UN gender equality news feed

A microfinancing scheme helps lift families out of poverty in the West Bank and Gaza and steer them toward financial security.

The "Semilla" programme in Bolivia is helping rural and indigenous women open small businesses and receive skills and management training.

From 28 May to 4 June, Lakshmi Puri, Acting Head of UN Women and UN Assistant Secretary-General, will undertake a week-long official trip covering Malaysia, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Women from around the world are scaling their way to the top but barriers remain. Last week a 27-year-old graphic artist named Raha Moharrak made headlines as the first Saudi woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

United Nations human rights experts are calling for more effort to protect an estimated 260 million people in South Asia who are victims of caste-based discrimination. The experts say the victims, commonly referred to as the Dalits, are treated as "untouchables" and occupy the lowest levels of strict, hierarchical caste systems founded on notions of purity, pollution and inequality. They face marginalization, social and economic exclusion, segregation in housing, limited access to basic services, and are subjected to working conditions similar to slavery.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the Ceremony for the Centre of Excellence for the Fight against Violence against Women and Children, in Kigali, on 23 May.

"Inspiration" was the focus of the first two sessions of the 2013 Retreat on the Joint Programme Accelerating Progress towards the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women being held at IFAD today and tomorrow. About 40 participants from IFAD, FAO, WFP and UN Women gathered to hear about achievements, challenges and opportunities in the seven pilot countries: Ethiopia, Liberia, Niger, Rwanda, Guatemala, Kyrgyzstan and Nepal.

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, will launch two new initiatives to increase access to family planning and improve maternal health in some of the most-hard-to-reach areas around the world, including post-conflict and post-disaster countries. These initiatives which build on UNFPA's years of support to family planning will be announced at the 2013 Women Deliver Conference, to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 28 to 30 May.

Pregnant women have a great deal to look forward to: the miracle of birth, meeting their children, raising them into adulthood. While we may prefer to focus on these happy outcomes, we should also confront the fact that serious risks make this journey a perilous one for those who lack access to proper medical care.

The UN Secretary-General and the President of the World Bank laid wreaths at a memorial site for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda as they continued their joint mission to Africa on Thursday. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Dr. Jim Yong Kim arrived in Rwanda after a visit to Goma in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

A dozen editors-in-chief from the capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo, gathered on 20 May in Antsirabe to participate in the second series of exchanges on professional capacities and ethics of the media within the framework of the electoral process in Madagascar...During the three days of the workshop, participants are analysing the electoral process in Madagascar, and learning how to process information using a gender perspective and the indicators for media monitoring developed by the Projet d'Appui à la Crédibilité et à la Transparence des Elections (PACTE).

The prevalence of obstetric fistula – a preventable and treatable condition linked to women's reproduction – among women and girls in developing countries is a denial of their human rights, senior United Nations officials said Thursday urging global action to make childbirth safer.

May 23 marks the first-ever International Day to End Obstetric Fistula. And this year is also the 10th anniversary of the Campaign to End Fistula, a collaborative initiative launched by UNFPA and partners to prevent fistula and restore the health and dignity of the millions of women and girls affected by this devastating but preventable condition.

Launched in 2010, the Gender and Land Rights Database (GLRD) was developed with civil society organizations, national statistics authorities, academics and other sources to highlight the major political, legal and cultural factors that influence the realization of women's land rights throughout the world. The GLRD is a practical tool for policy makers and advocates of women's land rights, providing relevant arguments and information to support processes aiming at more gender-equitable land tenure. Expert and civil society contributions are essential to the proper functioning of the database as they help generate quality information to users. To this end, you are invited to take part in the on-line discussion that will be held through the Land Portal on 3-14 June 2013.

This booklet identifies the main challenges faced by smallholder farmers, especially women, in small livestock management (particularly poultry and small ruminants) and in dairy farming. It also provides a set of tips and gender analysis tools and a gender checklist that, through all the stages of the project cycle, guides livestock experts and professionals in designing , implementing and monitoring livestock projects and programmes in a gender sensitive way, taking into consideration the challenges faced by both women and men in livestock farming. Rural women play a major and crucial role in livestock farming: in rural livestock-based economies they represent two-thirds (approximately 400 million people) of low-income livestock keepers. Yet, in spite of their heavy involvement in livestock farming, they often have limited access to natural resources and extension services, less participation in decision making and enjoy a smaller share of the income derived from livestock farming if compared to their male counterparts. This publication aims to help rural women obtain the necessary tools to reach their full potential in the livestock/agricultural sector and fully contribute to household food security and overall economic growth.

The 194 Member States of the World Health Organization have begun their annual review of the activities of WHO, discussing topics such as noncommunicable diseases, universal health coverage, women and children's health.

In advance of the 21st Summit of African Union, to be held in Addis Ababa on 19-27 May 2013, the UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, presents her congratulations to all African women and men on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the African Union.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday called for the protection of the civilian population in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo...The Secretary-General said that women and girls in particular, must be free from sexual violence.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is currently on a five-country tour in Africa. Mr. Ban' first stop was Mozambique, where he visited the Sansão Muthemba Secondary School in the capital, Maputo. The Secretary-General highlighted a campaign to end violence against women, in addition to answering students' questions. Alex King is travelling with the Secretary-General and filed this report.

The International Labour Organization is working with the Jordanian government and its social partners to help narrow the pay gap between men and women.

WFP's school meals programme has benefitted millions of school children across Ethiopia over the last 19 years and currently serves some 650,000 students in 1,800 schools in different parts of the country. Fatuma is one of those children.

Indigenous peoples in Latin America have undergone an unprecedented mobilization in the past 20 years, but political participation, particularly among women, is still low, the United Nations said in a new report released Wednesday.

Compared to men, women are frequently disadvantaged in their access to and control over forest resources and in their ability to take advantage of economic opportunities, according to an FAO paper that calls for action on gender disparities in the forestry sector.

In a joint press statement, UNAMA and UN Women representatives in Afghanistan call on the Afghan Government and Parliament to enforce a landmark law enacted by presidential decree in 2009. It has yet to gain parliamentary approval and challenges persist in its enforcement.

A group of United Nations human rights experts on Tuesday called for the post-2015 development agenda to be urgently refocused on equality, social protection and accountability.

The 12th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues opened Tuesday, drawing more than 1,000 participants – including indigenous peoples' leaders who are partnering with IFAD on rural development projects around the world.

At the UNESCO-Humid Tropics Center in Kuala Lumpur, integrated water management begins at home: green roof, porous pavement, rainwater harvesting and a constructed wetland are among the features of this institution that Director-General, Irina Bokova, visited in Kuala Lumpur on 21 May, the first day of her official visit to Malaysia.

The FAO Policy on Gender Equality provides a framework that guides the Organization's efforts to achieve gender equality in all its technical work and assesses results. The policy, in line with the UN System-wide Action Plan, outlines FAO's goal and objectives related to gender equality and delineates an accountability structure for ensuring policy oversight and achievement of results. FAO's efforts to integrate gender issues into all facets of its work efforts will contribute to increasing the coverage, effectiveness, efficiency and – ultimately – the impact of its interventions for women and men, while at the same time toward achieving broader UN goals of human rights and social justice. "FAO's gender policy underscores the Organization's commitment to addressing gender and women's issues to eradicate hunger and poverty," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva on International Women's Day in 2012, when he announced the policy. View policy in French: http://www.fao.org/docrep/017/i3205f/i3205f.pdf

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday commended the Government and people of Mozambique for steady progress in political development, but urged greater efforts to overcome human rights challenges, including discrimination and violence against women, through education and awareness-raising.

On 18 March, throngs of girls lined up singing and clapping to welcome UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, and Afghanistan's Education Minister Farooq Wardak to the Ayesha-e-Durrani school in Kabul. The school, named after the first woman who opened a girls' school in Afghanistan, was severely damaged during the war. Reconstruction started in 2002 and lasted two years. Today, the school welcomes 1600 girls from Grade 1 through the high school years. It was a moment to praise the achievements of this country that has made strides since 2001 when not a single girl was in school.

In Afghanistan, far more boys go to school than girls. WFP is trying to change that by providing food incentives for female students.

Journalists belonging to the Afghan Women Journalists' Association urged UNESCO to play a leading role in supporting Afghanistan's transformation after 2014, the date when most peacekeeping forces are expected to withdraw and national elections are to be organized.

The story of an Afghan woman dying in childbirth and the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent the preventable.

Ali Mohamed Ghaleb's five daughters give him a special interest in supporting the innovative Food For Girls' Education Programme that WFP has been operating in Yemen since 2007. The 44-year-old retired military officer says it helps him keep them in school.

Despite the progress Afghanistan has made in providing education for children, the country is not likely to meet the Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education by 2015. This observation was made by Irina Bokova, the head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) who wrapped up a visit to the country on Monday.

On the occasion of her official visit to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, met President Hamid Karzai on 18 May 2013 at the Presidential Palace in Kabul. President Hamid Karzai thanked the Director-General for UNESCO's contribution to Afghanistan, notably in the fields of education and culture. "I congratulate you for your leadership to stand up for girls' education. Through your initiative for Malala, I hope you will continue to speak up for the education of girls of Afghanistan and Pakistan", which he defined as most challenging.

At Gakere health centre in the northern province of Ngozi, the World Food Programme is providing vital food supplements to malnourished pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under five.

Given its transnational nature, combating the scourge of human trafficking required utmost international cooperation and coordination, several speakers said in the General Assembly during its high-level meeting on the appraisal of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. Delegates said that strengthening national legal and institutional frameworks called for the universal ratification and implementation of international instruments, including the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocols. It was also critical to strengthen coordination among origin and destination countries. Barbados Deputy Permanent Representative Joyce Bourne said trafficking in persons is a heinous crime which requires a forceful response at national, regional and international levels. She called human trafficking a vicious cycle that affected women disproportionately.

The Gender Unit, Department of Labour, Punjab, established under the ILO, CIDA funded project, Promoting Gender Equality for Decent Employment (GE4DE), has, from amongst 2000 applicants, won a United Nations Public Service Award in recognition of its work on gender mainstreaming.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message, delivered by Navi Pillay, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to the International Forum on the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, in The Hague on 16 May.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is stepping up efforts to eradicate workplace discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. In a statement on International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said the world of work has been a crucial arena for spearheading legal change, ending stereotypes and promoting understanding of the need for dignity of all human beings.

The Government of Jamaica accords the highest level of political commitment to the fight against human trafficking and unequivocally denounces the scourge of trafficking in Persons. Ms. Crystall Powell-Britton told the High-level meeting on the Appraisal of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons that Jamaica reaffirms its determination to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, protect and assist victims, prosecute crimes of trafficking in persons, and strengthen local, regional and international partnerships against the scourge.

Trafficking in human beings is an illegal activity that generates over $30 billion a year and affects more than 20 million people, according to United Nations figures. The General Assembly on Monday held a high-level meeting on the Appraisal of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons. The meeting brought together senior United Nations and government officials as well as some of the survivors of trafficking who are now in the forefront of the global campaign to end it.

Kabul, Afghanistan — It was four years ago that Captain Zohra Daulatzia joined the Afghan National Police. But the mother of two girls still gets excited about that momentous day in her life when she achieved one of her life's greatest ambitions. "I was excited to wear the uniform and felt like I was in the sky and not on earth. I was full of joy," she says.

The International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia is held on 17 May every year. The following is a compilation of news, statements and videos on the Day from the UN system.

"My grades fell dramatically. I started skipping school. I often stayed in bed and cried." This testimony is typical of the experience of many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students around the world. These young people are often denied their right to education because of discrimination and violence based on real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

At a conference for international donors in Brussels on 15 May, Malian women will present their recommendations, calling for more effective contributions to economic development and for women to play a greater role in conflict resolution and rebuilding of their country.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova will visit Afghanistan from 17 to 20 May, where she will pledge UNESCO's support to the country's peace building and development process, during planned meetings with President Hamid Karzai, senior government ministers, parliamentarians, journalists, educators and students.

The second edition of the Learning Route "Pro-Rural Poor Public and Private Partnership in Lao PDR, Best practices and successful strategies in Attapeu Province seen through women's eyes" ended successfully on the 10th of May. During the 5 days event the 20 female participants experienced field visits, discussions and analysis sessions that resulted in the development of action plans to improve their communities' livelihoods through better access to market, stronger and improved group management, and strengthened relations with the private sector.

As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today scrutinized the Secretariat's various reports on cross-cutting aspects of United Nations peacekeeping operations and their support account, most delegates hailed progress made towards stamping out sexual abuse by peacekeepers and implementing the Global Field Support Strategy, but offered divergent views on the peacekeeping budget proposed for the July 2013 to June 2014 period.

Considerable progress has been made in reducing child and maternal deaths, improving nutrition and reducing deaths and illness from HIV infection, tuberculosis and malaria, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In its annual World Health statistics publication, WHO also says efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have reduced health gaps between rich and poor countries.

The ILO is organising a Knowledge Sharing Forum in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 28-30 May 2013 to share good practices, practical initiatives and new policies to promote decent work for domestic workers in Africa.

76 countries still criminalize consensual same-sex relationships and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people everywhere continue to suffer violent attacks and discriminatory treatment. In this simple, high-impact video from the UN human rights office, individuals from diverse backgrounds pose questions directly to the viewer designed to expose the nature of human rights violations suffered by LGBT people around the world. The video includes cameo appearances by UN Secretary-General and High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay. The UN's message: LGBT rights are human rights. Together we will build a world that is free and equal.

Nearly 40 per cent of Guatemala's 14 million people belong to one of more than 20 indigenous Mayan groups. A disproportionate number live in poor and isolated rural areas with limited access to basic services such as water, sanitation, education and health.  Opportunities for the young people from these areas are limited. But adolescent girls, in particular, find their future paths are often constrained by discrimination and the traditional practice of child marriage.

In this Opinion piece, published by CNN, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin talks about the important role men can and must play in lifting the obstacles that prevent women from access voluntary family planning, one of the most cost-effective ways of improving health.

Speech by ITU Secretary-General, Dr Hamadoun I. Touré, at a High Level Dialogue on Women's Empowerment in the Information Society: Systemic, Scalable Strategies (14 May, ITU WSIS Forum 2013)

Speech by Lakshmi Puri, UN Women Acting Executive Director, during an interactive panel discussion on "Sharing Best Practices and Lessons Learned for Prevention and Prosecution in the Implementation of the Global Plan of Action" at the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the United Nations Appraisal of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons on 13 May 2013 at the General Assembly in New York.

In cooperation with the Jordan National Commission for UNESCO and Arab Women Media Center, UNESCO has been working to incorporate media and information literacy (MIL) into the Jordanian school curriculum by providing high school teachers and students the training to gather, analyze and utilize information through new and traditional media, and to develop debating skills so that they are able to express themselves in a professional manner.

Only 0.3 per cent of girls want to study technology or science, says Kristen Titus, the Executive Director of "Girls Who Code". Find out how this organization is helping to introduce more girls to the world of science and technology.

Saran Keïta Diakité is a lawyer in Mali and President of the Malian branch of the NGO Working Group on Women Peace and Security (Réseau Paix et Sécurité des Femmes de l'Espace CEDEAO). As the Donor Conference on Mali starts in Brussels, in her own words she speaks about the atrocities occurring in her country, which has been plagued by political instability and the proliferation of armed groups that have uprooted more than 415,000 people since a military coup d'état in March 2012. She also talks about the work of her NGO, supported by UN Women, to assist survivors of violence, provide access to justice, and to ensure women have a say in peace negotiations.

SUVA, Fiji — If alarming rates of violence against women are to be effectively addressed, the status of women needs to be elevated.  UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin emphasized the fundamental, often unacknowledged, contributions of women – to families, communities and economies – during the launch of the Pacific Regional ICPD Review report. The persistence of alarming rates of gender-based violence is one of the critical issues in the region.

