General Women, Peace and Security

Violence against women is a worldwide crisis, and a bill scheduled to come before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, the International Violence against Women Act, would improve the way US foreign assistance is provided to address such violence.

Participants here at a seminar on Monday called upon the government to fulfill its obligations under the UN resolution 1325 to ensure protection of rights of women during conflicts and wars.

Women directly affected by the 12 year long armed conflict have drawn the attention of the Government towards ensuring access of women in all sectors from the policy making to the implementation level and building a non-discriminatory social structure and just society. They also pointed out the need to address gender inequality, imbalance of power and lack of opportunities for the conflict affected women.

A new initiative has been launched by UNIFEM, aiming to bring the world's attention to the need to end sexual violence against women in general and in conflict zones in particular. Global Voices is a scheme whereby media outlets and individuals spread the word and raise public awareness, fighting for women's rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Women have remained faceless in the supra-national body such as the United Nations with less than 15 per cent of country representatives based at the New York headquarters, according to a UN records released Friday.

An online UNelections Monitor report cited the figures kept by the UN Protocol and Liaison Service that out of 192 permanent representatives at UN Headquarters, only 26 are women.

Davao City, Philippines—In celebration of the International Women's Month this March, the Philippine government has issued Executive Order 865 creating the national steering committee on Women, Peace and Security.

The atrocities against the tribal people of Burma continue to mount, yet the world continues to ignore their plight. In Part 3 of our series about Vision Beyond Borders, we're taking a look at how women and children are being affected by what's being called a "genocide" in Burma by many who work there.

Women who have fled Burma to escape what they describe as systematic violence against women by the military have banded together to help other survivors.

Last week, their work was recognized by the Peter Gruber Foundation, which awarded them $200,000 and the 2005 International Women's Rights Prize. The award was given jointly to the Shan Women's Action Network and the Women's League of Burma.

It has been three years since the report ''License to Rape" exposed to the world how troops of the Burmese military regime have been committing systematic sexual violence against women in Shan state, one of the ethnic regions of Burma where civil war has been continuing for more than four decades.

The 15th African Union Summit is underway in Kampala. The theme of the meeting -- “Maternal, Infant and Child Health and Development in Africa” – reflects the commitment of the Maputo Plan of Action endorsed by African heads of state four years ago.