Global Action to Prevent War (GAPW), Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (NGOWG) are partnering to produce a publication assessing women's participation in peacemaking, peacekeeping, and early post conflict peace-building through the eyes of women participants themselves.

"This Declaration marks the 25th of January, Honduran Women's Day, which commemorates the winning of women's right to vote; and the 8th of March, International Women's Day, a date that has been celebrated since 1912 by feminist organisations and women internationally of struggling for equality and the recognition of the human rights of women:

Honoring the lives of feminist Haitian leaders who died in the massive earthquake on January 12th, will be the focus of International Women's Day on March 8, 2010, which is also the 100th anniversary of this annual celebration...Women's groups around the world are asked by the Haitian women's movement to organize a memorial activity as part of their celebration of International Women's Day in their countries and communities.

A 23-year old woman was captured by government youth militia in north-eastern Zimbabwe and dragged to their camp near Mt Darwin, where she was gagged and gang-raped by a gang of 10 young men high on drink and drugs in a horrifying night of sexual abuse and beatings.

Since Valentine's Day 2003, women belonging to the human rights organization Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) have been repeatedly arrested by the police.

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) launched the global advocacy initiative Say NO - UNiTE to End Violence against Women, which will stimulate, count and showcase actions on ending violence against women. The innovative platform will spotlight global efforts and demonstrate the groundswell of support and actions on the issue.

On March 29,2009 Zimbabwe went to the polls to elect its next government until 2013. From 2 April 2008 the government organised a retribution campaign to target those who allegedly voted for the opposition and since then there has been terror in mostly rural Zimbabwe with youth militia under the command of the army.

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

This blog is aimed at providing Zimbabwean women, local and abroad, a ‘space' to voice their perspectives on the constitutional reform process between now and November 2009 when the public consultations are scheduled to be completed.

August has been set aside as Women's Month to celebrate and commemorate the contribution of women to the struggle for freedom in South Africa and the progress that has been made with regard to their empowerment.