Participation

The number of women running for seats in the Afghan parliamentary elections has increased though cultural obstacles remain, a candidate said.

Afghanistan is to have parliamentary elections Sept. 18. The number of women competing for the estimated 64 seats reserved for women on the 249-seat parliament rose from 328 in 2005 to 406 for September elections.

In few countries do women face as many challenges as they do in Afghanistan—a country which not only holds the record for the worst place to be a mother, according to Save the Children's “State of the World's Mothers Report 2010,” but is also home to the fundamentalist Taliban, one of the world's most repressive anti-women's rights regimes.

AUSTRALIA based Fijian hip-hop artist Thelma Thomas aka MC Trey jets into the country to hold a series of workshops with local young women.

The Majlis is mulling over a major plan to provide greater security for women, MP Zohreh Elahian announced recently.

More than one thousand women and 15 Arab and Jewish human rights groups will demonstrate on Monday against the Israeli authorities continued demolition of houses and villages in the Negev.

The demonstration organized by the Arab follow up committee in 1948 occupied land in cooperation with numerous women groups is to start in front of the Israeli interior ministry in Jerusalem.

The Minister of Justice, Cllr. Christiana P. Tah, has called on 'widows' of deceased soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) who are involved in blocking streets in Monrovia and other illegal actions to desist from their action.

Late last year, I hosted a conference in Sarajevo that brought together female parliamentarians from across the region. It was the second time the OSCE had supported this gathering, and over a two-day period participants discussed how to expand and improve the participation of women in politics.

A section of Women in Sierra Leone have decided to hold their President right in the spotlight by taking advantage of his Public Apology to Women, whether the President was sincere or not, to move to actualize worthy dreams for a 30% Quota of Women in the decision making processes of Governance.

The Women's Affairs, Gender and Community Development ministry has raised fears that women, who constitute the highest number of participants in the constitution-making process, are being intimidated into silence at outreach meetings.

The inclusive Government is committed to achieving gender equality in line with the Sadc Protocol on Gender and Development, as it is a key ingredient in the development of society, a senior official has said.

Women's Affairs, Gender and Community Development Deputy Minister Jessie Majome said the Global Political Agreement was clear on the principals' commitment to see gender equality prevailing in Zimbabwe.