Women's rights activists in the Kurdistan region are demanding greater representation in the new Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) cabinet, saying despite a quota that sets aside 25 percent of parliamentary seats for women, female leaders do not have enough power.

In one of those rare, "perfect storm" of coincidences, three events converge to provide the topic for this column. First, the latest issue of the in-house magazine, the arriviste named "Journal of International Peace Operations," published by ISOA, a PMSC trade group, is devoted to the topic of "Women & International Security."

Catherine Cherop does not allow the social construction of society's life to intimidate her. Instead, she has defied these societal odds to become what she always desired to be — a people's servant.

She bravely sought and took over the role of village elder in the volatile Burnt Forest area, a seat traditionally reserved for old men in the community.

For Tamils, the end of Sri Lanka's civil war has brought no peace dividend; for Tamil women, peace has brought with it a continuation – and in some cases an intensification – of violence and insecurity.

The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Oquaye, says affirmative action, rather than the quota system, is the surest way to increasing the representation of women in Parliament.

He cited Angola and Rwanda as some of the African countries that had very high women representation in Parliament as a result of affirmative action.

The issues surrounding women joining the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have always attracted academic and social attention, which has aimed to understand the roots of why women have such a strong presence in the mountains.

Speech by Ms. Lakshmi Puri Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director UN Women at the initial consultations on the Zero Draft of the Rio+20 Outcome Document, New York, 25 January 2012.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dr Marilyn Wyatt, wife of US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron P.Munter on Saturday appreciated the legislation done by Pakistan's parliament especially related to women for their empowerment and to give them due rights and for their protection.

Where are all the women in Syria's national uprising? Judging by the scarcity of articles detailing the role of women in Syria - compared to the revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt or Yemen - it might be easy to assume Syria's women are staying on the sidelines.

That assumption, of course, would be false. But how involved women remain will depend largely on the direction the uprising takes.

During the past year, the US and its NATO allies have placed increasing emphasis on bringing an end to the war in Afghanistan through negotiations. With the Taliban on the verge of getting a political office in Qatar, substantive talks now appear closer than ever before.