Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - The Toguna Peace and Development Foundation, an international NGO, and its partners have unveiled a programme for peace and the empowerment of women to optimize their capacity as nation builders and agents of development. Full text...

Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Women have a critical role to play in the attainment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include the recognition of girls and women’s equality and empowerment and their wellbeing, Vice President Dr Isatou Njie-Saidy said on Tuesday. Full text...

Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - The African Development Bank (AfDB) launched a programme on Tuesday to stop the bullying of women and girls on the internet and other forms of gender-based violence during celebrations to mark the International Women’s Day in Nairobi. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday called for greater coordination in global efforts to end sexual and gender-based crimes. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN announced a new initiative on Tuesday to advance efforts to end child marriage by 2030 and protect the rights of millions of the most vulnerable girls around the world. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Senior UN officials on Tuesday stressed the need to "Step It Up" with more resources and greater political action to achieve gender equality by 2030. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - Almost 16 million girls between the ages of about 6 and 11 will never get the chance to learn to read or write in primary school compared to about 8 million boys if current trends continue, according to a new report from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics (UIS). Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - On International Women’s Day, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is launching a call for nominations to the first edition of the new UNESCO Prize for girls’ and women’s education. Full text...

Ebène, Mauritius (PANA) - Mauritian Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth on Tuesday said that his government will take firm action that includes strengthening of the laws to deal with violence and abuse against women and children. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - While projections have been made about the short-, medium-, and long-term impacts of Ebola on the economies of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, it is clear that women in the three countries are likely to experience those impacts disproportionately, according to a new study on the disease that recently devastated the three West African countries. Full text...

Gaborone, Botswana (PANA) - Botswana’s civil society has challenged the nation to streamline gender equality to the benefit of women. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) – The hundreds of millions of women and girls across the globe who have left their homes, whether by force or by choice, and often in search of a better life like all migrants, must be at the centre of the global development agenda, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Director General William Lacy Swing, said Monday. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) – African women who have made significant achievements in their countries and communities will be honoured at a gala dinner on 10 March in London, two days after the International Women’s Day (IWD), organizers of the event, New African Woman magazine, have announced. Full text...

Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Women and girls need to be at the core of disaster risk reduction, given that they often bear the brunt of climate change and hazards such as storms and floods, United Nations experts tasked with monitoring implementation of a landmark UN convention on ending discrimination against women heard on Monday. Full text...

Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) – Women groups in Zambia have commended Zambian President Edgar Lungu on his pronouncement that he would adopt a woman as his running mate during the 11 August general elections. Full text...

Lome, Togo (PANA) - Civil society organizations, NGOs and government ministries involved in the promotion of law and the empowerment of women in Togo have committed to take concrete steps to eliminate disparities and discrimination hindering the inclusiveness and sustainable development of mankind, the Ministry of Social Action, Promotion of Women and Literacy said on Friday. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The world needs science and science needs women to ensure sustainable growth and development, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said on Thursday. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY (NGO CSW/NY), one of the three women’s committees of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the UN (CoNGO) that advocates for women’s rights and gender equality, has given the 2016 NGO CSW Forum Woman of Distinction Award to Nigeria's Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Dozens of women, girls, experts, and United Nations officials gathered on Monday at a special event at UN Headquarters to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Full text...

NewYork, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday announced the first members of the High-level Advisory Group for Every Woman Every Child who will help provide leadership and inspire ambitious action for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health during the transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) – The African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Tuesday urged African women to be ''transformers and not just conformers''. Full text...

Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) – Zambian President Edgar Lungu has with immediate effect withdrawn the appointment of local musician Clifford Dimba popularly known as ‘General Kanene’ as an ambassador against gender- based violence. Full text...

Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - The Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh, has lifted his recent directive that women working in public offices must put on headtie, not hijab, during working hours. Full text...

Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - A Gambian government directive requiring female civil servants to cover their hair during working hours hasn't gone down well with many women in the republic on the West African coast whose President Yahya Jammeh has declared an Islamic State. Full text...

Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - The Gambia Committee on Harmful Traditional Practices (Gamcotrap) has welcomed the amendment to the Women Act 2010 that criminalizes the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). Full text...

Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - The Gambia has become the 27th country in sub-Saharan Africa to legislate against female genital mutilation (FGM) with the passing of the Women’s Amendment Act 2010 bill to prohibit female circumcision and matters connected therein, PANA reported Tuesday. Full text...

Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) – UN human rights experts have criticised Zambian President Edgar Lungu for pardoning local musician Clifford Dimba, popularly known as General Kanene, who was convicted of the rape of a 14-year-old girl and appointed as an ambassador in the fight against gender violence. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - A new web and mobile-phone application that will help women entrepreneurs from across the world to connect to markets was launched Wednesday by the International Trade Centre (ITC), which said it is part of a wider initiative to connect one million women entrepreneurs to markets by 2010. Full text...

Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) - Zambia's Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) has commended the Ministry of Gender and the women’s movement in the country following the passing of the Gender Equality and Equity Bill into law by parliament this week. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - A UN report on Thursday said of the more than 100 million people in need of humanitarian aid this year due to conflict and natural disasters, 26 million are women and adolescent girls of reproductive age. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) – The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, has called for a ''collective and robust effort'' to combat violence against women. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Expressing deep concern about atrocities being committed Full text...

Gaborone, Botswana (PANA) - Botswana’s minister of labour and home affairs, Edwin Batshu, on Thursday announced that government is committed to gender equality. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - A UN-backed toll free hotline has been launched for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Somalia to tackle sexual violence by enhancing timely response to abuse cases and offering information on accessible health services. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Applauding the decision by UN member states to include gender equality as a key plank of the newly-adopted 2030 Agenda, Chief of Gender, Equality and Diversity Branch at the International Labour Organization (ILO), Ms. Shauna Olney has stressed the importance of empowering women in employment, salaries and the working environment. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Lives of women and girls around the world have improved in Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Marking the International Day of Rural Women, the UN on Thursday Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Marking the 15th anniversary the adoption of the UN Security Council’s resolution 1325, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday declared his commitment to the inclusion of women in peace-building processes. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The newly-adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer an opportunity Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana on Wednesday said his Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Leading global companies and foundations have committed millions in additional financing for gender equality at a Business and Philanthropy Leaders’ Forum organized by UN Women on Sunday in New York. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Stating that no country to date has achieved full equality between the sexes, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Al Hussein on Tuesday urged the 47 members of the UN Human Rights Council "to do better than our societies and make a real difference in achieving gender parity." Full text...

UN, New York (PANA) – Increased attention needs to be given to women so they can be empowered to actively help counter terrorism and violent extremism around the world, a senior United Nations counter-terrorism official told a news conference in New York Wednesday. Full text...

Cotonou, Benin (PANA) – China has given Benin 20 million CFAF to help in its fight against gender-based violence. Full text...

Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - The joint operation exercise by representatives of security organs from 30 African countries kicked off Tuesday in Kigali, with Rwandan President Paul Kagame urging the military and police leadership to keep faith with the spirit of excellence in ending violence against women. Full text...

Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) - Child marriages and teenage pregnancies in Zambia "are a real time bomb" requiring concerted efforts to diffuse it, according to the country's Non-Governmental Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC). Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - The Southern African Gender Protocol Alliance has called on SADC Heads of State to put their weight behind the review of the SADC Gender Protocol, especially in the proposed Monitoring, Evaluation and Results (MER) Framework. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - A new report on how to transform economies to realize women's rights has been launched by the UN agency for gender equality (UN Women). Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Official statistics published in Mauritius show that out of a total population of 1,260,934, there were 636,932 women against 624,002 men in 2014 or 12,930 more women than men. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Increased investments in gender equality are vital if the world is Full text...