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...]
Sierra Leone, women candidates prepare their political platforms
August 8, 2012 by
ELECTION 2012 - WOMEN Taking Action The gathering in a well-lit Sierra Leone classroom comes off as remarkably joyful. “By my side… by my side…” chants a group of vibrantly-clad women, swaying and clapping in unison. “No longer men in front and the women at the back, but women and men walking side-by-side.” In Makeni, Sierra Leone’s fourth-largest city, a mobile campaign school has just swung through. Run by the civil society-organized Campaign for Good Governance (watch video below) … [Read more...]
The Whitehouse Women’s Update: A New Day for Women!
August 7, 2012 by
Women’s Update: A New Day for Women! Greetings All - We hope this message finds you well. There’s a lot going on in the world of Council of Women and Girls this week, but first we wanted to make sure you had a chance to see the President’s statement on the shooting in Wisconsin. You can find it below. Last week, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, women took another step forward in taking control of our health. As Senior Advisor to the President and Chair of the White House … [Read more...]
‘Mary Jo’ (Wangari Muta Maathai) – WOMAN of ACTION™
August 7, 2012 by
A Celebration of Women™ ... has been inspired to Celebrate the Life of one Woman in our World that lived beyond her call of duty. Tributes have been paid to the Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai who has died of cancer at the age of 71. As the first African Woman to receive the honour, Wangari Maathai not only championed preservation of the environment but she also promoted democracy, Women’s Rights and the Rights of the Poor. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga called her … [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...]
ILO: Greater gender equality in politics is good news for the world of work
July 26, 2012 by
ILO’s gender policy specialist welcomes recent achievements on gender equality in politics but says more needs to be done including in the world of work. "We take another step towards globalizing social progress when we champion gender equality as a matter of rights and social justice, as well as efficiency and good business sense"Juan Somavía, ILO Director-General GENEVA (ILO News) – The Director of the ILO Bureau of Gender Equality says that progress that has been made lately in … [Read more...]
Liberia celebrates 165 years of Independence – July 26, 2012
July 26, 2012 by
Liberia Independence Day Liberia Independence Day – July 26, 2012 Liberia Independence Day is a Public Holiday in Liberia. The Independence Day is the day Celebrated by the country to mark its Freedom. The Republic of Liberia is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d’Ivoire on the east. It covers an area of 111,369 km2and is home to about 3.7 million people. English is the official language, while over … [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...]
“Equality of Women Among Women”
July 8, 2012 by
A Celebration of Women™ Let us begin by saying that our vision includes the following solution to all gender issues: "Equality of Women Among Women" . A Celebration of Women™ is the first global forum where Women Leaders are being 'celebrated’ for spearheading positive action that betters the live of all women. Through the creation of our Alumni of WOMEN of ACTION™, a butterfly effect has begun, creating positive change for the Women of our World. We are advocating for, centralizing, … [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...]
