How are things shaping up for women in 2013? Are the headlines from the first two weeks of the new year any indication of what's to come? We saw lots of firsts in the 2012 election, with most of them having to do with the religion, sexual orientation and gender of winning candidates. says The Fix, Chris Chillizza. Below are the ones we have cobbled together. What did we miss? The comments section awaits. (And we will include the best ones in future updates.) First president … [Read more...]
Manifesting Your Empowerment can be a Challenge
September 27, 2012 by
When tracking women's empowerment worldwide, organizations look at our economic participation, opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment and health. However, being empowered from the perspective of government, social, media and business studies can be very different than when you talk to women at a grass root level. Where you live and quality of life found therein can make a huge difference as to whether you feel empowered. When I asked a group of women varying in age … [Read more...]
UNDP offers six-point plan to fast-track women in politics, Asia-Pacific
September 23, 2012 by
UNDP THAILAND/MARK S. COGAN | ABC JOURNALIST HELEN BROWN MODERATES A DISCUSSION OF PROMINENT POLITICAL ACTORS SHARING THEIR THOUGHTS ON WHY THE PUSH FOR POLITICAL EQUALITY IN ASIA LANGUISHES BEHIND OTHER REGIONS. BANGKOK — It will take 50 years for gender balance to be achieved in Asia-Pacific national legislatures if the increase in women’s participation in parliaments remains at the current pace, says a UN Development Programme (UNDP) study released this week. Economic progress will be … [Read more...]
Papua New Guinea’s newest parliamentarians, a time for women
August 30, 2012 by
... a time for Women in Papua New Guinea Since Papua New Guinea’s independence in 1975, none of its parliaments have comprised more than 2 per cent of women. Efforts to address traditional attitudes in the country and support women candidates and voters have shown signs of impact, yet the political landscape for women remains a tough one. In an interview with UN Women, two of the three women members of parliament (MPs) elected in the July 2012 polls detail the challenges they … [Read more...]
FYR Macedonia – Writing women into the budget
August 4, 2012 by
The government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has taken a vital step towards gender equality by adopting its first strategy on gender-responsive budgeting (GRB). Although gender-responsive budgeting has led to the growth of separate programmes and micro-projects for women, this project takes a more inclusive approach. The five-year plan will ensure that, across government agencies, gender gaps and inequality in policies, plans, programmes and budgets are broadly addressed and … [Read more...]
Women help lead the way in Rwanda’s transformation
July 25, 2012 by
Women help lead the way in Rwanda’s transformation Rwandans have been working tirelessly to rebuild their country since the 1994 genocide. Since then, the country has become one of the fastest growing economies on the African continent. Furthermore, women have now come to the forefront of national politics, making Rwanda the world's leader in the number of women parliamentarians. The advancement of women in Rwandan society is told in a documentary-style video launched by the UN … [Read more...]
Senegal’s female parliamentarians almost doubles
July 19, 2012 by
With 44.6 per cent of female parliamentarians, Senegal has come close to achieving parity in its National Assembly. 64 women now occupy a total of 150 seats, up from 33. Adopted on 28 May 2010, the law on parity has ensured a major step forward in female political participation in the country. The legislation aims to secure full equality in all elective and semi-elective bodies, and at all levels – whether national, regional or local. It does so by requiring that political parties submit an … [Read more...]
The UN Working Group – ‘ still too few women in politics ‘
July 3, 2012 by
Kamala Chandrakirana Kamala Chandrakirana is among the founders of Indonesia’s National Commission on Violence against Women, a unique national mechanism for women’s human rights. She just completed eleven years of service, six of which was as Chairperson of the Commission. She is also active in various civil society organizations, such as the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), a leading anti-corruption advocate; ELSAM, a human rights think-tank; Syarikat Indonesia, a network of progressive … [Read more...]
Zainab Hawa Bangura, Sierra Leone – Sexual Violence in Conflict
June 26, 2012 by
Secretary-General Appoints Zainab Hawa Bangura of Sierra Leone Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Zainab Hawa Bangura of Sierra Leone as his 'Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict' at the level of Under-Secretary-General. Ms. Bangura will replace Margot Wallström, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedicated service and able leadership in achieving milestones within a challenging … [Read more...]
UN Women and Latin American Development Bank sign cooperation agreement
June 22, 2012 by
On the sidelines of the Rio+20 Conference this week, UN Women and the Latin American Development Bank (CAF) signed an agreement with the aim of strengthening the work developed by both organizations in the area of poverty reduction. In recent years, Latin America has achieved significant gains in poverty reduction. However, there is still a persistent social debt with regard to the levels of inequality. To address this and to integrate a gender perspective in the reduction of wealth gaps, the … [Read more...]
Angela Merkel – WOMAN of ACTION™
January 27, 2012 by
A Celebration of Women™ is honored to Celebrate the Life of yet another trail blazer from the Women of our World. This powerhouse has devoted her life to politics, offering to our world the female perspective, power and energy that is so needed in our world today. WOMAN of ACTION™ Angela Merkel Germany Struggles... STILL, in this New Millenium with RACISM... Angela Merkel in her center-right Christian Democratic Union and its new coalition partner the Free … [Read more...]
