At the end of her official country mission to Papua New Guinea, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Ms. Rashida Manjoo, delivered the following statement:

A 155-strong peace-keeping contingent will flew to Haiti yesterday from the Villamor Air Base as part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) commitment to the United Nations (UN) Stabilization Mission in Haiti (Minustah).

The all-Navy 15th Philippine Contingent to Haiti (PCH), led by Marine Col. Arthur Biyo, is composed of 12 officers and 143 enlisted personnel, including 10 female-soldiers.

The signing ceremony in Belgrade this Thursday officially launched a project dubbed “Support for Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans”, Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac said.

Šutanovac said that today women have an important role in the armed forces, providing a new quality and capacity in response to security challenges and global threats.

Political instability, civil strife and humanitarian crises in Africa have over the past decades reversed countless maternal health development gains on the continent, health experts warn.

As the public relations officer of the All Political Parties Women Association, APPWA Gertrude Karimu stated last week that the gender equality draft bill is ready and would be given to the Government Printing Department for printing and gazetting through the Attorney-General's office latest Monday 12, some women have urged stakeholders to allow gender equality in Sierra Leone.

“Free at last” after decades of civil war with the north, South Sudan is building a nation from scratch. As women flood to the world's newest capital city, Juba, aid agencies say an effect of so many years of violence is that most women are unaware of their rights. One Israeli group, though, is battling to stamp out gender-based violence.

South Sudan is the world's newest nation, born from the people's vote in January 2011 after 30 years of devastating conflict and proclaiming independence on 9 July last year. Today we celebrate the first International Women's Day in independent South Sudan and together we must look at how we can address the great challenges faced by women and girls in one of the world's least developed countries.

Stakeholders from the various sectors in the province gathered last March 19 at the Institute of Peace and Development in Mindanao Convergence Hall of the Mindanao State University to address women's rights in armed conflict situations.

The Commission on Human Rights in the region is set to lead a conference and workshop on March 23-24 in Marco Polo Hotel, this city to discuss on emerging challenges in conflict and emergency situation that gravely affect women.

On 22nd March 2012, CBM, the overseas disability charity, will be running a UK wide awareness campaign about their work in the treatment and rehabilitation of women who have/have had Obstetric Fistula. The campaign aims to bring this "woman's issue" to the fore.

CBM, the overseas disability charity, funds many projects that treat obstetric fistula. These projects are located in regions where treatment is most needed.