UN gender equality news feedUN gender equality news feed collects gender equality-related news from individual RSS news feeds in the UN system and displays a combined up-to-date news list on a single web page and in a single news feed. UN gender equality news feed is a service of WomenWatch, the UN Internet Gateway on Gender Equality and Empowerment of Womenhttp://www.un.org/womenwatch/ungen/atom.xml2016-01-15T10:09:51+00:00United Nations WomenWatchhttp://www.un.org/womenwatch/Copyright (c) 2016 United Nations WomenWatchUN gender equality news feed (UNGEN 1.1)Work of doctor who helped treat rape victims focus of new filmtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-10-22T10:09:51+00:00The work of a gynaecologist who treats rape victims who have been subjected to sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the focus of a film which has just been released. "The Man Who Mends Women", tells the story of Dr Denis Mukwege.UN RadioReport lays out "baseline" for progress in gender equalitytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-10-21T10:09:51+00:00Although women are outpacing men in achieving higher levels of education, they are still more likely to pursue the humanities as opposed to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. That's according to the World's Women 2015, a UN report which looks at how women worldwide are faring in eight critical areas such as health, education, work, power and decision-making, and poverty.UN RadioGrim but essential, autopsies are saving lives in Bangladeshtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-10-20T10:09:51+00:00MOHESHALI, Bangladesh – Something went terribly wrong when Asta Banu gave birth. Her labour was difficult and seemed to take forever. When the baby – a boy – was finally born, he was unresponsive. Although Ms. Banu's family quickly arranged transportation to the Thakurgaon District Hospital, their efforts were in vain. During the 20 km drive, the baby slipped into a coma and died.UNFPAWomen worldwide live longer, healthier lives with better education, says new UN reporttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-10-20T10:09:51+00:0020 October 2015 – The lives of women and girls around the world have improved in several areas over the last 20 years but they continue to be victims of gender based discrimination and violence, according to a new report launched today by the United Nations.UNThe World's Women 2015 - Trends and Statisticstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-10-20T10:09:51+00:00On World Statistics Day, 20 October, the UN Statistics Division launches the new World's Women 2015: Trends and Statistics report, which presents the latest statistics and analyses of the status of women and men in areas of concern identified by the landmark 1995 Beijing Platform for Action. It also reviews progress towards gender equality over the past 20 years.UN Women27 September: Global Leaders Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowermenttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-09-25T10:09:51+00:00On 27 September, more than 70 world leaders are expected to make concrete commitments and firm pledges to overcome gender equality gaps at a historic event co-hosted by UN Women and the People's Republic of China: the "Global Leaders' Meeting on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment: A Commitment to Action."UN WomenFamily planning vital in post-quake Nepaltag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-09-25T10:09:51+00:00Before Nepal's devastating April earthquake, 20-year-old Tanka Kumari Bishankhe regularly received contraceptive injections. She had already had three children since getting married at age 15. Together, she and her husband decided to not have more.UNFPAWomen "an unused resource" in shippingtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-09-25T10:09:51+00:00Women are "an unused resource" in the shipping industry, a resource which should be tapped if the industry is to expand. That's according to Lee Adamson, from the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The organization says that only 2 per cent of the world's seafarers are currently women.UN RadioUN envoy on sexual violence in conflict wraps up official visit to Guineatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-09-25T10:09:51+00:00The United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Zainab Hawa Bangura has wrapped up an official visit to Guinea, where her Office has been supporting an investigation into events that took place in 2009 at a stadium in the capital, Conakry, where more than 100 people were killed and at least 100 women were raped during an opposition demonstration. UN NewsBan addresses top peacekeeping officials amid allegations of sexual abuse by UN blue helmetstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-08-13T10:09:51+00:0013 August 2015 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has conducted an urgent video conference with the heads of United Nations peacekeeping operations, Force Commanders, and Police Commissioners following a series of revelations alleging abuse by UN 'blue helmets' in the field, according to a spokesperson for the Organization.UNWomen: focus on soccer clinics, women's role in humanitarian relief and gender gap in Moroccotag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-08-13T10:09:51+00:00Soccer can teach young boys and girls across the world that they are equals, according to the United Nations. Professional players of the Spanish club, Valencia CF recently held a clinic for aspiring stars at the Beijing Royal School in China. It was organized in partnership with UN Women, which wants to replicate the awareness-raising activity in other countries. Ana Carmo spoke with the agency's Jose Carlos Ferrer and began by asking him what they aim to achieve.UN RadioNew UN agency report shows 'unprecedented' rise in infant mortality in Gazatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-08-13T10:09:51+00:0013 August 2015 – A new study carried out by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has revealed that the infant mortality rate in the Gaza Strip has risen for the first time in 50 years, with the agency's health director citing the ongoing blockade as possibly contributing to the trend.UNDual discrimination faced by aboriginal womentag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-08-13T10:09:51+00:00Aboriginal women in Australia are facing what has been described by a leading rights advocate as "dual discrimination." The indigenous peoples of Australia make up less than 5 per cent of the country's total population. Many face intolerance because of their ethnic background; women face the extra element of discrimination because of their gender.UN RadioVideo: 2015 World Day against Trafficking in Personstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-28T10:09:51+00:00The second annual World Day against Trafficking in Persons is being marked on 30 July 2015. To mark this special day, the Principals of eight of the world's key organizations working to tackle this crime have come together to issue a special statement. Together, these eight heads of organizations are urging more to be done to help the millions of women, men and children who fall victim to one of today's most brutal crimes, and to join forces to improve trafficked persons' access to remedies that respond to their individual needs.UNLiberia's new labour law commits to decent worktag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-24T10:09:51+00:00MONROVIA (ILO News) – Liberian President Sirleaf has signed into law the Decent Work Bill, the country's first labour law since the 1950s...The new law explicitly promotes fundamental rights at work, including freedom of association and the right to bargain collectively; the right not to be subject to forced or compulsory labour; the right to equality at work, and to equal working conditions regardless of gender or other irrelevant criteria; and the right not to be subject to the worst forms of child labour. The law also seeks to implement certain fundamental rights found in Liberia's Constitution. ILOWomen: focus on local politics, migrant workers and the gender gap in Maldivestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-23T10:09:51+00:00UN Radio looks at Haitian women playing a greater role in local politics, migrant workers in Europe and the gender gap in Maldives.UN RadioBangladesh: Empowering Women Against Natural Disasterstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-23T10:09:51+00:00ROYGANJ UPAZILA, SIRAJGANJ – Holding a makeshift soil leveler with one hand, directing her peers with the other, Sima Rani Das stood ankle-deep in mud along the roadside. "Everybody make sure to drink water," she said, as the sun had reached its zenith and the temperature was up in the 30s. About 25 women were fortifying a road-cum-embankment, built to prevent flooding and support a road in Rampur village.WFPColombia: Violence Often Breeds More Violencetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-22T10:09:51+00:00Violence often breeds more violence. And that is what Catalina has experienced since she was displaced from her small farm outside of the city of Medellin. Forced to flee with her small daughter, then two years old.WFPMaldives tackles climate change and gender inequalitytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-21T10:09:51+00:00Maldives is making strides in confronting challenges such as climate change and achieving gender parity, according to the UN. Located in the Indian Ocean, the island nation has been described as "ground zero" for monitoring the impact of climate change. UN RadioADDIS: investing in gender equality vital to economic growth, sustainable development, says Ban tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-14T10:09:51+00:00Increased investments in gender equality are vital if the world is to achieve sustained economic growth and development, United Nations Secretary-General said today during the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. "It is clear that we have not invested sufficiently in gender equality," Mr. Ban said at a side event hosted by UN Women and the World Bank on Financing for Gender Equality. "We know that persisting gaps in gender equality and women's empowerment in the world have been a barrier to the full achievement of each of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)." UNSpeech by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the UN Women-World Bank event on Financing for Gender Equality, Addis Ababa, Ethiopiatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-14T10:09:51+00:00I thank UN Women and the World Bank Group for bringing us together to focus on the crucial issue of financing for gender equality. From my recent review of the 20 years of implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, it is clear that we have not invested sufficiently in gender equality. UNSpeech by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim at the side event Financing for Gender Equality – Results and Good Practices, Addis Ababa, Ethiopiatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-14T10:09:51+00:00Mr. Secretary-General, Ministers, and friends. It's wonderful to see you. Twenty years ago, the landmark Fourth World Conference on Women put forward a Platform for Action that made a powerful case for gender equality. Among other things, it recognized two important principles: (1) "that equality between women and men is a matter of human rights and a condition for social justice;" and (2) that "broad-based and sustained economic growth in the context of sustainable development is necessary to sustain social development and social justice." World BankAfter months adrift at sea, migrants receive critical care in Indonesiatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-09T10:09:51+00:00KUALA CANGKOI, Indonesia – Montas spent the first months of her pregnancy at sea, crowded onto a boat with hundreds of other migrants. The passengers had set out to find a better life – perhaps in Malaysia or Australia – but ended up more desperate than ever. The captain abandoned