Participation

Khatool Muhammadzai loves martial arts, underwent commando training in pre-Taliban Afghanistan, and has logged 500 official jumps as the only female paratrooper in the country's post-Taliban military.

But the middle-aged general, Afghanistan's highest-ranking woman officer, wants to be known as a peacemaker.

Marzia is a police officer in uniform, still a rare sight in Afghan society, even though the female component of the Afghan security forces is important in a Muslim society. If apartments need to be searched, then Marzia's job is to check the women's bedrooms and closets.

Marzia says there should be more Afghan women with jobs, and believes that the political climate is auspicious.

We've already heard a lot of grand pronouncements about what women will mean for the 2010 midterms -- and vice versa. But from mama grizzlies to mean girls, much of the conventional wisdom about the women who are running for office this year is mangled or badly misguided.

1. There are more Republican women than Democratic women running in 2010.

According to a report released Monday by the MIT Center for International Studies and the International Civil Society Action Network, women still have not been fully included in peacemaking and peace-building processes in many countries.

Can art change the world? The people at Freedom to Create believe it can. Since 2008, Freedom to Create has awarded its annual prize to honor "the power of art to fight oppression, break down stereotypes and build trust in societies where the social fabric has been ripped apart by conflict, violence and misunderstanding."

The Estonian government approved on Thursday of the Estonian action plan for implementing the UN Security Council resolution “Women, Peace and Security” in Estonia in 2010–2014, which supports bigger role of women in state defense, informed BC foreign ministry.

American men who maintain they are doing more housework have a second source to back their claim — a United Nations report released Wednesday — although it would be premature to argue that the sexes had reached parity on domestic chores or nearly any other issue.

Violence against women remains widespread across the world, exacerbated by traditions and customary practices that determine the way women are treated in families, places of work and communities, according to a United Nations report unveiled today.

Fewer women are taking part in post-conflict recovery even though they bear the biggest brunt of war, the country representative for the UN Population Fund has said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday called on Southeast Asian women to maintain their prominent role in helping develop their countries and the regional community.

The Government leader made his statement at the opening of the ASEAN Council of Women's Organisations (ACWO) General Assembly in Ha Noi yesterday.