Gender equality, respect for women's rights and the fight against sexual violence in West Africa received a new weapon in its arsenal today with the launch of a United Nations initiative to enhance cooperation among all stakeholders in the region.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's newly appointed Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict promised today a more coherent and effective battle against the scourge, citing recent mass rapes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and calling her new task “mission irresistible.”

The recent appointment of a Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict was a clear indication of the international community's commitment to ending a crime that devastates millions of women and children, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said today.

Transcript of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's comments at a meeting with former European Commission Vice President Margot Wallström on her appointment as Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict

Women's movements have played a critical role in creating political space for female participation in politics around the world. In fact, there are more women in government today than ever before.

The newly appointed UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict, Margot Wallstrom says she has a lot to accomplish during her two-year mandate.

Newly appointed special representative for sexual violence in conflict Margot Wallstrom says sexual violence is not cultural but criminal and emphasizes that sex crimes are a human right's issue.

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today (9 February) met with newly appointed Special Representative (SRSG) on Sexual Violence in Conflict Margot Wallström of Sweden.

The Institute for Inclusive Security recently wrapped up its annual conference that brings some of the women in the organization's impressive global network together face-to-face to discuss the challenges and victories they've had as prominent leaders in their own countries. This year's participants came from Rwanda, Pakistan, Bosnia, and Lebanon.

Ian Brimacombe reports on a woman who fought in the Eritrean struggle for independence from Ethiopia. She was just 13 when she became a soldier. She spent the next 16 years fighting in a brutal guerrilla war.

Meriem Omer began her life as a girl soldier in 1976.

Vital peace constituencies

February 18, 2010 – (Open Democracy) The last decade has seen much more detailed attention to the many, sometimes contradictory, roles women play in conflict situations. But women remain a vital peace constituency