On March 3, hundreds of women gathered to protest peacefully in Ivory Coast to end the political stalemate and the worsening security situation. Unarmed, chanting peacefully. What were they thinking?

The Civil society Action Network – Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (ICAN-GNWP) expresses strong solidarity with the women of Côte d'Ivoire as they mourn their sisters shot down by security forces in Abidjan on March 3, 2011.

As the newly established UN WOMEN (The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women) sets its agenda and strategic direction for women all over the world, young African women (and young Africans in general) are invited to join the historic process to have their realities, ideas and priorities reflected in its first Strategic Plan.

As the youth-led Freedom Movement of 2011 spreads rapidly across the Middle East and around the world, one can only wonder what would be happening in Iraq today if the U.S. had not invaded eight years ago. What does the movement portend for the rights of women in other nations, such as Tunisia and in the United States?

A new report shows gains for women's rights across most of North Africa and the Middle East. But not in Iraq. The country with a large US military presence for so many years is actually backsliding when it comes to overall conditions for women.

A couple of weeks ago I alerted you all to a concerning move by the Government of Afghanistan to take over women's shelters in the country. Many of you responded to this issue by writing to your Ambassadors in Kabul and to other key players. Thank you!

Amnesty International is profoundly concerned that last minute efforts are being made to unravel key provisions in the Council of Europe's Draft Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (1). Such moves are particularly shocking, given that these proposals come very shortly before final adoption of the treaty, and after two years of detailed negotiation.

When we think of how women's lives have been affected by wars in the course of human history, we often think of them as those left behind. Today, however, they fight on the frontlines, are used as weapons, and live as refugees. This year's 12th annual Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Colloquium at St. Mary's College of Maryland March 22-24 will focus on women as participants in, victims of, and rationales for war.

You can tell a great deal about a country by the way it treats its women and children. The status that they occupy in the hierarchy of the society is usually a good indicator of whether the country is progressive or backward, oppressive or caring. What can we say about Jamaica?

ANNUAL REPORT DOCUMENTS 2,777 CIVILIAN DEATHS IN 2010

KABUL – 9 MARCH 2011 – Parties to the armed conflict in Afghanistan should escalate their efforts to protect Afghan civilians in 2011, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission said today on releasing their 2010 Annual Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict.