Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - About 150 women have commenced an exhibition of products dedicated to women at the International Fair of Kinshasa, the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo, PANA reported from here Thursday. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - Italian Cooperation, an integral part of Italy’s foreign policy, Monday announced it is working with over 30 local authorities and hundreds of personalities from the Italian and international institutional, cultural and entertainment worlds and the civil society on a campaign to promote the candidacy of African women for the Nobel Peace Prize. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - A women's NGO, the Inter-African Network for Women, Media, Gender and Development (FAMEDEV), on Tuesday called for equal opportunities for women in the media. Full text...

Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - African countries, which have not ratified the various African Union protocols regarding gender and the rights of women, should urgently do so to preserve gender equality and equal access to education for women and girls. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday said despite gains made in empowering women around the world, much remainsed to be done to eliminate gender discrimination. Full text...

Luanda, Angola (PANA) - The Angolan Minister of Energy and Water, Emanuela Vieira Lopes, Tuesday praised Angolan women for their efforts in demanding their rights, gender equality and their involvement in the overall development of the country. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - The hopes of gender equality, expressed 100 years ago on the occasion of the maiden international women's day celebration, are still a long way from being realized despite some progress made, the UN Women Executive Director, Michelle Bachelet, said Monday in a message to mark this year's fiesta. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Asha-Rose Migiro, on Wednesday stressed the importance of education in raising the status of women in society. Full text...

Luanda, Angola (PANA) - The United Nations and its social partners, including Angola, Tuesday commenced a meeting in New York, US, to outline a strategy to facilitate the access and participation of women in social services. Full text...

Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has granted about 1.9 billion CFA francs to Congo to support the gender policy of the government, an official source in Brazzaville told PANA here Monday. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - African female media practitioners and those in the civil society here Thursday called on governments in the continent to enforce the texts, conventions and protocols they signed on the protection of women's rights. Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - The Reception Centre for the Victims of Marital Violence (RIHAB), a Mauritanian NGO, offered legal assistance to 130 female victims of marital violence in the country last year, the chairperson of the organization, Mrs. Toutou Mohamed Moctar Ahmed Jiddou, told PANA in an interview Tuesday. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - A UN study, launched on Tuesday, said that greater action is needed by UN peacekeeping missions to work with local women national authorities to increase the participation of women in peace negotiations, national security institutions and governance in post-conflict situations. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The newly-created UN agency for gender and women affairs (UN Women) is ready to work on policies required to help implement various African Union (AU) decisions to help improve the quality of life of women and children in Africa, the agency's head said. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The international community in general and men in particular must understand that sexual violence against women is a crime and that everybody has the responsibility to fight it wherever it takes place, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said here Monday. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Sunday called for greater protection for the African women, saying that culture and tradition should not justify the injustices made to them. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The Executive Director of UN Women, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, on Tuesday laid out an action plan which is designed to promote women's rights and full participation in global issues. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Africa’s leading gender activists said here Monday that the African Union Summit on “shared values” was weak on gender issues because no particular emphasis had been put on the protection of women in conflict and the need to create an improved environment for education. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Liberia has won the African Gender Award 2011 for its efforts in the enhancement of women's rights with strong emphasis on girls' education, economic empowerment and legislation to curb violence against women, the award nomination committee has announced here. Full text...

) Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria's federal government is to offer financial assistance to women candidates for the 2011 general elections, as part of efforts to encourage more women to participate in politics. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Security Council on Friday called on the international community to publicly list perpetrators of sexual violence in conflicts with a view to punishing them severely. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - An international human rights group has asked authorities in Tanzania to save about 5,000 girls who are likely to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) this holiday season in the north-eastern Mara Region, where ethnic groups cling to the antiquated practice. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Ms. Anne Marie Goetz, the Chief Adviser on Governance, Peace and Security at the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Wednesday called for greater access to justice for women in both national and international judicial systems. Full text...

Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - Raped and deported from Angola along with thousands of many others, a group of 339 Congolese women remain without assistance in their own country, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the communication officer of Caritas/Development, Jean-Pierre Kamuonii, told the press here Tuesday. Full text...

New York- US (PANA) -- 10 African countries have been elected to serve on the Exe cutive Board of the newly-established UN Women. Full text...

