Partner News

As part of its campaign Parliaments Take Action on Violence against Women, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is inviting all parliaments to organize a special event on or around 25 November around the theme Building partnerships to combat violence against women.

As part of its campaign Parliaments Take Action on Violence against Women, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is inviting all parliaments to organize a special event on or around 25 November around the theme Building partnerships to combat violence against women.

To be effective, action to curb violence against women must be built on close collaboration between the various stakeholders involved in preventing and responding to the problem. Hence, parliaments may wish to mark the International Day by organizing one of the many activities that bring two or more key stakeholders together, such as:

• Consultations in parliament or directly with the stakeholders involved in combating violence against women and identifying national solutions;
• A special discussion about a relevant bill;
• A national stock-taking of progress made and difficulties encountered in enforcing the law with the various stakeholders involved (magistrates, prosecutors, police service, attorneys, health and social services, civil society, etc.);
• A conference or seminar dedicated to identifying ways of preventing this form of violence;
• Mobilization of the media through press conferences and radio and television programmes with a panel of key stakeholders.

An inventory of the events organized by parliaments will be posted on the IPU website at: www.ipu.org/vaw. They will also be listed as parliamentary contributions within the framework of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Campaign UNite to End Violence against Women.

The IPU has already issued campaign materials and copies of the poster and booklet on what parliaments can do to end violence against women are available on the IPU website at: http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/vaw/day.htm. The IPU would be pleased to send parliaments additional copies of these documents upon request.

For any questions about the IPU campaign, please contact Ms. Brigitte Filion, Programme Officer, by e-mail at: bf@mail.ipu.org or by telephone at: +41 22 919 41 20.

As part of its campaign Parliaments Take Action on Violence against Women, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is inviting all parliaments to organize a special event on or around 25 November around the theme Building partnerships to combat violence against women.

To be effective, action to curb violence against women must be built on close collaboration between the various stakeholders involved in preventing and responding to the problem. Hence, parliaments may wish to mark the International Day by organizing one of the many activities that bring two or more key stakeholders together, such as:

• Consultations in parliament or directly with the stakeholders involved in combating violence against women and identifying national solutions;
• A special discussion about a relevant bill;
• A national stock-taking of progress made and difficulties encountered in enforcing the law with the various stakeholders involved (magistrates, prosecutors, police service, attorneys, health and social services, civil society, etc.);
• A conference or seminar dedicated to identifying ways of preventing this form of violence;
• Mobilization of the media through press conferences and radio and television programmes with a panel of key stakeholders.

An inventory of the events organized by parliaments will be posted on the IPU website at: www.ipu.org/vaw. They will also be listed as parliamentary contributions within the framework of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Campaign UNite to End Violence against Women.

The IPU has already issued campaign materials and copies of the poster and booklet on what parliaments can do to end violence against women are available on the IPU website at: http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/vaw/day.htm. The IPU would be pleased to send parliaments additional copies of these documents upon request.

For any questions about the IPU campaign, please contact Ms. Brigitte Filion, Programme Officer, by e-mail at: bf@mail.ipu.org or by telephone at: +41 22 919 41 20.

The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), in collaboration with the Grenier International NGO, conducted an awareness-raising session on preserving a peaceful post-election environment for about 100 women in Nagnénéfoun Village, in the northern commune of Korhogo, on Friday 7 January 2011.

For more information, please visit StarAfrica.com.

The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), in collaboration with the Grenier International NGO, conducted an awareness-raising session on preserving a peaceful post-election environment for about 100 women in Nagnénéfoun Village, in the northern commune of Korhogo, on Friday 7 January 2011.

For more information, please visit StarAfrica.com.

The United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), in collaboration with the Grenier International NGO, conducted an awareness-raising session on preserving a peaceful post-election environment for about 100 women in Nagnénéfoun Village, in the northern commune of Korhogo, on Friday 7 January 2011.

For more information, please visit StarAfrica.com.

A training course on the legal procedures for female candidates in the parliamentary election kicked off in Sana'a on Saturday.The training course is organized by Women National Committee (WNC) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).
For more information, please visit Yemen News Agency.