Chidbirth is perhaps the riskiest and most miraculous time in a woman's life. And midwives are truly the unsung heroines of the challenge to reduce the risks women face in bringing forth life. Now, armed with better skills and training, midwives are increasingly able to deal with life-threatening emergencies and are playing a critical role in making motherhood safer around the world.

Emergency ready-to-eat food rations and high-energy biscuits are being distributed by the UN World Food Programme, WFP, to thousands of newly displaced families in Syria. The families were forced to flee Syria's Mediterranean coast following heavy fighting in their villages. The food distribution will continue for the next few days to more than 10,000 people – mainly women and children.

ZA'ATARI, Jordan — In a tent hospital bed, a Syrian woman who was four months pregnant when she fled her country's civil war cradles one of the newest residents of this dust-swept refugee camp: Her newborn son, just delivered by Caesarean. Around a dozen babies are born every day in Za'atari camp, which is home to 120,000 Syrians and counting – and there's only one, overworked Moroccan doctor performing C-sections.

Human Rights High Commissioner Navi Pillay says alleged massacres by Syrian Government forces and pro-government militias in recent days should spur international action to end the conflict and ensure those responsible for serious human rights violations are made to account for their crimes. Pillay welcomes the agreement by Russia and the United States to work towards convening an international conference to find a political solution in Syria.

Three Iraqi women journalists have won a United Nations contest which seeks to highlight the everyday challenges faced by women living in the Middle Eastern country. The stories submitted by Suha Audah, Enas Jabbar and Shatha al-Shabibi, were selected by an independent panel for their depiction of women's situation in Iraq.

Do improved roads increase the availability of medical services in remote areas? They do. In addition, they also improve the mobility of women, the availability of products and agricultural inputs in rural markets, the possibility for children to reach their schools and the connectivity of rural producers with suppliers and buyers, as the Market Infrastructure Development Project in Charland Regions (MIDPCR) shows.

Government ministers, diplomats and senior United Nations officials gathered for a meeting on human security on Wednesday afternoon. In his opening remarks UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that the meeting took place at a time of great turmoil. He said the global economy is in crisis, the environment is under threat and too many people around the world are living in uncertainty.

For Syrian mothers like Um Abdou, life as a refugee has been a battle to keep her family from going hungry. She didn't hesitate to sell all her jewelry for food, but it wasn't long before she had no more to sell. Today, food vouchers provided by WFP are putting food on the table for her and around 300,000 other refugees in Lebanon as they wait for the conflict to end.

Brazil is the latest country to join the Blue Heart Campaign against Human Trafficking, with singer Ivete Sangalo appointed as a national UNODC Goodwill Ambassador and face of the campaign.

More has to be done to ensure the health and well-being of women and children affected by the Syrian conflict, said Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). On a recent trip to Turkey, the Executive Director visited Nizip refugee camp, housing some 10,000 refugees.

The intense summer heat does not seem to bother the 1,300 students in the afternoon shift at René Schick School, located in the capital district of the same name. Voices and laughter fill the classrooms where the children wait eagerly to receive their plate of rice, beans, tortillas and a bowl of fortified cereal.

"AIDS is a strategic entry point for advancing Burundi's social agenda at several levels: protecting women, children and human rights," said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé at an event marking Burundi's National AIDS Day. Sidibe, on an official visit to the country, met with the Second Vice-President, Gervais Rufyikiri, who has championed the country's drive to stop new HIV infections in children.

Three Iraqi women journalists have been selected as the winners of a United Nations contest which seeks to highlight the everyday challenges faced by women living in the Middle Eastern country.

BANGUI, Central African Republic — Fierce fighting between rebel troops and Central African armed forces beginning in March has left widespread insecurity in the country. Cases of collective sexual violence and massive looting of public offices, housing and health facilities were reported, resulting in a massive internal displacement of populations and a drastic shortage of essential medicines, medical equipment and supplies in health centres meant to welcome and provide care to many victims of this crisis.

A new UN report has found that serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law were committed in November 2012 during fighting between government forces and rebels of the M23 Movement over the town of Goma in North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and during the subsequent retreat of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) to South Kivu province.

Tanzanian women High Court judges are training the judiciary to apply international women's rights standards in their judgments and to protect survivors and witnesses of violence against women and girls. They are also engaging in awareness-raising efforts to improve the understanding of women's rights and options for legal recourse.

Together with the First Lady of El Salvador and Secretary for Social Inclusion, Ms Vanda Pignato, the UNESCO Director-General visited one of the Headquarters of the Programme "Ciudad Mujer" in the Department of Santa Ana. The programme is designed to protect and promote women's rights and to provide integrated specialized services for women, including capacity building.

European Union Flag Islamabad/Brussels, 8 May 2013 – The European Union has provided € 300,000 from its Nobel Peace Prize money to UNICEF to support its educational activities for children affected by a lack of security in parts of northwestern Pakistan...These funds, made available through the European Commission's Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), will enable UNICEF to provide access to education for 3,000 children, including 1,500 girls in 30 schools currently operating in the Jalozai Camp, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A Joint Communiqué on the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Somalia was signed in London late Tuesday by UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson and the President of Somalia Hassan Sheik Mohamud.

Congolese armed forces, known by the French acronym FARDC, raped more than 102 women and 33 girls, some as young as six years old, as they fled the advance M23 rebels in country's restive eastern region in November 2012, according to a joint UN report released Wednesday.

NIZIP 08 May 2013 (IRIN) - Turkey's camps for Syrian refugees are, by many measures, a model of humanitarian assistance. But one important detail appears to have been overlooked: According to aid workers, nowhere in Turkey's 17 refugee camps can survivors of sexual violence find the level of specialized psychosocial support experts say they so desperately need.

Hosted by the IFAD – Rural Livelihood Improvement Programme (RLIP), the second edition of the 5-days Learning Route on Pro-Rural Poor Public and Private Partnership started on the 6th of May in Lao PDR.

UNAIDS has commended the government of Rwanda for its leadership in the national AIDS response. The country has made significant progress in its HIV response and is on track to meet national and global HIV related goals.

Somalia is building peace. Yet, it is still in the midst of conflict, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told the Second London Conference on Somalia on Tuesday. He pointed to the government's priorities which, he said, provided the basis for the London Conference...the Deputy Secretary-General said women and children have borne the brunt of the war, not least sexual violence. He said the United Nations will support the Somali Government in developing protection and access to justice for victims.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's remarks at a special event on "Meeting the Challenges of the Health Millennium Development Goals and Beyond", in New York, 6 May.

Midwives are truly the unsung heroines of the challenge to reduce the risks women face in giving birth, says the UN Population Fund, UNFPA. On the occasion of the International Day of the Midwife, observed on 5 May, UNFPA and the International Confederation of Midwives issued a joint statement urging all nations to work together to address the inequalities and inaccessibility of midwifery services.

The second phase of a highly successful jobs and small business programme in the occupied Palestinian territory was launched Monday by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). It will be implemented in partnership with the Palestinian Authority and funded through the Islamic Development Bank (IDB)...Since the first phase of the programme began five years ago, it has assisted almost 10,000 Palestinian families – 47 percent of them women-headed households – and contributed over $20 million per year to the Palestinian gross domestic product (GDP).

As the second largest sending country, some 700,000 documented Indonesian migrant workers leave the country for work abroad, primarily in East and South East Asia as well as the Middle East. Of these, 78 per cent work as domestic workers.

Women must play a greater role in South Sudan's political life, from drawing up the country's constitution to translating it into law, a United Nations official has urged, as the African nation prepares to draft its first legal framework.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today highlighted the role that the private sector can play in contributing to improve maternal health services across the world through the United Nations Every Woman Every Child initiative.

GAO/BAMAKO, 6 May 2013 (IRIN) - During the rebel takeover of northern Mali in April 2012, many women said they were subjected to rape or sexual assault. Since then, little or no support has come through for these women, say aid workers. Aminata Touré* was on her way to her uncle's house in the city of Gao in June 2012 when she was stopped by two men on a motorbike. "I had no choice. They were armed and threatened to kill me," she said. While one of the men held her baby, the other took her to a nearby bush. "They took me and they did everything they could do, they raped me. Afterwards, they left me in the bush," she told IRIN.

DUBAI, 6 May 2013 (IRIN) - In the 1980s, the UN says, Iraqi women enjoyed more basic rights than other women in the region. But years of dictatorship, sanctions and conflict, including the US-led invasion one decade ago, led to deterioration in women's status. "Across the board, women are suffering more [than they used to]," said Sudipto Mukerjee, deputy head of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Iraq.

Jennifer Lopez, Lynda Lopez, Arianna Huffington, Cindi Leive, Dr. Harvey Karp, Christy Turlington Burns, Reshma Saujani and more Moms are one of the most powerful forces in our world. They create the future of our society by forming the health, perspective and opportunities for our families, communities and world. And digital media has given mothers everywhere new opportunities to share, learn, advocate and create change for the health, security and opportunities of their families—and for other mothers worldwide. What matters to them? We asked and Moms answered. Mom+Social will be an extraordinary one-day Summit that culminates The Global Mom Relay. Hundreds of the brightest and most passionate people working to improve child, maternal and reproductive health will gather on May 8, 2013 at 92YTribeca in New York City to share ideas, raise awareness and inspire action.

On this International Day of the Midwife, UNFPA and the International Confederation of Midwives, celebrate the work of midwives in contributing to the miracle of birth—and for the myriad other things they do every day to contribute to the wellbeing of mothers and children around the world.

The United Nations on Friday observed World Press Freedom Day, under the theme "Safe to Speak: Ensuring the Safety of Journalists and Media Workers." The day, marked on 3 May each year, was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO to draw attention to the situation of journalists and media workers. According to UNESCO, 121 journalists were killed last year, nearly double the deaths reported in 2010 and 2011.

World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) celebrated its 20th anniversary on Friday. It was first officially proclaimed during the United Nations General Assembly in 1993. Ever since then, UNESCO as the UN agency with the mandate to promote freedom of expression and its corollary, freedom of the press, has been promoting these fundamental rights in every region of the world. The UNESCO Constitution states a commitment to foster the "free exchange of ideas and knowledge" and the "free flow of ideas by word and image".

Women throughout the ECE region are postponing childbearing, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the UNECE. Beng Poblete-Enriquez has the story.

Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp houses more than 100,000 Syrians who have fled the civil war; 3,000 of those registered are pregnant women. Against the odds, women are adapting to the cycle of life. 13-15 babies are born in the camp every day and the majority of births are attended by healthcare professionals. For now, this is where the women call home.

A young couple and their new baby are the first beneficiaries of a national health insurance scheme which now extends to migrant brick kiln workers at risk of bondage, in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Laws recently passed in India to prevent and prosecute rape and other sex crimes "do not go far enough," a United Nations independent expert said today, lamenting that the legislation failed to address systemic gender inequalities in Indian society.

In a vocational training center in the western Afghan city of Herat, WFP food assistance is helping more than 300 men and women learn marketable skills.

There are currently more than 1.3 million registered refugees in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt, according to UNFPA, the UN Population Fund. The majority are living in host communities, outside of camp settings, which is putting strains on local services. UNFPA is providing life-saving reproductive health services across the region, including within Syria.

UNITED NATIONS, New York — In an increasingly interconnected world, more individuals than ever before are leaving their homes to begin a new life somewhere else. Since 1990 the number of migrants has increased from 155 million to around 214 million, with women making up an increasing proportion of that total.

The Security Council has decided to establish the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). In a resolution adopted unanimously on Thursday, the Council decided that the mission will be set up on 3 June for the initial period of twelve months. Its mandate includes the provision of UN "good offices" functions as well as support to the Federal Government of Somalia and the African Union Mission (AMISOM)...UNSOM will also monitor and report to the Security Council on any abuses or violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including abuses committed against women and children in Somalia.

For as long as women have been having babies, other women (and occasionally men) have been at their sides, supporting them through one of the riskiest and most miraculous times of their lives. Around the world, beginning in Sweden in the late 19th century, access to trained and skilled midwives has proven to be one of the most important strategies for reducing maternal death. Midwives are truly the unsung heroines of the safe motherhood challenge.

Meeting in a brief plenary session Wednesday, the General Assembly adopted, as amended, a consensus resolution on the modalities, format and organization of its upcoming high-level meeting on the appraisal of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, deciding that it would take place on 13 and 14 May.

Cameroon is making efforts to improve human rights, including by combating violence against women, according to its Foreign Minister Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo. Speaking in Geneva as the UN Human Rights Council discussed the country's Universal Periodic Review, Mr. Mbonjo said Cameroon has implemented most of the recommendations it accepted during its 2009 Review, and highlighted steps taken to combat violence against women.

COMPOSTELA VALLEY, 30 April 2013 (IRIN) - Health authorities in the Philippines were vigilant in keeping out infant formula donations when Typhoon Bopha hit last December, but activists are concerned the infant formula industry will succeed in pushing through legislative changes that will allow formula donations in future emergencies, making it harder to convince women in those crises to continue exclusive breastfeeding.

A workplace without enough women is missing out on 50% of the finest minds on the planet. So to encourage more young women to pursue careers in the sciences later in life and become interested in the work of the Agency, the IAEA hosted Take Your Daughter to Work Day last week on 25 April 2013.

Shipping has historically been a male-dominated industry and that tradition runs long and deep. However, through its global programme on the Integration of Women in the Maritime Sector, IMO is making a concerted effort to help the industry move on from that tradition and to help women achieve a representation within it that is more in keeping with twenty-first century expectations. This film shows how the work of IMO, and others, is beginning to promote change for the better for women in shipping, and highlights first-hand experiences from some of those who have already succeeded.

Life isn't easy for women -- anywhere in the world. I grew up in Dois Riachos -- a poor, remote town in the north-east of Brazil. Our family didn't have much money -- My mother worked hard to raise me and my two brothers and sister by herself. We couldn't even afford a football -- if we had bought one -- we would have gone without food.

More than 500 Ethiopian migrants, including women and children, were recently freed from houses run by human traffickers in Yemen, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. Many of those released showed signs of torture and abuse. UNHCR says although Yemeni authorities have been conducting similar raids over the past year, incidents of extortion, exploitation, violence and sexual abuse perpetrated against refugees, asylum seekers and migrants are on the increase in the region.

Alcohol abuse and domestic violence, early and forced marriages and bride kidnappings are among the factors making children in Kyrgyzstan more vulnerable to sexual exploitation and forced labour, warned a United Nations independent expert at the end of her recent visit to the country.

Much "unfinished business" remains on commitments made nearly 20 years ago at a global conference on population and development, an independent advocacy group charges. The High-Level Task Force for the International Conference on Population and Development says despite progress worldwide on sexual and reproductive health, 800 women die every day from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.

The new UN Women presence in Copenhagen provides a strategic opportunity to liaise with Nordic governments, parliamentarians, the private sector, civil society and UN Women National Committees in Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

More girls must be encouraged to pursue careers in information and communications technologies (ICTs), a senior UN official told the European Parliament on Thursday. Dr. Hamadoun Touré, who heads the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), highlighted the need to boost the numbers of girls involved in science, technology, engineering and maths. For the past three years, the ITU has celebrated 25 April as "Girls in ICT Day," and Dr. Touré is convinced it will pay off in the decades ahead with more women entering the field. He said at a time when over 95% of all jobs now have a digital component, and where there is a large and growing skills shortage in the ICT sector, more needs to be done to get girls interested in these careers.

The UAE Red Crescent Authority has positively responded to UNRWA's appeal to support conflict-affected Palestinian refugees caught up in the conflict in Syria. With a generous donation of US$ 500,000, UNRWA will provide food to approximately 40,561 Palestinian refugees (over 10,000 families) and hygiene kits to an estimated 3,915 vulnerable adults and babies. The locations of the distribution will be in conflict-affected areas and in UNRWA facilities sheltering internally displaced Palestinian refugees. Since March 2011, UNRWA has distributed 35,273 food parcels, over 41,000 winter items such as blankets and mattresses, 2,829 hygiene kits and cash assistance to approximately 73,076 families.