their boat, leaving them stranded on the open ocean. UNFPATargeted investment in women needed to break gender inequalitytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-08T10:09:51+00:00Investments which target the development of women and girls around the world are needed to break gender inequality and discrimination, according to the UN agency with deals with gender issues. The international community is meeting in Ethiopia from Monday to discuss how best to finance future global development programmes. UN RadioEducation essential to vision of a life of dignity for all, says Ban at Norway summittag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-07T10:09:51+00:007 July 2015 – The Oslo Summit on Education for Development is a chance to reaffirm the human right to education, an opportunity to mobilize political commitment, and "our moment" to galvanize international support for education, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared today in Norway, where he has been attending a number of high-level events over the past two days. UNClinic helps end dangerous traditional practices in rural Bangladeshtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-07-06T10:09:51+00:00CHANTI HAZRADANGA, Bangladesh – Traditions run deep in the indigenous communities of north-western Bangladesh, where many people are reluctant to seek professional medical care during or after pregnancy. But a clinic in the village of Chanti Hazradanga, in Panchagarh District, is helping to change minds about maternal health – and is saving lives in the process. UNFPAGuatemala's Ministry of Agriculture approves first-ever Policy on Gender Equalitytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-06-19T10:09:51+00:00For the first time in its history, Guatemala's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food has a comprehensive Policy on Gender Equality.FAOSyrian sisters repay a mother's selfless care and love in Damascustag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-06-08T10:09:51+00:00DAMASCUS, Syria (UNHCR) – Every morning, Amal, a single mother, wakes up early to get her children ready for school. She feels good, because she knows they will be safe and free from any immediate threat of conflict.UNHCRGrowing gender gap in mobile phone usetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-06-06T10:09:51+00:00Men have greater access to mobile telephone services across the developing world and use them more than women. That's according to a director at the Connected Women Programme of the GSMA, an association of mobile operators.UN RadioInvestigation launched following abuse of girl in CAR tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-06-05T10:09:51+00:00An investigation has been launched in the Central African Republic, by the United Nations peacekeeping mission, MINUSCA, following allegations that a UN peacekeeper had sexually abused a young girl. UN RadioForty Years a Slave: Women start new lives in Mauritaniatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-06-05T10:09:51+00:00Haratine women in Mauritania, who have long been enslaved by other lighter-skinned ethnic groups, continue to face many hardships even after being set free. Some of these former female slaves are now speaking out about their past ordeals and new lives. IRIN NewsA Brilliant Idea - UNRWA Employs Female Guards in its Health Centrestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-06-05T10:09:51+00:00Since the beginning of May 2015, UNRWA has started to employ 21 female guards in its Health Centres across the Gaza Strip as part of the Agency's efforts to ensure a protective environment for service delivery and enhanced gender-equity. The employees are hired through the Agency's Job Creation Programme (JCP) and will work in their new positions for a period of three months. This is the first time that the Agency has systematically employed this many female guards. UNRWAUN rights chief urges inquiry into violations by international forces in Central African Republictag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-05-31T10:09:51+00:00The United Nations human rights chief has urged several States to intensify their efforts to investigate long-standing allegations that soldiers in their forces sent to keep the peace in the Central African Republic (CAR) may have committed very serious violations, including killing of civilians and sexual exploitation of local women. UNReflecting Global Change for Women in Business and Managementtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-05-31T10:09:51+00:00Earlier this year, the ILO Bureau for Employers' Activities launched its report on Women in Business and Management: Gaining Momentum. Its main messages are perhaps well known and hopefully accepted: women's presence in the labour market is increasingly significant for economic growth and development and women represent an incredible talent pool which should not be ignored. ILOSchool campaign aims to help Côte d'Ivoire reap demographic dividendtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-05-29T10:09:51+00:00DAKAR, Senegal – "I knew I was pregnant, but I talked to my classmate, not my parents or my teachers," said Amina, 18, a student in Daoukro, Côte d'Ivoire. "My parents were very upset and not kind. They rejected me." UNFPAWorking with women in Somaliatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-05-28T10:09:51+00:00Working with women in Somalia has shaped my understanding of the gender inequalities that exist in our societies. The Somalia civil war has severely hindered women's fair treatment, access to justice and overall human rights protection. UNVAngling for gender equality in the seafood industrytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-05-20T10:09:51+00:00While women are estimated to make up nearly half of all people in the fisheries sector, their work often goes unrecognized and underpaid, their access to opportunities and resources remains limited and their representation in positions of leadership trails far behind other industries.FAOViolence against women and girls 'shames every society,' UN anti-crime chief warnstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-05-19T10:09:51+00:00Voicing concern over the continued killing of women and girls, the United Nations anti-crime chief today issued a strong call to end such acts, as well as to unravel the gender at the heart of the "dreadful daily experiences of violence" that blight so many of their lives.UNNow Ebola-free, Liberia's need to restore maternal health care takes centre stagetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-05-11T10:09:51+00:00MONROVIA, Liberia/UNITED NATIONS, New York, 11 May – Two days ago, Liberia was declared Ebola-free, after the tragic 13-month-long outbreak saw the deaths of nearly 5,000 people. But while the outbreak is now officially over, health systems remain disrupted, leaving many pregnant women and new mothers without access to proper maternal health care.UNFPADefeating the 'Mother Stealer' in rural Ethiopiatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-05-08T10:09:51+00:00AMHARA REGION, Ethiopia – They called it the Stealer. It came to their homes in this remote part of northern Ethiopia, and claimed the lives of women in childbirth. It took Asmer Geremew's mother, as well as her younger and older sisters. Ms. Asmer only narrowly escaped it when her son was born three years ago.UNFPAStatelessness: Young Georgian mother breaks a cycle of sufferingtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-05-08T10:09:51+00:00DZEGVI, Georgia (UNHCR) – Olga Khutsishvili has bad memories of her childhood in Georgia, growing up in poverty and lacking access to a full education and other rights. "I didn´t know how to read and write, and everybody was laughing about me. I can´t recall those years without tears," the 19-year-old told UNHCR recently in the village of Dzegvi, where she lives with her mother and baby son. UNHCRNew estimates show 126,000 pregnant women affected by Nepal quaketag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-04-29T10:09:51+00:00Needs are quickly escalating in Nepal, in the aftermath of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake. The most recent UN estimates indicate more than 5,000 have been killed and 8 million people have been affected. Based on the latest available data, UNFPA now estimates some 2 million women and girls of reproductive age are among those affected – including some 126,000 pregnant women. UNUN envoy Gordon Brown welcomes release of 200 Nigerian girls held captive by Boko Haramtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-04-29T10:09:51+00:0029 April 2015 – The United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, has welcomed the release of 200 girls from captivity by Boko Haram and called for the immediate release of all abducted girls, ahead of his meeting tomorrow with Nigerian President-Elect. UNAfter flight from Syria, refugee women in Iraq find safety, supporttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-04-29T10:09:51+00:00ERBIL, Iraq – When 39-year-old Asma crossed the border from Syria into Iraq, all she could think about was the son she was leaving behind. "It was the worst day of my life – worse than all the shooting and attacks in Syria," Asma said, remembering the day she fled her home in Qamishli, Syria, with her husband and four of her five sons.UNFPAWomen to train, run, win and lead in Trinidad and Tobagotag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-04-28T10:09:51+00:00Women in Trinidad and Tobago are being encouraged to "run, win and lead" in local government politics. The overall portion of women winning seats as councillors edged up from 29 to 31 per cent after the previous election in 2010. Since 1996 the women's movement has ensured that no local government corporation is devoid of women in its Council. UN RadioEmerging threats demand renewed fight against sexual violence in conflict – UN envoytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-04-18T10:09:51+00:00Those who use rape as a weapon of war are becoming increasingly "brutal and ruthless," the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) on Sexual Violence in Conflict said today, warning against a lax attitude that would allow emerging armed groups to gain further ground and continue committing such atrocious crimes. UNCaesarean sections should only be performed when medically necessary says WHOtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-04-18T10:09:51+00:00Since 1985, the international healthcare community has considered the ideal rate for caesarean sections to be between 10-15%. Since then, caesarean sections have become increasingly common in both developed and developing countries. The WHO statement published says that when caesarean section rates rise towards 10% across a population, the number of maternal and newborn deaths decreases. WHOChanging the prospects for women and girls in eastern and southern Africatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-03-12T10:09:51+00:00A joint event organized by UNAIDS and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization held during the fifty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, in New York, United States of America, has shined the spotlight on the health, social and legal services available to women and girls in eastern and southern Africa. UNAIDSInternational Women's Day 2015 - UN System Messages, Events and Newstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-03-06T10:09:51+00:00The official United Nations theme for International Women's Day 2015 is "Empowering Women - Empowering Humanity: Picture It!" Celebrated globally on 8 March, International Women's Day will highlight the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a historic roadmap signed by 189 governments 20 years ago that sets the agenda for realizing women's rights. While there have been many achievements since then, many serious gaps remain. UNThrough UN-backed project, Ethiopian marmalade will soon hit shelves at 'Eataly'tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-02-25T10:09:51+00:00Thanks to a partnership between