Source: UN Women
 “We need millions of men as agents of change and we have many rivers and oceans to cross before we get there,” says Antonie de Jong, Director of Resource Mobilisation at UN Women and one of the 15 men who rode as part of a motorcycle caravan across nine countries in southern Africa.

Source: East Africa Business Week
Winifred (winnie) Byanyima, a Grassroots activist, human rights advocate, senior international public servant, and world recognized expert on women's rights, has been appointed Executive Director of Oxfam International - a role that provides strategic direction and coordination for the worldwide confederation of Oxfam affiliates.

Source: Radio Dabanga
Armed herders killed two women and raped another two in separate events that took place in West Darfur, a number of sources told Radio Dabanga.

Source: The Star
A tough battle is looming for the race Narok women's representative seat after the daughters of the former MPs get the tickets for March 4, general elections.

Source: Swazi Media Commentary
A women who is seven months pregnant was jailed in Swaziland, even though there were no allegations of wrongdoing or pending convictions against her, after her mother told a magistrate her daughter needed correcting.

Source: BBC News

Women and girls were hit the hardest by the global recession, according to child rights and development organisations.

"The world is failing girls and women," a report by Plan International and the Overseas Development Institute said.

A shrinking economy sent girls' infant mortality soaring, and more females were abused or starved, they said.

This could erode gains made in recent years towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals, they added.

Source: Egypt Independet
The National Council for Women said during a meeting Monday that calls for Egyptian men to marry Syrian refugee women were "a crime committed in the name of religion."

Source: opendemocracy.net


The social movements of the 60s gave American women the skills to name and address the injuries they faced in their own lives, and led to a global women’s movement that is now facing a violent backlash. We need to know this history in order to fight for women’s rights today

Soure: The Herald
OPINION

In the last decade, Africa is the second-fastest growing region in the world. There is great reason to be excited about Africa's economic future. Strong economies rely on stable, well-paying jobs and rising living standards that make recovery fuller and faster.

As Africa emerges from the global financial crisis, it faces a new challenge for the years ahead: how do we make growth more inclusive to benefit all members of society?

Sustainable growth, more jobs, higher wages, and better futures are all possible for more Africans.

But it is only possible with the full and equal participation of Africa's men and women.

The new African labour force is young and growing.

In the next 10 years, Africa's labour force is expected to expand by 122 million.

If in that 122 million, both men and women can participate as equals in the economy, Africa will enjoy more talent, creativity and growth than ever before.

By unleashing the full economic potential of women, Africa can boost productivity and growth, create more jobs and opportunities and improve the lives of all Africans.

The goal of reaching the world's top 20 economies by 2020 is achievable if Africa takes advantage of both halves of society.

We are all aware of the role that women play as innovators and entrepreneurs in Africa, especially as heads of small and medium-sized businesses.

We know that women own one quarter of such businesses in sub-Saharan Africa.

We know that women shoulder the burden of caring for children and running the household.

We know that more women than men are working in jobs that pay little and offer no security.

And we know that women form the majority of people living in poverty.

Overall, women face barriers to participating fully in the economy: many women lack the right to own or inherit land, their access to bank loans is limited, and discrimination prevents women from gaining equal footing with men in the workforce.

This isn't just holding back women. It is holding back their families, their communities, and their countries.

Studies show that closing the gap between male and female employment rates can boost GDP.

And not surprisingly, countries--and companies -- with greater gender equality register the highest performance and growth.

Women reinvest up to 90 percent of their income into their children and families. This multiplier effect results in better health, better education, and improved well-being for families and future generations.

Leaders in the private sector can make a real difference. You can help to remove the barriers to women's participation.

You can lead by example and promote women based on merit to management positions.

You can ensure equal pay and benefits to all women and men employees, including more flexible work options.

You can invest in training and capacity-building for women employees to advance within the company. And you can create a safe environment and a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of violence in the workplace.

These are the some of the key goals of the Women's Empowerment Principles, practical steps based on input from businesses around the world and spearheaded by UN Women the UN Global Compact. So far some companies in Africa have signed on.

Women leaders such as Ms. Oputu, as the first woman Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, set the example, and are role models for young women in Africa to aim high for their futures.

The voices of women leaders carry influence to call for industry-wide standards for gender equality.

UN Women believes strongly in a comprehensive approach to women's economic empowerment that engages many sectors.

We can make a far greater impact when we work together for a common cause.

There is a new image of the young woman in the 21st century: She is well-educated, prepared to take on a steady job with fair pay.

She is free to make important decisions, like when and whom she marries, and when and how many children she has. And she's active in her community and in public life.

This is the image of half the young labour force to promote in Africa, and in all of Africa: women and girls who are counting on a future of economic opportunity, ready to keep Africa growing and moving forward.

We look forward to a future in Africa with strong, stable and inclusive economic growth to lift up all its people and rise to the top of the world's economies. The top 20 by 2020 is within reach: with 50:50 rights, opportunities, and participation for men and women in Africa.