As the ITU Special Envoy for Women and Girls in ICT, I am thrilled to be greeting all the girls around the world, as we celebrate International Girls in ICT Day on 25 April 2013. Technology is offering large-scale opportunities to empower women and girls, creating a systemic cultural shift by improving how they're portrayed and represented. These are the tools that will ultimately allow women and girls to reach their full potential.

DHAKA – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday celebrated the successful conclusion of the European Union (EU)-funded Food Security for the Ultra Poor (FSUP) project in a ceremony at Westin Hotel, Dhaka. The project, which began in January 2009 and concluded December 2012, supported 30,000 ultra-poor women to become entrepreneurs, raise their incomes and improve their own and their families' food security.

UNICEF is finalizing plans with its Chinese government partners to intensify and accelerate efforts in child protection and welfare, mother and baby health, young child nutrition, hygiene and sanitation. This, as the death and injury toll becomes clearer following the devastation caused by the earthquake in Lushan County in Sichuan province. With support from its Hong Kong Committee, UNICEF has allocated US$75,000 for emergency obstetric and neonatal health equipment for local health facilities.

GENEVA — UNFPA accepted a donation of $5 million from the Government of Kuwait to respond to the urgent needs of displaced people in Syria and of refugees in neighboring countries. These indispensable funds will allow UNFPA to continue saving women's lives, help them deliver babies safely, and protect them from gender-based violence.

In a statement, UN Women India strongly deplores the continuing cases of sexual violence against women and girls, including the recent barbaric rape of a girl child in New Delhi.

With the number of school girls opting to study technology-related disciplines on the decline in most countries worldwide, ITU is committed to championing the catalytic role a tech career can play in creating exciting, far-reaching opportunities for women and girls. To help inspire girls to consider a future in technology, ITU established 'Girls in ICT Day' back in 2010 and supports the global organization of activities every year on the fourth Thursday in April. In only its third year, global momentum around Girls in ICT Day continues to grow with over 100 countries expected to hold events hosted by governments, private sector and NGOs in 2013.

Co-hosted by the International Labour Organization, Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP, United Nations Global Compact Office, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)

African countries are being urged to maximize their abundant natural and agricultural resources to boost growth, jobs and economic transformation. A new report co-authored by the United Nations says leveraging the continent's commodities could help in addressing youth unemployment, poverty and gender disparities. While African countries are growing, they have been unable to fulfil their industrial potential, according to the report which was launched by the UN Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union Commission.

In Ethiopia, impoverished women are earning an income, developing new skills, and starting collective savings thanks to a nation-wide economic empowerment programme benefitting approximately 10,000 women in the Ethiopian countryside.

Millions of women and girls worldwide face sexual harassment on a daily basis – on the streets, in public transportations, at work or in schools. An innovative preventive tool, Circle of 6 (www.circleof6app.com) is a free smartphone application against sexual assault that won the White House "Apps Against Abuse" challenge in 2011. It is being used in 26 countries, mobilizing - young people who have access to technology. The app was recently launched in New Delhi, India, in English and Hindi, in partnership with local organizations. Say NO – UNiTE spoke to Nancy Schwartzman, film-maker, activist, and one of the creators of Circle of 6, about the initiative and how the app can make a difference by preventing violence.

WFP in El Salvador is supporting "One Billion Rising" Campaign. The objective is raising awareness on the rights of women and non violence.

Esther Madudu is one of the many midwives working in the rural areas of Africa who are facing many day to day challenges such as lack of electricity and running water, among other things. Esther's passion and dedication for saving lives did not go unnoticed. The African Medical and Research Foundation or AMREF made her the face of the 'Stand up for African Mothers' Campaign' where she was nominated for the 2015 Nobel Prize. However, lack of technology hampers the work of midwives like Esther. Now the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is improving the work of midwives through the use of mobile technology – calling it – the Mobile Miracle.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday 18 April made a fresh call for investment in girls' education around the world. Mr. Ban spoke at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington D.C. at a high level meeting of the Global Education First Initiative launched in September 2012. He said the meeting is a single but critical step to support the objectives of the Initiative to provide quality, inclusive and relevant education to all children.

Remarks of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as prepared for delivery, at a special event on Girl Rising in Washington, D.C., 18 April 2013.

With general elections approaching, Zimbabwean women hope to see women's representation grow in Parliament, which is also mandated by the new Constitution approved by referendum in March.

When was the last time you met a truly empowered woman? Well, earlier in the week, I was lucky enough to meet Valiben Macwana, one of the 1.7 million empowered self-employed women's association (SEWA) members. SEWA, based in Ahmedabad, India, is an organization of self-employed women workers who earn their living thanks to their small business. These women do not get a monthly salary, nor enjoy benefits like those of their sisters in the "organized labour sector". And to make matters worse, it seems like these women are "uncounted, undercounted and invisible".

With the help of a local women's association and with support from the United Nations mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), four women have started a cell phone repair business that has changed their lives.

Despite success in cracking the silence around the systematic use of sexual violence as a war tactic, it persisted as one of the world's most vicious crimes, destroying individual lives and terrorizing communities, delegates in the Security Council stressed this week, calling on the 15-member body to ratchet up pressure on perpetrators and use its full means to prevent its occurrence.

"Every Child Needs a Teacher" is the slogan of the 2013 Global Action Week on Education for All (21-27 April) which focuses on the vital role of teachers in reaching education goals. In the words of the campaign: "Without teachers a school is just a building".

Agnes Leina, Executive Director Il'laramatak Community Concerns (Kenya) Indigenous women in Kenya face a number of challenges including lack of education and economic opportunities, according to an indigenous activist.

With women projected to comprise a majority of the world's urban dwellers and head increasing numbers of households, gender equality in employment, housing, health and education is vital to ensure the prosperity of the cities of the future, according to a new United Nations study.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's remarks at the Security Council open debate on conflict-related sexual violence, in New York on 17 April.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and the Vice President of Intel Corporate Affairs Group Shelly Esque signed a five-year Framework agreement on 13 April to build capacity in engineering and science worldwide, and harness information and communication technologies (ICTs) for educational advancement.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling for adequate resources to support UN peacekeeping missions in their work to prevent sexual violence in conflict. Mr. Ban spoke in the Security Council as it discussed women and peace and security with a special focus on sexual violence in conflict.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday began its meeting by paying a moment of silence to the late Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher. Baroness Thatcher, who was the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, passed away last week after suffering a stroke.

According to most climate forecasts, people in the West African Sahel— an arid to semi-arid belt stretching across northern Africa—can expect a hotter, drier and more variable climate this century. Already, environmental stresses are being felt and farming is increasingly more difficult in the region. But what do rural people in the Sahel perceive to be the reason for this changing climate? How vulnerable do they feel themselves to be? And, most importantly, what do they plan to do different in order to cope with the threats posed by the coming climate?

With just under 1,000 days to achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the same amount of time at the beginning of a human's life to ensure adequate nutrition and food security, a new vision of sustainable development is being defined. Following the Madrid High-Level Consultation on Hunger, Food Security and Nutrition, FAO Deputy Director for Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Eve Crowley, who represents the organization in the Post-2015 Development Framework discussions, explains why food security and gender should be top priorities in the global plan that succeeds the MDGs.

Conflict-related sexual violence, horrific in itself, is also an impediment to national reconciliation and development, top United Nations officials told the Security Council at the start of a day-long debate, urging increased political and financial pressure on those who commit, command or condone sexual violence in war zones.

SURKHET, Nepal – Amidst the hustle and bustle of passing vehicles, dust and honking horns on the Surkhet-Jumla road, about 350 km west of Kathmandu, the patches of green vegetables within a few minutes' walk are a soothing treat to the eyes. The proud owners of the vegetable plots are women, most of them affiliated with the Nari Ekata ("Women United") Women's Cooperative. With 124 members, all of them women, the cooperative is not only empowering its members but also creating a bandwagon effect. The result: More and more women are eager to join the cooperative. Thanks to their vegetable farming, they earn enough to send their children to school, pay for other miscellaneous expenses and save a little.

The United Nations this week commemorated the anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan genocide when Hutu extremists murdered approximately 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The genocide, which started on 7 April and went on for about 100 days, is commemorated each year to remind the world about the terrible and irreversible loss suffered by humanity as a result of this tragedy.

Enough. Enough. After more than two years of conflict and more than 70,000 deaths, including thousands of children… After more than five million people have been forced to leave their homes, including over a million refugees living in severely stressed neighbouring countries… After so many families torn apart and communities razed, schools and hospitals wrecked and water systems ruined…

A mobile court scheme has started to bring justice for refugees who have been victims of crime in Uganda, says the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR). The agency launched the project with the Ugandan government on Monday at the Nakivale settlement in the south-western part of the country.

A four-day workshop for Pakistani female television journalists, supported by UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), kicked off on 10 April in Karachi. A total of 17 journalists working for different TV channels took part in the workshop, with the main objective to strengthen their professional capacity in news gathering and production.

Text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's video message to the International Conference on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, in Oslo on 15-16 April.

Nine stories, nine girls, nine countries (Afghanistan, Egypt, Peru, Nepal, India, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Cambodia and Haiti). Add nine women writers, a handful of celebrities, and you have the ingredients of "Girl Rising", a documentary to be screened at UNESCO on 17 April 2013 at 7:30 p.m.

UN Women joins the European Union, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, the government of Flanders, the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the international law firm Hogan Lovells in supporting the SEED Award, an initiative that aims to help the most promising start-up entrepreneurs, women-led enterprises and other social and environmental inspiring businesses to integrate ideas and proposals to address pressing local issues.

Thousands of destitute migrants from Ethiopia and Somalia are stranded in northern Yemen in deplorable conditions, victims of gross physical abuse and severe economic and sexual exploitation, a United Nations humanitarian official warned today, calling for urgent action to address their plight.

Girls and boys in developing countries are enrolling in secondary school in greater numbers than ever before, giving them knowledge and skills for healthy, productive lives. While this is good news, many young people still face challenges to employment, and they must also navigate serious risks to their health, such as smoking, early marriage and childbearing, or having unprotected sex. The World's Youth 2013 Data Sheet provides a comprehensive portrait of the well-being of youth ages 10 to 24 across the globe, including such indicators as the current and projected size of youth populations, educational enrollments, labor force participation, marriage and fertility, and health risks and behaviors.

As the Learning Route continues its journey in Nepal, we feature today one of the most active participants, Ms. Sushila Kumari Thapa Magar. Being the Gender and Social Inclusion Advisor of the High Value Agriculture Project (HVAP) in Surkhet, Mid-Western Region of Nepal since last year, she is now development worker for ten years. Sushila will provide her observations and some lessons learn by participating in the Learning Route herself and why these are important to her context, report Pham Tung Lam from the field.

An ILO-Women's Entrepreneurship Development (WED) training for future ILO-WED assessors in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from April 10 -12.

UNRWA partnered with the Center for Resources for Gender Equality "Abaad" and the General Union of Palestinian Women to launch the new documentary film, Ana Ahlam, in a special ceremony held in Beirut on 4 April 2013.

American executive Susan Chodakewitz believes the UN can be a catalyst for getting more women and girls to consider careers in the aerospace industry. Chodakewitz is President of Tetra Tech AMT, an information technology and aerospace company, and is also on the board of directors of the Women in Aerospace Foundation.

Rural and indigenous women have developed strong interactions with their environment. And they play an essential and central role in general and in sustainable management of resources. That's what the President of African Women's Network for Community Management of Forests Ms. Cecile Ndjebet told the UN Forum on Forests taking place in Istanbul, Turkey.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today said more than 2,000 boys and girls have been recruited by armed forces in the Central African Republic since the latest wave of violence in the country began in December. In a news release, UNICEF said it had clear evidence of continuing recruitment of children, and warned that such practices represent a grave violation of international law.

As her nation emerged from crisis, and in the face of great personal tragedy, Rose Mukankomeje took the initiative to bring Rwandans together to protect their natural resources and, in the process, restore communities devastated by conflict.

There can be no hiding place for people who commit acts of sexual violence in conflict and the perpetrators will be pursued by all means available. That's the message delivered on Thursday by Zainab Bangura, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Ms. Bangura spoke at the Lancaster House in London during the launch of the G8 Declaration on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

The launch of Thailand's pioneering One-Stop Crisis Centre by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on 9 April reinforces the continuing efforts to respond to and prevent violence against women and girls after Thailand joined UN Women's newest global initiative, COMMIT.

Violence against women is a serious problem in Mozambique and one man from the Southern African country is working to get men and boys involved in fighting this scourge. Júlio Langa is the National Coordinator of the Men for Change Network, based in the Mozambican capital, Maputo. UN Radio's Derrick Mbatha caught up with Mr. Langa when he attended a recent meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

Fifty years ago this June, Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel to space. Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian-American engineer and serial tech entrepreneur, believes more women and girls should follow the space pioneer. Mrs. Ansari got her chance in 2006 when she became the first woman private space explorer.

ECOSOC will bring together some of the most influential leaders from government, the private and non-profit sectors, and civil society to discuss how partnerships can propel innovation to new heights. Discussions will focus on how partnerships in Science, Technology, Innovation and Culture can impact on economic and social development, and environmental conservation. The Forum will be an interactive dialogue, where participants discuss emerging strategies for creating a culture of innovation.

Teaching children to make peace in the classroom, on the playground, at home and in their communities can have a lasting impact on children to live in a world free of violence and conflict, said Grace Akallo, activist, formerly associated with an armed group. Ms. Akallo spoke to UNICEF Television after a recent meeting on ways to end violence against girls in school.

For MISFA staff Matin Ezidyar, the trip to Badakhshan was work—one of the tasks to tick off from his list of priorities. He was scheduled to meet with some of the beneficiaries of the Targeted Ultra-Poor Programme (TUP), a project being implemented by the Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA) with funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

An initiative announced Thursday 11 April in London by the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized countries to ramp up the fight against rape and other sexual violence in conflict represents "a beacon of light and hope" for the countless survivors around the world, a United Nations envoy said.

Although information and communications technologies (ICTs) offer many opportunities for women's empowerment and gender equality, Latin American and Caribbean women do not yet enjoy the same conditions as men in the information and knowledge society, according to Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

A UN Women supported project is training the families of migrants and rural women's groups to start their own businesses, helping them access micro-credits, and fostering their economic empowerment. They also learn how to save energy and manage household budgets.

Sydney, 8 April 2013 – Groupon, the global pioneer in group buying and leader in social e-commerce, and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, have combined forces to support the empowerment of girls in Asia through school meals programmes. From now through to 12 April 2013, Groupon Australia is running a deal which calls on individuals to donate as little as AUD$5 to provide a child with daily WFP school meals for a month as well as a monthly family food ration to take home. Funds raised in Australia will assist school children in the Philippines affected by Typhoon Bopha.

Following the announcement of her departure by Michelle Bachelet, founding Executive Director of UN Women, the UN Secretary-General has designated Lakshmi Puri, Assistant Secretary-General and UN Women Deputy Executive Director, as the Acting Head of the organization, until further notice.

Dozens of women from the Sahel have met with the United Nations envoy to the region and the world organization's top official for women's issues, at a conference to recommend ways to boost economic recovery, political stability and conflict prevention in the troubled African region.

UNITED NATIONS, Istanbul/Amman/New York — Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, will be visiting refugee camps in Turkey and Jordan to underscore the urgent needs of women and youth affected by the crisis in Syria.

ILO reveals how an estimated 600,000 migrant workers are tricked and trapped into forced labour across the Middle East at the first-ever tripartite regional conference on human trafficking.