the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Eataly to support family farmers around the globe, a cooperative of women in Ethiopia are now ready to ship their 4,000 jars of jam to Rome, where they will soon reach the shelves.ILOILO to issue an update on progress made on gender equality in the world of work and a working paper on the motherhood pay gaptag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-02-25T10:09:51+00:00GENEVA – On the occasion of International Women's Day (8 March), the International Labour Organization (ILO) will publish a briefing note providing an assessment of progress made on achieving gender equality in the world of work since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995. In addition, the ILO will release a working paper on the "Motherhood Pay Gap" between mothers and women without children.ILOFinding justice for victims of gender-based violence in Somaliatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-02-25T10:09:51+00:00Sixteen-year-old Safia was herding goats in Puntland, Somalia, last September when a man approached her and asked for drinking water. She gave him the water, but then he grabbed her and, at knifepoint, dragged her to an isolated area. He held her captive for two weeks, raping her repeatedly.UNFPAYou're Invited: ECOSOC Youth Forum 2015tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-01-23T10:09:51+00:00You're invited to the UN ECOSOC 2015 Global Youth Forum on "Youth Engagement in the Transition from MDGs to SDGs: What will it take?" to be held on 2 and 3 February 2015, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the UN Headquarters in New York. UN Women is organizing a special dialogue on Youth and Gender Equality on 3 February 2015, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 pm. Register by 27 January to attend.UNIn Davos, Ban urges global action in 2015 on development, gender equality, climate changetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-01-23T10:09:51+00:0023 January 2015 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged world leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to maintain their focus on a broad range of climate, development and gender equality issues, warning that as the global community continues to face multiple crises, the new year must be a time for 'strong commitment' from international stakeholders.UNEl Salvador: UN rights office welcomes 'ground-breaking' pardon of woman in abortion casetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-01-23T10:09:51+00:0023 January 2015 – The United Nations human rights office today welcomed the 'ground-breaking decision' of the Salvadorian Legislative Assembly to pardon a young women's 30-year sentence in an abortion case. Carmen Guadalupe Vásquez Aldana, who suffered a miscarriage at the age of 18 after reportedly being raped, was convicted of aggravated homicide after her crime was reclassified from 'abortion' to 'aggravated homicide' during her trial. She had already served seven years of her 30-year sentence.UNIceland champions gender equality at the UNtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-01-23T10:09:51+00:00Iceland has been demonstrating to the international community why it ranks number one in the world in closing the gender gap. The Nordic country recently hosted a conference at the United Nations to highlight the influence society has in the way men treat women.UN RadioIraq report highlights disabled children used in terror attackstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-01-22T10:09:51+00:00Child abuse is continuing in Iraq where disabled children have been used to carry out terrorist attacks in a belief it will cure them, it emerged on Thursday. In a UN report on Iraq, human rights experts also detailed child prostitution and child pornography, along with other harmful practices targeting girls, such as female genital mutilation, early and forced marriage and honour crimes. UN RadioProtecting women human rights defenderstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2015-01-22T10:09:51+00:00A social media campaign by the UN is honouring women human rights defenders worldwide and raising awareness about the dangers of the job. Under the hashtag #reflect2protect, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) is releasing a series of 12 short video profiles of these defenders.UN RadioWomen stereotyped and under-represented in global film industrytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-12-24T10:09:51+00:00The global film industry perpetuates discrimination against women, a UN-backed study on female characters in popular movies has found. Girls and women are over twice as likely as boys and men to be shown in sexually revealing clothes, partially or fully naked.UN RadioTimeline: Gender Equality, 2014 Year in Reviewtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-12-22T10:09:51+00:00From the passing of one of the Arab region's most progressive constitutions enshrining women's rights to changes in legislation to provide long overdue redress to wartime survivors of sexual violence, this timeline is a selection of some of the gender equality achievements, milestones and noteworthy moments from around the world this year.UNCooking Can Save Livestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-12-22T10:09:51+00:00The lack of clean cooking facilities and access to cooking fuel affects the health, safety, livelihoods and environment of a third of the world's population. This is especially the case in the world's most vulnerable settings, where people have no choice but to cook over open fires or cookstoves that generate a lot of indoor smoke. Exposure to these poisonous emissions rank as the world's fourth worst health risk according to the World Health Organisation, and the second worst for women and girls.WFPGermany Donates US$30 Million For Nutrition, Safety Nets and Girls' Education In Yementag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-12-22T10:09:51+00:00The German government has donated €24 million (US$30 million) to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Yemen to support nutrition, protective safety nets and girls' education.WFPHigher education programme helps refugees in Syria continue studiestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-12-22T10:09:51+00:00Excelling at high school is no easy task for teenagers. But for Fatima, an 18-year-old Iraqi refugee student living in Syria, it has been harder than most.UNHCREnding the abuse of domestic workers in Asiatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-12-21T10:09:51+00:00Although there are more than 52 million domestic workers world-wide, including more than 21 million in Asia Pacific, only a small minority are covered by general labour laws. This lack of protection leaves them vulnerable to – sometimes terrible – abuse and exploitation. Journalist Karen Emmons has been working with the photographer Steve McCurry on a documentary project, "No one should work this way," to record and expose some of the abuses faced by Asian migrant domestic workers.ILORefugees: A Chance to Learntag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-12-19T10:09:51+00:00Samia and Tomasa are close in age, but their prospects in life are decidedly different. Samia is a 10-year-old Afghan girl living in Karachi, Pakistan. After several years at a Koranic school there, she recently switched to a more formal school set up for Afghan refugees. While one of her sisters was married at an early age, Samia is intent on becoming a doctor. She sees that education will play an important role in her future, and family's as well. "I want to become educated," she says. "I have so many dreams."UNHCRCôte d'Ivoire's First Lady honoured for her humanitarian commitmenttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-12-19T10:09:51+00:00At a ceremony in Abidjan, UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé has honoured the First Lady of Côte d'Ivoire, Dominique Ouattara, for her humanitarian work and her commitment to improving access to paediatric treatment for children living with HIV.UNAIDSUN welcomes Malaysia's court ruling to decriminalizes transgender womentag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-11-14T10:09:51+00:00The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) today welcomed the recent judgment by the Court of Appeal of Malaysia that declared unconstitutional the criminalization of Muslim transgender women for cross-dressing.UN NewsUN mission continues investigation into alleged mass rape in North Darfur towntag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-11-14T10:09:51+00:00Allegations of the mass rape of 200 women and girls in a town in North Darfur continue raise concerns in the war-torn Sudanese region as the African Union-United Nations hybrid mission there presses ahead with its efforts "to shed further light" on the reports.UN NewsFamily farming in Africa: lessons in closing the gender gaptag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-11-13T10:09:51+00:00Closing the gender gap is not only the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to do for improved agriculture and food security for all. This was a key message among several discussed at the recent High Level Side Event on "Family farming interventions to close the gender gap: lessons from Africa".FAOBollywood icon appointed as first-ever male UN Women Goodwill Ambassadortag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-11-13T10:09:51+00:00The United Nations body focused on gender equality and women's empowerment today announced that it has appointed its first male Goodwill Ambassador ever – Bollywood superstar, Farhan Akhtar – who will focus his efforts on South Asia.UN NewsAfghanistan: UN expert calls for sustainable measures to address violence against womentag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-11-13T10:09:51+00:00The United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Rashida Manjoo, has called on the Government of Afghanistan and the international community to adopt sustainable measures to address the causes and consequences of gender-based violence in the country.CEPALNearly 30% of Young Latin American Women Have Been Teenage Motherstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-11-13T10:09:51+00:00Nearly 30 % of young women in Latin America become mothers before 20 years of age and the majority of them are socioeconomically underprivileged, which fosters the intergenerational reproduction of poverty, hinders women's autonomy and their life projects, and underscores the need for sex education and reproductive health services to be made a public policy priority, according to a new report by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).CEPALExperts and Authorities Propose Policies for Family Farming to Reflect Rural Realitytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-11-04T10:09:51+00:00A new generation of policies is needed to continue strengthening family farming in the region and respond to rural reality, particularly the situation of women and young people. Such policies must include the farming population, according to authorities, experts and other representatives who participated in an event that opened today at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in Santiago, Chile.CEPALA Special Report - Ending Statelessness within 10 yearstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-11-04T10:09:51+00:00UNHCR has launched a global "I Belong" campaign aimed at ending within 10 years the problem of statelessness – a devastating legal limbo for the millions of people worldwide who lack any nationality and the human rights protections that go with it. At present, twenty-seven countries still prevent women from passing on their nationality to children on an equal basis as men.UNHCRPromoting women's economic empowerment: what works?tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-11-04T10:09:51+00:00A review of rigorous evaluations of interventions that seek to empower women economically shows that the same class of interventions has significantly different outcomes depending on the client. Capital alone, as a small cash loan