Advocacy and Lobbying

16 Mar 2012 -UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet comments on the ending of the 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women without agreed conclusions.

During this 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, we have witnessed passionate and dynamic discussion with a very high level of participation from governments and civil society.
 

16 Mar 2012 - Six major Islamic organizations have voiced objections to the gender fairness and equality bill, saying that some articles may harm Islamic values.

The objections were made during a consultation meeting between the organizations and the House's religion and social affairs commission.

For the full story, see Asia One.

16 Mar 2012 - The Arab Spring continues to blow winds of change in the Middle East. There is no doubt the direction these countries are heading in will affect Arab societies and personal rights. But recently, the focus has been on women in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.

20 Mar 2012 - Experts say the country will see more women making it to the top in a variety of professions in the years to come as a growing number of women rise up the ladder, elbowing out their male competitors.

Women have taken an increasing share of successful applicants for the bar exam and higher diplomatic and civil service exams, the passage of which has been regarded as opening the way for joining the elite power group.

For the full story, see Korean Herald.

19 Mar 2012 -  With security issues still taking centre stage in news headlines in Israel, the country’s long-ignored gender-segregation crisis continues to fester.

That’s why retired brigadier-general Israela Oron, an analyst and commentator on Israeli security and strategic affairs with a background in gender issues, says that now is the time to put Israeli women’s plight on the table.

19 Mar 2012 - On 15 March 2011 a group of children of the sadly now famous city of Deraa, on their way out of school, wrote the first slogans on street walls calling for democracy and change of the authoritarian regime in Syria. That was a symbolic, peaceful and civilized act by very young citizens to echo the astonishing events in Egypt and Tunisia. The security forces reacted immediately through the only way they are used to under an oppressive rule, by arresting those children and subjecting them to brutal and disproportionate torture.

26 Mar 2012 - The Government of Bangladesh firmly believes that gender equity is more than a goal itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.

27 Mar 2012 - Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) delivered the keynote address at a March 22 luncheon honoring the Women’s Discussion Club of Kyrgyzstan, the 2012 recipient of the Madeleine K. Albright Grant awarded by NDI.

In her address, Wasserman Schultz challenged women to take the lead. “Too often, women don’t speak up,” Wasserman Schultz said. “But women's voices are crucial to democracy.”

For the full story, see NDI.

27 Mar 2012 - In an exclusive discussion with women’s organizations the day after he emerged as the winner of Senegal’s Presidential election on 25 March President-Elect Macky Sall outlined his vision for improving the lives of Senegalese women.