Asia

Women have been proven to be better equipped than men in handling the more emotional aspects of peace negotiations, said the outgoing head of Malacañang's peace office.

Twenty-two fully accredited and active BRIDGE facilitators from the Pacific are in Nadi, Fiji for a 10-day workshop organized by the United Nations Development Fund for Women's (UNIFEM Pacific Regional Office) Gender Equality in Political Governance (GEPG) Programme.

Women in the Pacific continue to face adverse challenges despite national and regional commitments to addressing gender inequality.

In a statement marking International Women's Day today, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade says: "International Women's Day this year marks a critical time for women's rights and gender equality in the Pacific region. "

Recognizing that change doesn't happen through ideas alone, AWID invited the 2005 Forum participants to submit grant applications for projects that would transform ideas and perspectives picked up at the forum into projects for meaningful change. How does change happen? One step at a time, one project at a time.

IN JANUARY 2005, Julia Gillard was home in Altona contemplating a challenge to struggling Labor leader Kim Beazley. She had cut short an overseas holiday and in the 2½ days since getting off the plane had been hunkered down, working the phones, checking the numbers. Her suitcase was still unpacked in the hall.

Shadi Sadr, a renowned Iranian human rights lawyer, women's rights activist and member of Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) – International Solidarity Network Council, has been awarded the International Women of Courage Award 2010. Ms. Sadr was also the recipient of the Lech Walesa and the Dutch "Human Rights Tulip" awards in 2009.

After a revolt that unfolded over less than 24 hours and surprised lawmakers and the public, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stepped aside Thursday and was replaced by his deputy, Julia Gillard, who became Australia's first female leader.

The ruling Labor Party revolted against Kevin Rudd and installed his deputy.

Women's legal status is weak in patriarchal Palestinian society. The right to inherit is an especially weak point not least when it comes to the inheritance of land. The EU has granted 5,6 mio. kroner to DanChurchAid's work to secure women their legal right of inheritance. Women's right to inherit is a matter of awareness for both men and women - and legal aid to women whose right of inheritance is threatened.

While Asia and the Pacific can take pride in the region's vibrant economic transformation in recent decades, this has not translated into progress on gender equality.

As a part of the US – Pakistan Strategic Dialogue initiated in March, 2010 by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melane Verveer and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Sector Shahnaz Wazir Ali on Friday chaired a dialogue on women empowerment.