or grant, is not sufficient to grow women-owned subsistence-level firms. World BankInheritance law reform, empowerment, and human capital accumulation : second-generation effects from Indiatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-11-04T10:09:51+00:00This paper uses evidence from three Indian states, one of which amended inheritance legislation in 1994, to assess first- and second-generation effects of inheritance reform using a triple-difference strategy. Second-generation effects on education, time use, and health are larger and more significant than first-generation effects even controlling for mothers' endowments. World BankWorld Investment Forum - Session on Women's Empowerment and Gender Equalitytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-10-03T10:09:51+00:00This event is a moderated dialogue on the ways in which TNCs and foreign investment can play a role in supporting women's empowerment and gender equality in emerging and developing countries.UNHCRVigilant UNHCR staff reunite long-separated mother and daughters in Tanzaniatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-10-02T10:09:51+00:00Eleven years ago, newly widowed Congolese refugee Sifa Risasi put her two young daughters in the care of a neighbour and ran away from a camp in Tanzania after hearing that her in-laws wanted to marry her off to her husband's brother. Earlier this year, thanks to eagle-eyed UNHCR staff conducting a refugee verification exercise in Tanzania's Nyarugusu camp, she was finally reunited with her girls in an emotionally-charged and sensitive meeting organized by UNHCR and the International Rescue Committee, unaware that they had been living in the same camp for five years.UNHCRUNHCR: Nansen Winners 2014 – Butterfliestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-10-01T10:09:51+00:00UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres presented the Colombian women's rights group, Butterflies with New Wings Building a Future, with the prestigious Nansen Refugee Award in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday night, 29 September. The Nansen Refugee Award marks its 60th anniversary this year and is UNHCR's top humanitarian honour. The courageous Colombian women's rights network received the Award for its outstanding work to help victims of forced displacement and sexual abuse in Buenaventura, Colombia. UNHCREggs For Some But Not For All In Lesothotag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-10-01T10:09:51+00:00Semonkong - That a man can enjoy eggs while his wife and daughters endure a poor diet is commonplace is some parts of Lesotho. "We have many families keeping chickens to lay eggs in this area," said Masekhohola Nkunyane, a nurse at St Leonard Clinic in Semonkong. "Eggs are a delicacy preserved only for men in some households. This is because of an old belief that, if eaten by women and girls, they can cause problems."WFPUnderstanding customs and people's lives: Gender and land in the Western Balkanstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-23T10:09:51+00:00This FAO-World Bank film addresses the challenges to increasing female land ownership in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia). Although sound legal frameworks protecting women's rights to own property are in place throughout the region, longstanding customs and traditions continue to favor male property ownership. A joint FAO-World Bank project in the region produced gender-disaggregated data on land ownership for each country, indicating low levels of female ownership. Armed with their new data, country gender teams set about working to reverse the trend in pilot communities. the below FAO-WB videos.FAOWorld Conference on Indigenous Peoplestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-17T10:09:51+00:00The first World Conference on Indigenous Peoples will be held on 22-23 September 2014. The meeting will be an opportunity to share perspectives and best practices on the realization of the rights of indigenous peoples, including pursuing the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.UNViolence against Women and Girls: Lessons from South Asiatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-17T10:09:51+00:00This report documents the dynamics of violence against women in South Asia across the life cycle, from early childhood to old age. It explores the different types of violence that women may face throughout their lives, as well as the associated perpetrators (male and female), risk and protective factors for both victims and perpetrators, and interventions to address violence across all life cycle stages. ReliefWebUN General Assembly 69th Sessiontag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-16T10:09:51+00:00The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations. Comprising all 193 Members of the United Nations, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter. This year's theme is "Delivering on and Implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda".UNPost-2015 development agenda takes centre stage as General Assembly's 69th session opens tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-16T10:09:51+00:0016 September 2014 – The United Nations General Assembly opened its 69th annual session today with the body's new President declaring that it would be a historic opportunity to formulate a post-2015 development agenda that is transformative, brings tangible results in fighting poverty, and leads to improving lives of all people. "As I stand in this newly opened magnificent Assembly Hall, I cannot help but think that we are here at the dawn of a new day. Let us approach this pivotal 69th session with a sense of urgency, hope and greater cooperation," said the General Assembly President Sam Kahamba Kutesa in his opening address to the 193-Member States body. UNFEATURE: Record number of women makes history at UN Security Council tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-15T10:09:51+00:0015 September 2014 – The United Nations Security Council has long been a bastion for men selected to represent their countries on what many consider to be the Organization's most powerful body. But now, women ambassadors are filling over a third of the Council's 15 seats, making history at the venerable institution and sending out a strong message about women's empowerment. UNCombating Tanzania's high child marriage rates tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-15T10:09:51+00:00DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – Happiness Rhobi, in the Mara Region of Tanzania, was 12 years old when her parents decided she was old enough to be married. They pulled her from school, planned to have her undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) and prepared to marry her off to a man of their choosing. But Happiness took a stand. UNFPANicaragua: Acting against violence tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-13T10:09:51+00:00United Nations - The sad truth about violence against women is that it's not just the emotional and physical suffering that destroys lives. The ability of millions of women around the world to participate as equals in their countries is also diminished. In Nicaragua groups of determined women and men are now taking to the stage and acting against the violence. UNWomen parliamentary leaders address gender issuestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-13T10:09:51+00:00Women Speakers represent less than 15 per cent of all Speakers of Parliament in the world, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). To tackle this inequality, senior women parliamentary leaders recently met in Geneva at the annual meeting of the IPU.UN RadioILO at OATUU Women Conference in Kenyastag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-12T10:09:51+00:00NAIROBI (ILO News) – The ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Africa, Aeneas Chapinga Chuma, will address the OATUU Women Conference in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss ways and means of organizing informal economy workers and promoting equality for women and men in the world of work.ILOILO Director-General welcomes G20's "ambitious" commitments to promote decent jobstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-11T10:09:51+00:00MELBOURNE – The Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Guy Ryder, has welcomed commitments made by the G20 Ministers to tackle the global jobs crisis, at the close of the Labour and Employment Ministerial Meeting, (LEMM), in Melbourne, Australia...“Ministers also recognized the importance of gender equality and boosting women’s participation in the world of work. There was also genuine and universal concern about the youth employment crisis and the difficulties young women and men have in finding a decent job that reflects their capabilities and aspirations,” Mr Ryder added.ILOPregnant women forced to flee escalating crisis in Iraqtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-11T10:09:51+00:00DUHOK, Iraq – With hostilities nearing her village in northern Iraq, 30-year-old Khawla had little choice but to flee – while she was eight months pregnant. It was a day her family had been dreading. Attacks by the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) were drawing near. But with seven children and another on the way, 30-year-old Khawla and her husband were apprehensive about leaving their home, in the village of Solagh, for an uncertain future.UNFPANew global data expose acute prevalence of violence against children: UNICEFtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-09-04T10:09:51+00:00NEW YORK, 4 September 2014 – The largest-ever compilation of data on violence against children shows the staggering extent of physical, sexual and emotional abuse -- and reveals the attitudes that perpetuate and justify violence, keeping it 'hidden in plain sight' in every country and community in the world.UNICEFHIV infections on rise among young gay men, other at-risk groups in Thailand – UN studytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-25T10:09:51+00:0025 August 2014 – An estimated 70 per cent of new sexually transmitted infections cases are occurring among young people, especially among men who have sex with men, those involved in sex work and those who inject drugs in Thailand, where "social media, online dating websites and mobile application make it much easier for young people to meet others in order to engage in casual sex," says a new United Nations report.UNRestoring dignity, ensuring 'safe space' for returning Nigerian schoolgirls critical – UN officialtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-21T10:09:51+00:0020 August 2014 – A United Nations official for Nigeria today said that restoring the dignity and integrity of returning schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants in Chibok is instrumental in reintegrating the girls back into a “safe space” in society.UNUN Secretary-General talks to the student from Mozambique Raquelina Langatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-21T10:09:51+00:00United Nations - Ban Ki-moon met the 10th grader in her home town Maputo in 2013; she drew his attention after asking him if "a girl like her could one day become Secretary-General of the UN". On 12 August Ban invited Raquelina to visit the United Nations to celebrate International Youth Day as his special guest for the day. Check out their interview at UN TV studios to Monica Villela Grayley from UN Radio Portuguese. UNLost in the chaos - LGBTI people in emergenciestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-14T10:09:51+00:00Unaddressed protection needs, rigid systems and research gaps imperil lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in humanitarian emergencies. While the experiences of sexual and gender minorities during disasters and conflicts are drawing increased attention from some responders, structural barriers remain and experts are urging a rethink of policies and protocols that could fuel exclusion and harm. IRIN NewsA young girl dreams, despite adversitytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-14T10:09:51+00:00After floods forced her family