General Women, Peace and Security

The speech of 16-year-old Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai at the United Nations this month has served as an inspiration for the fight for women's rights and girls' education in Somalia.

Last October, Yousafzai nearly died when Pakistani Taliban gunmen shot her in the head for advocating girls' rights to education. Instead of retreating in fear, Yousafzai increased her activism after the attack.

A black Mercedes pulls up in a grimy street in Bamako and the back door swings open. A satin-shoed foot emerges beneath a crisp brocade gown and steps gingerly on to the litter-strewn asphalt.

Haïdara Aïssata Cissé, the only woman standing for president in Mali's upcoming elections, is greeted by deafening chants of "Chato! Chato!", her nickname.

The Somali Ministry of Development and Social Affairs is drafting a bill that outlines a new gender policy for the country and safeguards women's rights, particularly in politics and education.

The proposed legislation is part of a wide-ranging government programme that aims to promote women's rights and support their access to education, health services and participation in governance.

Serbia has made certain progress in terms of the position of women, officials concluded at the session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women during which the Serbian government delegation presented the report on the implementation of the international Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The former deputy president of South Africa, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, was named the new head of UN Women on Wednesday.

Mlambo-Ngcuka takes over as executive director from Michelle Bachelet, who resigned in March to run for another term as president of Chile.

Political parties in Liberia have been asked to ensure that at least 40 per cent of all elected positions at the district, regional and national levels are occupied by women.

The electorates have also been advised to vote for women to occupy political positions instead of always giving preference to men.

Despite the United Nations' "zero tolerance" policy against sexual violence, there has been a rash of gender-based crimes in several of the world's conflict zones, including South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Northern Uganda, Somalia, the Central African Republic - and, more recently, in politically-troubled Egypt and Syria.

A group of prominent Iranian women's rights activists and intellectuals have outlined some of their main demands for Iran's President-elect Hassan Rohani, who spoke against gender discrimination during his campaign and said women and men should enjoy the same rights and opportunities.

Imagine starting a country from scratch. That's what it feels like everyone is doing in Sierra Leone, a country now 10 years out of a civil war, but still struggling to restore infrastructure to pre-war levels.

Lawyers and rights activists are calling for a change in Sudan's laws which allow for the marriage of girls as young as 10.

It is time, they say, that Sudan's laws recognise gender equality so that the country's girls and young women can take control of their lives and leave behind the cycle of child marriage and abuse.