A year ago, Egyptian politician and women's rights activist Mervat Tallawy defied the Muslim Brotherhood to spearhead the adoption of a U.N. blueprint to combat violence against women. Now she's back campaigning against conservatives to ensure that equality for women remains at the top of the U.N. agenda.

Fianna Fáil has conceded it is “disappointed” with the proportion of female candidates it is running in the local and European elections in May.

The passage of a draft law seeking to provide 30 percent women participation in all political parties was stalled recently by a motion for reconsideration made by Nimba County Senator Thomas Grupee.

Senator Grupee's motion for reconsideration angered several women leaders who have expressed disappointment in the senator's action.

Some of them told a local radio station that Senator Grupee is against women leadership.

When Michelle Bachelet takes office as president of Chile for the second time on Tuesday, the person who places the blue, white and red striped presidential sash round her neck will be  Isabel Allende - the first woman in Chilean history to be leader of the senate.

 One in four lawmakers in Latin America are women, a proportion second only to Europe, and a continent better known as the home of machismo is now leading the way in drawing more women into politics – enabling them gradually to push women’s, social and educational issues to the fore.

There is a big debate in the world of those advocating gender parity and it goes like this.

Most companies and countries around the globe have a dearth of women in leadership roles. Many people agree we should be at 50-50, but they don't agree on how to get there.

Solomon Islands Member of Parliament Hon. Milner Tozaka says he supports reserved seats for women in the national parliament and calls on the government to legislate the proposal before parliament dissolves in September 2014.

Mr Tozaka made these remarks at a recent three-day regional consultation on human rights for members of parliament in Auckland, New Zealand on 15–17 January 2014 organised by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Regional Rights Resource Team (SPC RRRT).