General Women, Peace and Security

To mark International Women's Day, the EU Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs will launch tomorrow, for the fifth year in a row, a Gender Drawing contest designed to raise awareness on women's conditions and rights in developing countries, through the involvement of children. He will also inaugurate a joint EU/UN photo exhibition in Timor Leste with the Special Representative of the UNSG Ms Ameerah Haq.

The Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Vadim Kuznetsov, called for better implementation of the country's gender equality law in a statement released to mark today's 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day.

More than 40 women's cooperatives have formed small businesses across Lebanon to revitalize communities that were economically devastated by the 34-day conflict with Israel in 2006.

Focusing on the well-being of women and wider communities in areas of Lebanon where some live on incomes as low as US$2.40 per day, the 42 cooperatives were resourced and trained with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The United Nations Security Council, in resolutions 1325 and 1820, recognized that women and girls need protection and support during and following all conflicts, and called for women's full participation in peacebuilding.

Each year around the world, International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. Not only on this day but throughout the month of March, hundreds of events ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatrical performances, fashion shows and more take place around the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements of women.

As reports by Human Rights Watch and formal documentation from the UN Human Rights Commission decry the worsening human rights situation in Côte d'Ivoire, many Ivoirians IRIN spoke with in Abidjan are appalled by recent acts of gruesome violence.

One of the most prominent women's organizations in the world has written a letter to the UN Secretary General, calling for an end to the Iraqi government's abuses and threats against the residents of Camp Ashraf.

Camp Ashraf, Iraq, is home to 3,400 members of the main Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).

OVER the past decades, government has worked to promote Filipino women in every field of life. Various activities have been undertaken to implement recommendations and decisions made during various local and international conferences on women and development in general.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday launched the "100 Women Initiative: Empowering Women and Girls through International Exchanges" on the eve of the100th anniversary of International Women's Day, which marks the economic, political and social achievements of women.

One hundred women from 92 countries gathered at the State Department to begin a three-week professional exchange program in the United States.