Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Since the forebears of African unity bequeathed the present generation a free and better Africa than the one they found and lived on, the latter must ensure their offspring inherit a peaceful and more prosperous continent, African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said here Tuesday. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Women stakeholders on pan-Africanism and the continent’s renaissance have commended the African Union (AU) for its initiative to consult with all member countries, regional economic communities and all sectors of society to develop a continent-wide Agenda 2063. Full text...

Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) - The three-day inaugural Women, Inspiration & Enterprise (WIE) Symposium Africa got underway in Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday, with leading women in both the public and private sectors attending. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Emphasising the commitment of the African Union (AU) to promoting gender equality, AU Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has called on African women to contribute to the continent’s renaissance. Full text...

Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - The Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa, Soyata Maiga, declared Tuesday that gender-based violence has taken a criminal dimension in Northern Mali. Full text...

Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Thirty traditional female circumcisers in Gambia have publicly declared to “drop the knife”, committing themselves to abandon female genital mutilation (FGM), PANA reported Tuesday, quoting the local Voice newspaper. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - Equality Now, an international organisation working to end violence and discrimination against women and girls, Friday expressed concern over the continued erosion of women’s rights in post-revolution Egypt. Full text...

Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - Two leading Kenyan female media personalities, Julie Gichuru and Patricia Amira, have been named keynote participants in the inaugural, high-profile Women, Inspiration and Enterprise (WIE) Conference which will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 5-7 May. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - The US Agency for International Development (USAID) Friday launched here a US$1.3 million, two-year programme to enhance Tanzanian women’s participation in agriculture and improve food security. Full text...

Nouakchott, Mauritania (PANA) - Several hundred people, mostly women and girls of all ages from civil society and other groups, demonstrated on Wednesday in Nouakchott to denounce the recurrent violence against women. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - More than 130 member states of the UN Commission on the Status of Women have adopted a global plan on the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls, the UN announced on Sunday. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN on Sunday announced that Ms. Michelle Bachelet is stepping down as head of the UN entity mandated to promote gender equality. Full text...

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) – The African Union (AU) on Friday celebrated International Women's Day in Addis Ababa with Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), calling on everybody to be involved in the emancipation of women. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) – In observance of the International Women’s Day, UK-based agricultural supply chain and food ingredients company, Olam International, Friday released its research findings, saying that female jobs in agricultural supply chains mean “choice and independence” for emerging markets in Africa. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has said gender-based violence remains a major health and human rights concern, and that no human development can be achieved as long as women and girls continue to suffer from violence or live in fear of it. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has called on the Committee on the Status of Women (CSW), a UN body currently meeting in New York, under the theme "Eliminating violence against women", to ensure that countries are protecting and advancing the rights of women and girls. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday joined communities worldwide in marking International Women’s Day, with a call to advance women’s rights, promote and defend those rights, particularly for women and all others made vulnerable in situations of armed conflict. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - On the occasion of the 2013 International Women’s Day, marked worldwide Friday, 8 March, 2013, the global community is focusing on how to eliminate and prevent all forms of violence against women and girls. Full text...

Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - The 5th fair of women’s entrepreneurship will be held from 23 to 30 March in Kinshasa, at the Congolese government's initiative and with the support of the UN system, according to Penangnini Touré, spokesman of the UN Mission for Stabilisation of Congo (MONUSCO). Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - US Secretary of State John Kerry will on Friday in Washington, DC, US, honour 10 extraordinary women, three of them from Africa, with the US Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award, a US State Department statement said on Tuesday. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - More than 20 musicians from across the globe are joining forces with the UN to spotlight the importance of empowering women through a song that will be released on International Women’s Day, celebrated on 8 March. Full text...

Brazzaville, Congo (PANA) - The Network of African Women for Sustainable Development (REFADD) is organizing a regional workshop here at which members will be taught how to access genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use, PANA learnt from official sources. Full text...

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - Over 160 local journalists, mainly female, have received training on how to enhance the role of women in peace making in trouble-ridden regions of Darfur, according to the AU-UN peace keeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID). Full text...

Bamako, Mali (PANA) – The Dutch Ambassador to Mali, Maarten Brouwec, and the Chairman of the Malian Association for Family Protection and Promotion (AMPPF), Mamadou Traore, on Monday signed a financing agreement under which the European nation will provide 4.5 million Euros (about CFAF 3 billion) to improve Mali's reproductive health system for the youth, PANA reports here. Full text...

Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) - The Under-Secretary General and Executive Director, UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, has commended ECOWAS for its role as “a driving force for gender equality and women’s empowerment in West Africa.” Full text...