to abandon their home, a young girl in Paraguay holds on to the hope that education will guide her to a better life. UNICEFFirst UN female force commander takes reins in Cyprustag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-11T10:09:51+00:0011 August 2014 – Major General Kristin Lund today officially assumed her duties as Force Commander of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus where the top UN official, Lisa Buttenheim, is also a woman. That UN operation is now the first in the world to have a dual female leadership.UN NewsNorthern Iraq: UN voices concern about civilians' safety, need for humanitarian aidtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-11T10:09:51+00:00OHCHR has voiced concern at "very disturbing reports" about the treatment of women. In specific, Ms. Shamdasani said they were told of women being sold as sex slaves, and being punished for not adhering to misinterpretations of Islamic laws.UN NewsFuel Efficient Stove 'LOLA' Makes School Kitchens Smoke-Free in Boliviatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-11T10:09:51+00:00Cooking on stove tops with heavy exposure to smoke has always made preparing school meals uncomfortable and unhealthy for mothers in Chuquisaca schools. The smoke irritated their eyes and throats, and not only consumed a lot of firewood but also time.WFPEarly marriage in Jordan shows no signs of abating: UNICEFtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-11T10:09:51+00:00One third of all marriages in Jordan involve girls under the age of 18, a new UNICEF study has found. These newly released figures show that there has been no or little progress in reducing the number of early marriages.IAEAHIV-Positive Mothers and Breastfeeding: Contribution of the IAEAtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-11T10:09:51+00:00Infants who are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their lives are less likely to suffer from diarrhoea, pneumonia and malnutrition; have better, more resilient immune systems, and they are less prone to chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease during adulthood. Mothers benefit too. Those who breastfeed exclusively experience better mental health and less risk for breast and ovarian cancer.IAEAJapan's stance on 'comfort women' issue violates victims' rights – UN officialtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-06T10:09:51+00:006 August 2014 – The United Nations human rights chief today expressed profound regret that Japan has not provided effective redress to victims of wartime sexual slavery leading back to the end of the Second World War.UNUN promotes 'effective' breastfeeding, aims to cut on breast-milk substitutestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-06T10:09:51+00:004 August 2014 – The United Nations children's agency today said it is working with governments, the private sector and local communities to make it easier for women to breastfeed their infants, and to end false marketing of breast milk substitutes.UNUNAIDS welcomes Uganda's Constitutional Court decision to annul anti-homosexuality lawtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-08-01T10:09:51+00:00GENEVA, 1 August 2014—UNAIDS welcomes the decision of Uganda's Constitutional Court to overturn the law that called for a 14-year jail term for a first conviction, and imprisonment for life for 'aggravated homosexuality'. Challenged by 10 petitioners including civil society, parliamentarians and academics, the law was annulled by the Court over a lack of quorum when the bill was passed.UNAIDSOn World Day against Trafficking in Persons, UN calls for action to eradicate scourgetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-30T10:09:51+00:0030 July 2014 – Emphasizing that the practice of slavery still plagues modern society, the United Nations marked its first-ever World Day against Trafficking in Persons by calling on the international community to end impunity for perpetrators and help victims, especially women and children, who continue to be particularly vulnerable to the perfidious trade. UNUNODC marks first human trafficking day with call for countries to step up fight against this crimetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-30T10:09:51+00:0030 July 2014 - Today the United Nations marked the first World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. Human trafficking is a global problem and one of the world's most shameful crimes, affecting the lives of millions of people around the world. Traffickers deceive women, men and children from all corners of the world and force them into exploitative situations every day.UNODCGiving hope to victims of human traffickingtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-28T10:09:51+00:00Ahead of the first ever World Day against Trafficking in Persons (30 July), we hear the harrowing experiences of human trafficking survivors, as well as their stories of hope thanks to the work of grassroots organizations helping the victims of this despicable trade. Managed by UNODC, the United Nations Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking supports on-the-ground humanitarian, legal and financial aid to victims in a bid to help them start a new life free from slavery. UNODCWomen shepherds in Somaliland determined to change their oddstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-28T10:09:51+00:00Water is a central concern year round in Somaliland, a self-declared autonomous state in northern Somalia. Over a third of households in Somaliland's urban areas do not have access to clean drinking water and the proportion is far higher in rural areas, the UN says. UN RadioNew UN data shows need for urgent action to end female genital mutilation, child marriagetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-23T10:09:51+00:00New data released today by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) shows the need for urgent action to end female genital mutilation and child marriage – two practices that affect millions of girls across the globe. UN News CentreWoman Alone: The fight for survival by Syria's refugee womentag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-09T10:09:51+00:00There are nearly 150,000 Syrian refugee women who are single-handedly providing for their families. Read their extraordinary stories of loss and resilience.UNHCRFish drying method changes lives in Burunditag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-09T10:09:51+00:00An FAO project to equip small fishing communities with the tools and know-how to dry fish on simple raised racks instead of on the sand has changed lives along the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Burundi. Women had always dried catches of small sardine-like silver lake fish called ndagala on the ground, where they were easy pickings for animals and vulnerable to being trampled and contaminated. During the rainy season, many fish would be washed away or start to rot.FAOJordan: High Commissioner Visits a Struggling Syrian Familytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-09T10:09:51+00:00A new UNHCR report reveals that over 145,000 Syrian refugee families in Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq are headed by women alone. UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres paid a visit to Awah, who is raising her children on her own in Amman.UNHCRUN Millennium Goals 'scorecard' spotlights successes, gaps and path towards 'the future we want'tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-07T10:09:51+00:00With the 2015 deadline for achieving the landmark Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) less that 550 days away, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today launched the final push towards the United Nations targets – many of which have been met or are within reach – and urged a strong, ambitious successor blueprint "that will leave no one behind."UNRight to education still not a reality for many women and girlstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-07T10:09:51+00:00Despite international consensus on the need for the elimination of discrimination against women in the field of education, an estimated 35 million girls are still unable to attain the education they require, according to the UN Human Rights chief.UN RadioCameroon: Alarming levels of malnutrition among refugee children and women from C.A.R.tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-07T10:09:51+00:00YAOUNDE/DAKAR - In Cameroon, up to 1 out of 3 refugee children from Central African Republic suffer from malnutrition, a recent United Nations assessment found.WFPVideo: MDG 3 - Women's Empowermenttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-07T10:09:51+00:00Women in Nepal are getting a chance to learn skills in areas such as traditional weaving. Now they are leaving the comfort of their homes to set up their own small businesses to lift themselves out of poverty. With the help of IFAD, the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development, attitudes are changing across the nation as to what women can and cannot do.UNVideo: MDG 5 - Maternal Healthtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-07T10:09:51+00:00Child marriage not only violates the human rights of girls, but also gravely threatens their lives, education, and future prospects. When girls are married, they are expected to begin childbearing while still children themselves, with pregnancy-related complications being a major cause of death for adolescent girls in the developing world. In Mozambique, a country with one of the highest rates of child marriage and maternal mortality in the world, efforts are underway to ensure all young girls enjoy their right to equality.UNNepal: Women Weavers Launch Businessestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-01T10:09:51+00:00United Nations - Women in Nepal are getting a chance to learn skills in areas such as traditional weaving. Now they are leaving the comfort of their homes to set up their own small businesses to lift themselves out of poverty. With the help of IFAD, the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development, attitudes are changing across the nation as to what women can and cannot do.UNIAIndia: Breaking Down Barriers To Girls' Educationtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-01T10:09:51+00:00United Nations - Young girls in India are struggling to get an education due to the lack of facilities and understanding about their monthly menstruation. Combined with a social stigma that has been handed down for generations, many girls feel too ashamed to go to school at all, with up to a quarter of schoolgirls in India leaving school when they reach puberty. The UN's Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, WSSCC is working with the Indian government to change the curriculum in India, and change the future of girls.UNIAText and voice messages help close Bangladesh health gaptag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-07-01T10:09:51+00:00Bangladesh is moving to boost maternal health services in poorly-served rural areas by targeting voice and text messages at expectant and pregnant mothers and their families. The aim is to educate and support mothers in places where health services are weak.IRIN NewsMarking International Widows' Day, Ban urges end to harmful practices, abuse against womentag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-23T10:09:51+00:0023 June 2014 – No woman should lose her status, livelihood or property when her husband dies, yet millions of widows in our world face persistent abuse, discrimination, disinheritance and destitution stressed United Nation Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today in his message for this year's International Widows' Day.UN NewsRethinking Nepal's uterine prolapse treatmenttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-23T10:09:51+00:00The Nepal government's commitment to treat uterine prolapse, a debilitating life-long gynaecological condition, sparked an uptick in hysterectomies, but a new, less drastic low-cost intervention could spell hope for the thousands of Nepali women in need of treatment.IRIN