A training course on the legal procedures for female candidates in the parliamentary election kicked off in Sana'a on Saturday.The training course is organized by Women National Committee (WNC) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).
For more information, please visit Yemen News Agency.

A training course on the legal procedures for female candidates in the parliamentary election kicked off in Sana'a on Saturday.The training course is organized by Women National Committee (WNC) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).
For more information, please visit Yemen News Agency.

8 March 2011

On this 100^th International Women’s Day, we can dream of how the world can look if women have equal rights and opportunities to reach their full potential. 

Empowered women and girls have a truly transformative role to play in all our societies, with benefits for all.  Around the world, healthy, educated, employed, and empowered women break poverty cycles – not only for themselves, but for their families, communities, and countries too.

This year, International Women’s Day highlights the participation of women and girls in education, training, science and technology. It also focuses our attention on the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work.

Advances are being made in many areas, but no yet fast enough.  For example, less than 10 percent of countries have women heads of state or government, and only 19 percent of the world’s parliamentarians are women. 

While more women than ever before are participating in the work force, almost two-thirds of women in the developing world work in the informal economy without labour rights and social protection. Globally, women are more likely to be jobless, and to have borne the worst setbacks of the economic crisis.

Although the gender gap in education is closing, there are wide differences within and across countries.  More than 30 million girls around the world are missing out on education. Yet educated women and girls have more choices, are able to have higher living standards, are more likely to seek medical care during pregnancy, and ensure that their children are vaccinated and better nourished.  Those children are then more likely to go to school and carry on the benefits of education to their communities and future generations. 

Investing in women and girls is crucial for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  This was a key message in UNDP’s International Assessment of what it will take to achieve the MDGs.

From huge national projects to smaller-scale initiatives, UNDP works to support countries to reduce gender inequalities and improve the lives of women.

For example, in El Salvador, a country with one of the highest murder rates of women, UNDP and sister UN agencies worked with women parliamentarians to support the passage of a groundbreaking Bill to address violence against women.

In Lebanon, more than 40 women’s co-operatives have formed across the country to revitalize communities which were economically devastated by conflict.

The United Nations’ commitment to investing in women and girls is absolute and resolute. With the creation of UN Women, the UN has an organization devoted to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.  UN Women, working together with the UN country teams around the world, will play a vital role in promoting and achieving gender equality, and UNDP is committed to a strong partnership with UN Women to this end.

8 March 2011

On this 100^th International Women’s Day, we can dream of how the world can look if women have equal rights and opportunities to reach their full potential. 

Empowered women and girls have a truly transformative role to play in all our societies, with benefits for all.  Around the world, healthy, educated, employed, and empowered women break poverty cycles – not only for themselves, but for their families, communities, and countries too.

This year, International Women’s Day highlights the participation of women and girls in education, training, science and technology. It also focuses our attention on the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work.

Advances are being made in many areas, but no yet fast enough.  For example, less than 10 percent of countries have women heads of state or government, and only 19 percent of the world’s parliamentarians are women. 

While more women than ever before are participating in the work force, almost two-thirds of women in the developing world work in the informal economy without labour rights and social protection. Globally, women are more likely to be jobless, and to have borne the worst setbacks of the economic crisis.

Although the gender gap in education is closing, there are wide differences within and across countries.  More than 30 million girls around the world are missing out on education. Yet educated women and girls have more choices, are able to have higher living standards, are more likely to seek medical care during pregnancy, and ensure that their children are vaccinated and better nourished.  Those children are then more likely to go to school and carry on the benefits of education to their communities and future generations. 

Investing in women and girls is crucial for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  This was a key message in UNDP’s International Assessment of what it will take to achieve the MDGs.

From huge national projects to smaller-scale initiatives, UNDP works to support countries to reduce gender inequalities and improve the lives of women.

For example, in El Salvador, a country with one of the highest murder rates of women, UNDP and sister UN agencies worked with women parliamentarians to support the passage of a groundbreaking Bill to address violence against women.

In Lebanon, more than 40 women’s co-operatives have formed across the country to revitalize communities which were economically devastated by conflict.

