. And young women are joining in too.

Women across the world enjoy greater opportunities and freedoms than ever before. It is a peaceful revolution under-pinned by an extraordinary transformation of legal rights. Almost every country has signed international conventions signaling their commitment to outlaw discrimination against women. Nearly 140 national constitutions specifically guarantee gender equality.

It's mid-day in early March and about a hundred women and girls are squeezed into a round "peace hut" in the Liberian village of Totota with the head of the new U.N. Agency, U.N. Women, looking on. Michelle Bachelet's face draws a look of compassion and concern as the ceremonies begin.

On July 9th, South Sudan will declare its independence, becoming Africa's newest nation. The challenges it faces are many. 50 years of war and conflict have seriously undermined the capacity of institutions at all levels to provide justice. Scores of cases of human rights violations and abuses, including sexual violence have remained uninvestigated, unprosecuted or unpunished.

More countries have gender equality legislation on their books than ever before but many laws are inadequate and rarely if ever enforced, the first major report by the new U.N. women's agency showed on Wednesday.

How does Europe compare with sub-Saharan Africa in terms of women's rights?

Here are some key differences between the regions taken from “Progress of the World's Women”, a UN Women report:

The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mrs. Atifete Jahjaga continues the official visit to Lithuania. She had today an official meeting with the President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskaite, in the Cabinet of the latter, where they discussed a range of topics of interest.

The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj.

The Fiji's Women's Rights Movement's (FWRM) retreat and planning at the Pearl Resort in Pacific Harbor was shut down by police. Two staff members were taken in for questioning. It was noted that another NGO was holding a strategic planning event at the same venue and this event was not interrupted or by the Police.