Happy International Women's Day! Here on UN Dispatch we are celebrating by asking our friends and readers to compile a list of their favorite books, articles, and blogs that touch on the themes of women’s rights and human rights. What do you think should be required reading for International Women's Day?
Lots of action at the UN this week as the Commission for the Status of Women kicks off. In UN-speak the meeting is officially called the"15-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (2000)." Try saying that 10 times fast. Or don't. Most folks call this meeting "Beijing+15."
This week marks the kickoff of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), a 2-week, woman-focused conference that takes place annually at the United Nations (UN). Basically, this means that for the next two weeks, THE principal global policy-making body will be dedicating itself exclusively to the pursuit of gender equality and the advancement of women. Pretty exciting stuff, right?!?!?
*Cricket Chirp* *Cricket Chirp*
Fresh from the State Department:
Dilma Rousseff, Brazilian President Lula de Silva's chief of staff, was nominated today to represent the Worker's Party in the upcoming presidential election. She is known as the "iron lady." Lula is term-limited.
This is just horrid. Christian Science Monitor reports that for the first time in Malaysia, three women were caned this month after being charged with adultery by a court of Islamic law.
On the heels of Laura Chinchilla's victory in the Costa Rican presidential election and Evo Morales's appointing women to half of his cabinet positions, the Christian Science Monitor
United Nations human rights experts share the unease Afghan civil society representatives voiced in London last week about the protection of women’s human rights during peace negotiations with the Taliban.