The Writer is First Executive Director at the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

Source: UN Women
Women everywhere are suffering the consequences of the current global financial and economic crises, but how Governments respond can make a big difference. Citing success stories from Sweden and Argentina, as well as from Egypt, Ghana and Bangladesh,

Source: allAfrica.com
The 21st Session of the GIMAC - Gender is my Agenda Campaign - will be held in Addis Ababa on 22 and 23 January 2013 starting at 09h30 at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC) in Conference Room 2.

Source: IPS

A 25-year-old mother of five hailing from Senegal's eastern Tambacounda province believes that contraceptives damage the womb and cause health problems in the long term, such as a rise in blood pressure and chronic headaches.

Source: Daily News Egypt 

The National Front for Egypt’s Women announced its rejection of the draft elections law on Sunday, which does not guarantee any representation for women.

Source: UNFPA
Ethiopia's work with adolescent girls has garnered first prize in a Fund-wide contest to identify good practices related to adolescents and youth. Criteria included relevance (to UNFPA's strategic plan), innovation (in its approaches), impact (as demonstrated by positive and tangible results) and replicability (whether it can be effectively scaled up).

Source: Amnesty International

Sudanese teacher and activist Jalila Khamis Koko, who was arrested by the National Security Service in March 2012, was released from detention after a court hearing today.

Source: Heritage

Three Nobel Laureates of the Nobel Women's Initiatives have recognized the tireless efforts of women in the Rock Hill Community, amid what they called "hardship" in the area. The Nobel Laureates including Leymah Gbowee (Liberia), Jody Williams (USA) and Shirin Ebadi (UK) are currently in Liberia on a six-day visit.

Source: allafrica.com

One in five Nigerian children will die before reaching his or her fifth birthday, according to Save the Children. Their mothers are also suffering - the country accounted for 14 percent of maternal deaths worldwide in 2010, according to the United Nations.

Source: IRIN
BRAZZAVILLE, 18 January 2013 (PlusNews) - The HIV infection rate has declined among pregnant women in the Republic of Congo from 3.4 percent in 2009 to 2.8 percent in 2012, according to a study by the Ministry of Health, which said it had taken specific action to help this section of the population.


"This significant decrease is due to many innovative and effective actions: screening using a mobile unit, as well as HIV/AIDS fairs throughout Congo to help inform young people about their vulnerability," said Health Minister François Ibovi.

"We have been urging pregnant women to get tested - and they are doing so. This allows them to receive treatment if they are HIV-positive, and their newborn children are supported in terms of antiretrovirals (ARVs),” Franck Marie Puruehnce, executive secretary of the National Council for Combating HIV/AIDS (CNLS), told IRIN.

"HIV infection among pregnant women is continuing to fall," she said, adding that despite this decline, the epidemic is becoming more feminine-specific “due to the low purchasing power of women, who are sometimes unable to avoid risky sexual encounters". 

According to Puruehnce, protection of mother-to-child transmission services are available in health centres throughout the country.

Officially, HIV/AIDS prevalence in Congo is 3.2 percent, against 4.2 percent in 2003. The country (population 3.6 million) has 83,000 patients; women are twice as affected as men.

HIV rates vary according to different sections of the population. They are 7.5 percent among sex workers and 26 percent among homosexuals.

For Michel Bitemo, monitoring, evaluation and strategic information adviser at the UNAIDS office in Brazzaville, "the best protection against AIDS is knowing your status…

"We must move towards universal knowledge of HIV infection," he advised, regretting the fact that only 12 percent of people knew their HIV status.

Funding key

According to Michel Bitemo, "Congo can only maintain or improve results if financial resources are constantly increased."

"If funding falls, we will not have better, but worse, results. The HIV/AIDS response is 50 percent government-funded which is a good thing because in other countries it is below 50 percent, "said Bitemo.

At the last session of the National Council for the Fight against AIDS, the authorities recommended setting up a response fund.

"This fund will be funded by the government and industries such as oil, timber and mining... as well as international partners such as the World Bank and the Global Fund [to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis]," said Puruehnce.

"We want to reorganize the financing of the response to ensure no target is missed," she added.

Healthy mother, healthy baby

 

Source: Wesglobal
Inventing new possibilities – beyond those thought possible – and designing breakthrough results – this is the central theme to the Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability (WES) Innovative Leadership training. Last week in Tunis, 23 new trainers from the eight WES partners gathered for a Training of Trainers (TOT) that included a three- day workshop on leadership led by Barbara Fittipaldi, President and CEO, Center for New Futures. These new trainers will now begin offering leadership training to women in their communities through their WES centers.

Source: FOROYAA
The V-Day is to be celebrated throughout The Gambia on the 14th of Febraury 2013 by different stakeholders which is expected to trigger One billion rise relating to violence against women and girls.

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