New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called for the involvement of more women in conflict prevention and mediation, saying ``their participation is essential to building blocks in reinforcing democracy''. Full text...

Lomé,Togo (PANA) - A meeting on the women's access to legal and judicial services in Africa, held in Lome, Togo, has adopted an eight-year (2012-2020) Action Plan. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Ms. Gabriela Knaul has called for the integration of a gender perspective into countries’ criminal justice systems to ensure women are not "ruled out of the law. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has denounced hindrances to women entrepreneurship in developing countries in its 2011 report on the information economy launched on Wednesday in Addis Ababa. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called on the Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The president of Senegalese NGO, Association femme enfant environnement (AFEE), Seynabou Tall Wade, on Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland, received the 2011 distinction award for her role in protecting the interest of underprivileged women and children in the rural areas. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Ms. Rashida Manjoo, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, on Tuesday said that violence against women across the world continued to be pervasive and widespread and reminded member states of their obligation under international law to protect women. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has hailed Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian peace activist, and Tawakkul Karman, a pro-democracy activist from Yemen, for jointly winning the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - The Africa Progress Panel (APP) has welcomed the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni rights activist Tawakkul Karman. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - More encomiums have continued to pour in for the three women winners of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winners, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberian peace activist Leymah Roberta Gbowee, and Yemeni activist Tawakkul Karman. Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The African Union (AU) on Friday congratulated Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Friday congratulated the three women winners of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, saying that one of them, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, was a symbol of the rise of democracy in Africa. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), on Monday kicked off a two-day meeting in Paris, France, devoted to gender inequality in classroom achievement and on women’s leadership role in education. Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - A group of Mauritanian women have called for gender equality at elective offices and in senior government positions, according to their letter which was made available to PANA on Monday. Full text...

Luanda, Angola (PANA) - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Norwegian government will support gender equality and women promotion in Angola through the financial agreement signed Wednesday, in Luanda. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Newly independent South Sudan and 34 other countries were Thursday awarded grants by UN Women to fight violence against women. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Women still face legal and regulatory hurdles to fully participate in the economy in most countries across the globe, a new report by the World Bank has said. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday said that sexual violence in conflict represents a threat to peace and security and is not just a health or human rights issue. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) – The World Bank has said in a new report that while gender equality matters in its own right, it is also 'smart economics'. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - A new report by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - About 60 scientists from eight Islamic countries in West Africa Monday began talks at a sub-regional conference on "Islam and Female Genital Mutilations (FGM)", official sources told PANA here. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - UNESCO and the multinational consumer product company, Procter and Gamble’s Always brand, have launched a partnership to promote literacy for young girls and women, according to a UNESCO press statement issued here Thursday. Full text...

New York, US PANA) - Ms. Margot Wallstrom, the Special Representative of the UN Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) – The Advocacy Committee on Violence against Women, which brings together about 15 civil society organisations, on Monday condemned the resurgence of gang rapes in Senegal. Full text...

Luanda, Angola (PANA) - The vice chairperson of the Pan-African Women’s Organisation (PAWO) for southern Africa, Carolina Cerqueira of Angola, Sunday expressed her solidarity with African women facing serious societal problems, such as Somali women and others in the horn of Africa. Full text...

Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) – The rate of women resorting to modern contraceptive methods to control births or limit unwanted pregnancies, stood at only 20% in 2010 nationwide. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (GAMCOTRAP) is gaining ground in the battle against female genital mutilation (FGM), with several communities in the West African nation abandoning the practice, PANA reported from here Friday. Full text...

Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The Malian Children’s Parliament on Thursday urged the international community to create a framework for dialogue, exchange and sharing of experiences between the different children's parliaments in the West-African sub-region and the world. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) – Gambian Vice-President Isatou Njie-Saidy, has called for the empowerment of women and girls, emphasizing that “investing in women and girls is cost-effective and essential to solving the world’s most challenging problems,” PANA reported from here Tuesday. Full text...

Bamako, Mali (PANA) - The Chief Executive Officer of Plan International, Nigel Chapman, will embark on a working visit to Mali from Wednesday, the NGO’s country office in Mali told PANA here. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) – France on Friday called on the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Congo (MONUSCO) to intensify its collaboration with the Congolese authorities and civil society to prevent the resurgence of rape in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - A report by UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), on Wednesday said governments around the world had not done enough to guarantee equality before the law for women and should rescind legislation that limits the access of women to legal systems. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday said that it was time to make ``faster and wider progress'' in promoting the participation of women in all levels of society, including democratic institutions. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The Executive Director, UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), Michelle Bachelet, said Tuesday that empowering women and advancing their rights were not only the right thing to do but they could lead to progress on a range of issues, including the fight against poverty, hunger and violence. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday urged societies to ease the hardship that widows endure when their husbands die by respecting their rights to social entitlements as access to inheritance, land tenure, employment and other means of livelihood. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Thirteen per cent of the Liberian security forces are women, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said Friday in Dakar, Senegal, as she was awarded the Africa Prize for excellence for the genre, "African Gender Award 2011" on the sidelines of the 4th International Conference on Gender which ended Saturday with what is called the "Dakar Declaration". Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) – In a tribute to Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, winner of the African gender award 2011, Senegalese leader, Abdoulaye Wade, said the Liberian president had succeeded in changing mentalities in her country which was destroyed for several years of civil war. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) – "If women are empowered, the world will be a better place to manage," the president of the jury for the "African gender award", Mrs. Gertrude Mongella, said here Friday as the Liberian leader, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, won the 2011 prize. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The Fourth International Conference on parity began Friday in Dakar, chaired by the Senegalese President, Abdoulaye Wade. Full text...

Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) - A three day follow-on conference to the 2010 African Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) ended in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, on Friday. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Professor Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), on Friday said that stronger action must be taken to change harmful gender norms and practices and to integrate the prevention of gender-based violence into anti-HIV efforts. Full text...

Luanda, Angola (PANA) - Angola will be represented at the meeting of the gender ministers of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), set for 2 June in Namibia, by the Minister of Family and Women Promotion, Genoveva Lino, PANA reported, quoting the Angolan News Agency (ANGOP). Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-Ban Ki-moon on Thursday underlined the huge benefits societies reap from ensuring that girls and women have access to education, saying the opportunity to acquire knowledge creates a new generation of mothers who in turn raise educated and empowered young women. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has challenged men to champion the cause for the empowerment of women, saying women remained ``second-class citizens" and are often subjected to violence in many societies. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday stressed the need to promote the participation of women in decision-making, noting that, "democracy and gender equality are interlinked and mutually reinforcing. Full text...

Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) – About 20 female journalists in the Great Lakes region on Sunday ended a four-day meeting in Bukavu, eastern DR Congo, at which they discussed the establishment of a regional media observatory for women. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - The UN Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health Monday concluded its second and final meeting here, agreeing to new recommendations for an unprecedented level of accountability to save lives of women and children in developing countries. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, has called on the international community to remain mindful of the reality of poor health facing populations in developing countries, particularly on matters of women's and children's health, and take a concerted action to bring about change in tackling this challenge. Full text...

Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) - Burundi's Ministry of National Solidarity, Human Rights and Gender said no fewer than 2,330 rape cases were recorded in the country in 2010, slightly more than half of what was recorded in 2009, PANA reported from here Friday. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Hamadoun Toure, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), on Thursday stressed the need for greater efforts to support girls and young women to acquire skills in information and communications technologies (ICTs). Full text...