Women

A New Index Rates the Well-Being of Women in 153 Nations and US Ranks 22d

October 31, 2017

A new women, peace and security index was unveiled at the United Nations recently. At its core, the WPS index, as it is known, provides evidence for what advocates have been saying all along: that the active and equal participation of women in all aspects of society is critical for peace and security, especially …

Gender-Based Violence, Secretary-General, US Foreign Relations, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Afghan Women Write New Narratives About Themselves, With Courage

October 24, 2017

by Elizabeth Walsh

Throughout the world, Afghan women are often portrayed as victims by the media and other institutions, needing foreign rescue or summoning deep pity for their oppression. Women’s literacy rate is less than half that of men’s in the country, and it remains one of the worst places in the world for a girl to …

Asia, Gender-Based Violence, Journalists, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Women Break the Ice for Peace in Guinea-Bissau

October 3, 2017

by Adriana Erthal Abdenur

Since attaining independence from Portugal, in 1973, Guinea-Bissau has had almost a dozen presidents, none of whom has managed to finish his mandate. Recurring coups, assassinations and political turmoil at the elite level have contributed to a landscape of instability and underdevelopment and vulnerability to organized crime, especially the illegal drug trade. However, unlike …

Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Syrian Refugees Get Help to Run Their Own Business, but It’s Not Easy

September 4, 2017

by Elizabeth Walsh

TAANAYEL, Lebanon — Taanayel is nestled in Lebanon’s picturesque Bekaa Valley, and on a hot summer day in a feebly air-conditioned room, 35 Syrian female refugees gathered at a center shared by numerous local nongovernmental organizations. They arrived that morning by bus from Salaam wa Makhaba, a refugee camp nearby. The women are here to …

Refugees, Syria, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Where Are the Female Leaders at the UN? Gender Bias Persists

August 28, 2017

by Ingvild Bode

The exhibition “HERStory: A Celebration of Leading Women in the United Nations” was held at the Unesco headquarters in Paris this summer, after it made its debut in New York last year. Designed to showcase the contributions of female leaders throughout the UN’s history, it featured such high-profile personalities as Margaret Anstee, the first …

Secretary-General, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

UN Chief Asks All Nations to Sign New Pact Protecting Women

August 21, 2017

by Barbara Crossette

Haunted by accumulating reports of sexual exploitation and abuse of women and girls by United Nations peacekeepers and others attached to UN missions around the world, Secretary-General António Guterres is taking the bold, unprecedented step of asking all governments to sign a compact pledging to prevent and stop these violations. The compact is voluntary …

Africa, Asia, Gender-Based Violence, General Assembly, Secretary-General, UN Peacekeeping, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Building a Case for Prosecuting the Genocide of Yazidi Women

August 1, 2017

by Barbara Crossette

As the Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq crumbles, assessments begin to emerge of the damage left in its wake by its cultural nihilism and harsh sectarian absolutism designed to remake an Arab society. The human costs have been high in Iraq — in deaths, maiming, displacement and the enslavement of girls and women. …

Gender-Based Violence, Middle East, Responsibility to Protect, Security Council, Terrorism, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

In Breakaway Abkhazia, Revived Traditions Put Women on the Edge

June 22, 2017

by Johanna Higgs

SUKHUMI, Abkhazia — Here in the Caucasus region, hugging the Black Sea, this is what the capital of the small breakaway territory of Abkhazia looks like, more than 20 years after severing from Georgia: a city in tatters with abandoned buildings lining the streets and bullet holes still pockmarking the facades. The territory’s quarter …

Asia, Gender-Based Violence, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

One Advantage Women Have Over Men: They Live Longer

June 18, 2017

by Joseph Chamie

With few exceptions, women across the world live longer than men. Globally, life expectancies of women at birth exceed men by more than four years. At age 60, women live longer than men by nearly three years. Globally, average life expectancy at birth stands at 72 years, with some 50 countries attaining levels above …

Health and Population, Sustainable Development Goals, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Mass Tourism: Bad for Culture but Good for Women?

June 13, 2017

by Ariel Sophia Bardi

FLORENCE, Italy — This month, Italy’s tourism season kicks into high gear. Florence, which receives more than 16 million tourists a year, is one of many cities to be marred by mass travel. In the famously picturesque Piazza della Signoria, groups plod through the cobblestoned square, shepherded by flag-waving guides. Vendors peddle selfie-sticks in …

Africa, Asia, Development, Human Rights, Unesco, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Nikki Haley, Seeking the Right Style to Make Big Statements

May 20, 2017

by Laura E. Kirkpatrick

If Nikki Haley is dressing for attention, honestly, it would be hard to fault her. One of the few women named to President Trump’s administration, Haley, a former governor of South Carolina who is the ambassador to the United Nations, has been set adrift in a different region of the country, in foreign policy …

US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

The US Tightens Rules on NGOs in Global Health, Hurting Poor Women

May 16, 2017

by Barbara Crossette

While trying to make the case that the United States remains committed to global health programs, the Trump administration has issued orders to nongovernmental organizations and others working in women’s health that could cripple some of their international operations by demanding contractual compliance with US anti-abortion policies. The new rules have been written under …

Humanitarian Aid, US Foreign Relations, US-UN Relations, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Rape by Terrorists: A UN Report Documents Sexual Attacks in War

May 2, 2017

by Dulcie Leimbach

Moving away from strictly categorizing rape and other sexual abuse against women as a weapon of war, a new report from the United Nations addresses the increasing use of rape as a weapon of terrorism. The report also documents how mass migration has led to further sexual violence against women through human trafficking by …

Gender-Based Violence, Human Trafficking, Libya, Middle East, Peace and Security, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

UN Names Two Women to Highly Visible Envoy Posts

April 30, 2017

by Kacie Candela

Two women have been named to highly visible posts at the United Nations: Pramila Patten of Mauritius is the new special envoy on sexual violence in conflict and begins in mid-June; and Virginia Gamba, an Argentine, is special envoy on children in armed conflict, beginning May 1. The latter is arguably the more controversial job because …

Child Soldiers, Gender-Based Violence, UN Special Envoys, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Feminists Made the Difference: How Women Won National Leadership Roles

April 23, 2017

by Torild Skard

Hillary Clinton did not make it to the top, but Theresa May, the British prime minister, and Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, did. Since Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world’s first female prime minister, in Sri Lanka in 1960, one-hundred women have been heads of state or government around the world. How did they get …

Governance, Women

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Women

A New Index Rates the Well-Being of Women in 153 Nations and US Ranks 22d

Afghan Women Write New Narratives About Themselves, With Courage

Women Break the Ice for Peace in Guinea-Bissau

Syrian Refugees Get Help to Run Their Own Business, but It’s Not Easy

Where Are the Female Leaders at the UN? Gender Bias Persists

UN Chief Asks All Nations to Sign New Pact Protecting Women

Building a Case for Prosecuting the Genocide of Yazidi Women

In Breakaway Abkhazia, Revived Traditions Put Women on the Edge

One Advantage Women Have Over Men: They Live Longer

Mass Tourism: Bad for Culture but Good for Women?

Nikki Haley, Seeking the Right Style to Make Big Statements

The US Tightens Rules on NGOs in Global Health, Hurting Poor Women

Rape by Terrorists: A UN Report Documents Sexual Attacks in War

UN Names Two Women to Highly Visible Envoy Posts

Feminists Made the Difference: How Women Won National Leadership Roles

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