NewsEnding female genital mutilation vital for healthy communities, stresses UN officialtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-16T10:09:51+00:0016 June 2014 – The United Nations human rights chief today called for concerted efforts to urgently address female genital mutilation, calling it a form of gender-based discrimination and violence that must be eradicated if women, girls and their communities are to thrive.UN NewsFeature: UN findings flag violence, abuse of older women accused of witchcrafttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-16T10:09:51+00:00Did you know violence and abuse against elderly women, the worlds fastest growing demographic group, range from sexual violence, property grabbing, financial abuse and increasingly, extreme violence against older women accused of witchcraft? Throughout history, women described as witches have been persecuted, tortured and murdered. UN NewsModern slavery: UN rights experts welcome new international agreement on forced labourtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-13T10:09:51+00:0013 June 2014 – A group of United Nations independent experts on slavery, migrants, trafficking, sale and sexual exploitation of children, and internally displaced persons today welcomed this week's adoption of a legally binding international Protocol to tackle forced labour worldwide and end what they call 'modern slavery.' UN NewsFilm: Sierra Leone's women behind barstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-13T10:09:51+00:00Twelve years after Sierra Leone's long civil war came to an end, its broken institutions and weak development indicators continue to impact on the lives of its people. IRIN NewsAt global summit, UN envoy Angelina Jolie calls for end to sexual violence in conflicttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-10T10:09:51+00:0010 June 2014 - Hollywood actress, activist and United Nations Special Envoy Angelina Jolie today called for concerted action to end once and for all the use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war. "It is a myth that rape is an inevitable part of conflict," Ms. Jolie stated in her address to the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, which opened in London and brings together over 900 experts, non-governmental organizations, survivors, faith leaders and international organizations from around the globe. The three-day summit, co-chaired by Ms. Jolie and Foreign Secretary William Hague of the United Kingdom, aims to create momentum against sexual violence in conflict and practical action that impacts those on the ground. UNGlobal summit urges end to sexual violence in conflicttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-10T10:09:51+00:00In conflicts the world over, women's bodies become battlegrounds and rape becomes a weapon of war. This week, government ministers and representatives from the United Nations and other organizations are joining legal, military and judicial experts to generate momentum towards ending the use of rape and sexual violence in conflict. UNFPATwenty-sixth Regular Session of the Human Rights Council Beginstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-10T10:09:51+00:00The Human Rights Council will hold its twenty-sixth regular session from 10 to 27 June 2014 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Highlights of the three-week session will feature a wide range of issues including presentations by the commission of inquiry on Syria, by the Special Rapporteur on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and by the Independent Expert on the Central African Republic, and interactive discussions on the issue of safety of journalists and combatting child, early and forced marriages.UN Human RightsGlobal Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflicttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-09T10:09:51+00:00The British Foreign Secretary and Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, are co-chairing the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict on 10-13 June 2014 at ExCel London. UNNigeria: UN envoy urges national actors to 'close ranks' to ensure release of schoolgirlstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-09T10:09:51+00:00A United Nations envoy on 9 June renewed the world body's commitment to supporting ongoing efforts by the Nigerian Government to secure the safe release of the abducted schoolgirls from Chibok, and called for concerted efforts to tackle the insurgency in the north-east of the country.UN NewsPhoto Gallery: "Vouchers for Work" in Boliviatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-09T10:09:51+00:00A severe drought has plagued the El Chaco region of Bolivia, withering the crops of more than 10,000 Guaraní families. Guaraní women, with the assistance of WFP, built a communal garden through WFP's 'Vouchers for Work' programme. In this photo gallery, the women are receiving their vouchers and ready to exchange them for nutritious food.WFPLaunch of PRECAMA study websitetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-05T10:09:51+00:00The PRECAMA study (Molecular Subtypes of Premenopausal Breast Cancer in Latin American Women) is a large, multicentre case-control study that aims to advance the prevention and management of breast cancer in countries in epidemiological transition in Latin America, through a better understanding of the molecular, pathological, and risk factor patterns. Women recruited from four Latin American countries (Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico) complete questionnaires on lifestyle, diet, and environmental factors and provide biological specimens that will be used for research purposes. The study is unique as it is the first to study specific genetic factors in the Latin American population that may be associated with specific subtypes of breast cancer as well as with specific lifestyle and dietary habits. WHOEliminating forced, coercive and otherwise involuntary sterilizationtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-05T10:09:51+00:00Like any other contraceptive method, sterilization should only be provided with the full, free and informed consent of the individual. However, in some countries, people belonging to certain population groups, including people living with HIV, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities, and transgender and intersex persons, continue to be sterilized without their full, free and informed consent. Inter-agencyBriefing paper: Fleeing Boko Haram's relentless terrortag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-05T10:09:51+00:00As the world's attention has focused on Boko Haram's kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in the northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok, other aspects of the Islamist group's terror have been largely overlooked. Not least among them, its brutal violence has caused significant forced displacement in the north-east of the country and beyond. ReliefWebBeijing+20 In Focus: Women and the environmenttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-06-05T10:09:51+00:00As debate on climate responses persists, water levels rise and climate change is causing destruction around the world. Among the most affected are women, as they gather water, fish, or farm land affected by flooding. During pregnancy and motherhood, their health is more at risk. Meanwhile, their voices are often the last to be heard in environmental planning and management. They also have less access to land and productive resources.UN WomenIn South Sudan, 200,000 pregnant women may need urgent caretag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-19T10:09:51+00:00Amid escalating conflict, some 30,000 women in South Sudan are at risk of dying in childbirth, according to estimates by UNFPA, and 200,000 pregnant women will be in need of urgent care before the end of the year.UNFPAQuality care at birth could save nearly 3 million children – UN-backed studytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-19T10:09:51+00:00The majority of the almost 3 million children who die before they turn one month old could be saved if they received quality care around the time of birth, according to the findings released today in a study supported by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), which is urging additional attention and resources for this group of children.UN NewsUN's first female force commander talks peacekeeping and why she's not taking her Harley to Cyprustag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-14T10:09:51+00:00This August, Major General Kristin Lund will become the first female commander of a United Nations peacekeeping force, taking the military helm in Cyprus where the top UN official, Lisa Buttenheim, is also a woman.UN NewsUN official to support Nigeria's struggle to find abducted schoolgirlstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-08T10:09:51+00:00A senior United Nations representative will be going to Nigeria to discuss how the UN can support the country's "internal challenges", as it struggles to find more than 230 abducted schoolgirls. The proposal came from the UN Secretary-General on Thursday during a phone call with Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan.UN RadioNigeria abductions could deter parents from sending girls to schooltag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-08T10:09:51+00:00The recent abductions of girls in northern Nigeria by Boko Haram militants group could deter other parents from sending their daughters to school, a senior official for the UN's Children Fund told UN Radio. Dr. Nicholas Alipui said the group's threat to sell or forcibly marry the girls is a "credible" threat that should not be taken lightly. UNICEF announced on Tuesday the kidnapping of eight more school girls in the northern Borno state, in addition to the 200 who were taken from the same area on 14 April.UN RadioCaught in crisis, South Sudanese women learn to plan their familiestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-08T10:09:51+00:00Teresa Aruoth never knew she could use family planning to help space the births of her children. Married in her teenage years, she counts herself lucky to have remained healthy in a country where one in seven mothers dies in childbirth.UNFPASexual minorities given right to vote in India's electionstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-07T10:09:51+00:00Transgender people in India are for the first time recognized as voters in the elections currently taking place in what is known as the largest democracy in the world.UN RadioConcerns grow after Boko Haram video claims Nigerian schoolgirls to be soldtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-07T10:09:51+00:00The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights says that it is deeply concerned about claims made in a video, believed to be by the leader of Boko Haram in Nigeria yesterday, concerning the fate of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls, abducted from a school in the northern state of Borno on April the 14th. The man in the video says that the girls will be sold in the market and married off, referring to them as slaves.UNBoko Haram Must Release Girls Abducted Three Weeks Agotag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-07T10:09:51+00:00Statement attributable to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Leila ZerrouguiUNILO to publish new report on maternity and paternity at worktag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-05T10:09:51+00:00The International Labour Organization (ILO) is to launch a new report, Maternity and paternity at work: Law and practice across the world on Tuesday, 13 May.ILOECLAC Proposes Compacts for Equality and Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbeantag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-05T10:09:51+00:00Latin America and the Caribbean must bet on social compacts that promote development with equality and environmental sustainability, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) says in the document Compacts for Equality: Towards a Sustainable Future, presented at its Thirty-fifth