New York, US (PANA) - The head of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Ms. Irina Bokova, on Monday called on governments, the private sector and civil society to scale up efforts to provide quality education for girls, stressing the transformative benefits this has for all of society. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) – An Ethiopian woman, gang-raped in August 2013 by a group of seven men in Sudan and later sentenced to one month in prison after she was found guilty of committing indecent acts, now faces possible deportation and charges under legal provisions that deal with adultery, women’s rights group Equality Now said Friday. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - A panel of experts said gender equality is not just a concern for women and girls, stressing the need to engage men and boys as allies and agents of change in this global struggle. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - More than 6,000 registered representatives of the 193 UN member states, UN agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have gathered in New York to discuss the challenges and achievements in the implementation of the eight anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ahead of the 2015 deadline. Full text...

Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) - Zambian President Michael Sata has said there is need for the country’s criminal justice system to be equal to the task of fighting Gender Based Violence (GBV) to ensure citizens enjoy their freedoms and rights. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Ahead of the International Women’s Day, the UN on Friday launched the "He for She" campaign urging men to stand up for the rights of their mothers, sisters and daughters, noting that human rights for girls and women are not a dream but a duty of all. Full text...

Lusaka, Zambia (PANA) - The Non-Governmental Organisations’ Coordinating Council (NGOCC) is disappointed with the misapplication and abuse of resources at the Ministry of Gender and Child Development as reported in the 2012 Auditor General’s report. Full text...

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - An international non-profit organization, Clitoraid, has alleged that pressure from the Catholic Church and other detractors of the International Raelian Movement (IRM) forced the Burkinabe government to block the 7 March opening of its clitoral repair hospital. Full text...

Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Tuesday blocked a motion in Parliament condemning the Anti-Homosexuality Bill signed into law by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. Full text...

Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Women who were raped during Libya's 2011 uprising that toppled long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi should be recognised as war victims, the cabinet has said in a decree. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN human rights experts have urged Kenya to repeal sections of its Marriage and Property Act which effectively strip women of marital property upon divorce or death of their spouse, unless they can prove they made a contribution to the acquisition of the property during their marriage. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Thursday called on radio broadcasters everywhere to promote the voice of women and to enhance their role within broadcast organisations. Full text...

Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Mauritian Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare Minister Mireille Martin announced Thursday that a protest march would be held in the nation's capital, Port Louis, next Wednesday ''to say an unequivocal NO to violence'' and to advocate for peace in the society. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay on Monday called for gender equality to be fully integrated into the post-2015 development agenda. Full text...

Cotonou, Bénin (PANA) - A three-day workshop, designed to give women more roles in Benin politics and other spheres of life, will begin Tuesday in Cotonou, the capital, PANA learnt from official sources. Full text...

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (PANA) – The Ivorian Solidarity, Family, Women and Child Minister, Anne Désirée Ouloto, on Thursday deplored the high rate of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Cote d'Ivoire, PANA has reported from here. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN officials on Thursday called for a complete end to genital Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday pledged to root for women everywhere, while stressing the need for the UN and its partners to lay the groundwork to enable all women to enjoy their rights and be empowered. Full text...

Bamako, Mali (PANA) – The rate of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Malian women, aged between 15 and 49 years, has reached 85% and 84% for girls under 14 years, the Malian Family Women and Child Promotion Ministry revealed this here at a conference organised Wednesday ahead of the International Day of Struggle against Excision. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called for more investment to release the potential of over half a billion adolescent girls in developing countries, who are currently held back by poverty, discrimination and violence. Full text...

Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - A nine-member Senegalese delegation has wrapped up a two-day visit to Rwanda to study the progress made by the country in the fight against gender-based violence, PANA learnt from official sources here Wednesday Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a probe into the case of a 34-year-old woman, Mrs. Alexandra Ossai, who lost her seven-month pregnancy after she was allegedly kicked in the stomach by her Lebanese boss, the private Punch newspaper reported Friday. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) – Gambian MPs Tuesday passed a new law against domestic violence that seeks to tackle the problem in the country and bring perpetrators to justice, the pro-government Daily Observer newspaper has reported. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) – Ms. Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), on Wednesday said despite significant progress in meeting international development goals for women’s empowerment, gaps in key areas remain. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called on people to wear the colour orange to mark the International Day to End Violence against Women, which is marked on 25 November. Full text...

