Michelle Bachelet outlines policy actions needed at Rio+20 Conference to bring transformational change. Ahead of the UN Conference for Sustainable Development next week in Rio de Janeiro, UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet has called upon world leaders for bold action and strong commitments to advance women’s equal rights, opportunity and participation.
Source: Pambazuka News
In just a few weeks, Malawi's new president, Joyce Banda, announced she would decriminalise same sex relationships, disposed of the excesses of her predecessor (the $13.3million presidential jet and fleet of 60 Mercedes), embarked on an austerity drive to end a shortage of foreign currency and refused to invite President Al Bashir of Sudan to the AU summit in Malawi over his indictment by the International Criminal Court, forcing the AU to move the summit to Ethiopia.
Source: AllAfrica
The new U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa, which is derived from a Presidential Policy Directive, builds on numerous accomplishments of U.S.-Africa policy to strengthen democratic institutions, promote regional peace and security, engage with young African leaders, and promote development, trade, and investment. Some of these accomplishments are set forth in greater detail below:
Source: Club de Madrid
Club de Madrid in conjunction with its partners the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and Isis-WICCE announce a roundtable discussion on Thursday 14th June at UNECA Headquarters, Addis Ababa. Chaired by Club de Madrid member and former Prime Minister of Canada Rt. Hon Kim Campbell, the roundtable will also feature H.E. Zenebu Tadesse, Minister of Women, Children and Youth of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, in conjunction with high-level representatives from regional and international bodies including the African Union (AU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), United Nations (UN) & United Nations Women. Women’s groups and representatives from civil society organizations from across the Horn of Africa will also be present to join in the dialogue on regional peace and security, with special focus on the advancement of UNSCR Resolutions 1325 and 1820 which call for women’s equal participation in decisions concerning peace and war.
Source: Operation1325
This weekend, a conference on the Horn of Africa with focus on peace and security took place in Lund, Sweden, organised by the Somali International Rehabilitation Centre (SIRC). Although the focus of the conference was not specifically on women as security actors, many interesting points where made by both speakers and participants on women’s role in peace and security in the Horn of Africa and particularly in Somalia. Two speakers focused on the role of women as actors for peace and security in Somalia, Dr. Shukria Dini and Lilla Schumicky.
The Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre yesterday launched ‘Women in Leadership Project’, in Accra to ensure that women’s participation in politics and public life was effective and responsive to their priorities.
At the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 there was unanimous agreement that sustainable development cannot be realized without gender equality. Yet today, 20 years later, women still face discrimination and continue to demand equal rights, opportunity and participation. At the Rio+20 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet will call for robust policies and strong commitments to remove discriminatory barriers, ensure women’s central role in sustainable development, and bring real change in people’s lives.
Ifad's Kanayo Nwanze wants Rio+20 to put smallholder farmers at the centre of the agriculture debate. The draft outcome document of the Rio+20 summit mentions smallholder farmers – many of them women – in growing acknowledgment of their importance in terms of food security, with the continued threat of famine in the Sahel, and environmental sustainability, as farming accounts for at least 14% of global greenhouse emissions.
Practice, which is an extreme form of discrimination, has nothing to do with religion and must be eradicated.
Source: News Track India
The South African Police Union has condemned the appointment of new woman police commissioner Mangwashi Victoria Phiyega citing lack of police experience.
Source: EU
The European External Action Service (EEAS) is creating more visibility and support for women's involvement in peace and security by organizing two events that focus on sharing knowledge, expertise and best practices relevant to gender and human rights issues in peace negotiations and mediation and in the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions.
Source: LSE
LSE’s Simone Datzberger explores the role of women’s networks in championing the rights of women in fragile states.
Source: 7th Space
Gauteng is to beef up programmes aimed at preventing social ills such as substance abuse, violence against women, children and people with disability.
Source: Democratic Alliance
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is profoundly saddened by reports today indicating that Thapelo Makutle, recently named Miss Gay Kuruman, was murdered this past weekend as the victim of a homophobic hate crime.
Source: Zambia Daily Mail
WHILE gender issues elicit a wide array of emotions the proposal to replace 'Free men we stand' with 'Freely we stand' in the chorus of Zambia's national anthem is set to get more tongues wagging.
The annual report of the United Nations Secretary-General on children and armed conflict has been submitted to the Security Council.
The long-running spat between the African Union (AU) and International Criminal Court (ICC) over perceived bias has prompted the AU to push ahead with plans to form its own Africa-wide criminal court, but analysts believe the move could complicate, rather than enhance, international justice.
ABANTU for Development, in collaboration with Women in Broadcasting (WIB) and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) will be organizing a series of monthly press conferences starting from today June 11 to November 13, 2012 (once every month for 6 months) to highlight pertinent issues for consideration by the media and the general public on the urgent need to continue women's rights and gender equality in the Election 2012 and beyond.
As the presidential vote nears, large gangs of men have been assaulting women at the birthplace of the nation’s revolution, reports Sarah A. Topol.
WOMEN and the youth in Kakamega have asked to support the sole woman candidate aspiring for the county's governor's seat in the general election. The county United Democratic Forum interim youth leader Alex Khamasi said time is ripe for a woman governor "who will bring a difference in politics by caring for the vulnerable, the marginalised, women and children through promotion of inclusiveness".