women's empowerment

Use of the terms “gender” and “gender equality” in Armenia’s new law equal rights stirred major discontent among those believing that the ambiguity of the words set a legal ground for gradual destruction of Armenian families. Pressured by public criticism and the concerns expressed by the Armenian Apostolic Church, the government has replaced “gender” by “equal rights and equal opportunities for men and women”. 

Malaysia came in for particular praise at the ongoing 59th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference here for instituting changes that allowed the participation of more women in the political process, at least within the Commonwealth grouping.

Commonwealth Sec-Gen Dr William Shija said it was affirmative action that indeed some political parties have put into the system to try to reach out to women candidate that have produced results.

Few female candidates ran for seats in the by-elections for provincial and National Assembly seats in Pakistan recently, let alone won. Similarly, after the country’s general elections in May 2013, the number of women holding contested National Assembly seats fell from 16 to 6. To international observers, the numbers may make Pakistani women appear as passive observers in the country’s political landscape, complacent with the status quo. But the story of Pakistani women’s political participation is more complex.

Future Prime Minister of Malaysia. Mother. Wife. Friend. Daughter of the mercurial and charismatic Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Nurul Izzah is all these and more.

How she has grown up.  When she started out in politics, and started speaking publicly, she came off as shy.

We invite you to read the full article published September 3, 2013

The Prime Minister of the Cook Islands says more women should run for Parliament but need to get there on their own merits.

Henry Puna says he strongly encourages women to take up positions of power in Cook Islands communities.

But he says he disagrees with others about how women may get to those positions of power.

We invite you to read the full article published September 3, 2013

Heated debate erupted on the floor in the Senate on Thursday after some Senators strongly opposed a provision in the election reform law that requires political parties to ensure thirty percent gender equality during candidates' registration.

Some of the Senators, who opposed with the thirty percent gender equality provision, said the committee on the election reform law should not legalize what is not part of the Constitution of Liberia.

The Congress party is revamping its frontal organisation, Women Congress, in a bid to empower grassroots level women party workers politically, socially and economically.

All India Women Congress (AIWC) has been directed to form self-help groups of women members to make them self reliant.

Politically, their credentials will be screened at different levels before their appointment on responsible posts within the organisation.

This week our Prime Minister will join the leaders of 15 Pacific Island countries at the 44th meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum.

The 16 all-male leaders will meet for three days in the Marshall Islands, and discuss important issues such as climate change and Fiji's progress towards democratic elections next year.

But let's hope they will also find time to discuss gender equality in the Pacific, and why it is that women in the Pacific are worse off, in many respects, than most other women in the world.