Tunis, Tunisia (PANA) - Violence against women is violence against all, according to African Development Bank (AfDB) President Donald Kaberuka. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) on Friday announced US$8 million in grants to 17 initiatives in 18 countries and territories. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) – The Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) on Friday called for an end to gender-based violence, which is said was not only a serious human rights violation but also increases the risk of HIV infection. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Police Adviser Stefan Feller has stressed the need to increase the number of women officers in UN peacekeeping missions for success in fulfilling their mandates. Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - The United Nations/African Union Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID) has tasked traditionally male-dominated communities to involve women in local administration, saying less than 1 percent of women are involved in such processes. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Two UN independent experts on Thursday called on Sudan to desist from threatening women with flogging, saying stressing the practice amounts to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment that goes against international law. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - A new report released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said ensuring that women have better access to and control of natural resources such as land, water, forests and minerals can improve the chances of long-term peace and recovery Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has praised the resilience and courage of the women in Mali under very difficult conditions, as their country emerges from a trying moment in its history. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Committee has urged the government of Djibouti to effectively enforce laws aimed at protecting women from violence. Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) – Women-dominated Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Mauritania on Thursday said there was a glaring under representation of women in the country's electoral process as voters prepare for the 23 Nov.-7 Dec. legislative and municipal polls. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) – A key UN human rights body has provided authoritative guidance to countries that have ratified the women’s rights convention on measures they need to take to ensure that women’s rights are protected before, during and after conflicts. Full text...

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (PANA) – The United States embassy in Cote d’Ivoire will organize a two-day workshop to reinforce the capacities of Ivoirian businesswomen, diplomatic sources told PANA here Wednesday. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Security Council on Friday issued a strong call on the international community to strengthen its commitment to ensuring that women play a more prominent role in conflict prevention, resolution and in post-war peace building. Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - Some 40 women representatives of civil society organizations from North Darfur have met in Fashir where they discussed ways of realizing peace and implementing the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), signed in the Qatari capital of Doha on 14 July, 2010. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Determined to lay the foundation for strategic measures for prevention and response to sexual violence in Africa, the African Union (AU) is convening a three-day high-level consultation of experts here this week to work out a framework of action to allow victims to access justice and end impunity. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Commission, Ms. Judy Cheng-Hopkins, on Thursday said women play a vital role as countries recover from conflict and seek to build lasting peace. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - A new World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) report has found that legal and regulatory barriers to women’s economic inclusion have decreased globally over the past 50 years, but many laws still hinder women’s participation in the economy. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equity and Full text...

Quatre-Bornes, Mauritius (PANA) - At least 300 women would have been trained in politics by the end of 2013 under a programme aimed at politically empowering women in Mauritius, PANA reported from here Monday. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), announced on Thursday new efforts to strengthen their collaboration to advance reproductive health, including voluntary family planning, worldwide. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID), announced on Thursday new efforts to strengthen their collaboration to advance reproductive health, including voluntary family planning, worldwide. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka of South Africa took the oath of office on Monday as the new head of the UN body tasked with promoting women’s rights and their full participation in global affairs. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday said about 800 cases of sexual and gender-based violence had been reported in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, during the first six months of the year. Full text...

Praia, Cape Verde (PANA) – The United States of America has signed a memorandum of understanding with Cape Verde aimed at promoting gender and empowering women's rights in the island, diplomatic sources told PANA in the country’s capital, Praia, on Saturday. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson on Tuesday highlighted the power of technology to empower women and girls, especially to protect them from violence, and create a safer world for all vulnerable groups. Full text...