Participation

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has organised a three-day workshop to design strategies to help increase the number of women in decision-making positions in the country.

“I like being a police officer because it was always a dream of mine. When we were little we saw it as a far-fetched dream; the country was in civil war; women could not join these institutions, but as soon as the opportunity arose, I took it”, says 35-year old Noemi Cerritos from Santa María de Usulután in El Salvador.

Whoever captures the majority of the women's vote in any election, is guaranteed the right exercise power in a democratic state. What then must be done to be accorded such a vote by women? Women are never persuaded by promises alone but by substantive deeds which yield tangible results.

Hundreds of women in the City of Joy in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo dance to raise awareness of violence against women as part of the One Billion Rising campaign. The global event was prompted by the statistic that one in three women will suffer violence at some time in their lives.

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"The voices of rural women need to be heard in this 1325 National Action Planning process. We need to make sure that their voices are heard because they are the ones who suffer in the conflict.

In the small nation of Montenegro, men are in the minority. However, in the country's 81-member legislature, men occupy 67 seats. This leaves just 14 seats (17 percent) to women.

The good news? This is the greatest representation female candidates have achieved since 1992.

A series of workshops on women's participation in the Darfur Peace Process were organized throughout Darfur by the African Union - United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The forums, which targeted more than 160 local media representatives of which most were women, aimed at enhancing the capacity to advocate on the importance of the role of women in the peace and political process in the region.

A dozen years have passed since the United Nations Security Council made history by adopting a resolution that addressed women's rights during conflicts and required their participation in preventing wars and in peace talks.

The conference is organized by the Ministry in cooperation with EVE organization as part of its work on implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in South Sudan.

The conference will bring government and civil society participants from all the 10 states.

“Its objective is to identify priority areas for the development of a National Action Plan,” said the statement.

About two weeks ago the US Defense Secretary lifted the ban on women in combat jobs. Both feminists and peace activists are still a bit troubled. Two questions stand out. Can this be considered a step on the way to achieving gender equality? And will it contribute to a more peaceful world?