HARARE – Esther Masvikeni (not her real name) is 17 years old but looks twice her age and has just found out that she is HIV-positive. She was raped in April by her former boyfriend who was her sister's neighbour at the time. (Pictured: A mother and her young daughter – Research shows that 57 percent of the poorest 20 percent of Zimbabwean girls have a higher likelihood of marrying before turning 18 years.)

Bangladesh, with two women leaders dominating the country's political scene both as Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, has called for women empowerment and recruitment of women in senior positions of the United Nations.

"We embrace peace because we want to secure our future"

Kurdistan's activists embraced as messengers of peace to the Region, Iraq, and the rest of the Middle East.

Ten years after a landmark Security Council resolution about the role women can play in promoting peace and security, the world has not lived up to its own expectations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, urging countries to translate their rhetoric into action.

The Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction (MoPR) has prepared an action plan for the implementation of the Resolution No. 1325 women and peace and security and Resolution No. 1820 on sexual violence of the United Nations.

A final discussion on the action plan that has been readied holding wide discussions in 40 districts was held between the stakeholders on Monday.

The United States has pledged new funding to help implement U.N. efforts to integrate the protection of civilians and to combat sexual violence in conflict zones.

This was announced by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at the U.N. Security Council Summit on Peacekeeping.

The U.S. will provide nearly $2 million to help start up the new U.N. special representative office on sexual violence in conflict.

PT Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII) and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, have signed a cooperation agreement to enhance the bank's products and services towards female entrepreneurs, allowing women to obtain financing for their businesses more easily.

Harassment and sexual exploitation by border officials seeking bribes constitute the biggest obstacles for female informal cross-border traders in Africa, according to a United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) research study launched on Sep 21.

Ten years since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which called for women to be better represented in peacemaking, some 50 women active in the Mindanao peace process will come together on October 5, 2010 in Aleosan, North Cotabato. They will formally launch the all-women corps in the Civilian Protection Component (CPC) of the International Monitoring Team (IMT).

Bhim Bahadur Rawal, Minister for Home Affairs and the leader of the Nepali delegation to the 65th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday addressed the Ministerial-level event “A 1325 Call to Action” co-hosted by the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria, Canada, Bangladesh, Chile, Liberia, Namibia, Sierra Leone and United Kingdom in the UN headquarters in New Yor