The number of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries could reach four million by the end of the year unless a political solution to the crisis in the country is found, according to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR. To date Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq are hosting over 1.3 million Syrian refugees. UNHCR however says efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the refugees was being hampered by lack of funding.

Brussels, 9 April 2013 – Some 40 women from the Sahel met today to underline the crucial contributions women from the region are making to economic recovery, political stability and conflict prevention, and to explore ways to enhance their role in these areas.

Domestic workers in India have more than doubled in number since 2005. Talking to BBC World News, ILO's, Tine Staermose stressed the importance of policies aimed at protecting a very vulnerable section of the society. India's domestic workers are considered to ''uphold the economy'', with a rising population of over 10 million.

For the first time since independence in 1991, one of Kyrgyzstan's regions succeeded in reducing maternal mortality to zero: in the north-western Talas region, not a single woman died during 2012 while being pregnant or as a result of giving birth.

As he kicked off the campaign "MDG Momentum – 1,000 Days of Action" in Spain, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon highlighted the Millennium Development Goal of education by speaking to Malala Yousufzai. Malala is the young Pakistani teenager who in October 2012 was shot in the head and neck for opposing Pakistani Taliban restrictions on female education in the Swat area of Pakistan.

The United Nations today voiced "serious concern" over the deaths of at least 10 Afghan children and a woman, and injuries to seven others in an armed clash during a joint Afghan-NATO operation against the Taliban in eastern Kunar province.

Friday, 5 April, marks 1,000 days to the target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the MDGs. According to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the MDGs are the most successful global anti-poverty push in history. "The Goals," he said, "have helped set global and national priorities, mobilize action, and achieve remarkable results."

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (SRSG) this week made her first official visit to Somalia. Zainab Hawa Bangura met with UN officials, civil society partners and a range of stakeholders in the capital, Mogadishu, and also visited a camp for internally displaced people.

It has been nearly 20 years since more than 800,000 people were killed in the Rwanda genocide. Survivor Eugenie Mukeshimana tells UN Radio's Dianne Penn she is determined they will not be forgotten and that survivors get help in rebuilding their lives. Ms. Mukeshimana is the founder and executive director of the Genocide Survivors Support Network which is based in the United States.

The European Union, the Office of the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Sahel and UN Women will be convening a Conference on Women's Leadership in the Sahel, on 9 April, in Brussels.

On 5 April 2013, we mark the start of the countdown of the last 1,000 days to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015. We have cause to celebrate the successes achieved around the world, but we must also urgently ramp up our work, resources and actions in areas that are lagging behind.

A high-level symposium entitled Conflict-Sensitive Education – Why and How? will bring together over 150 participants from around the world on 8 April to examine ways to improve children's access to quality education in conflict-affected countries. It will provide an opportunity to launch guidance and implementation tools – tested in countries including Kenya, Liberia, Pakistan, Somalia, and South Sudan – with a view to supporting education stakeholders in introducing conflict-sensitive education into their education systems.

With only 1,000 days remaining until the 2015 target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, a look at progress and impact of the MDGs on women and girls, and UN Women's efforts towards each of the eight goals.

The Government and religious leaders of Egypt must send a clear and categorical signal that the vicious crimes of rape and other sexual assaults will not be tolerated, said Zainab Bangura in a statement on Wednesday. At least 25 women were reportedly sexually assaulted in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo in late January, some violently, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

UNESCO, in partnership with the South Sudan Women Empowerment Network (SSWEN) and a local radio station, carried out a capacity building training for women living in Guedele, a suburb located in South Sudan. The training was organized in the framework of the "Women's Voices" project aimed at enabling women across the country's ten states to talk about issues that are important for them, such as girls' education and access to clean water.

EuWHO: WHO Simulation Youth Initiative has approved a resolution calling for the right to education, and increased empowerment and equity as keys to improving the health of all—especially that of girls and women.

Several studies have shown that promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in sociocultural, economic and political processes can help address the root causes of poverty, violence and insecurity and consequently provide invaluable contributions to the reflections on and actions in support of sustainable development and peace at the national, regional and global levels. The present E-book, the result of collaboration among UNESCO Chairs and Networks on gender equality, gives us hope for faster-paced progress in the coming years and decades by providing several case studies in different parts of the world, which demonstrate real achievements and challenges at the grassroots levels.

At its annual meeting held from 20 to 22 March 2013 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the Bureau of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) approved 63 projects aimed at tackling the most urgent priorities in media development worldwide...In Egypt, IPDC support will enable twenty women journalists and media workers to receive training in developmental journalism.

A fire in a school that teaches the Koran in Dakar, Senegal in March revealed that the students were actually victims of trafficking, according to the International Organization for Migration, the IOM. IOM Spokesperson Jumbe Omari Jumbe says it's customary for children from neighbouring countries of the Sahel to be sent to Senegal, a city well-known for its Islamic education centers.

During the three-week conflict in Gaza in 2009, Nimeh Hawwas, a Palestinian refugee from Gaza, lost her son Ashraf, her grandson Ahmad, and her home, which was demolished as a result of the shelling of a neighboring house.

Syrian families living at the Harran camp in Turkey began receiving electronic food cards last month, allowing them to buy their own food at local supermarkets. Meat, fruit, vegetables and spices are just some of the things they can buy with the cards.

A United Nations envoy has arrived in Somalia on an information-gathering visit to raise awareness and discuss ways of addressing sexual violence in the Horn of Africa country.

A United Nations envoy today expressed dismay at the sexual attacks on women protesters in Egypt, as well as the messages from prominent religious and political leaders that women are to blame.

The voluntary repatriation of thousands of undocumented migrants from Yemen is likely to stall in the next six months due to lack of adequate funding, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). About 3,000 migrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia are stranded in the northern Yemen town of Haradh, where living conditions are said to be deteriorating on a daily basis. IOM says it can only distribute about 300 meals per day mainly to the most vulnerable women, the elderly and unaccompanied minors.

Recently several cases of "Honour Killings" in Afghanistan have been reported by the media and the Afghan Women's Network (AWN) recorded three cases of such killings across the country during the month of March. These include a young girl buried alive by her brother and father in the Kishim district of Badakhshan Province. In Heart Province, a 14-year-old girl was killed when she refused to marry her fiancé and in another case a brother killed his married sister when she insisted on joining her husband in Iran. In Jawzjan Province, a husband beheaded his wife.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the recent spate of fatal attacks on teachers in Pakistan, while voicing great concern about the growing trend of violence against educators around the world. "Violence against teachers undermines confidence in education systems, traumatizes students, and discourages parents from sending children to school," said a statement issued by Mr. Ban's spokesperson.

Maiga Hadizatou Hamzatou teaches at the Ouleimatou school in the northern Malian city of Gao, Mali. In an interview with UNESCO, she describes the disruption caused to schooling and everyday life when the city was invaded on 31 March 2012.

A series of food assistance projects in northeastern Afghanistan are helping to teach women how to read and write as well as grow fresh vegetables they can sell on the local market. As an extra incentive to take part in the project, the women are provided food rations by WFP.

After Kenya's recent national elections on 4 March, an unprecedented 87 of the 416 seats in the National Assembly and Senate will be held by women. As a new Constitutional requirement to ensure one-third representation, another 52 women will be nominated by 2015.

UNRWA held its fourth annual awards ceremony to name the Woman of the Year and Man of Equality in Action 2012. Organised by the UNRWA Gaza Women's Committee, the event acknowledged colleagues for their commitment, dedication and important contribution to improve UNRWA's work.

Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, participated in a study workshop at France's National Library, the Bibliotheque Nationale de France (BNF), on the work of Julia Kristeva, on the occasion of the launch of her latest book, "Pulsions du Temps", in the presence of Mr Bruno Racine, BNF President, Ms Lemardeley, President of Universite Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris III, and Julia Kristeva herself.

After fleeing her home in Mali, Dizawahet, 23, is about to give birth to her third child at a refugee camp in Burkina Faso. That's where she was born as well during another conflict in Mali that drove her parents across the same border. Dizawahet says she's grateful for the help families like hers receive at the camp, but that what she really wants is to go home.

A new book of photographs depicts the strengths and resilience of African Americans following emancipation from slavery in 1863. 'Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the End of Slavery' is the work of two American professors, Deborah Willis and Barbara Krauthamer. Dianne Penn spoke to the authors who were at the UN for a book signing. Dr. Willis starts by explaining that the book began with a single photograph of a remarkable woman called Dolly.

Conflict-related sexual violence is one of the most urgent challenges facing the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a senior United Nations official says, stressing that leadership and responsibility on the part of the Government is critical to tackling this issue.

In a time of transition and turmoil, young people can help the world by being global citizens, according to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The Secretary-General was addressing a forum on leveraging science, technology, innovation and culture for the world's young people, held at UN headquarters on Wednesday..."I am happy to see so many tablets and phones here today, but many young people do not have access to this technology. You must work to close this digital divide. And we have to pay special attention to women and girls. They have every bit as much potential as men and boys when it comes to science and technology."

The former UN High Commissioner and former President of Ireland will serve as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region of Africa. Her appointment is an historic first and a major milestone in the progress of women's rights and gender equality.

Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation – and this should be enough to trigger dedicated action. But this widespread violence also causes economic and development problems that remain invisible in most debates. Globally, seven in 10 women experience physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lives, and three out of 10 at the hands of an intimate partner.

The United Nations said Tuesday that it had been forced to delay desperately-needed food aid to nearly 300,000 people in Guinea Bissau since it so far had received no donations to support the operation. "The assistance was due to start on March 1, 2013, but operations are stalled because, so far, (we have) not received any donor support for the operation," Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the UN's World Food Programme, told reporters in Geneva. The WFP was urgently seeking $7.1 million to provide food and nutrition aid to 278,000 people across the troubled west African nation this year, "including to young mothers and children at increased risk of malnutrition", she said.

In response to the high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia – the lack of red blood cells to provide oxygen throughout the body – among Palestine refugees in Lebanon, UNRWA routinely screens those with a high risk, including pregnant women and infants under a year, while providing iron supplements to anemic patients and infants from six months of age. Despite these mitigation measures, the prevalence of anemia remains high in this community.

Each year, five outstanding women scientists – one per continent – are honoured for the contributions of their research, the strength of their commitments and their impact on society. The Awards jury was chaired by Professor Ahmed Zewail, winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and Linus Pauling Chair Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Physics, California Institute of Technology.

The UN Information Centre (UNIC) Lima organized a presentation of the essay "Black Woman, slave resistance" by Zelmira Aguilar to commemorate the International Day Remembering Victims of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Zelmira Aguilar cited the black woman as leading the fight to liberate mid-nineteenth century slaves. During her investigations, she uncovered achievements of black women during the time of slavery that were almost unimaginable, such as the reduction of working hours during pregnancy and improvement in food and housing conditions.

In Colombia, the UNODC office has been working over the past two years with the TV production company CMO and the TV station Caracol to bring the often disturbing reality of human trafficking to life through a drama series. 'La Promesa', or 'The Promise' in English, is a series that reveals the plight of thousands of people in search of their dreams; a search that leads some of them to believe in the promises of acquaintances or even strangers.

Groupon, the global pioneer and leader in social e-commerce, and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, are launching a daily deal across Southeast Asia to support the empowerment of girls in Asia through school meals programmes.

A worker is offered better hours or more money in return for sexual favours; a manager pinches the bottom of a worker; a worker spreads malicious rumours about a fellow co-worker. These are all forms of harassment, and are common in one form or another in many Indonesian garment factories.

The millions of Africans who were brought to the New World in chains were remembered during a special meeting of the UN General Assembly on Monday. Ghana's ambassador to the UN Ken Kanda said the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade provides an opportunity to solemnly reflect on man's inhumanity to man.

Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda has appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague where he was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The crimes are alleged to have been committed in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2002 and 2003. Mr. Ntaganda has been on the run since he was indicted by the ICC in 2006.

In a new study on gender equality, researchers asked 4,000 people in 20 countries to describe the gender norms in their communities and the influence those norms have on their lives and their every-day decisions. The researchers spoke with men and women, youth and adults, living in villages and cities in developing countries, as well as higher income countries. Here, three of the researchers describe their most memorable experiences from the interviews and the findings that surprised them the most.

Governments, civil society, business and international organizations are being urged to take action to ensure that people have access to sanitation. The call has come from UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson who launched a campaign for access to basic sanitation on the eve of World Water Day observed on 22 March. He said that of the world's seven billion people, six billion have mobile phones but only 4.5 billion have access to latrines and toilets.

With water cooperation as the focus of this year's World Water Day (22 March), we highlight the experience of the Kingolwira village in Tanzania, where water is scarce but women's leadership and the community-wide construction of a small dam is now ensuring an equitable distribution of clean water.

Iraq is facing a volatile situation as tens of thousands of people take to the streets to voice their grievances and some government ministers continue to boycott cabinet meetings...the Iraqi government has taken a number of initiatives to address the demonstrators demands.

The advance unedited version of the Agreed Conclusions of the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women is now available, on the priority theme of the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.

In the follow-up to the historic global agreement reached at the 57th Commission on the Status of Women to prevent and end violence against women and girls, UN Women today called for action to translate it into reality for women and girls globally.

Last week I was on a design mission for ASAP-ACCESOS programme in Bolivia, and I got the chance to participate in a meeting of rural women that the IFAD country office organised in La Paz on March 15th, in collaboration with FAO, WFP, UNIDO, UN-WOMEN and PRAIA.

One in two men said they had used physical or sexual violence against an intimate partner, one in four reported having raped a woman and one in 25 admitted to having participated in gang rape. These are among the shocking preliminary results of a study by a joint UN programme that surveyed more than 10,000 men on their use and experiences of violence against women and girls in nine selected sites across six Asia Pacific countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka).

A programme run by UN Women and four other UN agencies aims to train 4,000 members of Mali's defence and security forces and raise awareness among at least 20,000 armed forces personnel around the protection of women and children and international humanitarian law.

One of the challenges facing Libya as it builds democracy following the fall of the Muammar Qadhafi regime is the reform of the security sector. During the uprising, a number of Libyans took up arms to confront pro-Qadhafi government forces. After the revolution, these fighters have to be either included in the national army and other parts of the security sector or reintegrated into civilian life.

This technical guide aims to assist in the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security, by providing guidance that supports the Guidelines' principle of gender equality in tenure governance. The guide focuses on equity and on how land tenure can be governed in ways that address the different needs and priorities of women and men. It moves away from long-standing debates about gender equality in access to land, towards the mainstreaming of gender issues to achieve more gender-equitable participation in the processes and institutions that underlie all decision-making about land.

Over the past 10 years, significant achievements have been made by a number of organisations implementing promotional safety nets for the ultra-poor in Bangladesh. All these projects target women and are based on asset transfers — either direct transfers or cash grants for investment.

NEW YORK — How much progress has the global AIDS response made in ensuring that women and girls live their lives free from violence? What are the next steps needed to strengthen the challenge to gender-based violence and its links to HIV? These critical questions dominated a high level consultation which took place in New York on 9 March during the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

A strong arms trade treaty can help restrict the flow of weapons that are used to cause suffering to civilians in South Sudan, especially women and girls, says Djimon Hounsou, actor and activist. The Academy Award nominee, who has just returned from a week-long visit to South Sudan, spoke to reporters on Monday during the Final Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty. He said the world's newest country is facing many challenges, including inter-communal violence during cattle raids.

PHNOM PENH 19 March 2013 (IRIN) - Bride trafficking to China from Southeast Asian countries which do not border on that country looks set to grow, says the UN, with the first reported cases from Cambodia in 2012.

Press Statement by UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet at the conclusion of the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women

The Secretary-General welcomes the outcome of the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women and the agreement reached on the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls. He commends the leadership of United Nations Member States to take action to prevent violence and provide justice and services to survivors.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's statement on the announcement by Michelle Bachelet of her departure as Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

The head of UN Women, the United Nations entity for gender equality and women's empowerment, has informed the UN Secretary-General of her intention to step down.