New York- US (PANA) -- Ms. Full text...

Nouakchott- Mauritania (PANA) -- A workshop, organized in Nouakchott by the Afric an Network for Integrated Development (RADI) and the Network of Civil Society Or g anizations for the Promotion of Citizenship (RPC), has highlighted the need for w omen in Mauritania, Niger and Senegal to have access to water and land, PANA rep o rted here Saturday. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) -- The chair of the Gambia Committee on Traditional Practic es Affecting the Health of Women and Children (GAMCOTRAP), Dr. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Although responsible for about 80 per cent of the agricu ltural production for the supply of households and markets, women own less than t wo per cent of arable lands in West and Central Africa. Full text...

Banjul- Gambia (PANA) -- The trial of the Executive Director and the Programme Co ordinator of the Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health o f Women and Children (GAMCOTRAP), commenced Thursday at the Banjul Magistratesâ? Court, PANA reported from here. Full text...

New York- US (PANA) -- The International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) Tuesd ay said sexual violence is a war crime and should not take a back seat to broade r reconciliation measures and political reform. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The global financial body, the World Bank (WB), Monday s aid "gender inequalities remain a concern" in African labour markets despite var i ations from one country to another, PANA reported from here. Full text...

Tunis- Tunisia (PANA) -- The Arab Women Organisation (AWO) has said that in spite of the progress made by Arab women, much still need to be done to ensure that they take their ri ghtful place in the society. Full text...

Kinshasa- DR Congo (PANA) -- Chair of the Provincial Synergy for the fight agains t sexual violence in Bandundu, Congo, Andre Gipoy, has bemoaned the alleged rigo r ous bodily search conducted on 240 Congolese women deported from Angola during t h e first half of the year. Full text...

New York- US (PANA) -- The UN Independent Expert on Extreme Poverty, Ms. Full text...

New York- US (PANA) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, has stressed the need to involve women in peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding efforts. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Rights groups, under the umbrella of The Coalition for H uman Rights in Gambia, on Thursday called for "the withdrawal ofâ? an alleged th eft case against two leading gender activists, Dr. Full text...

New York- US (PANA) -- A UN report Thursday said violence against women remained widespread across the world, compounded by traditions and customary practices that determine the way women are treated in families, places of work and communities. Full text...

New York- US (PANA) -- The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said "when women have acces s to the same rights and opportunities as men, they are more resilient to confli c t and disaster and can lead reconstruction and renewal efforts in their societie s . Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The Gambian High Court on Wednesday granted bail to the Executive Director and Programme Coordinator of the Gambia Committee for Traditi o nal Practices (GAMCOTRAP), Dr. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Mrs. Full text...

Port Louis- Mauritius (PANA) -- Mauritius will Thursday launch the African Womenâ ?s Decade 2010-2020, under the theme "Gender Equality and Womenâ?s Empowerment: A Bottom up Approach", PANA reported from here Tuesday. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- The opposition Gambia Moral Congress (GMC) party on Sunday condemned the arrest and detention of two prominent gender activists and rights defenders, Dr. Full text...

Nairobi- Kenya (PANA) -- Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki on Friday called upon African governments to consider empowering women through increased participation in decision-making at all levels of leadership. Full text...

Nairobi- Kenya (PANA) -- Gender and women's empowerment form the foundation of sustainable development in Africa, the Chairman of African Union, Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika has said. Full text...

Dakar- Senegal (PANA) -- Lawyers defending Gambia's prominent gender activists, D r. Full text...

Dar es Salaam- Tanzania (PANA) -- The South Africa-based Institute for Security S tudies (ISS) has affirmed its commitment to advancing gender equality and Africa n Women's empowerment following the launch, on Friday, of the African Women's Dec a de (2010-2020). Full text...

Brussels- Belgium (PANA) -- The European Parliament has adopted a resolution call ing for the end to rapes and other human rights violations in the DR Congo, acco r ding to a communique handed to the press in Brussels, the Belgian capital. Full text...

Blantyre- Malawi (PANA) -- A 22-year-old Malawian woman from the southern distric t of Mulanje, who made headlines some two years after claiming to have given 'bi r th' to a stone, has finally given birth to a boy, health authorities confirmed t o PANA here Thursday. Full text...