Japanese Festivals - Omisoka - New Year's Eve Omisoka is New Year’s Eve in Japan. The Japanese spend days of preparation for Omisoka. The spring cleaning, Osouji, begins in the beginning of December. Keeping with tradition, the Japanese clean their houses, schools and businesses from top to bottom. They settle all debts, obligations and problems in relationships. Kadomatsu decorates each side of the front entrance. Pine boughs, bamboo and bamboo grass compose … [Read more...]
South Asia show how Stigma and Discrimination can be Transformed
December 21, 2011 by
Stigma and discrimination are widely recognised as two of the major barriers to an effective and successful AIDS response. But how, with both often entrenched and hard to challenge, can they be meaningfully addressed? The World Bank and The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) focused on this central question during a satellite session at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna entitled: Making the case for stigma-reduction and moving to action, the experience of South … [Read more...]
WOMEN are at higher risk during climate disasters says UN
December 10, 2011 by
Women are facing high risks to their livelihoods and health due to climate change, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The report, which focuses on the effects of climate change on women, was released Tuesday at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP17) in Durban, South Africa. UNEP says that women living in mountainous regions in developing countries are particularly vulnerable. In parts of Asia and Africa, where majority of farmers are females, … [Read more...]
UN Women Partners with One Day on Earth; Captures Gender Issues on Camera
November 16, 2011 by
On 11 November 2011 (11-11-11), UN Women joins 20,000 filmmakers worldwide to capture the human experience in a 24-hour period. The collaborative effort — that brings together a number of UN agencies and non-profits — is part of the second annual One Day on Earth initiative aimed at forming a geo-tagged shared film archive that covers wide-ranging issues related to the Millennium Development Goals, from poverty to human rights. Joining One Day on Earth as a partner this year, UN … [Read more...]
Cambodia: One Woman’s Struggle To Beat The Floods
November 1, 2011 by
....our Sisters in Cambodia are suffering, Take Action !!! Chin Cheng Hong’s house is built on stilts, but so high have the floodwaters risen in Cambodia this year that even this was not enough to protect her completely. When the waters crept through her floorboards, she knew things were really bad. Cheng Hong, mother of five is sitting in the shade with her eight-year-old daughter Cheng Hoa after receiving a monthly rice ration from the World Food Programme (WFP) – along … [Read more...]
FGM – Fight in Africa is succeeding, a milestone to Celebrate!
October 23, 2011 by
Fight against FGM in Africa succeeding The fight to end female genital mutilation or FGM in Africa is succeeding, despite deep-rooted cultural and social pressures, according to a new study by the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF. Woman holds scarf as symbol for campaign against FGM The report says the practice of FGM remains high in Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. Marixie Mercado from UNICEF says that reversing the practice, which has endured for centuries, is a … [Read more...]
Rural Women and Development ~ Cope with High Food Prices
October 16, 2011 by
Supporting Rural Women to Cope with High Food Prices International Day of Rural Women Worldwide, 15 October 2011UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Message on the International Day of Rural Women 2011UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet’s Message on the International Day of Rural Women 2011 Fifty-sixth session of the Commission on the Status of Women: Priority theme: The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current … [Read more...]
OCTOBER ~ UN Month of Events !!!
October 16, 2011 by
October is UN Month! For the first time in the history of the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area, we are proud to say we have extended our usual UN Week to UN Month 2011.This year marks the 66th anniversary of the United Nations. We have over 15 planned events spread over the 31 days of October. From happy hours to career dinners to discussions on women, international voting, Libya and the right to protect - this year's UN Month has it all! We have … [Read more...]
ICT training Opens Windows of Opportunity for Rural Women
October 15, 2011 by
It’s the century of the tablets and androids. But nearly 50 percent of the world population live in rural areas, and they have very limited access to what the other half considers a basic necessity to work, learn or manage social relations: the computer. The digital divide faced by developing countries is closely linked to poverty, illiteracy and language barriers. The gap widens even further when we measure women’s access to these technologies of information and communication … [Read more...]
Irina Bokova ~ 6,000,000 Teachers needed to achieve MDGs
October 11, 2011 by
6,000,000 Teachers needed to Achieve World Primary Education Goals Seeking a Career, Take Action NOW !!! 5 October 2011 – The United Nations marked World Teachers’ Day today with a warning that 6.1 million more teachers are needed to meet the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of attaining universal primary education by 2015. Two million of these are additional posts, with sub-Saharan Africa alone accounting for more than half. But the … [Read more...]
BANGLADESH: Bureaucratic hitch leaves women farmers high and dry
October 6, 2011 by
BANGLADESH: Bureaucratic hitch leaves women farmers high and dry DHAKA, (IRIN) - A significant number of women farmers in Bangladesh are unable to access fertilizer, cash assistance and other government subsidies intended for farmers, because the land they work is registered in their husband’s name, according to government officials, NGOs and women farmers.Close to half of all farmers in Bangladesh are women, and the majority have not received their … [Read more...]
Baliem Valley – The hidden diamond from the Baliem Valley
September 29, 2011 by
Indonesia: The hidden diamond from the Baliem Valley The Baliem Valley, also spelled Balim Valley and sometimes known as the Grand Valley, of the highlands of Western New Guinea, is occupied by the Dani people. The main town in the valley is Wamena. The valley is about 80 km in length by 20 km in width and lies at an altitude of about 1,600-1,700 m, with a population of 100,000. As far as the outside world was concerned, the discovery of the Baliem Valley and the unexpected … [Read more...]