Closing Statement of Michelle Bachelet, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, at the 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Several initiatives and experiences were presented during this dialogue, demonstrating how broadband and new technologies, especially mobile technology, could have a significant impact on empowering women and contributing to a sustainable and inclusive human development.

The outcome of the latest session of the Commission on the Status of Women is a testimony to countries' commitments to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.

One in two men said they had used physical or sexual violence against an intimate partner, one in four reported having raped a woman and one in 25 admitted to having participated in gang rape. These are among the shocking preliminary results of a study by a joint UN programme that surveyed more than 10,000 men on their use and experiences of violence against women and girls in nine selected sites across six Asia Pacific countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka).

Hakima is a 13-year old Ugandan girl and a volunteer of the child rights organization Plan International. She is leading child rights initiatives in her school and her community. Hakima attended this year's session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women which is focusing on ending violence against women and girls.

The Commission on the Status of Women wrapped up its general debate Thursday amid calls from civil society groups to focus more substantively on protecting the women and girls whose rights were most often under-represented — or excluded — from the very international human rights instruments intended to protect them.

A women's group in western Côte d'Ivoire is participating in a WFP Food for Assets gardening project that is empowering its members and providing nutritious foods for their households.

Mexico City, 14 March 2013— The rise of the South is radically reshaping the world of the 21st century, with developing nations driving economic growth, lifting hundreds of millions of people from poverty, and propelling billions more into a new global middle class, says the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) 2013 Human Development Report.

WFP's SAFE stoves project means a lot to women in Darfur's north where collecting firewood for cooking has always put women at the risk of violent attacks.

Joint remarks from UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA and UNV during a CSW57 side event on "New evidence on men's use of violence against women and girls and its uses for enhanced prevention"

This Issues Paper by the OECD Development Centre draws on data from the Social Institutions and Gender Index. The Issues Paper finds that laws alone will not reduce violence against women. The prevalence of domestic violence is in countries with a high acceptance of violence is double that of countries where there is a low acceptance, even when taking into the existence and quality of domestic violence laws and country income level. Further, violence against women is linked to development outcomes. Read more findings in the Issues Paper.

NEW YORK — How much progress has the global AIDS response made in ensuring that women and girls live their lives free from violence? What are the next steps needed to strengthen the challenge to gender-based violence and its links to HIV? These critical questions dominated a high level consultation which took place in New York on 9 March during the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

A multimedia installation, created by ART WORKS Projects and co-presented by UN Women, documenting the dynamic challenges and successes experienced by women and girls in Afghanistan launches this week on Capitol Hill. The exhibit, Women Between Peace and War: Afghanistan, will be presented in conjunction with Rep. Donna F. Edwards [MD-04] and will be open for public viewing in the Rayburn Foyer on 14 and 15 March.

A new partnership between UN Women and the Women's Self Worth Foundation will promote women's empowerment and gender equality over a period of three years, from 2013 to 2015.

The United Nations and its partners have launched an initiative to engage citizens around the world to take part in shaping the future global development agenda. People all over the world are being invited to vote in the United Nations global survey for a better world known as MY World.

A sharp, deeply embedded distinction between the so-called "private" family sphere of women and the "public" market sphere of men — coupled with imbalanced caregiving responsibilities — threatened to hamper the development of both women and societies around the world, stressed panellists addressing the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women on Tuesday. Across the day's two interactive panel discussions, a number of speakers, ranging from academic researchers to Government officials, expressed the general view that women's employment was critical to development and social advancement.

It was a cold, cloudy day in New York with snow/sleet and rain on this Friday, the 8th of March. But neither snow, nor sleet, or rain could discourage these women from marching on the occasion of International Women's Day. The aim of the rally was to generate a heightened awareness for prevention of violence against women.

A UN human rights official has expressed alarm over the numerous allegations and reports he has received about the current human rights situation in Iran, saying they need "to be addressed urgently." The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, said "There has been an apparent increase in the degree of seriousness of human rights violations in Iran".

Men had a crucial role to play — as fathers, brothers, husbands and public advocates — in both speaking out against violence against women and girls, and in defying the destructive stereotypes that served to normalize gender inequality, delegates stressed Monday, as the Commission on the Status of Women moved into week two of its fifty-seventh session.

A unique survey conducted on thousands of women working in agricultural processing plants from several countries in Africa and India, found that the work offered them opportunities that exceeded financial benefits.

The United Nations human rights office today welcomed a new law in Bolivia which broadens the protection of women against various forms of violence.

FAIZABAD 12 March 2013 (IRIN) - Sadaf Ahmadi*, 18, from the northern Afghan province of Badakshan, has arrived battered and bruised at a women's refuge centre in Faizabad. It is her fifth such visit.

Gender violence must cease to be a common currency, IDLO Director-General Irene Khan has said. (..) The WFP-hosted event, which focused on the negative impact of violence against women on food security, also heard from panelist Lourdes Tiban, an Ecuadorean lawmaker of indigenous descent.

NEW YORK, 11 March 2013 – On the eve of International Women's Day, a panel of five experts representing academia, government, civil society and the United Nations called for an end to violence against girls through better and earlier monitoring and interventions, improved education systems, and a coordinated multi-sectoral response.

NEW YORK -- Throughout the first week of the Commission on the Status of Women, UNFPA highlighted numerous issues related to violence against women and girls, the theme of this year's session. UNFPA-hosted events from 6-8 March addressed the pressing need for and difficulty of collecting accurate data on the issue; the importance of involving men and boys; child marriage; and a global joint initiative to provide critical services for survivors of violence.

Violence against women is not inevitable and everyone, women, men, girls and boys must wage the struggle to end it. That's what UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a gathering at the United Nations in New York on Friday to mark International Women's Day observed on 8 March. He said ending violence against women and girls, which happens in all countries, is a human rights and social issue as well as a development question.

Violence in the world of work is deeply injurious to women and men, and there are obvious consequences for their families and societies, said ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder speaking at the International Women's Day event at the ILO.

With the scourge of violence against women and girls still rampant around the world, the international community must "rise to the occasion" and lay out concrete plans to tackle that long-standing, deeply entrenched crisis, stressed high-level speakers as the Commission on the Status of Women opened its historic fifty-seventh session Friday.

UNRWA- the UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees, celebrated International Women's Day Friday, by calling for an end to violence against women and girls. A series of campaign events throughout areas such as Gaza and Syria celebrated the UN's theme for the day: "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women."

On the occasion of 8 March, UNODC Executive Director Yury Fedotov is showing solidarity with the 'Stop Rape Now' campaign, run by the UN Action Against Sexual Violence.

On the occasion of International Women's Day (IWD), 8 March, UNESCO joins forces with international and regional partners to launch the annual Women Make the News (WMN) initiative under the theme, "Towards a Global Alliance on Media and Gender".

Violence against women is one of the most deadly and widespread violations of women's rights across the world. Globally up to 7 out of 10 women experience some form of physical or sexual violence during their lifetime. Violence against women takes many forms - physical, sexual, economic, psychological - but all of these represent a violation of human dignity and human rights and have lasting consequences both for women themselves and for their communities.

Despite shrinking budgets and often-conservative political agendas, Governments throughout the world were making significant strides in expanding multisectoral approaches to eliminate violence against women, characterized by a range of integrated services to prevent abuse and support survivors, speakers said today as the Commission on the Status of Women continued its general debate.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's remarks at the observance of International Women's Day, "A Promise Is a Promise: Time for Action to End Violence against Women", in New York on 8 March.

Remarks of Michelle Bachelet United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women at the International Women's Day Commemorative Event at the United Nations. 8 March 2013.

Since getting married as a young woman, Aesha Hindawi has had what many would think of as a difficult life. A former victim of domestic abuse, her broad smile belies the hardship she has endured in the past.

Even before joining WFP seven years ago, Baicon Macaraya, head of WFP Philippines' Iligan sub-office, had all the tools to do her job in conflict-affected Central Mindanao. As an advocate of gender mainstreaming, Baicon has pushed towards a new outlook on women and development.

On International Women's Day this year, the global community is focusing on how to eliminate and prevent all forms of violence against women and girls.

Governments around the world are being urged not to allow disagreements and indecision to block progress for the world's women. The call comes from Michelle Bachelet, the head of UN Women, the United Nations agency to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women in her message for International Women's Day on 8 March.

Members of the Nueva Segovia cooperative take part in the "Leadership Course for Entrepreneurship" to strengthen gender equality in the agricultural producers' organizations supported by the Purchase for Progress (P4P) project.

With a groundswell of support for women's rights rising in all corners of the world, the international community must seize the momentum and keep its promise to eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a packed room at the 2013 celebration of International Women's Day.

"One Woman: A song for UN Women" is being launched on 8 March, International Women's Day. The "One Woman" song is a musical celebration of women worldwide, featuring 25 artists from 20 countries. UN Women says the song calls for change and celebrates acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who make daily extraordinary contributions to their own communities and countries. Yuna, a singer-songwriter from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is one of the artists of the "One Woman" song. In this interview with Beng Poblete-Enriquez, Yuna says performing this song is one way that she's giving back to society and is happy to be a part of something really important.

The official United Nations theme for International Women's Day 2013 is "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women." The following is a summary of UN system observances, news and related links for IWD 2013.

The ILO and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) have signed a project cooperation agreement amounting to US$ 3.5 million to support women's empowerment in Turkey, which is expected to contribute substantially to the goal of advancing gender equality in employment and providing decent employment opportunities for women.

On the occasion of International Women's Day, I want to take this opportunity to renew the commitment of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, to strengthening and expanding our efforts to do everything we can to bring an end to gender-based violence.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's remarks, as prepared for delivery at the fifth annual "Women's Empowerment Principles: Equality Means Business" event in New York on 6 March.

The question of how to criminalize, through penal law, those who have perpetrated violence against women is an important part of the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, says the deputy Secreary-General of the Council of Europe. Gabriella Dragoni says "The Convention", also referred to as the Istanbul Convention, "aims to put some clear guidelines on violence against women with a view that countries, after ratification, or in preparing for ratification, prepare the national laws which would be indispensable to implement the various guidelines of the Convention".

On average, 18 women are killed every day in Europe, 12 of them at the hands of their partners or other family members according to UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

UNESCO, in close collaboration with the Journalists Union of Lesotho will be commemorating the International Women's Day on March 8th, 2013. The event will be held at the Lesotho National Commission for UNESCO on Friday starting 10.00a.m. This commemoration marks the global initiative of "Women Make the News" under the theme "Towards a Global Alliance on Media and Gender." The theme adopted in Lesotho is "Gender policy is not enough without the Media Policy."

It is unacceptable that close to seven million children around the world die each year before the age of 5. That's what United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay told the Human Rights Council in Geneva as it opened its annual meeting on the rights of the child. Ms. Pillay said the right to health is a universal human right recognized in international instruments including the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This report aims to support the work of UNFPA and partners by presenting a background and rationale for engaging men and boys. It illustrates a range of initiatives that have engaged men and boys for the promotion of gender equality as well as sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.

Michelle Bachelet on International Women's Day, 8 March 2013, the head of UN Women says discrimination and violence against women and girls have no place in the 21st century.

Gender pay gap has expanded in Viet Nam where the labour force participation rate of women stands high in the world, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has said on the occasion of the International Women's Day. About 72 per cent of women are in the labour force in Viet Nam, which means far more Vietnamese women have a job than most of other countries around the globe.

Today, 8 March, is International Women's Day. The first theme song for a UN organization called "One Woman: A song for UN Women" was launched today. The "One Woman" song is a musical celebration of women worldwide, featuring 25 artists from 20 countries across. "One Woman" gives us a message of hope and inspiration, says Michelle Bachelet, the Head of UN Women. Beng Poblete-Enriquez sat down with Debi Nova, a singer-songwriter from Costa Rica. Debi encourages artists to use their power of communication to help others to break the cycle of violence against women.

Maryelly Layton was seven months pregnant when she had to flee her community as a result of violence. Because of her precarious conditions, her baby was born prematurely, but thanks to its strength and WFP's food Maryelly has recovered and also feed her baby.

Press release by UNICEF, UNFPA, UN Women, WHO, United Nations Foundation and civil society organization. Between 2011 and 2020, more than 140 million girls will become child brides, according to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

To mark International Women's Day on March 8th, which focuses on 'violence against women', the ILO is highlighting the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace – an often subtle but disturbing form of aggression.

05 March 2013-UNRWA regrets to announce that it has cancelled the third Gaza marathon which was to be held on 10 April. This follows the decision by the authorities in Gaza not to allow women to participate.

An all-female climbing team supported by the United Nations today reached the summit of Africa's tallest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, in celebration of International Women's Day, which will be observed on 8 March.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's remarks on violence against women and girls, at a high-level side event of the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women, in New York, 5 March.

"One Woman: A song for UN Women" will launch on International Women's Day. The track will be globally available for download as of 8 March (EST 7 March, 12 noon) on http://song.unwomen.org, together with the full song video and behind-the-scenes videos chronicling the song's year-long production.

On 4 March, UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, took part in the opening of the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The Director-General participated in a number of events linked with the CSW session. She gave the keynote speech to the UNESCO side event on "Prevention of Gender-based violence through Education," with the participation of Mr. Masood Khan, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United Nations. The side event included also Sarah Degnan Kambou, President of the International Centre for Research on Women, Kalyani Subramanyam, of the Goal Programme, India, and Astrid Aafjes, of Women Win. The discussion occurred with a room packed with officials and experts.

"Journeys to School tells a gripping story of courage and determination," said UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, at the inauguration of the photo exhibition, illustrating the challenges children around the world face on their way to school. "These images capture the extraordinary resolve of boys and girls to overcome all challenges – whether these concern gender, disability, location, ethnicity, conflict of natural disasters," continued the Director-General.

On 5 March, in the framework of the 57th Commission on the Status of Women, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova participated in a Joint Executive Directors Forum on "Ending Violence against Women and Girls." This Forum was opened by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and facilitated by Ms. Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, and included the participation of a range of senior leaders of UN agencies -- namely Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, UNDP Associate Administrator, Ms. Anne-Birgette Albrectsen, Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA, Ms. Geeta Rao Gupta, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF, Ms Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR.

To achieve gender equality, education is the key and more cooperation is needed among women, explains this programme.

This programme analyzes women's involvement in political struggles and decision making around the world.

The first part of this series offers a survey of the situation of women around the world on International Women's Year.

Women from around the world have gathered at United Nations headquarters for the annual session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The theme for this year's session is "Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls."

TBILISI, Georgia – Ia B. is a fit, elegant woman with bright hazelnut eyes, fashionable clothes and a vibrant personality that shines through her dazzling smile. She hasn't always looked this poised and self-confident: According to Indira Robakidze, a programme coordinator at the Tbilisi-based shelter for the victims of domestic violence, tells me later Ia's life was in shambles when she first entered the shelter. "She was pale, frightened and disoriented," Indira recalls. "Look at how far she has come."

On day two of the Commission for the Status of Women, the halls of United Nations headquarters were filled with Government official, and representatives of the UN, civil society, media and the private sector. An unprecedented 6,000 representatives of civil society registered to attend the UN meeting this year — a preponderance of them women. In the official proceedings and numerous side events participants reviewed progress, shared experiences and best practices, analysed gaps and challenges and discussed priority actions to accelerate progress on violence against women, the theme of this year's commission.

Sexual crimes against women are underreported due to the stigma attached to it. And not many women rape survivors muster the courage to tell their story. But Liz Carl from Kentucky, United States was not only raped when she was 17, she became pregnant as a result of the assault.

DAR ES SALAAM -- For the 10 women – seven Nepalis and three Africans – gathered at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro on the last day of February, it was no small challenge they had given themselves: to climb to the top of Africa's highest mountain, nearly 6,000 metres above sea level.

The fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women opens on 4 March at United Nations Headquarters, and will focus on the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls, including two key areas — preventing violence and providing support services and responses to female survivors. It is expected that the Commission will agree on urgent actions needed to make a real difference in the lives of women and girls. According to estimates, up to 7 in 10 women around the world will be beaten, raped, abused or mutilated in their lifetimes. Violence against women is universal, prevalent in all countries and settings. A gross human rights violation, it fractures families and communities, hampers development and costs countries billions of dollars annually in health-care costs and lost productivity.

This brochure provides an overview of UNFPA's role in addressing gender-based violence, an enormous impediment to sexual and reproductive health, as well as a major human rights issue. Recognizing that gender inequalities and their most brutal manifestation – gender-based violence – inhibit women and girls from accessing reproductive health services, and acknowledging that proper reproductive health care in the aftermath of a sexual violence incident can be life saving, UNFPA has assumed a leadership role in addressing this major human rights issue.

This report presents findings from a mapping initiative that aimed to capture how faith-based organizations respond to violence against women and girls in the Asia-Pacific region. As a collaborative initiative between UNFPA and the Asia-Pacific Women Faith and Development Alliance (AP-WFDA), it sought to identify examples of strategies used by faith-based organizations. The report brings together the experiences of 58 organizations collected through an online survey, supplemented by in-depth interviews conducted with selected agencies. Importantly, the survey results represent only a small proportion of the faith-based organizations addressing violence against women and girls across the region.

Amidst the bustle of an UNRWA centre for Palestinian and Syrian refugees at Jaramana camp, just outside the Syrian capital of Damascus, a young woman holds a baby boy, born amid the rubble of war. Doua, a Palestine refugee living in Syria, gave birth to little Khaled one month ago in Qudsaya refugee camp, near Damascus. Khaled was born in a critical condition. Although he is now recuperating, Doua, her husband, and her baby boy face an uncertain future, says the young mother.

"The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have remained silent regarding inequalities." The warning came Friday from the largest body of independent experts in the United Nations Human Rights system during a high-level panel of the Human Rights Council. And, they have urged the international community to place human rights, equality and non-discrimination, and sustainability at the heart of the post-2015 development agenda.

Imagine a world where too much rain, or too little, means the difference between a life fulfilled and a life blighted by hunger and poor nutrition. (..) This is the reality for millions of vulnerable communities. Today, almost one billion people suffer from hunger, most of them women and children. Globally, almost one in three children grows up lacking the nutrients they need to fend off disease and to develop to their full potential. And now, climate change is exacerbating the hardships they face daily.

How entrepreneurship enabled an Afghan woman to create a successful company and help other women do the same.

Ten female mountain climbers are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to encourage girls and women around the world that they can achieve anything with effort and education. The climbers, seven from Nepal, two from Tanzania and one from South Africa, include one woman who benefited from World Food Programme school meals when she was a child. Gerry Adams discussed the historic climb with WFP Spokesperson Jane Howard on the line from Rome.

As Kenya prepares to go to the polls on Monday, a senior United Nations official has called on authorities to ensure the protection of civilians, especially women and girls, recalling that thousands of cases of rape and other forms of sexual assault were documented during the violence that followed the 2007 elections.

A senior United Nations official today welcomed the recent decision by Cambodia's genocide tribunal to annul a previous ruling that would have prevented it from trying crimes of sexual violence committed during the Khmer Rouge regime.

BRAZZAVILLE 01 March 2013 (IRIN) - Indigenous women in the Republic of Congo, better known as pygmies - a minority group threatened with extinction - are virtually excluded from reproductive health services. They mostly give birth at home and are exposed to related health risks, according to a 2012 study conducted by the Ministry of Health with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

Participants coming from various regions of Lao PDR are now travelling within the Attapeu Province to analyze and learn from the best practices and successful strategies in the promotion of Pro-Rural Poor Private and Public Partnership, in order to promote their scaling-up in Lao PDR and especially within IFAD supported projects. The Learning Route focuses on small-scale agriculture and non-agriculture rural businesses developed in Attapeu province as part of the activities promoted by RLIP.

In efforts to address violence against women, a new study by UN Women Viet Nam calculates the economic cost of domestic violence, on household income and the economy. It also estimates that the earnings of women who experience domestic violence may be 35 per cent less than others.

As the global spotlight has turned more sharply over the last decade on the persistence of violence against women and girls, the need for more and better data to inform evidence-based programming in order to address this human rights violation has escalated. As this brochure describes, advocates and defenders of women's and girls' safety and rights, as well as international agencies, national policymakers and donors, need to to understand the nature and magnitude of the violence. They seek information and guidance on how statistically sound data can be collected on a subject that, though present and often pervasive in most societies and cultures, is sensitive and often hidden.

Recently, the UNESCO Beijing Office has been converging and intensifying its contribution to efforts to end violence against women in China and Mongolia, teaming up with governmental partners and other UN Agencies.

The people of Mali don't want to be dependent on aid but need assistance to rebuild their lives and livelihoods as they recover from the conflict. That's the message conveyed by John Ging, Director of Operations of the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA) who has just returned from a four-day visit to the country.

DAR ES SALAAM – They have conquered the world's highest mountain. They have climbed the highest peaks in Europe and Australia. Now, seven Nepali women – members of the most successful all-female team ever to scale Mount Everest - will join three African women to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

With the support of the United Nations and partners, an all-female team will climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to highlight the importance of women's rights and in particular, education for girls.

A senior official with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Tuesday warned of the enormous humanitarian impact of the ongoing Syria crisis, particularly on civilians who have been displaced and face threats such as gender-based violence.

The Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations, UNICEF, UN Women, WaterAid and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Governments from across Asia and the Pacific convened in Bangkok from 5-6 February to bring together voices on ending violence against women and girls.

Agricultural policies need to address gender inequalities to ensure effective development interventions that can achieve positive and sustainable results in the lives of rural women, men, girls and boys. One powerful instrument for promoting the realization of the rights and potential of rural women and girls is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). This publication provides guidance on the support and use of CEDAW in country level policy development and programming, to achieve equality between men and women in agriculture and rural development.

UNITED NATIONS, New York—The elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls will be the focus of this year's Commission on the Status of Women.

This report presents findings from a mapping initiative that aimed to capture how faith-based organizations respond to violence against women and girls in the Asia-Pacific region. As a collaborative initiative between UNFPA and the Asia-Pacific Women Faith and Development Alliance (AP-WFDA), it sought to identify examples of strategies used by faith-based organizations. The report brings together the experiences of 58 organizations collected through an online survey, supplemented by in-depth interviews conducted with selected agencies. Importantly, the survey results represent only a small proportion of the faith-based organizations addressing violence against women and girls across the region.

On the occasion of International Women's Day (IWD), 8 March, UNESCO and join forces with international and regional partners to launch the annual Women Make the News (WMN) initiative under the theme, "Towards a Global Alliance on Media and Gender".

Even before the widely publicized gang rape of a 23-year-old woman in India's capital New Delhi, a UN Women survey reveals astounding levels of insecurity among women and a surprising number of men admitting to having engaged in sexual assault.

The large-scale response to the Sahel crisis– providing US$1.2 billion in assistance to around 10 million people across eight countries – helped to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. That assessment of the response by the international community comes from leaders of humanitarian agencies, government representatives from countries affected and major donors who met in Rome to review the effectiveness of their assistance, a year after a massive humanitarian response was launched to the food and nutritional crisis affecting millions of people across the Sahel region of West Africa.

Education and access to credit are critical to ensuring that women in the developing world can start small businesses, Ireland's Minister for Trade and Development Joe Costello and Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) said.

From 20 to 21 February, Gambia will host the third and last workshop of a project on violence against women in West Africa covering 3 countries: Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. The workshop to be held in Banjul will validate the results of several case studies on the social movement of women and violence against women with the ultimate goal of achieving the implementation of a plan of action to transform the lives of abused women.

UNITED NATIONS, New York—The elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls will be the focus of this year's Commission on the Status of Women.

As local decision-makers gather in Dublin on the occasion of the 8th Biennial Forum of the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty (WACAP), co-organized by the City of Dublin and UNDP, in partnership with UN Women and UNITAR, UN Women speaks with Lord Mayor of the City, Mr. Naoise Ó Muirí, who is committed to making Dublin a safe, smart and sustainable city. Dublin is the first city in a developed country to adapt and upscale tools and approaches of the UN Global Safe Cities Initiative.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for an intensification of efforts to achieve a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development path built on dialogue, transparency and social justice. In a message marking World Day of Social Justice, the Secretary-General said "we are seeing far too many places where there are increasing opportunities for a few and only rising inequality for the many".

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message to the "One Billion Rising" campaign, on 14 February.

On February 14th, a billion people – men and women, across the globe are being urged to rise and dance together to end violence against women.

In Ankara, several non-governmental organizations, universities, journalists and activists took streets, campuses and parliament to dance and protest the violence against women. Dozens of cities including Ankara, İstanbul, İzmir, Bursa, Mardin and Zonguldak were among those hosting the festive protest of violence against women.

A group of United Nations experts today urged Venezuela to immediately release Judge María Lourdes Afiuni, who has been in detention for the past three years and was the victim of sexual violence and aggression during the time she was incarcerated.

United Nations officials today joined millions of people around the world who are taking a stance against violence against women as part of the 'One Billion Rising' campaign.

14 February, 2013 — On what is traditionally Valentine's Day in a number of countries, hundreds of UN staff members danced and collectively rose up to call for an to end violence against women during a special event at United Nations headquarters in New York. The event was organized by the UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2008 as an inter-agency effort managed by UN Women to galvanize stronger mobilization, awareness and action to end violence against women and girls. The activity was part of a series of events being organized worldwide in support of the One Billion Rising initiative, Eve Ensler's global civil society campaign which shares this goal.

With a contribution of 2.3 million Euros from Finland, UNESCO will implement a new project in the Arab region to strengthen the legal and regulatory frameworks conducive to freedom of expression and ensure the safety of journalists and bloggers, including through their improving capacity to use information and communication technologies (ICTs) safely...To advance gender equality through enhanced freedom of expression and access to information, the project will reinforce the role of public service broadcasters as platforms to foster the rights and dignity of women.

The UN Security Council has expressed its deep concern that civilians continue to account for the vast majority of casualties in situations of armed conflict. In a presidential statement late Tuesday following a day-long meeting, the Council reaffirmed that parties to armed conflict bear the primary responsibility to take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of civilians.

Michelle Bachelet, the Executive Director of UN Women, says she stands up for the fundamental human right of every woman and girl to live a life free from fear and violence. On 14 February 2013, as part of the One Billion Rising campaign sponsored by Eve Ensler's V-day organization, join Michelle Bachelet and one billion women and men around the world who will rise up, walk out, dance and demand an end to this violence against women.

More women in India of working age are enrolling in secondary school but that is only one reason why the number of women who are either working or looking for a job is decreasing.

As World Radio Day is commemorated on 13 February worldwide, a look at UN Women's partnership with this powerful medium to spread the message of women's empowerment.

The Security Council on Tuesday held an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts around the world. The meeting, convened under the presidency of the Republic of Korea, is attended by foreign ministers of countries that are members of the Council. In his address, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the debate is an important opportunity for the Council and Member States to reflect on the impact of armed conflict on civilians.

12 February 2013-Three young Palestine refugee girls showed off their talent and creativity in international chess games this month, earning top prizes internationally.

As Pakistan prepares for review by the CEDAW Committee of its fourth periodic on 12 February, we take a look at what has been done to crack down on Jirgas and implement other CEDAW recommendations related to ending violence against women.

JOHANNESBURG 12 February 2013 (IRIN) - Girl child soldiers are often thought of only as "sex slaves", a term that glosses over the complex roles many play within armed groups and in some national armies. This thinking contributes to their subsequent invisibility in the demobilization processes - in fact, girls are frequently the most challenging child soldiers to rehabilitate.

The Democratic Association of Moroccan Women is providing leadership training to rural women of the Soulalyates ethnic group to enhance their advocacy for property and land ownership rights cemented in a 2012 ministerial ruling.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday expressed her shock and deep sadness at the atrocious rape, mutilation and murder of Anene Booysen, a 17-year-old South African woman. And Navi Pillay has called for a more comprehensive approach to tackling the "pandemic of sexual violence" affecting tens of thousands of women every year in South Africa.

The United Nations human rights office Friday urged the Government of Papua New Guinea to take concrete action following reports that a 20-year-old woman accused of sorcery was burnt alive in front of a crowd, noting that this is the latest in a "growing pattern" of such attacks.

DUBAI — Delegates at a United Nations-convened high-level meeting on saving the lives of mothers and children in the Eastern Mediterranean Region today agreed to urgently accelerate progress on improving maternal and child health between now and the end of 2015. They also committed to reduce the gap between current funding levels and those required if the Region is to meet Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 on reducing maternal and child mortality.

Women in northern Mali The deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping mission for Mali is in the works. The country is facing a political crisis following a military coup in March last year and the occupation of the northern part of the country by armed rebels.

During her recent trip to Syria, WFP Senior Spokesperson Abeer Etefa met Souad, a 27-year-old mother whose family lost their home to the fighting. Eking out an existence in an empty building near the battles lines, she and her family are surviving on food provided to them by WFP.

The event, in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq Dr Roche Shaways and AMAR's patron, His Highness the Prince of Wales, was held to mark the foundation's 21st anniversary. "UNESCO and AMAR share a common ambition," said the Director-General.

DUBAI — Delegates at a United Nations-convened high-level meeting on saving the lives of mothers and children in the Eastern Mediterranean Region today agreed to urgently accelerate progress on improving maternal and child health between now and the end of 2015. They also committed to reduce the gap between current funding levels and those required if the Region is to meet Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 on reducing maternal and child mortality.

Women at a self-help group meeting in India. ©IFAD/Sangeeth RajeeshROME, Italy – When Ratnamma, a soft-spoken woman from a poor rural community in India, noted that all five of her children have been educated – two of them at university level – the audience, understandably, erupted into applause.

NEW YORK, 5 February 2013 – Recently, a group of students from the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls who had learned about the tragic events in Pakistan that had left 14-year old Malala severely wounded wrote to The United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI) expressing their solidarity, outrage and passion for education. Today we'd like to introduce you to each of these girls and their thoughts on education.

NEW YORK, 5 February 2013 – Recently, a group of students from the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls who had learned about the tragic events in Pakistan that had left 14-year old Malala severely wounded wrote to The United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI) expressing their solidarity, outrage and passion for education. Today we'd like to introduce you to each of these girls and their thoughts on education.

NEW YORK, 5 February 2013 – Recently, a group of students from the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls who had learned about the tragic events in Pakistan that had left 14-year old Malala severely wounded wrote to The United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI) expressing their solidarity, outrage and passion for education. Today we'd like to introduce you to each of these girls and their thoughts on education.

NEW YORK, 5 February 2013 – Recently, a group of students from the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls who had learned about the tragic events in Pakistan that had left 14-year old Malala severely wounded wrote to The United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI) expressing their solidarity, outrage and passion for education. Today we'd like to introduce you to each of these girls and their thoughts on education.

Statement by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on jailing of alleged rape victim.

"Women should be beaten every day," says Kamilla,* repeating the grim words of her deceased sister's husband. At 19, he forcibly kidnapped her sister Kulipa for marriage. "The marriage was a nightmare," recalls Kamilla, trembling from the memory of her sister's suffering.

A remarkable young man from Tanzania, 24-year-old Mwasapi Kihongosi won the global UNiTE T-shirt design competition in 2011, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in March 2012 and led a Caravan for Change against violence and harmful traditional practices in November 2012. Mwasapi tells us how the plight to end such forms of violence became his passion.

UNITED NATIONS, New York—Fewer girls are subjected to the life-threatening practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) according to new data from the United Nations, released on 6 February, the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.

