Women Mediating for Peace Colloquium, US

Deadline: 31 October 2010
Open to: experienced and accomplished women peace builders
Costs: all travel, meal, and accommodation costs for participants are covered
Venue: 8-22 January 2011 in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Washington, DC.

Out of the almost 2 million internally displaced people (IDP) in Iraq, 13% are families headed by women.

Most of these women are widows, although some have fled their communities because of gender-based threats. In a country that gives women less opportunities than men, IDP women and their families can have significantly greater needs than other displaced people in the same area.

Discrimination against women and the perpetuation of crimes such as rape is a major hindrance to peace, security and development in countries emerging from conflict, according to The 2010 State of the World Population report.

The report by the United Nations Population Fund or UNFPA says when women have the same rights and opportunities as men, they are more resilient to conflict and disaster.

Shreen Abdul Saroor grew up knowing nothing but the violence that has pulled Sri Lanka apart for decades. In 1990, her family was forced to flee Mannar Island in a small boat when Tamil militants expelled all Muslims from the Northern Province. Shreen's experience inspired her to form two organizations for women affected by conflict.

Year 2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution (SCR) 1325 on women, peace and security.

An old proverb advises that until the lions have their own historians, histories of the hunt will glorify the hunter. In the complex history of Africa hunters' stories are always audible, not least in the powerful and persistent narratives of a poor, undemocratic and largely failing continent.

Sanjay Suri interviews THORAYA AHMED OBAID, executive director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund

The U.S.-led invasion and then occupation of Iraq brought a sharp setback to the rights of women in that country, UNFPA head Thoraya Obaid tells IPS in an interview.

The above mentioned question was the subject of the discussions that went on during the 8th annual conference of the Arab Women working in the media held in Amman-Jordan from 5-8 October 2010.

ABIC's key mandates are training women for political leadership, peace building, mediation and negotiation skills. Also a thematic focus was climate change about which the Colloquium produced a Call To Action. Through its work, ABIC is expected to work towards qualifying for and become one of the operational centers of the United Nations University system within five years of its establishment.

With a press conference, the UNFPA Country Office in Timor-Leste will launch the State of World Population report (SWOP) 2010. With the theme "From conflict and crisis to renewal: generations of change", this year the SWOP, for the first time, includes Timor-Leste's case as part of the countries that have experienced conflict or disasters and are on the road to recovery.