NEW YORK, March 2013 – On the eve of International Women’s Day, a panel of five experts representing academia, government, civil society and the United Nations called for an end to violence against girls through better and earlier monitoring and interventions, improved education systems, and a coordinated multi-sectoral response. Millions of girls are vulnerable to violence around the world, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Geeta Rao Gupta said, opening the UNICEF-convened side event … [Read more...]
The Women of the World are Depending on Us
March 12, 2013 by
“Economic policies that push out smallholders,” Ms. Khan added, “contribute to a damaging feminization of poverty. In this process, young girls, in particular, find themselves at the sharp end of gender violence.” The WFP-hosted event, which focused on the negative impact of violence against women on food security, also heard from panelist Lourdes Tiban, an Ecuadorean lawmaker of indigenous descent. Gender violence, she said, is not ordained by destiny. Ms. Tiban called for profound cultural … [Read more...]
Syria’s Unseen Crisis: Women Face Rape, Insecurity, Poverty
March 11, 2013 by
Syria's Unseen Crisis: Displaced Women Face Rape, Insecurity, Poverty In the past week, the Syrian refugee crisis has grabbed headlines around the world as the number of Syrians who have had to seek asylum abroad reached one million. But there is another, less-discussed displacement crisis unfolding inside Syria. Syria’s internally displaced population passed the two million-mark months ago – by some estimates, there are more than three million Syrians uprooted within their country, most … [Read more...]
Happy Mother’s Day!, Mums celebrated in U.K., March 10
March 10, 2013 by
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in March, April or May. It complements Father's Day, a celebration honoring fathers. Mother's Day is an American invention, and it is not directly descended from the many celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have occurred throughout the world over thousands of years, such as the Greek cult to … [Read more...]
GERMANY, 20-23 March: World Congress Center Bonn, Germany
March 10, 2013 by
World Congress Center Bonn, Germany ADVANCING THE POST-2015 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA Reconfirming Rights – Recognizing Limits – Redefining Goals. We have the pleasure of announcing the international NGO conference; this global event will bring together about 250 civil society activists and representatives from key stakeholders in order to draw together civil society inputs into the Sustainable Development and Post-2015 discussions. It will take place on 20 – 22 March 2013 in … [Read more...]
“Leadership Course for Entrepreneurship”, Nueva Segovia
March 9, 2013 by
Members of the Nueva Segovia cooperative take part in the “Leadership Course for Entrepreneurship” to strengthen gender equality in the agricultural producers’ organizations supported by the Purchase for Progress (P4P) project. NUEVA SEGOVIA. –34 year-old Johana Martínez begins her final work for the “Leadership Course for Entrepreneurship” with a presentation called “A Personal Story”. The auditorium listens attentively, including those who will grade the work of the students prior to … [Read more...]
World Pulse – Celebrate a Woman and the Girl Child
March 9, 2013 by
This year's theme for international women's day celebrated annually on the 8th of March is "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women". Gender Based Violence is an umbrella term for any harm perpetrated against a person' will of which women are the most affected. Every day by day, more and more women and girls face these violation without a punishment to the offender. The promise to end gender based violence is a big fight but with a collective voice of women like … [Read more...]
Sweden joins ILO efforts on women’s employment in Turkey
March 9, 2013 by
The ILO and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) have signed a project cooperation agreement amounting to US$ 3.5 million to support women’s empowerment in Turkey, which is expected to contribute substantially to the goal of advancing gender equality in employment and providing decent employment opportunities for women. The agreement was signed on 1 March 2013 by Ümit Efendioğlu, Director of the ILO Office for Turkey, and Mikael Elofsson, SIDA’s Head of Division … [Read more...]
‘When work becomes a sexual battleground’, highlighted by ILO
March 8, 2013 by
International Women’s Day on 8 March, which focuses on ‘Violence Against Women’, the ILO is highlighting the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace – an often subtle but disturbing form of aggression. "I felt violated and scared. Even though I said I was going to report this, I felt I could not because I thought I could easily lose my job if I told." GENEVA (ILO News) - Sisandra, 28, understands all too well the impact of sexual harassment in the workplace. As a … [Read more...]
HALF the World is Women – “Ending Violence against Women and Girls”
March 7, 2013 by
This Forum was opened by the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and facilitated by Ms. Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women, and included the participation of a range of senior leaders of UN agencies -- namely Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, UNDP Associate Administrator, Ms. Anne-Birgette Albrectsen, Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA, Ms. Geeta Rao Gupta, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF, Ms Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR. "Women's … [Read more...]
Women of the Middle East: What Changes Does 2013 Hold?
March 6, 2013 by
Women Leaders in Seven Arab Countries ... were asked what political, social and economic changes they expect to see in 2013. Most expected to see political infighting, backsliding in women’s status, or an economic downturn in their respective countries. Women in Iraq and Lebanon projected a deterioration in the security situation if the Syrian conflict spills over. Yemeni women said their country’s democratic transition hinges on a successful national dialogue scheduled for March. Two … [Read more...]
VDAY, Dear All… A Letter From Eve Ensler in Congo!
March 6, 2013 by
Dear All... A Letter From Eve in Congo Eve Ensler has been in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the last month. Here she shares with you all her experiences with the women at City of Joy, life on the V-World farm, and how she ROSE with women and girls of Congo on 14 February. Dear All, First let me begin with the deepest thank you to all of you who believed in City of Joy and have stood by us with your confidence and support. I have spent the month here and … [Read more...]