The United Nations’ commitment to investing in women and girls is absolute and resolute. With the creation of UN Women, the UN has an organization devoted to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.  UN Women, working together with the UN country teams around the world, will play a vital role in promoting and achieving gender equality, and UNDP is committed to a strong partnership with UN Women to this end.

A prominent Namibian politician and former Ambassador, Nora Schimming-Chase, called for the formation of a separate women’s political party at an event in honour of the Centenary Celebration of International Women’s Day.

“On this 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day, only six countries within the SADC reached the protocol goal of 30% women in Parliament by 2010.  If we haven’t attained this goal, I don’t have much hope for 50/50 by 2015, so I’m suggesting some drastic measures.”

Schimming-Chase made the suggestion for a separate women’s party among a series of presentationsreflecting on the measures needed to address women’s continued under representation as voters, political leaders and elected officials in South Africa.  She also called on women to play a more proactive part in promoting their own political emancipation, encouraging women to stand and to build solidarity networks.

During her presentation, Janine Hicks, Commissioner, Commission on Gender Equality, stated, “Despite notable achievements and the political will to sign on to regional treaties including the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, we have failed to see a significant transformation in women’s lives and inequality still prevails.”

Hicks highlighted the mechanisms that have been put in place to promote and protect gender equality, including South Africa’s constitution and its principles, which call for a society based on equality. Despite these, however there continues to be a lack of gender transformation generally within political structures and government. She highlighted the need for policies and programmes to support and promote women.

The event, hosted by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and the Commission for Gender Equality was held on 7 March 2011 at the Women’s Jail in the Constitutional Court complex, Johannesburg. This venue was previously a jail for women political prisoners and now represents a symbol of freedom and democracy. It was therefore a fitting venue to host the event. The theme for the evening was “50/50 by 2015: Creating an Enabling Environment for Increasing Women’s Political Participation”.

Susan Markham, Director of NDI’s Women’s Political Participation Program provided an overview of the overriding goals and features of its programming, including highlighting examples from the region where NDI has been active in Lesotho, Botswana and Namibia.

The occasion of international women’s day represents an important opportunity to reflect on progress made towards women’s equality.  The function included representatives from the government sector, political parties, academics and the international community.

NDI, which is re-establishing its presence in South Africa after a lapse of just over a decade, was pleased to partner with the Commission for Gender Equality in hosting the event, which is a precursor to the aspiration to partner on a program of action, which is in the process of being formalized and will be rolled out in the course of 2011.

To read further about NDI work please visit NDI.org

A prominent Namibian politician and former Ambassador, Nora Schimming-Chase, called for the formation of a separate women’s political party at an event in honour of the Centenary Celebration of International Women’s Day.

“On this 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day, only six countries within the SADC reached the protocol goal of 30% women in Parliament by 2010.  If we haven’t attained this goal, I don’t have much hope for 50/50 by 2015, so I’m suggesting some drastic measures.”

Schimming-Chase made the suggestion for a separate women’s party among a series of presentationsreflecting on the measures needed to address women’s continued under representation as voters, political leaders and elected officials in South Africa.  She also called on women to play a more proactive part in promoting their own political emancipation, encouraging women to stand and to build solidarity networks.

During her presentation, Janine Hicks, Commissioner, Commission on Gender Equality, stated, “Despite notable achievements and the political will to sign on to regional treaties including the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, we have failed to see a significant transformation in women’s lives and inequality still prevails.”

Hicks highlighted the mechanisms that have been put in place to promote and protect gender equality, including South Africa’s constitution and its principles, which call for a society based on equality. Despite these, however there continues to be a lack of gender transformation generally within political structures and government. She highlighted the need for policies and programmes to support and promote women.

The event, hosted by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and the Commission for Gender Equality was held on 7 March 2011 at the Women’s Jail in the Constitutional Court complex, Johannesburg. This venue was previously a jail for women political prisoners and now represents a symbol of freedom and democracy. It was therefore a fitting venue to host the event. The theme for the evening was “50/50 by 2015: Creating an Enabling Environment for Increasing Women’s Political Participation”.