session, which began on 5 May in Lima.ECLACWHO joins partners in celebrating midwives and their critical role for mothers and newborn babiestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-05T10:09:51+00:00WHO joins partners in celebrating the International Day of the Midwife 2014, observed every year on May 5th. The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) theme this year is "Midwives: changing the world one family at a time" accompanied by the overarching theme "The world needs midwives now more than ever". WHO takes this opportunity of this day to highlight the critical role that midwives have in ensuring the care and survival of newborn babies.WHO"Life Starts in the Hands of a Midwife"tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-05T10:09:51+00:00Every two minutes, a woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth, according to UN estimates, adding up to 287,000 maternal deaths each year. Nearly 3 million newborns die each year as well. Most of these deaths are entirely preventable: Prenatal care and the presence of a skilled attendant at birth – services provided by midwives – could avert as many as 3.6 million deaths a year.UNFPAStatement for the International Day of the Midwifetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-05T10:09:51+00:00Joint statement by Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, UNFPA, The United Nations Population Fund and Frances Day-Stirk, President, International Confederation of MidwivesUNFPAInternational Day of the Midwifetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-05T10:09:51+00:005 May is International Day of the Midwife. Established by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), the Day has been celebrated since 1992. This year's theme is "Midwives changing the world one family at a time". This falls under an overarching theme from ICM for the past years that "The World Needs More Midwives than Ever".UN Women WatchPalestine adopts significant human rights treatiestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-02T10:09:51+00:00As of May, the State of Palestine is bound by international human rights standards, having brought into force five treaties, with two others coming into effect in July. The treaties include the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.UN RadioWomen-led organization provides education in Afghanistantag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-02T10:09:51+00:00An organization led by woman has been working for 20 years to provide education in Afghanistan. Working underground when the country was ruled by the Taliban, the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) has provided teacher training and supported education for girls and boys. UN RadioFinding More Than Food at the Markets in Liberiatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-05-01T10:09:51+00:00Every Thursday, 39-year-old Jartu Kollie walks several kilometres to the market in Pleemu Town, near the Liberian capital Monrovia. But this vibrant local market is not only a place where she can sell her products; it is also where she goes to access the family planning services that have saved her life.UNFPAParliamentarians Spotlight Rights of Women and Girlstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-28T10:09:51+00:00UNITED NATIONS, New York – Hundreds of parliamentarians, dignitaries and policymakers from around the world gathered in Stockholm, Sweden, from 23 to 25 April to reaffirm their support for women's and adolescents' human rights, particularly their reproductive rights.UNFPAWebcast: Security Council debate on women, peace and security - sexual violence in conflicttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-25T10:09:51+00:00The Security Council meets for its annual debate on women, peace and security, sexual violence in conflict, and the report of the Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence (S/2014/181).UNInternational Girls in ICT Daytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-23T10:09:51+00:00The annual International Girls in ICT Day will take place on 24 April 2014. International Girls in ICT Day is an initiative that is aimed at creating a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in the ICT field. It is observed annually on the 4th Thursday of April and serves to inspire girls and young women to explore their options and get involved in the ICT sector.UN Women WatchMidwives, emergency care key to reducing Cambodia's maternal deathstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-23T10:09:51+00:00Sixteen-year-old Hang Dèng travelled for an hour by boat to reach the health centre closest to her remote Cambodian village. She was in labour and suffering complications.UNFPAPreventing HIV/AIDS among women who use drugs in north eastern Indiatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-23T10:09:51+00:00UNODC, together with UNAIDS, UNICEF and UNDP, has established a project to reduce the risk and impact of HIV/AIDS in the north east region of India, an ethnically diverse area bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh. Building on years of experience on similar efforts, this project aims to help local communities prevent the spread of HIV through unsafe injecting drug use, especially among vulnerable populations -of which women represent a large part.UNODCDisability Inclusion: Translating Policy into Practice in Humanitarian Actiontag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-23T10:09:51+00:00A new report from the Women's Refugee Commission, produced in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, highlights the challenges facing the estimated 6.7 million people with disabilities who are forcibly displaced around the world due to persecution, conflict and human rights violations, as well as advances in improving accessibility and inclusion in humanitarian programs.ReliefWebTeacher Helped by School Meals Inspires Girls in Malawitag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-22T10:09:51+00:00Alice Kankhwala was one of the first students to receive WFP school meals in 1999. Fifteen years later, she is now a teacher, inspiring young girls to follow her example and complete their education too.WFPSenior UN official calls for women to remain engaged in Afghan political lifetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-22T10:09:51+00:00With the results still being counted from Afghanistan's recent presidential election, the top United Nations official in the country urged efforts to ensure that women remain meaningfully engaged in the political process and improve political life there.UN News CentreOnline Discussion: Care Farmingtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-17T10:09:51+00:00Care farming: an innovative approach for promoting women's economic empowerment, decent rural employment and social inclusion. What works in developing countries? Join the discussion on FAO.FAOWomen in Papua plant roots of independencetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-17T10:09:51+00:00Papua, Indonesia's easternmost province is one of the most remote and least developed corners on the planet.UN RadioAnalysis: Can the world really end poverty by 2030?tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-17T10:09:51+00:00The slogan "make poverty history" has been used by development pundits and pop star philanthropists for years. Now, in a bid to turn words into deeds, it is being discussed as a universal global target to be met within a generation.IRIN NewsFemale car-washers in South Sudan break gender stereotypestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-16T10:09:51+00:00Women in South Sudan are helping break gender stereotypes in the work place by operating a car wash facility at a UN base in Juba. The South Sudan Women empowerment Network (SSWEN) was awarded the contract by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).UN RadioUN rights expert urges United Kingdom to step up response to violence against womentag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-16T10:09:51+00:00Violence against women remains a pervasive challenge in the United Kingdom and a more comprehensive and targeted response is needed to address the scourge, an independent United Nations human rights expert said today after a two-week mission to the country.UN NewsUN calls for immediate release of abducted school girls in north-eastern Nigeriatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-16T10:09:51+00:00UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have condemned the abduction of some 100 school girls from their hostel in north-eastern Nigeria yesterday and called for their immediate release.UN NewsMemorial in New York to mark 20th commemoration of Rwandan Genocidetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-16T10:09:51+00:00Candle lighting and a minute of silence is being held at UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday for the 20th commemoration of the Rwandan Genocide. In 1994, Hutu extremists slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Tutsis and moderate Hutus in a period of 100 days. UN RadioEritrean seeking safe-passage to Sudan was led into a nightmaretag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-16T10:09:51+00:00After 20 members of her religious congregation were imprisoned in Eritrea, Semret knew she had to flee to the safety of Sudan. The 25-year-old woman left on foot with a smuggler recommended by a friend – straight into a tragedy. The Pentecostal church is among many denominations suffering severe restrictions. Anyone practising outside the four approved religions of Orthodox Christianity, Sunni Islam, Catholicism and Lutheranism can face prison, threats and harassment.UNHCRUN rapporteur waits to hear about execution of Iranian womantag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-15T10:09:51+00:00The execution of an Iranian woman has reportedly been postponed following the intervention of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran. UN RadioWomen paying price of Latin America drug warstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-15T10:09:51+00:00As growing numbers of women languish in Latin American jails on drug-trafficking charges, their role in organized crime is under the spotlight - as is the prison system that incarcerates them, and the patriarchal society that appears to be failing them. IRIN NewsUN concerned at broad application of death penalty in Brunei's revised penal codetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-11T10:09:51+00:00The United Nations human rights office voiced deep concern about the revised penal code in Brunei Darussalam which stipulates the death penalty for numerous offences, including robbery, adultery, and insult or defamation of the Prophet Mohammed, and introduces stoning to death as the specific method of execution for crimes of a sexual nature...He added that a number of UN studies have also revealed that women are more likely to be sentenced to death by stoning, due to deeply entrenched discrimination and stereotyping against them, including among law enforcement and judicial officers.UN NewsSexual violence continues in the DRC, but some progress achievedtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-11T10:09:51+00:00There is still a long way to go in the fight against impunity for sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) although some progress has been made, according to the Secretary-General's Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.UN RadioSouth Sudanese women and children dying on way to Ethiopiatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-08T10:09:51+00:00Women and children fleeing conflict in South Sudan are dying on their way to refugee camps in Ethiopia, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). UN RadioCommission on Population and Developmenttag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-07T10:09:51+00:00From 7 to 11 April 2014, the 47th session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) will take place at UN Headquarters in New York. This year's session will focus on assessing the progress made in implementing