Women in Juba, South Sudan. Photo: UNMISS May 2013 – Women must play a greater role in South Sudan’s political life, from drawing up the country’s constitution to translating it into law, a United Nations official has urged, as the African nation prepares to draft its first legal framework. In a statement marking the opening of a UN-backed women’s national conference on constitutional development held in the South Sudanese capital of Juba, Raisedon Zenenga, the Deputy Special … [Read more...]
Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in Nigeria
May 4, 2013 by
Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in Nigeria: The Desirability and Inevitability of a Pragmatic Approach KELLY BRYAN OVIE EJUMUDO, Ph. D Abstract Promoting gender equality has become a globally recognized and an acceptable reality. Gender issues have also been identified as critical to the achievement of national development goals. In fact, the attainment of gender equality is not only seen as an end in itself it is equally a catalyst to, and a sine-qua-non for the achievement … [Read more...]
Lorre White reports Starwood CEO: ‘Yesterday’s luxury is tomorrow’s necessity’
April 25, 2013 by
Inside Starwood’s "Out-of-the-Box Thinking” session, the chief executive discussed how Starwood’s St. Regis, The Luxury Collection and W Hotels are responding to challenges in targeting the new luxury consumer. Savvy marketers will examine how the industry is changing as a result of this new fast-moving, technology-driven age and respond quickly. “The wealthy today are more diverse,” said Frits van Paasschen, president/CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “There are more wealthy Women; and … [Read more...]
2,000 child soldiers recruited by forces in CAR – Take Action!
April 13, 2013 by
April 2013 – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) today said more than 2,000 boys and girls have been recruited by armed forces in the Central African Republic since the latest wave of violence in the country began in December. In a news release, UNICEF said it had clear evidence of continuing recruitment of children, and warned that such practices represent a grave violation of international law. “Recruiting children is both morally unacceptable and prohibited under international … [Read more...]
Africa, Top Five Reasons Why Should Be a Global Priority
April 12, 2013 by
Africa, a Continent from Hopeless through Rising to Hopeful For over a decade now, the continent of Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, has undergone a major transformation. In 2000, The Economist referred to Africa as the “Hopeless Continent.” This nickname was based on an evaluation of the many disadvantages that characterized the continent: poverty and disease, cycles of conflict, military and dictatorial one-party states, etc. Despite large endowments of natural resources, the … [Read more...]
Sahel region needs women’s leadership, says UN-backed conference
April 11, 2013 by
April 2013 – Dozens of women from the Sahel have met with the United Nations envoy to the region and the world organization’s top official for women’s issues, at a conference to recommend ways to boost economic recovery, political stability and conflict prevention in the troubled African region. “Ultimately, the women of the Sahel will be instrumental in putting the region on a path to stability,” the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Sahel, Romano Prodi, told the Conference on … [Read more...]
Liya Kebede – WOMAN of ACTION™
April 9, 2013 by
A Celebration of Women™ is elated to Celebrate the Life of this young woman, one that has risen above circumstance, achieved her goals and is now using her powers of influence to Take Action and create positive change in our world, with a focus on Women and Children. WOMAN of ACTION™ Liya Kebede Liya Kebede (Amharic: ሊያ ከበደ?) (born January 3, 1978) is an Ethiopian born model, maternal … [Read more...]
DAFUR, International donors pledge billions for recovery!
April 9, 2013 by
April 2013 – The International Donor Conference for Reconstruction and Development in Darfur wrapped up today with calls from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the Government of Sudan to demonstrate its commitment to the region and to facilitate humanitarian and development work there. “The Darfur Development Strategy acknowledges that while current conditions may not be perfect, ‘the people are ready for change’,” the Secretary-General said in his message to the Conference. The … [Read more...]
“Women’s Voices” Project celebrated in South Sudan
April 6, 2013 by
UNESCO, in partnership with the South Sudan Women Empowerment Network (SSWEN) and a local radio station, carried out a capacity building training for women living in Guedele, a suburb located in South Sudan. The training was organized in the framework of the “Women’s Voices” project aimed at enabling women across the country’s ten states to talk about issues that are important for them, such as girls’ education and access to clean water. During the training, high illiteracy among women was … [Read more...]
Maasai, ‘They’re kicking us off our land to hunt lions!’
April 6, 2013 by
We are elders of the Maasai from Tanzania, one of Africa’s oldest tribes. The government has just announced that it plans to kick thousands of our families off our lands so that wealthy tourists can use them to shoot lions and leopards. The evictions are to begin immediately. Last year, when word first leaked about this plan, almost one million Avaaz members rallied to our aid. Your attention and the storm it created forced the government to deny the plan, and set them back months. But the … [Read more...]
EGYPT, Sexual Violence must Stop!
April 4, 2013 by
April 2013 – A United Nations envoy today expressed dismay at the sexual attacks on women protesters in Egypt, as well as the messages from prominent religious and political leaders that women are to blame. “Egypt’s story in the post-revolutionary period cannot be that of a country whose women marched in support of democracy, only to find their own freedoms denied, their lives directly threatened, and their vibrant political activism stamped out in a climate of fear and insecurity,” said the … [Read more...]