Susan Markham, Director of NDI’s Women’s Political Participation Program provided an overview of the overriding goals and features of its programming, including highlighting examples from the region where NDI has been active in Lesotho, Botswana and Namibia.

The occasion of international women’s day represents an important opportunity to reflect on progress made towards women’s equality.  The function included representatives from the government sector, political parties, academics and the international community.

NDI, which is re-establishing its presence in South Africa after a lapse of just over a decade, was pleased to partner with the Commission for Gender Equality in hosting the event, which is a precursor to the aspiration to partner on a program of action, which is in the process of being formalized and will be rolled out in the course of 2011.

To read further about NDI work please visit NDI.org

A prominent Namibian politician and former Ambassador, Nora Schimming-Chase, called for the formation of a separate women’s political party at an event in honour of the Centenary Celebration of International Women’s Day.

“On this 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day, only six countries within the SADC reached the protocol goal of 30% women in Parliament by 2010.  If we haven’t attained this goal, I don’t have much hope for 50/50 by 2015, so I’m suggesting some drastic measures.”

Schimming-Chase made the suggestion for a separate women’s party among a series of presentationsreflecting on the measures needed to address women’s continued under representation as voters, political leaders and elected officials in South Africa.  She also called on women to play a more proactive part in promoting their own political emancipation, encouraging women to stand and to build solidarity networks.

During her presentation, Janine Hicks, Commissioner, Commission on Gender Equality, stated, “Despite notable achievements and the political will to sign on to regional treaties including the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, we have failed to see a significant transformation in women’s lives and inequality still prevails.”

Hicks highlighted the mechanisms that have been put in place to promote and protect gender equality, including South Africa’s constitution and its principles, which call for a society based on equality. Despite these, however there continues to be a lack of gender transformation generally within political structures and government. She highlighted the need for policies and programmes to support and promote women.

The event, hosted by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and the Commission for Gender Equality was held on 7 March 2011 at the Women’s Jail in the Constitutional Court complex, Johannesburg. This venue was previously a jail for women political prisoners and now represents a symbol of freedom and democracy. It was therefore a fitting venue to host the event. The theme for the evening was “50/50 by 2015: Creating an Enabling Environment for Increasing Women’s Political Participation”.

Susan Markham, Director of NDI’s Women’s Political Participation Program provided an overview of the overriding goals and features of its programming, including highlighting examples from the region where NDI has been active in Lesotho, Botswana and Namibia.

The occasion of international women’s day represents an important opportunity to reflect on progress made towards women’s equality.  The function included representatives from the government sector, political parties, academics and the international community.

NDI, which is re-establishing its presence in South Africa after a lapse of just over a decade, was pleased to partner with the Commission for Gender Equality in hosting the event, which is a precursor to the aspiration to partner on a program of action, which is in the process of being formalized and will be rolled out in the course of 2011.

To read further about NDI work please visit NDI.org

To mark the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, women parliamentarians from different parts of the world are sharing their views on their experiences in politics. They answer questions about the importance of women in politics, their personal motivation to enter politics, how they would advise a young woman interested in entering politics, and achievements they are proud of.

To read the full interviews, please visit the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

To mark the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, women parliamentarians from different parts of the world are sharing their views on their experiences in politics. They answer questions about the importance of women in politics, their personal motivation to enter politics, how they would advise a young woman interested in entering politics, and achievements they are proud of.

To read the full interviews, please visit the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. The day was commemorated for the first time on 19 March 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, following its establishment during the Socialist International meeting the prior year. More than one million women and men attended rallies on that first commemoration.

UN Women's executive director Michelle Bachelet speaks about the need to make equality a reality. To watch the full interview, please click here. To read her written statement, please see below.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2011: TIME TO MAKE THE PROMISE OF EQUALITY A REALITY

A hundred years ago today, women across the world took an historic step on the long road to equality. The first ever International Women’s Day was called to draw attention to the unacceptable and often dangerous working conditions that so many women faced worldwide. Although the occasion was celebrated in only a handful of countries, it brought over one million women out onto the streets, demanding not just better conditions at work but also the right to vote, to hold office and to be equal partners with men.