The Tepeth are mountain people of northeastern Uganda. They reside in conical huts made of sticks, thatch and mud in the semi-arid savannahs and scrubby forests of Moroto district. For generations they have subsisted by herding animals and growing crops. If the harvest is good and food is plentiful, village elders will grant permission for a 'cutting' ceremony, in which girls 11 to 14 years of age undergo a rite of passage to womanhood by having all or a portion of their external genitalia removed with a blunt knife.

In his statement to the Executive Board, Dr. Osotimehin highlighted achievments from 2012 and laid out the priorities for UNFPA in the year ahead. Topics discussed in his statment include the ICPD beyond 2014 and MDG post 2015 process, UNFPA's Strategic Plan 2014-2017, the integrated budget including cost recovery, thematic areas such as family planning, adolescents and youth, the gir child, ageing, humanitarian response and staff security. Other areas on the board agenda include evaluation, and audit recommendations.

Message of Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women for International Day for Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation.

To observe the International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, 6 February, UNFPA, UNICEF and the United Kingdom Department for International Development will host a Google+ Hangout discussion on the progress made in FGM/C abandonment, and the challenges that remain.

The coastlines of Bangladesh are constantly moving. Surveys, based on satellite images, have shown that each year there is a net accretion of around 20 km2: newly formed land of about 52 km2 minus eroded land of around 32 km2. With an assumed density of 800 people per km2, this means that each year ...

Dr. Marleen Temmerman, head of the Department of Reproductive Health and Research at the World Health Organization in Geneva, joined the agency late last year because she believes it can play a very prominent role in meeting the unmet needs of so many women in the area of reproductive health and services. Dr. Temmerman talks to Beng Poblete-Enriquez about her priorities and recalls an early experience in Kenya where a 15 year-old pregnant girl died in her arms from a ruptured uterus.

United Nations human rights experts on Friday called on the Russian Parliament, the Duma, to discard a draft bill that could compromise the rights of the LGBT community. The experts on freedom of expression, human rights defenders, cultural rights and the right to health warned that the bill may undermine the enjoyment and promotion of human rights in Russia, unjustifiably singling out the LGBT community –lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people — who have increasingly become the target of sanctions and violence in the country.

Access to family planning and advancing the rights of young people are the 2013 priorities for the UN Populations Fund (UNFPA), says the agency's head. Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director of UNFPA, spoke to UN Radio's May Yacoub about his Agency's focus and achievements made so far.

Chittagong Mohila Polytechnic Institute this week inaugurated a new competency-based sewing machine operator's training program for women with disabilities.

With their brightly-coloured clothes and facial tattoos, Kuchi women from the traditional nomads of Afghanistan stand out in a sea of burkas. But the nutritional challenges these women face are similar to those of all Afghan women.

Nabintu's husband was killed by a gang of armed men last July. The mother of five tells how they came to their house in in Shabunda, South Kivu Province, in the middle of the night, forced their way inside and slaughtered him....

UN Women – the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women has noted with great concern the escalation of violence and alarming reports of rising violence against women in public spaces in the days following the second anniversary of the Egyptian revolution. Michelle Bachelet, the Executive Director of UN Women has called upon the Government and people of Egypt to take a firm stand against all forms of violence against women and girls, and to promote human rights for all, including the rights of women to live free of violence and discrimination and to participate fully in social, economic and political life.

A top UN official has expressed the UN's strong commitment to support Somali efforts to build peace. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, during a visit to Mogadishu expressed the United Nations' firm commitment to support the Somali government in its efforts to extend state authority and peace dividends to the population at large, and address the security and humanitarian challenges it faces. He said he was inspired and encouraged by what he heard from the Somali authorities, noting that "This is a Government which has both vision and a practical plan to implement it.

Ethnic minority women face double discrimination in the workplace because of their race and their gender. Many fail at the application stage simply because of their names.

Last week hundreds of eager audience members packed into a transformed yoga studio for a sneak peak of the new UNICEF-supported film "Girl Rising" at the Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah. 10×10's "Girl Rising", which premieres in New York on 6 March, shares the stories of nine girls in nine countries and the barriers they face to receiving an education, from poverty to child marriage. "Girl Rising" is central to a wider campaign on girls' education, and, as the trailer states, is "a documentary like no other".

Juggling life as a vendor, a wife, a homemaker and a mother to four children, a woman rises to the challenge for something she believes in.

SABLOGO, Burkina Faso — Although Solange Lamoussa Sawadogo has no medical training, the 28-year-old mother of two is fondly called 'loctoré' – doctor in English – in her village 200 kilometres east of Ouagadougou, the capital. With the nearest health centre in Moaga, eight kilometres away, Solange, a volunteer Community Health Worker, promotes reproductive health, encourages couples to get family planning counselling – something rather new in this traditional community – and dispenses condoms and some contraceptives.

Andrea Landry, a proud representative of the Anishinaabe, one of the First Nations or indigenous people of North America, is at the UN for the first international expert group meeting for indigenous youth which wraps up on Thursday.

The United Nations human rights chief today welcomed the recent movement in India to eradicate manual scavenging, a practice traditionally relegated to Dalit women, and seen as a form of discrimination based on caste and gender.

The top United Nations official tasked with advancing gender equality on Wednesday expressed "deep concern" about the escalating violence against women in Egypt, particularly those protesting in the days following the second anniversary of the revolution.

CAIRO 31 January 2013 (IRIN) - Lina Al Tiby, a Syrian activist living in Cairo, runs a support network for Syrian women refugees; helps them adapt to life in Egypt; and tries to persuade them not to allow poverty to push them into sex work or unwanted marriage.

BLANTYRE 31 January 2013 (IRIN) - The waiting area of a clinic in northern Malawi's Nkhata Bay resembles a kindergarten, with dozens of children running around or tugging on their mothers' skirts. On average, each woman at the clinic has four small children with her.

ADDIS ABABA 31 January 2013 (IRIN) - Ethiopia has made progress in lowering maternal mortality rates, but a weak health system means many women are still succumbing to preventable complications before, during and after childbirth.

To increase the pool of experts that can be rapidly deployed to participate in investigations into gender-based crimes during conflict, UN Women, Justice Rapid Response (JRR) and the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI), have jointly developed a specialized training course for judges and other experts.

Michael Kors has partnered with the United Nations on a long-term fundraising project to help tackle world hunger. The designer has joined the UN World Food Programme which aims to provide assistance and sustenance to those in need, particularly mothers and children. (..) Kors plans to raise money and awareness of the programme through a series of campaigns and events - starting with the launch of two unisex watches in March, under the slogan: "Watch Hunger Stop". Each watch sold will allow for 100 children to be fed through the initiative.

We are here today to support the women, men and children of Syria, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in opening remarks Wednesday to a Pledging Conference on Syria taking place in Kuwait. The Secretary-General lamented that they are suffering terribly, with little end in sight. He warned that the situation in Syria is catastrophic and getting worse by the day, where at least 60,000 people have been killed during the last 22 months. Secretary-General Ban said four million people are in immediate need; ten per cent of all Syrians have fled from their homes inside the country and more than 700,000 have left Syria; nearly two million children are in need of humanitarian aid.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Radio China International (RCI), Monte-Carlo Doualya (MCD), Radio Exterior d'España (REE), Radio France international (RFI), Radio Orient (RO) and Voice of Russia radio (VoR) will be broadcasting some programmes from UNESCO Headquarters on the occasion of World Radio Day, on 13 February.

The top United Nations police official today called on Member States to send more qualified female officers to serve in the world body's operations, as she highlighted ongoing efforts to enhance the quality and professionalism of the force.

In Uruguay, a 2009 law guarantees at least 30 per cent of candidates on electoral lists are women. To prepare for national elections next year, UN Women has been training a group of 25 young leaders from four political parties through tutorials.

Egyptian women The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has called on all sides in the current unrest in Egypt "to refrain from resorting to violence and to resolve their differences peacefully." More than 50 people are believed to have been killed in Eg...

All these abilities help counter hatred, prejudice, stereotyping, discrimination and bullying. Commissioned as part of the UNESCO-USA-Brazil project Teaching Respect for All and carried out in cooperation with the Centre of Human Rights Education, Lucerne, Switzerland, the study also makes recomm...

Most of those who made the journey on this night were women and children. Some had walked for hours, others for days, coming from cities as close as Daraa and as far as Aleppo. (..) Jordan's Border Guard said the border will remain open but that the exodus from southern Syria has severely taxed reso...

A girl helps her family harvest sugarcane in Sindh province, Pakistan. ©IFAD/Asad Zaidi By Jonathan Agwe The Dubai Global Islamic Microfinance Forum, held in December 2012, brought together professionals, leaders and experts working in Islamic microfinance institutions, international d...

During the closing ceremony of the World Economic Forum last week in Davos, Switzerland, Tristan Forster - CEO of the ethical recruitment and management company FSI Worldwide - was awarded the Business Leaders Award to Fight Human Trafficking. The Award merits private sector individuals who sho...

Bird flu The world risks a repeat of the disastrous 2006 bird flu outbreaks unless surveillance and control of this and other dangerous animal diseases is strengthened globally, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns. Continued strict vigilance is required, however, gi...

Action Date: Monday, January 28, 2013 read more

Dr. Boshra Salem, president of the MAB International Coordinating Council and Chair of the Department of Environmental Sciences of the Alexandria University (Egypt), was selected as a member of the Women in Science Hall of Fame – 2013. As an expert on sustainable development in arid land...

ADDIS ABABA —Meeting at the African Union Summit, Heads of State and Government made new commitments to speed-up the reduction of maternal death and disability in the continent.

MBABANE 29 January 2013 (IRIN) - The relief felt by health officials and activists several months ago at the apparent outlawing of child marriages now appears to have been premature, with Swaziland's traditional leadership recently declaring that such unions are acceptable under customary law.

In Uruguay, a 2009 law guarantees at least 30 per cent of candidates on electoral lists are women. To prepare for national elections next year, UN Women has been training a group of 25 young leaders from four political parties through tutorials.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has called on all sides in the current unrest in Egypt "to refrain from resorting to violence and to resolve their differences peacefully." More than 50 people are believed to have been killed in Egypt since January 24th, when thousands of Egyptians took to the streets to commemorate the second anniversary of their revolution. Three days later, President Mohammed Morsi declared a state of emergency.

Can respect for all be taught? A new mapping study has collected policies, practices and materials dealing with teaching respect from all over the world. The study identifies good practices to develop learners' knowledge and understanding of other cultures and peoples; exercises to develop empathy, self-confidence, openness to new experiences and flexibility in behaviour.

Most of those who made the journey on this night were women and children. Some had walked for hours, others for days, coming from cities as close as Daraa and as far as Aleppo. (..) Jordan's Border Guard said the border will remain open but that the exodus from southern Syria has severely taxed resources.

The Dubai Global Islamic Microfinance Forum, held in December 2012, brought together professionals, leaders and experts working in Islamic microfinance institutions, international donor organizations and development agencies from around the world. Together, they engaged in dialogue on sustainable development and poverty alleviation achieved through Islamic microfinance.

During the closing ceremony of the World Economic Forum last week in Davos, Switzerland, Tristan Forster - CEO of the ethical recruitment and management company FSI Worldwide - was awarded the Business Leaders Award to Fight Human Trafficking. The Award merits private sector individuals who show leadership in finding creative and sustainable solutions to combat modern slavery across the globe.

The United States Department of State initiated a Women in Science Hall of Fame in 2010 to honour outstanding female scientists throughout the Middle East and North Africa. New hall of fame members are selected annually for their accomplishments, and with the hope to develop a strong network of professional women scientists across the region. These role models also inspire girls to study science and pursue scientific careers.

ADDIS ABABA — Meeting at the African Union Summit, Heads of State and Government made new commitments to speed-up the reduction of maternal death and disability in the continent.

MBABANE 29 January 2013 (IRIN) - The relief felt by health officials and activists several months ago at the apparent outlawing of child marriages now appears to have been premature, with Swaziland's traditional leadership recently declaring that such unions are acceptable under customary law.

Intimate partner and sexual violence against women is widespread in parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a report published by PAHO, the Pan American Health Organization, a regional branch of the World Health Organization. Alessandra Guedes, Regional Advisor on Intra-Family Violence at PAHO, spoke tome, Gerry Adams, about the report, which involved more than 180 thousand women in Bolivia, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Peru.

In Senegal, the movement to end female genital mutilation/cutting is reaching the most remote places. On the sandy roads of the Fouta region and along the river, the information about the problems caused by the traditional practice circulates, inspiring people in dozens of villages to rise up in support of women's and girls' health. This photo essay documents a site visit by funders of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, which is supporting communities in abandoning the practice using culturally sensitive, rights-based approaches.

LOEI, Thailand — After four days of trekking from his village by foot, a two-day bus ride across Bhutan, an international flight to Bangkok and a long van ride, Sonam finally arrived at this mountainous province in northeastern Thailand. The midwife from Gelephu, a small village in eastern Bhutan, was one of more than 20 Bhutanese health professionals selected to participate in a technical training on reproductive health care services.

The United Nations aims to achieve an increase of at least 20 per cent more women police officers in peacekeeping by 2014. That's according to Anne-Marie Orler, the UN Police Adviser. In this interview conducted by UN Radio's Donn Bobb, she says women police officers play a critical role in combating the scourge of sexual and gender based violence.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is renewing its appeal for an urgent scaling up of international aid for the hundreds of thousands of people now displaced by the war in Mali. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees says this is to prevent a worsening of the now acutely fragile humanitarian situation across the Sahel.

Increasing women's participation in politics and economy and ending violence against women to be a key focus of the visit.

In a bid to improve access to health care, nutrition and education for the world's most underserved children, UNESCO (the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is joining forces with the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the private sector to launch a three-year partnership, "Nourishing Bodies, Nourishing Minds," at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday.

Education is a priority for Ban Ki-moon during his second term as the Secretary-General of the United Nations. That's what Mr. Ban told world leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland during a session on the global education imperative on Friday. He said that education empowers people and transforms lives, fosters growth and is the foundation for a more peaceful and sustainable future.

The Tepeth are mountain people of northeastern Uganda. They reside in conical huts made of sticks, thatch and mud in the semi-arid savannahs and scrubby forests of Moroto district. For generations they have subsisted by herding animals and growing crops. If the harvest is good and food is plentiful, village elders will grant permission for a 'cutting' ceremony, in which girls 11 to 14 years of age undergo a rite of passage to womanhood by having all or a portion of their external genitalia removed with a blunt knife.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says the rising number of abductions and kidnappings of refugees in eastern Sudan is probably one of the worst forms of human trafficking in the region. UNHCR says that refugees, mainly from Eritrea, are allegedly being abducted or kidnapped by border tribes. The kidnapped refugees are held for ransom or trafficked for forced marriage, sexual exploitation, bonded labour or the mining of organs. Melissa Fleming, UNHCR Chief Spokesperson, says victims are subjected to extreme forms of torture.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the World Economic Forum "Every Woman Every Child" reception in Davos, Switzerland, on 25 January.

A new report proposing ways to tackle violence against women in India represents a groundbreaking basis for action, the United Nations human rights chief said today, urging the Government to follow through with its recommendations.

The United Nations refugee agency today called for international action to stop forced disappearances from camps in eastern Sudan that house Eritrean refugees, who may be held for ransom or trafficked for the purpose of forced marriage, sexual exploitation or bonded labour.

SABLOGO, Burkina Faso — Although Solange Lamoussa Sawadogo has no medical training, the 28-year-old mother of two is fondly called 'loctoré' – doctor in English – in her village 200 kilometres east of Ouagadougou, the capital. With the nearest health centre in Moaga, eight kilometres away, Solange, a volunteer Community Health Worker, promotes reproductive health, encourages couples to get family planning counselling – something rather new in this traditional community – and dispenses condoms and some contraceptives.