Lomé, Togo (PANA) – Thirty women leaders from 15 women’s groups in the Prefecture of Zio, about 35 km north of Lomé, have undergone training on issues related to the promotion of mother and child health at the community level, sources close to the WHO mission in Lome told PANA on Monday. Full text...

Paris, France (PANA) - About 500 participants are expected to take part in the first World Francophone Women's Forum, to be staged 19-21 March 2013 in Paris by the French government, PANA learnt Friday from reliable sources in the French capital. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) – Equality Now, a global women’s rights organisation, Wednesday made an urgent appeal to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi to delay a popular referendum on the draft of the new Egyptian Constitution, scheduled for Saturday, in order to allow for proper consultation. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - – Top UN officials have highlighted the invaluable role of women’s organizations and civil society groups in preventing violence and resolving conflict, stressing that their contributions are vital to building a peaceful world and must be further supported. Full text...

Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) – The president of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, on Tuesday opened a two-day conference on the role of security organs in the prevention of violence against women and girls. Full text...

Bujumbura, Burundi (PANA) – The president of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, on Monday officially launched a 16-day nationwide campaign on violence against women and girls with a pledge to punish perpetrators. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called on governments to live up to their obligations to end the global problem of violence against women and girls, one of the most widespread human rights violations. Full text...

Port Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Working women in Mauritius earn lower income than men, with a monthly average income of 11,000 Mauritius Rupees (US$341) for women compared to 16,400 Mauritian Rupees (US$509) for men, a census result focusing on gender statistics has revealed. Full text...

Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - Officials of Gambia’s Department of Social Welfare, under the Ministry of Health, said it recorded close to 376 cases of domestic violence, including violence against children and women, paternity and custody cases between January and October, 2012. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN agency tasked with advancing gender equality Tuesday announced a new initiative that will spotlight countries’ commitments to end violence against women and girls, seeking bold action and leadership to galvanise efforts to end the pandemic. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - The current draft of the new Egyptian Constitution could severely restrict and undermine women’s and girl’s rights if adopted as proposed by the Constitutional Committee, a global women’s rights group cautioned Friday. Full text...

Gaborone, Botswana (PANA) – On the occasion of the African Statistics Day celebration here on Tuesday, Botswana’s assistant finance minister, Vincent Seretse, has challenged the continent’s data agencies to mainstream gender in recording statistics indicators. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - Sexual violence is widespread in Uganda and disabled women and girls are particularly vulnerable, Equality Now, an international organisation working to end violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world, said Tuesday. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Tennis champions, Venus and Serena Williams, currently visiting Nigeria, Wednesday called for the adequate empowerment of women in Africa, saying the presence of women in eminent positions around the world was a demonstration of the significance role the female gender could play in the scheme of things. Full text...

Kinshasa, DR Congo (PANA) - The International Campaign to Stop Rape and Gender Violence in Conflict has called on the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to protect Dr. Denis Mukwege after a violent attack and assassination attempt at his home in Bukavu. Full text...

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - The 2012 Women for Education prize Monday went to the EAST (Eau Agriculture et Santé en Milieu Tropical or the Water, Agriculture Health in Tropical Zones in English) for its work in Madagascar. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is to invest US$ 20 million over the next five years to reach the most marginalized adolescent girls in 12 countries with high rates of child marriage. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN on Friday launched a programme to empower poor rural women through economic integration and food security initiatives. Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya, has said violence against women and girls and the indiscriminate extraction of natural resources are among the most pressing issues that indigenous peoples face today. Full text...

Banjul, Gambia (PANA) - The umbrella body of women organizations in The Gambia, the ‘Women’s Bureau’s has restored it efforts to fight female genital mutilation in the county with policy and dialogue to sensitized religious leaders, on Islam and FGM-cutting, an issues that affects the health and well being of women and children. Full text...

Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - An international gathering of anti-violence activists Friday called on governments to implement the African Union (AU) protocol that bans harmful traditional practices that limit women from enjoying their full rights. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The International Criminal Court (ICC) has named Brigid Inder as the new Special Gender Advisor to its prosecutor, the body said in a statement received here by PANA Wednesday. Full text...

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) – Equality Now, an international human rights organisation that works to protect and promote the rights of women and girls around the world, on Wednesday released its 2011 Annual Report, calling on the global community to “remain vigilant in the face of backlash on women’s rights emanating from escalating fundamentalism.” Full text...

New York, US (PANA) - The UN Working Group on discrimination against women in law and in practice Tuesday called on the new Tunisian government to take all necessary steps to safeguard the country's achievements in equality, non-discrimination and women's human rights, in accordance with its international human rights obligations. Full text...

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have signed a grant agreement with Spain worth about FCFA 655 million (US$1.31 million) for a project aimed at empowering rural women entrepreneurs in the field of agriculture. Full text...