I suspect those courageous pioneers would look at our world today with a mixture of pride and disappointment. There has been remarkable progress as the last century has seen an unprecedented expansion of women’s legal rights and entitlements. Indeed, the advancement of women’s rights can lay claim to be one of the most profound social revolutions the world has seen.

One hundred years ago, only two countries allowed women to vote. Today, that right is virtually universal, and women have now been elected to lead Governments in every continent. Women, too, hold leading positions in professions from which they were once banned. Far more recently than a century ago, the police, courts and neighbors still saw violence in the home as a purely private matter. Today two-thirds of countries have specific laws that penalize domestic violence, and the United Nations Security Council now recognizes sexual violence as a deliberate tactic of war.

But despite this progress over the last century, the hopes of equality expressed on that first International Women’s Day are a long way from being realized. Almost two out of three illiterate adults are women. Girls are still less likely to be in school than boys. Every 90 seconds of every day, a woman dies in pregnancy or due to childbirth-related complications despite us having the knowledge and resources to make birth safe.

Across the world, women continue to earn less than men for the same work. In many countries, too, they have unequal access to land and inheritance rights. And despite high-profile advances, women still make up only 19 percent of legislatures, 8 percent of peace negotiators, and only 28 women are heads of state or government.

It is not just women who pay the price for this discrimination. We all suffer for failing to make the most of half the world’s talent and potential. We undermine the quality of our democracy, the strength of our economies, the health of our societies and the sustainability of peace. This year’s focus of International Women’s Day on women’s equal access to education, training, science and technology underscores the need to tap this potential.

The agenda to secure gender equality and women’s rights is a global agenda, a challenge for every country, rich and poor, north and south. It was in recognition of both its universality and the rewards if we get this right that the United Nations brought together four existing organizations to create UN Women. The goal of this new body, which I have the great privilege to lead, is to galvanize the entire UN system so we can deliver on the promise of the UN Charter of equal rights of men and women. It is something I have fought for my whole life.

As a young mother and a paediatrician, I experienced the struggles of balancing family and career and saw how the absence of childcare prevented women from paid employment. The opportunity to help remove these barriers was one of the reasons I went into politics. It is why I supported policies that extended health and childcare services to families and prioritized public spending for social protection.

As President, I worked hard to create equal opportunities for both men and women to contribute their talents and experiences to the challenges facing our country. That is why I proposed a Cabinet that had an equal number of men and women.

As Executive Director of UN Women, I want to use my journey and the collective knowledge and experience all around me to encourage progress towards true gender equality across the world. We will work, in close partnership with men and women, leaders and citizens, civil society, the private sector and the whole UN system to assist countries to roll out policies, programmes and budgets to achieve this worthy goal.

I have seen myself what women, often in the toughest circumstances, can achieve for their families and societies if they are given the opportunity. The strength, industry and wisdom of women remain humanity’s greatest untapped resource. We simply cannot afford to wait another 100 years to unlock this potential.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. The day was commemorated for the first time on 19 March 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, following its establishment during the Socialist International meeting the prior year. More than one million women and men attended rallies on that first commemoration.

UN Women's executive director Michelle Bachelet speaks about the need to make equality a reality. To watch the full interview, please click here. To read her written statement, please see below.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2011: TIME TO MAKE THE PROMISE OF EQUALITY A REALITY

A hundred years ago today, women across the world took an historic step on the long road to equality. The first ever International Women’s Day was called to draw attention to the unacceptable and often dangerous working conditions that so many women faced worldwide. Although the occasion was celebrated in only a handful of countries, it brought over one million women out onto the streets, demanding not just better conditions at work but also the right to vote, to hold office and to be equal partners with men.

I suspect those courageous pioneers would look at our world today with a mixture of pride and disappointment. There has been remarkable progress as the last century has seen an unprecedented expansion of women’s legal rights and entitlements. Indeed, the advancement of women’s rights can lay claim to be one of the most profound social revolutions the world has seen.

One hundred years ago, only two countries allowed women to vote. Today, that right is virtually universal, and women have now been elected to lead Governments in every continent. Women, too, hold leading positions in professions from which they were once banned. Far more recently than a century ago, the police, courts and neighbors still saw violence in the home as a purely private matter. Today two-thirds of countries have specific laws that penalize domestic violence, and the United Nations Security Council now recognizes sexual violence as a deliberate tactic of war.