Royal DSM, the global Life Sciences and Materials Sciences company, and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the world's largest humanitarian organization fighting hunger around the world, today signed an Agreement extending their existing partnership for three years (to 2015) to combat hidden hunger and malnutrition in the developing world.

In a bid to improve access to health care, nutrition and education for the world's most underserved children, UNESCO is joining forces with the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the private sector to launch a three-year partnership, "Nourishing Bodies, Nourishing Minds," at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on 24 January 2013.

LOEI, Thailand — After four days of trekking from his village by foot, a two-day bus ride across Bhutan, an international flight to Bangkok and a long van ride, Sonam finally arrived at this mountainous province in northeastern Thailand. The midwife from Gelephu, a small village in eastern Bhutan, was one of more than 20 Bhutanese health professionals selected to participate in a technical training on reproductive health care services.

NAIROBI 24 January 2013 (IRIN) - The recent execution in Somalia of a soldier convicted of rape and the detention of a journalist investigating sexual assault have given the traditionally taboo issue of gender-based violence an usual degree of prominence.

In response to the Secretary-General's call to move towards a paperless UN system and reduce the organization's costs and carbon footprint, UN Women went Paper-Smart at its Executive Board session from 28-30 November, 2012 – and the initiative is now being replicated during the First Regular Session of the UN Women Executive Board, 23-24 January, 2013.

Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly implementing social safety nets to protect their most vulnerable citizens, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, the IMF says these programmes are still works-in-progress. For example, the organization has been working with the government of Burkina Faso to design a cash transfer system to target those who need it most.

KAMPALA 23 January 2013 (IRIN) - A new Ugandan HIV-prevention campaign that frankly addresses sexual infidelity is generating heated debate over the direction the country's HIV strategy should take.

Women and girls were hit the hardest by the global recession, according to child rights and development organisations. "The world is failing girls and women," a report by Plan International and the Overseas Development Institute said. A shrinking economy sent girls' infant mortality soaring, and more females were abused or starved, they said.

Women in northern Mali As fighting continues in Mali where rebels control the northern part of the country, people continue to flee their homes, according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR).

The United Nations human rights office has urged the government of Iran to stop the execution of juvenile offenders once and for all. The human rights office says it's deeply dismayed to hear about the reported execution of a juvenile offender in Iran on Wednesday.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has outlined the United Nations priorities for 2013. He told the General Assembly's 193 member States that this year, they were meeting amid tremendous turmoil and uncertainty. He explained that from armed conflict in Africa and the Middle East, to economic and environmental distress across the globe, the United Nations Organization was being tested every minute of every day.

LOEI, Thailand — After four days of trekking from his village by foot, a two-day bus ride across Bhutan, an international flight to Bangkok and a long van ride, Sonam finally arrived at this mountainous province in northeastern Thailand. The midwife from Gelephu, a small village in eastern Bhutan, was one of more than 20 Bhutanese health professionals selected to participate in a technical training on reproductive health care services.

The following Opinion by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin was published by AllAfrica.com a week before the Summit of the Campaign to Reduce Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA), organized under the auspices of the African Union and UNFPA. Since the launch in 2009, 36 countries in Africa have joined the CARMMA initiative, which aims to galvanize political action at the national level and forge new partnerships to identify the root causes for maternal deaths and put in place the policies and resources to tackle them.

"We need millions of men as agents of change and we have many rivers and oceans to cross before we get there," says Antonie de Jong, Director of Resource Mobilisation at UN Women and one of the 15 men who rode as part of a motorcycle caravan across nine countries in southern Africa.

BAHIR DAR, Ethiopia — When she was just a toddler, Zufan Fentahun was married to a much older man. But at the age of seven, Zufan was among the first group of girls to join Berhane Hewan (Light for Eve, in Amharic) when the project was piloted in her locality, Messobo, in 2004. Just a year later, her marriage was annulled and, since then, her life has taken off in a new direction.

MY World is the United Nations global survey for a better world. This is YOUR chance to be heard! http://www.myworld2015.org/

The vibrant cry of a baby burst out from a small room in the Khan Eshieh refugee camp in southern Damascus. Forced to find refuge in a shelter housing another 15 people, Mayada Yahya gave birth in a small room with no privacy.

The UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) is calling on the warring parties in Syria to pull back from civilian areas, including refugee camps. This follows the recent death of up to 12 Palestinian refugees in fighting which also injured some 20 people. In a statement on Friday, UNRWA reported that women and children were among those killed or injured following what it described as "intense armed engagements" in southern Rif Damascus.

This book encapsulates his thinking and the ILO's major policy positions in response to the global jobs crisis. The messages are consistent over the whole of his mandate and so pre-date and in many ways predict the dire situation facing workers around the world. However, the thrust of the book is forward looking, not backward. Mr Somavia focuses on the current crisis, its resolution and how to build from it, adding a strong new voice to the debate on how to move forward. His central message is that the current financially-driven economic model is failing people, and he proposes a new global model that rights today's imbalances by adding a social pillar to global governance structures.

Boiled rice, steamed rice, fried rice – rice is a staple food for over half of the world's population but nowhere is it more central to diet and culture than in South East Asia. In the Lao People's Democratic Republic, rice provides 80% of the calories and even the word 'eat' actually means 'eat rice'. But rice alone is not sufficient to meet the dietary needs of children. The UN Children's Fund, (UNICEF) has started a project called the Maternal and Young Child Nutrition Security Initiative in Laos where overconsumption of rice led to malnutrition in children.

This guide provides the text of some of the key Conventions for promoting gender equality in the world of work.

The Working Group on Discrimination against Women has called on Tunisia to adopt stronger measures in its draft constitution to combat gender inequality and discrimination. The Group has just completed a five day visit to the country where two years ago, civil resistance led to the fall of longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and the subsequent holding of democratic elections. The head of the Working Group, Kamala Chandrakirana, tells UN Radio's Alpha Diallo that while the Group was impressed by women's participation, it is still concerned about the fear expressed by some women that their rights were eroding.

"For us, taking part in the 'Young Women, Leadership and Governance' Regional Forum is key. Being here means sharing our experiences of work and our agendas, which are no different from those of other women throughout the world," says Tania Pariona, a 27-year-old indigenous activist from Peru and member of the Continental Network of Indigenous Women of the Americas. "We may differ on certain details, but there are points on which we all agree, for example condemnation and rejection of all forms of violence against women."

The ILO estimates that 30% of the nearly 53 million domestic workers worldwide do not enjoy any legal protection, and 45% of them are not entitled to any weekly rest or paid leave. ILO's Malte Luebker told Al Jazeera English that Asia has the least protection for domestic workers and stressed the importance for those countries to ratify the newly adopted ILO convention on domestic workers.

ILO's Martin Oelz, Legal Specialist on Working Conditions, presents the key findings of a new ILO report - Domestic workers across the world - which follows the adoption, in June 2011, of the ILO Convention and Recommendation on domestic work.

SEPON HOSPITAL, Lao PDR — Twenty-five-year-old Xanya had twirled herself around her husband for comfort in the family tak-tak (an open-air cart attached to a motor by a long set of handlebars) along the 12 kilometres of rocky road from their home to the district hospital. He held her, hoping his body would absorb the continuous jolts. She had been in labour for more than ten hours. Now Than, her husband, stood in the delivery room in his bare feet, handsomely sturdy but helpless as their second baby refused to drop down.

"You need to join forces if you want to stand strong," explains Batuli Massawe, a 46-year-old mushroom farmer who has become a respected entrepreneur due largely to training and solidarity lending in the community of Morogoro, 190 km west of Tanzania's capital. In a country where agriculture provides the main source of livelihood for a large majority of the population — accounting for more than two-thirds of employment and almost half of Tanzania's GDP — the the agricultural sector is particularly 'feminized', with up to 80 per cent of rural women[1]taking part in agricultural activities. Although women form the backbone of Tanzania's economy, they often are excluded from the decision-making process which affects their everyday lives.

Renowned Colombian singer and song-writer Shakira, who is expecting her first child with Spanish football star Gerard Piqué, is helping to raise awareness on the world's most vulnerable infants through an unusual method: an online baby shower hosted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

MABAN 16 January 2013 (IRIN) - Mahasa sits in the dust outside the hut she built herself, holding her youngest son in her arms. The 29-year-old mother of four knows how vulnerable she is. "I'm scared," she said.

A new programme in the Republic of South Sudan is helping vulnerable farmers to improve their livelihoods by boosting the quality of the seeds used to produce key crops. The project, valued at more than $600 000 (EUR 500 000), will help to train farmers in the production, storage and marketing of quality seeds and cuttings for staple crops like sorghum, maize, cassava and cowpeas. It will also increase the availability of seeds to South Sudan's most vulnerable farmers.

Myanmar took an important step recently by joining the ongoing regional counter-smuggling effort supported by UNODC in the Greater Mekong Subregion. The project PATROL ( Partnership Against Transnational crime through Regional Organized Law Enforcement) already links Cambodia, Thailand and Viet Nam with UNODC in an effort to counteract transnational organized crime in all its forms - including the smuggling of migrants, drugs, chemical precursors, natural resources and hazardous substances.

Gaza's children affirmed their place at the forefront of creativity and innovation last week, as a 14-year-old girl from Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza, took first place in an international maths competition featuring the best young brains from all around the world. In recent years in Gaza, creativity and achievement has grown and flourished against extraordinary odds; a blockade and the rubble of many conflicts, the last of which was eight-day war on Gaza in November 2012.

The Blue Heart Campaign has gained additional support with new initiatives around the world. Switzerland became the latest country to join the Campaign, and in Colombia and the Republic of Serbia, cinema and theatre have been used to generate awareness and serve as a stark warning to potential victims about false promises of a better life.

The role of ICTs as development enablers is more widely understood today as access to new technologies, particularly mobile phones, has grown exponentially. Mobile phone subscriptions exceeded six billion by the end of 2012, three-quarters of which were in the developing world. However, women are at a disadvantage: they are 21% less likely to own a mobile phone than men, according to the latest Broadband Commission Report (PDF, 2.4Mb).

Informal Justice Systems: Charting a Course for Human Rights-Based Engagement is a study that has been jointly commissioned by UNDP, UNICEF and UN Women. It is the first comprehensive assessment that has been conducted of informal justice systems and human rights protection. To enable more effective engagement that enhances access to justice and the protection of human rights, the Study involved an exhaustive literature review and country-specific case studies in Bangladesh, Ecuador, Malawi, Niger, Papua New Guinea and Uganda, as well as a desk study of 12 additional countries.

The head of the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has welcomed the return of a renowned gynaecologist to the clinic he founded for rape victims in the eastern part of the country. Dr. Denis Mukwege was back at work on Monday at the Panzi Clinic in Bukavu nearly three months after surviving an attack on his home in which his security guard was killed.

What gender-related events are happening at the UN this year? Stay on top via UN Women Watch's calendar of events.

In order to integrate gender perspectives into policies and contents of Moroccan public service broadcasters, UNESCO's Office in Rabat is organizing a workshop for the adaptation of Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media (GSIM) to Moroccan context. The workshop will be held in Rabat on 14 and 15 January 2013.

The United Nations human rights office today voiced its deep dismay over the execution of a young Sri Lankan domestic worker, Rizana Nafeek, in Saudi Arabia earlier this week.

Neighbourhood volunteers bridge Kenya's ethnic divide Ethnic violence which has claimed over 400 lives and displaced thousands of people in Kenya has been condemned by the United Nations.

Exposure to mercury is increasingly becoming a health hazard in developing countries, according to new studies by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)...UNEP estimates that three million women and children work in the industry.

Part of the Global Employment Trends series, this publication delivers the most current information on emerging trends and key challenges facing women in labour markets around the world.

Dr Kirby was one of the world's leading experts on sexuality education. He authored over 150 articles, chapters and monographs and worked with national governments, civil society and UN agencies to strengthen sexuality education programmes throughout the world.

"Women issues are world issues," Michelle Bachelet, the executive director of U.N. Women and former president of Chile, said recently. (..) Familiar issues like equal pay, workplace policies, family-work balance and political power haven't gone away in the United States or anywhere else.

Job opportunities, rising inequalities, the environment, gender equality and peace and security in North-East Asia are key priorities the region's youth want to see addressed in the world's future development agenda. 51 youth representatives from China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia have today adopted a bold declaration on the future of global development entitled 'The World We Want'.

More than 50 million people worldwide, mostly women, are employed as domestic workers, according to the latest figures from the International Labour Organization (ILO). But ILO says despite their numbers, domestic workers are among the least protected of employees. Long hours, poor working conditions and insufficient legal protection are some of the realities they face. For the first time, the agency has released a report which highlights the size and value of what it calls "one of the oldest occupations."

UN Women is supporting survivors of sexual violence in Mali, and along with two local NGOs has set up a gender-based violence unit in a major hospital to provide medical and psycho-social support to rape survivors.

Nutritional assistance provided to people still struggling to rebuild their lives three years after the earthquake helps mothers raise healthy children.

ILO's Martin Oelz, Legal Specialist on Working Conditions, presents the key findings of a new ILO report - Domestic workers across the world - which follows the adoption, in June 2011, of the ILO Convention and Recommendation on domestic work.

More than 21 million people across Asia and the Pacific – 80 per cent of them women – are employed as domestic workers, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Millions of domestic workers around the world are not protected under general labour laws and are highly vulnerable to exploitation, says a United Nations report released today, which calls on countries to extend social protection to them.

Women and girls run the risk of being left behind in scientific and technological fields if countries do not put measures in place to address discrimination and change traditional attitudes, the United Nations said today, warning that this gap constitutes an obstacle to nations' progress.

The fight against hunger cannot be won alone. That's why, 50 years after its founding, WFP gathered "50 Takes on Hunger" from leaders in the public and private sectors, from celebrities, athletes and academics, and from a school girl in Kenya who receives WFP food assistance.

The United Nations official dealing with conflict-related sexual violence on Tuesday welcomed the Security Council's imposition of sanctions on two armed groups active in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - the Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Rwanda (FDLR) and 23 March Movement (M23).

Careers in science and technology are increasing, but the International Labour Organization (ILO) says women and girls are in danger of being shut out of these opportunities. The ILO finds women tend to be overrepresented in areas such as the humanities and the social sciences, and the agency has launched a new manual to address progress in achieving gender equality.

More than 80,000 people in The Gambia are benefiting from a project that reclaims and develops degraded land to use for agriculture. Funded by the UN Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), it uses very simple technologies. A number of dykes and spillways have been built to retain water making the land more productive.

Conflict-related sexual violence persists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where thousands of people were displaced around the city of Goma as a result of the latest attacks by the rebel group M23. Survival of the displaced people presents its many challenges, particularly for the women. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) received reports of dozens of attacks and rapes as we hear in this report by UNHCR's Edith Champagne.

Labour exploitation is the main cause of human trafficking, according to a new report by the International Organization for Migration, (IOM). The report which looked into human trafficking trends showed that half of the human trafficking cases brought before the IOM for assistance in 2011 involved victims of labour exploitation.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is to launch its new report on domestic workers around the world. The study, entitled "Domestic workers across the world", is for release on Wednesday, 9 January 2013 at 10:00 GMT.

Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet will highlight the urgent need for increasing women's participation as the foundation for nation building and economic progress during her forthcoming trip to West Africa.

MBABANE 03 January 2013 (IRIN) - Swazi women are organizing to promote their rights and welfare, convinced that discriminatory laws are at odds with the essential roles they play in their families and in their country's economy.

Statement by Michelle Bachelet, Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women, on death of Delhi student.

For years, Heal Africa, in North Kivu's provincial capital of Goma, has helped victims of sexual violence and children with HIV/AIDS. But when fresh conflict erupted, the non-profit opened its doors to the wounded as well. WFP is helping them recover through food assistance.