General Women, Peace and Security

As Canada prepares to pull out its military troops from Kandahar after a long and difficult run in southern Afghanistan, where 156 Canadian soldiers have lost their lives since 2002, it is not only time to reflect on the sacrifices made and the gains achieved by the Canadian presence in this war-torn nation, but also to focus on creating momentum for durable peace and justice which includes the consolidation of democratic ideals and gender equ

The head of the United Nation entity tasked with promoting gender equality today reiterated that economic empowerment of women, political participation, ending gender-based violence and raising women's involvement in post-conflict peacebuilding are the priorities of the body.

Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi and four human rights organizations have jointly called on the UN Human Rights Council and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to more actively defend human rights in Iran, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.

The commander of the regime's suppressive police force spoke about intensifying actions against what he called “mal-dressing” by women, state-run ISNA news agency reported on Thursday. Ahmadi Moghaddam said the plan to intensify dealing with “anomalies” will “start on June 15 throughout the country.”

When asking for Afghan women's opinion on whether there should be negotiations with the Taliban and foreign troop withdrawal, Wazhma Frogh, a leading women's activist and an executive board member of the Afghan Women's Network, told me that among Afghan women there is no clear consensus. But there is a common call for ending all forms of violence.

Sudan's invasion of the town Abeyi; sexual harassment in Egypt; the impact of Egypt's uprising on migrants; the detention of Syrian blogger Amina Arraf; Western Sahara; and the opening of the a centre for women in Eastern Congo, the City of Joy, are among the topics featured in this week's review of African blogs, by Sokari Ekine.

Afghan Women's Network once again raises serious concerns on the increased instances of violence against children and women in Afghanistan and seriously condemns this act.

Palestinian officials and international personalities have hailed the support extended by HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the General Women's Union and of the Family Development Foundation, to build a Rehabilitation Centre for people with disabilities in the city of Hebron in the West Bank.

The International Peace Institute, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations, Women Deliver, and Family Care International, hosted a policy forum entitled Prevention and Protection Save Lives: Girls, Women, and HIV on the sidelines of the 2011 UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS on 8 June.

As world leaders gather at UN Headquarters in New York this week to chart the future course of the global AIDS response, UN Women is advocating for a robust response for those infected and affected by HIV — particularly women and girls.