the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). UN RadioOn International Day, UN hails vital role of women in achieving world free of landmines tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-04T10:09:51+00:00Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling for greater measures to involve more women at higher levels in mine action, stressing their vital role in advancing the vision of a world free of landmines. UNWomen have critical food security role in sustainable development agenda tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-04T10:09:51+00:00The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) unveiled the results of their joint work to develop targets and indicators for a new global development paradigm for sustainable agriculture, food security and nutrition. FAOSyrian refugees in Lebanon face harsh working conditionstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-04T10:09:51+00:00BEIRUT (ILO News) – Almost a third of Syrian refugees in Lebanon's labour market are unemployed, said the International Labour Organization in a study entitled "Assessment of the Impact of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon and their Employment Profile"...Female Syrian refugees were particularly vulnerable to unemployment. Over two thirds of women looking for work in Lebanon were unable to find a job. Only two out of 10 working refugees were female, earning about 40 per cent less on average than their male counterparts. ILOUN Climate Chief Christiana Figueres: latest IPCC Findings Point to Extreme Climate Risk, Plethora of Opportunities for Climate Actiontag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-02T10:09:51+00:00The UN's climate chief Christiana Figueres said the latest government-approved science more clearly than ever points to the extreme risks posed by climate change, as well as the many opportunities to put the world on a safer and more resilient path.UNFCCCWomen have critical food security role in sustainable development agendatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-02T10:09:51+00:00Women have a critical role to play in ensuring food security in the post-2015 agenda, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). FAO cites the fight against hunger as critical part of the Sustainable Development Goals that will follow the Millennium Development Goals after 2015. UN Radio'Go and vote,' UN official urges Afghans ahead of upcoming electionstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-02T10:09:51+00:00A senior United Nations official today urged Afghans to use this Saturday's presidential and provincial council elections to shape the future of the country through peaceful, democratic means...Mr. Kubiš has also urged the country's women to maintain and build on the momentum behind a recent petition – signed by more than 250,000 women and girls – calling for peace and a cease-fire. UN RadioUnemployment among Syrian refugees in Lebanon reaches 33%tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-02T10:09:51+00:00A third of Syrian refugees living in host communities in Lebanon are unemployed, according to a study by the International Labour Organization (ILO)...Female Syrian refugees were particularly vulnerable to unemployment with over two thirds of women unable to find a job.UN RadioMen's network promotes gender equality in Mozambiquetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-01T10:09:51+00:00It is increasingly being recognized that for societies to make progress women need to be treated as equal partners with men. And so, as the United Nations works on the Sustainable Development Goals that will replace the Millennium Development Goals after 2015, the role of women is being emphasized time and again.UN RadioUN expert heads to UK to investigate violence against womentag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-01T10:09:51+00:00Domestic and sexual violence, sexual bullying and harassment, forced and early marriages, and female genital mutilation – all these issues and more will be on the docket as the United Nations expert tasked with monitoring violence against women launched her first mission in the United Kingdom.UN NewsFeature: Drawing down – the end of UN Peace Operations in Sierra Leonetag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-01T10:09:51+00:00Our two white UN vehicles are carefully moving down the dusty and bumpy road between Kenema and Koindu in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. We pass dozens of burnt, abandoned ruins of what were once sturdy brick and stone homes, some with hundreds of bullet holes in their walls - eerie remnants of Sierra Leone's brutal civil war that started in this very spot. About 1,200 of the former warlord Charles Taylor's rebels launched their devastating campaign here, leading to years of fighting that killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 2 million people (about a third of the population), disrupting nearly every national institution.UN NewsMillions of women suffer from unsafe abortions every yeartag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-01T10:09:51+00:00At least 22 million unsafe abortions take place worldwide every year, according to the Wold Health Organization (WHO). Unsafe abortions occur when a pregnancy is terminated either by persons lacking the necessary skills or in an environment that does not conform to minimal medical standards.UN RadioGrowing up in war - the DRC's child soldierstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-04-01T10:09:51+00:00A girl sergeant's testimony: Eshe Makemba*, 17, rose to the rank of sergeant in the FDLR, but enjoyed no such freedom of movement. Being "discriminated" against for being a Congolese national by the FDLR's Rwandan officers prompted her desertion, she says. "I could not speak out as they told me Congolese were no good." After seven years as a soldier for the armed group she ran for two days through the forest evading a search party, which she says would have executed her had she been caught.ReiefWebEmergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos Statement to the Press on Syriatag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-03-31T10:09:51+00:00I would just like to make a very brief statement following my briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria and what has been happening since Resolution 2139 was adopted a month ago...I told the members of the Council today that the situation for millions of desperate people has not improved. In fact conflict and violence have intensified over the past four weeks, with many people killed and injured. Since 22 February some 300 cases of sexual violence have been recorded in Damascus and Rural Damascus alone.ReiefWebWomen drive out landmines in South Sudantag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-03-31T10:09:51+00:00After decades of civil war, South Sudan gained independence and became the world's newest country. But legacies of the conflict live on. Landmines and unexploded bombs still contaminate large tracts of land, threatening the lives and livelihoods of South Sudanese civilians. This film tells the story of Nancy Sunday, the first Minewolf operator in South Sudan. A Minewolf is an armoured vehicle that tills land in order to crush or detonate landmines that may be buried beneath the surface. With support from UNMAS, the NGO Norwegian People's Aid deploys Minewolves across South Sudan.UNMASWomen in Mine Action: Clearing landmines and explosivestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-03-31T10:09:51+00:00UNMAS programme staff is almost 50% female. What motivates these women? What makes this work so fulfilling? In their own voices UNMAS officers tell what they seek to achieve and how mine action work brings them satisfaction. Officers from Afghanistan to Somalia describe what they do to save lives and help re-establish stability. UNMASUN to investigate violence against women in the UKtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-03-31T10:09:51+00:00The United Nations is to investigate violence against women in the United Kingdom for the first time. The UN Special Rapporteur, Rashida Manjoo is due to spend two week in the country studying domestic and sexual violence.UN RadioAnalysis: Challenges of bringing more women into the Afghan justice sectortag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-03-28T10:09:51+00:00Better gender representation in the justice sector in Afghanistan will empower more women to take action against the men who abuse them. This is the reasoning of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), which released a report last week documenting the gains - and considerable challenges that still lie ahead - in bringing more women into key legal positions in the country.IRIN NewsIn Kabul, UN peacekeeping chief voices solidarity with Afghans ahead of crucial pollstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2014-03-28T10:09:51+00:00The United Nations peacekeeping chief expressed his solidarity with the Afghan people on the eve of next week's elections and reaffirmed the world body's support for the country through the polls and beyond...Mr. Ladsous made particular reference to women in the upcoming elections, noting the important role they will play – as candidates, election workers and voters. UN News'Mixed picture' of women's progress shows need to better harness synergies – UN officialtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2013-12-04T10:09:51+00:00Despite significant progress in meeting international development goals for women's empowerment, gaps in key areas remain, which require a renewed effort from all partners to better integrate gender issues into the overall quest for sustainable development, a United Nations gender equality official said Wednesday.UN News CentreTwo girls in Niger escape the violence of their circumstancestag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2013-10-11T10:09:55+00:00Two years ago, 17-year-old Barira, ran away from home. It was not the home she had grown up in with her parents. It was the home she shared with her husband. “I was married when I was 15,” Barira says. "It was a forced marriage, and I suffered a lot." Her parents had arranged the marriage, not suspecting that her husband would turn out to be abusive. UNICEFInternational Day of the Girl Child: UN urges ‘innovating for girls’ education’tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2013-10-11T10:09:54+00:00Marking International Day of the Girl Child, senior United Nations officials on 11 October highlighted the power of innovation to get more girls in classrooms and improve the quality of learning for all children. “To achieve meaningful results, we need fresh solutions to girls’ education challenges and we must heed the voices of young people,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his message for the International Day.United NationsVideo: Paths out of Povertytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/0440489a5ddb31aa2013-07-03T16:52:48+00:00A programme run by the Government of Malawi is providing cash transfers to more than 26,000 of the country's poorest households. FAO's 'From Protection to Production' project (PtoP), run in collaboration with Unicef with funding from DFID and the EU, is evaluating the impact of these cash transfers on economic and social development of the beneficiaries and their communities. This video explores how social protection programmes, when combined with other rural development interventions, can help create paths out of poverty for the poorest of the poor.FAOIncreased fighting takes toll on health care in Afghanistantag:google.com,2005:reader/item/c6ea18b6cade1cfd2013-07-02T16:52:49+00:00KABUL (IRIN) - It is close to midday and a group of patients wait outside the Mirwais regional hospital in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar city. "There are no health clinics in our district so I have to come this long way for treatment. I have not met the doctor yet and have been waiting to see him for a long time," one man, who had been waiting since sunrise and had driven four hours from neighbouring Helmand Province, told IRIN.IRIN News