Asia

Dulce Junior is a Timorese 36-year old mother of two boys. As many other women around the world, she manages her time between her family and her job. Since 2008, she was a planning and implementation officer and recently has been promoted as the Chief of Department for the Local Development Programme (LDP) at the Ministry of State Administration (MSATM) of Timor-Leste.

As a girl, Laura Pina was not expected to slave in the kitchen simply by virtue of her gender. Then she got married.

In Timor-Leste, women are key players in reshaping the future of the second youngest country in the world. Dulce Junior, 36, is one such woman. “Mana” (Sister) Dulce, as her friends and colleagues call her, is one of the country's many prominent women activists who are working to put women's needs at the center of how the Government approaches development and poverty reduction.

UNDP is targeting the National Parliament in Timor-Leste in a renewed bid to ensure that Asia's newest state is grounded on gender equality and inclusive growth.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste, Ameerah Haq, presided over a dialogue with civil society on UN Security Council resolution 1325 in Dili on 11 June, on the occasion of the Global Open Day on women and peace.

A women member of Kurdistan parliament said today that most of the women parliament members have difficulties in shaping an association to deal with the women's problems in Kurdistan Region. "We suppose that the Kurdish women parliament members do not need to conclude under the umbrella because the women parliaments have opportunity to shed a light on the women's platforms in parliament," said Gasha Dara.

In five years, women will occupy half of all executive positions in government.

This is mandated by the Magna Carta of Women's Implementing Rules and Regulations stipulating parity between the sexes such that women shall compose at least 40 percent of all development councils, from the regional level to the barangay.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita “Ging” Deles is getting a second chance to push for peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the New People's Army (NPA).

In London, campaigners protested against "medievalism and barbarity" Hundreds of people have held rallies across the world in support of an Iranian woman sentenced to death for adultery. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was originally told she would be killed by stoning but the sentence was put on hold following an international outcry. In London, campaigners protested against what they described as "medievalism and barbarity".

The young couple is totally busted. They sit at a beach-side park, near signs forbidding teens from sitting too close. He has his arm around her shoulder. She isn't wearing her jilbab , the traditional Islamic head scarf.

Just like that, the morality cops are in their face.