General Women, Peace and Security

This year, a new international agency came into being that's bolstering the fight for global gender equality, UN Women. It brings under one roof several other UN bodies that for decades had focused on improving living standards, legal rights and health care, including the United Nations Development Fund for Women, the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, and the Division for the Advancement of Women.

A Sudanese genocide refugee relayed his story of escaping the massacre of his village during a speech on Wednesday, May 4, and called for students to support peace, rather than violence as a method of stopping genocide.

Not everyone in Asia-Pacific is benefiting from the region's robust economic growth, among them women stuck in low-wage jobs in farming or services who are usually the first to be laid off, say labor experts.

The experts from various countries are preparing as from Tuesday in Luanda the documents to be discussed and approved in the extraordinary meeting of the gender equality ministers of the Portuguese Speaking Countries Community (CPLP), to take place on Wednesday.

Tunisia's ruling that men and women must feature in equal numbers as candidates in July polls is an Arab world first that builds on this year's revolt and allays fears of conservative influence, observers say.

The empowerment of Africa's women is critical to the achievement of all MDGs, not just the goal of gender equality. Fortunately, awareness of the link between women's empowerment and development continues to grow.

The world today seems rife with conflict and catastrophes, both natural and man-made, and governments and international institutions are rightly focused on people's needs caught in these events.

She looked down and laughed nervously. “ I have a bunch of friends,” Bineta Diop said when I asked how she was selected as one of TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2011. “But I share this award with the women in Africa.

Women are critical to peace building and conflict resolution. While war affects everyone, women are especially affected.

For Tunis resident Amel, her country's January revolution brought her personal freedom after two decades living in a repressive police state.

But as a woman, she is fearful Tunisia's yet uncertain future could bring something else -- an Islamist resurgence and what that could mean to her rights.