Source: Women's eNews
If the Islamists in parliament hold power, they could erase years of legal gains for women. But if the military has its way, a police state could re-emerge.
Source: WomensLawProject
Hillary Clinton Launches the Women in Public Service ProjectMolly Duerig, WLP Intern
Monday, June 11th, marked the official launch of the Women in Public Service Project (WPSP), a program created by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that aims to mentor emerging female leaders from all over the world in public policy and social justice.
Forty-nine women from 21 different countries were selected through an application process to participate in the project. WPSP kicked off its first annual two-week series of intensive seminars, which will focus on how women can successfully lead and influence the governments and societies in which they live. Participants will also have the opportunity to network with global political leaders.
The project is sponsored by The U.S State Department and the five remaining “Seven-Sister” schools, Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, Barnard, Smith, and Mount Holyoke. The first summer institute will take place at Wellesley College, which is the alma mater of both Clinton and Madeline Albright, the first female Secretary of State. The other sponsoring colleges, all leading liberal arts colleges, will host the event in the future.
Clinton’s ambitious project will further the pro-women initiative President Obama undertook when he issued the National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace and Security this past December. The Women’s Media Center explained that NAP mandated increased participation of women in the negotiation of peace treaties, as well as a promotion of women’s role in conflict prevention. This program is one that was greatly needed: only 8% of all peace treaties negotiated during the last several years involved women at all.
Furthermore, as State Department ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues Melanne Verveer pointed out, almost half of all peace agreements negotiated during the 1990s failed within five years of their passage. “Peace won’t happen if we leave out half of those who are affected by conflict and will benefit from peace,” said Verveer in support of the NAP.
Her sentiment, crucial to the birth of the WPSP, is shared by many leaders urging increased participation by women in politics. As women continue to be underrepresented in politics, we fail to hear the opinion of half of the population. This leads to a plethora of problems, including imbalanced decisions and a narrow range of expertise and perspective.
Gender equality efforts are underway worldwide. Newly-elected French president Francois Hollande appointed an equal number of women and men to the country’s 34-member cabinet for the first time in history.
Clinton’s hopes are that the WPSP will help this trend to continue on an international level. The project’s ultimate goal is for at least 50% of the world’s elected leaders to be women by the year 2050. Currently, that number is at only 17.5%. According to a Women’s Media Center article, the proportion of women to men in the U.S Congress is only 17%, even lower than the international average of 20% of parliamentary seats held by women. Clinton was quoted as saying she was embarrassed by this statistic. She also stated that, “The World Bank has found that women tend to invest more of their earnings in their families and communities than men do,” adding that “those are the kinds of instincts and priorities we would all like to see” at the government level.
If half of a society’s population fails to have proper representation in politics, the desires and goals of that society cannot be properly met. The WPSP aims to broaden the range of perspectives at the political forefront to include more women, as well as give women the resources and contacts to become effective leaders. Here at the Women’s Law Project, we support and applaud this endeavor. This is a bold and innovative approach to international policy that aims to drastically alter global leadership.
Rio +20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, is renewing international conversations about how to simultaneously address poverty, protect the environment, and maintain balanced economic growth. If progress is to be made, the agenda must reflect that achieving gender equality is intimately tied to achieving these other goals, as well as being a goal in and of itself.
Source: All Africa
Women entrepreneurs from 37 African nations convened in Washington for the third meeting of the African Women's Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP), which runs from June 3 to 23. Representing a colorful variety of cultures, customs and languages, the nearly 50 AWEP delegates all had two things in common: entrepreneurial experience, and a dedication to improving communities through business.
Population growth and women’s right to choose when to have children could become hot issues again. Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former prime minister of Norway, has warned against “backsliding” in the draft outcome document being negotiated at the Rio+20 conference, which opens on 20 June. The new text might not recognize the advances made in ensuring that women have reproductive rights alongside other major multilateral agreements on development and the environment.
Source: Alaska Dispatch
Margaret Hans, 25, shuffles to the door of her simple but immaculate two-room township home. Thin with drawn facial features, she is still weak from tuberculosis — the all-too-familiar scourge that piggy-backs on the South African HIV epidemic.
Source: Health 24
In response to the virtual removal of the right to family planning services from the agenda of Rio+20 negotiators, a high-profile group of former presidents and prime ministers, and leaders in global health and philanthropy today encouraged negotiators at the Rio+20 sustainability conference to stand up to the Vatican’s efforts to block reproductive health services as a fundamental strategy for attaining the goals of sustainable development.
Source: Health-e
With maternal health being one of the priority areas for health improvement, it’s important for primary health care facilities to improve care for pregnant mothers. The Witkoppen Health and Welfare Centre in Fourways, north of Johannesburg, says it’s trying to improve on these health indicators.
Source: Times of Zambia
WHILE the fight for the enactment of the Freedom of Information Bill seems to be a baby of the media and other interested stakeholders such as the World Bank, the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection (JCTR) and other NGOs, there are others that are not just watching from the terraces.
Thousands of women representing social and farm movements marched in central Rio Monday to rail against the "green economy" advocated by the Rio+20 conference on sustainable development.
A petition backed by over 50 NGOs and charging Uganda's government with failing to prevent the deaths of expectant mothers was thrown out by the constitutional court on 5 June, but the petition’s supporters plan to appeal.
Source: United States Departement of State
Emerging economies that support business development with investments in infrastructure such as roads, ports and education will experience stronger economic growth. When those businesses are led by women, the entire society benefits from the prosperity they create.
Source: The Globe and Mail
A recent survey of G20 countries found that the most developed economies also have the greatest gender equity. Canada tops the list, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom.
Source: The New Age
The increase in cases of gender-based violence has prompted the Minister of Women, Children, Youth and People with Disabilities, Lulu Xingwana, to set up a new body to deal with the scourge.
Source: New York Times
The court's verdict was swift and sure: Nomvulo Ludonga was guilty as charged. To atone for her offense, Ms. Ludonga, a widowed schoolteacher, had to give the court a live sheep, 50 liters of maize beer, two cases of regular beer, two bottles of brandy and two bottles of juice.
Source: AMISOM
The Police Component of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has concluded a Gender Based Violence Workshop in support of the Somali Police Force (SPF) which pooled participants from the Somali Police Force, TFG Ministry of Women Affairs and Family Support, the Somali Civil Society, female ambassadors representative from Addis Ababa, Somali public health officials as well as specialists from Sierra Leone and Rwanda.
Source: Sowetan
Documentary, titled Can't Just Fold Your Arms, dealing with male attitudes towards women, is now showing in Johannesburg.
On one Sunday morning, Madam Mary Haruna and her two daughters went to a nearby church in Jos for their weekly devotion.
At a Week long workshop held last week in Windhoek, Women's Action for Development (WAD) brought stakeholders up to date on its campaign to teach women their rights, and to raise awareness of human rights issues with a gender bias. This campaign is sponsored by the European Union. Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Raul Fentes Milani attended the workshop.
Source: Huffington Post/AP
GENEVA (AP) — Crises in Libya, Sudan, Somalia and elsewhere prompted 800,000 people to flee their countries last year, the highest number in 11 years, the United Nations' refugee agency says.