At the Club of Madrid's 2008 conference on Global Leadership for Shared Societies, Ambassador Swanee Hunt, chair of the Institute for Inclusive Security, conducted interviews with 15 Club of Madrid members on the importance of womens leadership in politics and peace processes.

Video here.

Video here.

October 2010 marks ten years of the existence of the UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security. A decade after the resolution was unanimously adopted women and women's rights activists across the globe are assessing the level of its implementation, celebrating successes, exchanging ideas and pointing out the challenges, gaps as well as the long road that still lies ahead.

Ninety years ago, on August 26, 1920, the ratification of the 19th Amendment to our Constitution was completed, guaranteeing women the right to vote, renewing our commitment to equality and justice, and marking a turning point in our Nation's history. As we celebrate this important milestone and the achievements and shattered ceilings of the past, we also recognize the inequalities that remain and our charge to overcome them.

The security alerts, planning memos and latest news had arrived overnight from colleagues in Kabul, those working in the Afghan women's movement and their expat supporters. I started to sift through the pile and then stopped, frozen.

· Discuss VAW as a cause and a consequence of conflict and the work being done by the VAW Working Group
· Learn more about Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820 on women, peace and security and the work of GAPS
· Speak to representatives from the Foreign Office about the revision of the National Action Plan on 1325

The July 20, 2010, Kabul Conference, hosted by the Government of Afghanistan and co-chaired by the United Nations, brought more than 70 officials from governments and international organizations around the world together in Kabul for the first time in thirty years.

Secretary Clinton is a forceful and effective champion for women's rights. In the case of Afghanistan, the Secretary is dedicated to ensuring that women's rights will not be negotiated away in the name of peace. As she said in Kabul in July, “If women are silenced or marginalized, prospects for peace and justice will be subverted.”

Women with disabilities in northern Uganda experience ongoing discrimination and sexual and gender-based violence, Human Rights Watch group said in a report released on Thursday.

Many are marginalised, unable to gain access to basic services, including health care and justice, and they have been largely ignored in post-conflict reconstruction efforts.

Acclaimed teacher Cynthia Enloe, Class of 1960, speaks about "Taking Women's Lives Seriously to Tally the Real Costs of the Iraq War." The lecture was delivered June 4, 2010, during Connecticut College's Reunion weekend. Enloe, a professor at Clark University, is the author of 12 books and the recipient of two Fulbright fellowships. She has taught political science and women's studies for more than 30 years.