Participation

Shannon Galpin, of Summit County, is the first woman to ride a bicycle in Afghanistan since the Taliban rose to power.

It was the ride of her life.

“It's beautiful, especially in the north,” Galpin said. “It's rolling hills covered with flowers and majestic mountains.”

It seems a small thing, rolling through the countryside, but it might be one of history's most death-defying bike rides.

In the run-up to Tanzania's general elections 31 October, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM (part of UN Women), will conduct workshops throughout September for women candidates in seven electoral zones to strengthen their election strategies.

One of the unsung heroes of the suffrage movement was Jane Addams. Throughout her life, Addams struggled not only for women's rights, but also for labor and civil rights; free speech and world peace.

Date: 24 August 2010

Occasion: Young Women's Forum, World Youth Conference, León, Guanajuato, Mexico, 24 August 2010.

Distinguished members of the Presidium, colleagues and friends,

'Deaths caused by pregnancy in Africa are more than all the deaths from AIDS, TB and malaria combined,' says Marie-Claire Faray. Faray, the vice president of UK WILPF (Women's' International League for Peace and Freedom), is speaking to a group of women from all over the diaspora who have gathered in London to mark the UK launch of African Women's Decade.

At the 15th African Union Summit held in Kampala from 19-27 July, Isis WICCE joined several civil society organizations in Africa to put up activities to inform the Heads of State to bring the issues of women to the discussion table. In collaboration with Femmes Africa Solidarite (FAS) through a program called Gender is my Agenda (GIMAC), Isis-WICCE held a pre-summit consultative meeting on strengthening gender in the African Union.

Testimonies at the congressional hearing on sexual violence in the Congo held on May 19, 2009 before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Subcommittee on African Affairs and the new Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy and Global Womens Issues.

After fourteen years of civil war, Liberia is a nation ready for change. On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was inaugurated President, following a hotly contested election which she won with the overwhelming support of women across Liberia. She is the first elected female head of state in Africa.

Following the conflict, a disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation and reintegration process began. The process aimed to ensure women's participation and address their special needs. In reality, the programme failed meet the needs of a large number of women and girls. Thousands of women and girls didn't participate in the process for reasons such as misinformation about the process, and manipulation by commanders.

We, the delegates of the Afghan Women's Movement from First Women's Council to Kabul Conference, welcome the Afghan Government's efforts for an Afghan-led action plan for improved governance, economic and social development, and security. We acknowledge the progress in the area of women's rights in the last eight years, and appreciate the support of the international community and Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in this regard.