But despite this progress over the last century, the hopes of equality expressed on that first International Women’s Day are a long way from being realized. Almost two out of three illiterate adults are women. Girls are still less likely to be in school than boys. Every 90 seconds of every day, a woman dies in pregnancy or due to childbirth-related complications despite us having the knowledge and resources to make birth safe.

Across the world, women continue to earn less than men for the same work. In many countries, too, they have unequal access to land and inheritance rights. And despite high-profile advances, women still make up only 19 percent of legislatures, 8 percent of peace negotiators, and only 28 women are heads of state or government.

It is not just women who pay the price for this discrimination. We all suffer for failing to make the most of half the world’s talent and potential. We undermine the quality of our democracy, the strength of our economies, the health of our societies and the sustainability of peace. This year’s focus of International Women’s Day on women’s equal access to education, training, science and technology underscores the need to tap this potential.

The agenda to secure gender equality and women’s rights is a global agenda, a challenge for every country, rich and poor, north and south. It was in recognition of both its universality and the rewards if we get this right that the United Nations brought together four existing organizations to create UN Women. The goal of this new body, which I have the great privilege to lead, is to galvanize the entire UN system so we can deliver on the promise of the UN Charter of equal rights of men and women. It is something I have fought for my whole life.

As a young mother and a paediatrician, I experienced the struggles of balancing family and career and saw how the absence of childcare prevented women from paid employment. The opportunity to help remove these barriers was one of the reasons I went into politics. It is why I supported policies that extended health and childcare services to families and prioritized public spending for social protection.

As President, I worked hard to create equal opportunities for both men and women to contribute their talents and experiences to the challenges facing our country. That is why I proposed a Cabinet that had an equal number of men and women.

As Executive Director of UN Women, I want to use my journey and the collective knowledge and experience all around me to encourage progress towards true gender equality across the world. We will work, in close partnership with men and women, leaders and citizens, civil society, the private sector and the whole UN system to assist countries to roll out policies, programmes and budgets to achieve this worthy goal.

I have seen myself what women, often in the toughest circumstances, can achieve for their families and societies if they are given the opportunity. The strength, industry and wisdom of women remain humanity’s greatest untapped resource. We simply cannot afford to wait another 100 years to unlock this potential.

The National Democratic Institute withdrew on March 17 from a Ukrainian working group developing a new election law.

NDI, in ending its participation, said it was protesting the group’s non-inclusiveness in developing a new election law after local elections in October did not meet democratic standards.

“NDI has decided it must suspend its participation in the group unless steps are taken to make the entire election law drafting process more inclusive and transparent,” Laura Jewett, NDI’s Eurasia regional director, said in a letter to Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych.

To read the full article please consult KyivPost

The National Democratic Institute withdrew on March 17 from a Ukrainian working group developing a new election law.

NDI, in ending its participation, said it was protesting the group’s non-inclusiveness in developing a new election law after local elections in October did not meet democratic standards.

“NDI has decided it must suspend its participation in the group unless steps are taken to make the entire election law drafting process more inclusive and transparent,” Laura Jewett, NDI’s Eurasia regional director, said in a letter to Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych.

To read the full article please consult KyivPost

The National Democratic Institute withdrew on March 17 from a Ukrainian working group developing a new election law.

NDI, in ending its participation, said it was protesting the group’s non-inclusiveness in developing a new election law after local elections in October did not meet democratic standards.

“NDI has decided it must suspend its participation in the group unless steps are taken to make the entire election law drafting process more inclusive and transparent,” Laura Jewett, NDI’s Eurasia regional director, said in a letter to Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych.

To read the full article please consult KyivPost

Local elections on May 8 in Albania are an opportunity to put more women in public office in a country with one of the lowest percentages of elected women in Europe. That was the message delivered by Jozefina Topalli, Albania's speaker of parliament, to women who had just completed a 10-month program on campaign management, messaging and advocacy organized by NDI.

