On October 1st parliamentary elections will be held in Georgia. Currently there are only 6.6 percent women representatives in the Georgian parliament, the lowest number in all of Europe.To achieve long-term stability in Georgia, it is crucial to include more women in the decision-making processes, says Alla Gamakharia from the women and peace organization Cultural-Humanitarian Fund Sukhumi, based in Kutaisi.

Ambassador Swanee Hunt, chair of The Institute for Inclusive Security, announced the Institute's Commitment to Action in support of women, peace, and security at the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting.

Today is International Peace Day. Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981 as an annual day of non-violence and voluntary global cease-fire, the annual celebration of peace encourages armed groups in conflict zones voluntarily to cease all hostilities on September 21 each year.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."

Matthew 5:9 is one of my favorite Bible verses, and as our world sees so much international turmoil on a daily basis, it is never far from my mind. I spent most of my adult life serving in the military, so I appreciate the value of peacetime. I fully support our nation leading the way to make lasting peace real in our time.

Today the United Nations Foundation's Girl Up campaign announced its partnership with the organization Girls on the Run International, which will provide girls with opportunities to stand up for themselves and for girls across the globe and increase awareness of issues that adolescent girls everywhere face.

Gender Action's new case study, Haiti's National Housing Policy: Will it Work for Women? demonstrates that the Haitian government's World Bank-supported draft National Housing Policy risks burdening the poor, especially women, with expensive and unobtainable housing by relying on private solutions.

With the support of the European Union, Save the Children and its partner in Lebanon KAFA (Enough) Violence and Exploitation have launched a week-long advocacy campaign “The key to protection is a word”, aiming to raise awareness of children to protect them from sexual abuse. The campaign started on Monday with a press conference launching the opening of 15 child and adolescent friendly spaces.

The Iranian government and police have begun positioning women as watch guards at female prisons across the country aimed at preventing abuses, the ISNA news agency reported.

According to the report, the women will be trained by the Iranian Police Prison authorities and will work inside prisons.

Around the world, women make peace in their homes and communities on a daily basis. But when it comes to negotiating and signing peace deals on a national or international level they are almost universally shut out, according to a report that calls for a more balanced approach to resolving conflict.

China, Russia, Pakistan and Azerbaijan abstained from a U.N. Security Council vote on children and armed conflict on Wednesday over concerns that the U.N. envoy on the issue can investigate any conflict, not just those before the council.