Anara Nyazova is proud of the changes that her job has introduced in the country. As Special Representative of the President of Kyrgyz Republic on gender issues in the Parliament from 2005 to 2007, she helped usher in changes such as gender quotas in the Election Code and the inclusion of an article on equal rights and opportunities for men and women in the Constitution of 2007.

Operation Amani Leo, launched jointly by MONUC (the United Nations Mission in Congo) and FARDC (the Congolese army) in January to regain control of mining territories in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu from rebels, while ensuring security for the local population has been extended to September. But Congolese women are arguing for changes in the conduct of military operations.

Ahead of a week-long meeting on gender equality starting Monday at the United Nations, women's rights activists have been pushing for concrete progress on a pledge made last September by the world body to create a new, better-funded U.N. agency for women.

Women's advocacy groups in the Pacific have welcomed a move to stop sexual violence towards women in conflict situations, but say it needs be implemented in conjunction with an earlier resolution.

They say that while the United Nation's Security Council Resolution 1820, which was adopted last year, is absolutely critical, it should be viewed as an implementation strategy to further the commitment to women, peace and security.

A month into my first trip to eastern Congo, site of the deadliest conflict since World War II, I had heard plenty of horror stories — from forced cannibalism to the burning alive of the inhabitants of entire villages. I was no longer easily shocked. But one exchange with an aid worker stopped me cold.

Ten-year conflict between armed Islamists and the civil army continue victimizing Algerian women in extreme ways. The violence of Islamists started in 1992, when Algerians discovered the use of punitive raids against women.

During the ten years of conflict between armed Islamists and the civil army, which have torn the country apart, Algerian women have endured experiences of extreme violence.

"In a Dark Time", a documentary film about sexual abuse in Zimbabwe perpertrated by pro-government militia, premiered last week at Witwatersrand University, one of South Africa's most respected tertiary institutions. In the film, 16-year-old Sarudzai recalled how she was alone in the family home with three younger siblings when militiamen surrounded it. Her father was at a funeral.

As Security Council Resolution 1325 on the role of women in peace and security marks its tenth anniversary in 2010, the United Nations has appointed a group of independent experts to advise on ways to better protect women in conflict situations and ensure that their voices are heard in peace processes, and that they are included in post-conflict reconstruction and governance structures.

The ‘Sierra Leone National Action Plan (SiL NAP) on United Nation Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820' has been launched in Freetown on Tuesday 8th June 2010. This special event is hosted by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender & Children's Affairs (MSWGCA) in collaboration with the United Nations, Cord aid, WANEP, WANMAR 1325 and Femme Africa Solidarity.