To read the complete article please visit NDI.org

Local elections on May 8 in Albania are an opportunity to put more women in public office in a country with one of the lowest percentages of elected women in Europe. That was the message delivered by Jozefina Topalli, Albania's speaker of parliament, to women who had just completed a 10-month program on campaign management, messaging and advocacy organized by NDI.

To read the complete article please visit NDI.org

Local elections on May 8 in Albania are an opportunity to put more women in public office in a country with one of the lowest percentages of elected women in Europe. That was the message delivered by Jozefina Topalli, Albania's speaker of parliament, to women who had just completed a 10-month program on campaign management, messaging and advocacy organized by NDI.

To read the complete article please visit NDI.org

UNDP Viet Nam country office is looking for an International Gender Expert with the deadline submission for application on Wednesday, 13 April 2011 at 5 PM. In close collaboration with relevant National Assembly (NA) and Provincial People's Councils' (PPCs) Deputies and project staff, the expert is required to:

• Provide technical specialized advice to establish sustainable institutional mechanisms for the mainstreaming of gender in the work of the NA committees and other relevant agencies, selected PPCs and the Vietnamese Female MPs Group.
• Provide technical specialized advice to develop awareness raising and training strategy and materials on gender issues for MPs and staff.
• Provide technical specialized advice to promote knowledge, research, data and information management for gender mainstreaming.
• Provide relevant inputs on development of baselines and indicators for project M&E as well as on project annual strategic planning and reporting.
• Conduct other related duties as required to achieve targets.

In addition, the Expert will consult/cooperate/coordinate with project team members to ensure the timely completion of the activities and reports. The Expert will also guide and supervise the national consultans supporting relevant activities.

The selection will be based on a competitive basis and will comply with UNDP procurement regulations. The following documents are attached.

• Procurement Notice with enclosed Terms of Reference (TOR)
• Detailed project-outline
• LIst of Deliverables
• MIssion Report

Interested candidates are invited to submit Technical and Financial proposals to:

Procurement Unit
UNDP Viet Nam
72 Ly Thuong Kiet, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Attention: Procurement Unit
Tel. (84-4) 3 9421495
Telefax number: (84-4) 3 9422267
Email: bidding.vn@undp.org

For more information, please visit: UNDPVietNam

UNDP Viet Nam country office is looking for an International Gender Expert with the deadline submission for application on Wednesday, 13 April 2011 at 5 PM. In close collaboration with relevant National Assembly (NA) and Provincial People's Councils' (PPCs) Deputies and project staff, the expert is required to:

• Provide technical specialized advice to establish sustainable institutional mechanisms for the mainstreaming of gender in the work of the NA committees and other relevant agencies, selected PPCs and the Vietnamese Female MPs Group.
• Provide technical specialized advice to develop awareness raising and training strategy and materials on gender issues for MPs and staff.
• Provide technical specialized advice to promote knowledge, research, data and information management for gender mainstreaming.
• Provide relevant inputs on development of baselines and indicators for project M&E as well as on project annual strategic planning and reporting.
• Conduct other related duties as required to achieve targets.

In addition, the Expert will consult/cooperate/coordinate with project team members to ensure the timely completion of the activities and reports. The Expert will also guide and supervise the national consultans supporting relevant activities.

The selection will be based on a competitive basis and will comply with UNDP procurement regulations. The following documents are attached.

• Procurement Notice with enclosed Terms of Reference (TOR)
• Detailed project-outline
• LIst of Deliverables
• MIssion Report

Interested candidates are invited to submit Technical and Financial proposals to:

Procurement Unit
UNDP Viet Nam
72 Ly Thuong Kiet, Ha Noi, Viet Nam
Attention: Procurement Unit
Tel. (84-4) 3 9421495
Telefax number: (84-4) 3 9422267
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The Women's Caucus of the Constituent Assembly (CA) has published its position paper entitled - Women's Rights and Agenda to be incorporated in the New Constitution. The recommendations by women CA members were prepared on the basis of preliminary draft reports and concept papers of the constitutional and thematic committees of the CA. They represent the main agenda of women in the CA on matters which have been overlooked by these working committees.

For more information, please visit: InternationalIDEA