In an op-ed in The Washington Post, playwright and women’s rights activist Eve Ensler addresses the unmet urgency of the situation of Congolese women.Ensler writes that the women of Congo are presently “enduring their 12th year of sexual terrorism,” going on to urge that a committed response and comprehensive relief be immediately applied to Congo.
During a symposium held on June 27 in Tokyo, the focus of government representatives and civil society was on the status of female participation in Japanese politics.The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has recently ranked Japan 106th of 189 countries in terms of percentage of female lawmakers, a reality echoed by the UN Human Rights Committee, which has expressed concern and urged that the nation “set up efforts to have equitable representation of women and men in the national diet,” as The Japan Times reports.
Kari Hirth, an official at the Norwegian Embassy in Tokyo, commented on the need for reform and active participation of women: “It’s something that has to be fought for and refashioned by each generation.”Joined by representatives from Rwanda, the first ranked country by IPU with a female participation percentage of 56.3, the gathering highlighted methods and growing trends of female participation in the political sphere.
The United Nations peacekeepers engage in a variety of missions from enforcing laws to monitoring security and demobilizing combatants. Currently, the peacekeepers are honoring their female members in a New York exhibit.
In a recent survey, female peacekeepers were found to play an integral role in times of conflict. In particular, female victims of war crimes reported feeling more comfortable confiding in other women, especially when rape is used as an act of violence.
In 2000, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution to engage more female participation in peacekeeping operations.
In honor of the 64th birthday of imprisoned Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, supporters within global civil society have launched a campaign called ’64 for Suu’, through which individuals can send the advocate a message of support.
Whether in the form of video, photo or written text, messages from around the world are paying tribute to the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who has served as a symbol for the democratization of Burma. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Bono of U2 have posted their 64 words alongside government officials, NGO activists and concerned citizens, forming a unique community of support for Suu Kyi, who is currently facing trial and a five-year imprisonment sentence.
Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese opposition party leader and devoted advocate for the democratization of Myanmar, was charged in May alongside three activists and party members for the alleged violation of the rules of her house arrest. Currently being held in Insein Prison, Aung San Suu Kyi has been in court facing trial since May 18; if convicted, the human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate may face a five-year prison term. The present controversy and arbitrary charges laid out stem from a spurious attempt by a repressive government to extend the unlawful, 13-year long detention of Suu Kyi, which was set to expire on May27. As the Burmese people prepare for the 2010 elections, this shameful and transparent act on the part of the government to further silence a respected voice of democracy cannot be tolerated.
Vital Voices echoes the call of countless organizations and governments in a demand for the immediate and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and her fellow detainees. In the spring of 2008, Vital Voices honored the women of Burma with the Human Rights Global Leadership Award as a testimony to the remarkable courage and commitment of political activists such as Suu Kyi and Charm Tong. Today we again honor the work of Aung San Suu Kyi and insist upon her release as essential for the development and fulfillment of the democratic promise of Myanmar.
State Department reports:
Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer visited Badghis Province, the poorest province in Afghanistan, on June 25. She reaffirmed U.S. commitment to women in Afghanistan and met with Governor Arman, Provincial Council Members, the line director for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, grassroots women’s organizations, women leaders, and female candidates for the upcoming elections.
Pictured, from left to right: Ambassador Verveer; William Owens, USAID Badghis; Robin Lerner, Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Alan Yu and Ashley Bommer, State Department, being greeted by localsen route to a meeting with Governor Arman.
In an op-ed published by The Washington Post on June 28, Former First Lady Laura Bush discusses the situation of political prisoners in Burma, specifically mentioning imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.Mrs. Bush writes that “the world must do more than express concern,” suggesting, as a recent Harvard Law School report has, that the UN Security Council establish a “commission of inquiry” on Burma and refer the crisis to the International Criminal Court, as it has done for Darfur.
The Former First Lady writes at a time when the UN envoy to Burma, Ibrahim Gambari, is set to brief Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on whether a visit is required by Mr. Ban himself, as BBC News reports.
UNIFEM and UNDP were hosts of a panel in New York on June 26, ‘Economic Recovery and Sustainable Development with Gender Equality’, in which international government representatives agreed that special attention must be paid to women to ensure that they are not bearing the heaviest burden in a time of financial crisis.
Alberto Jose Guevara Obregon, Minister of Finance and Public Credit in Nicaragua, commented: “There cannot be economic recovery or sustainable development without the full empowerment and integration of women in all levels of economic, social and cultural activities,” as a UNIFEM news release informs.
In a time when the present economic crisis is referred to as global, Sri Mulyani is being credited with guiding a growing economy in Indonesia, and hailed as perhaps the most influential person in the nation, as GlobalPost suggests. Appointed finance minister in 2005, Mulyani was named one of Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women in the same year.
Mulyani aims to buck the trend and establish a culture of trust in government. In a recent interview with GlobalPost she sums it up: “the economy will never develop as long as the society does not trust the government. So this has become quite an obsession for me. I want to be part of a government where the people trust you.”
Determined to reform corrupt practices, Mulyani has taken on established members of government and business, the largest of which was the powerful mining sector. Despite significant pressures from business leaders and her own government, she persevered and was able to recoup large sums of unpaid tax revenues which had been tacitly overlooked by her predecessors.
For her efforts, Sri Mulyani has won extensive praise from the Indonesian public while setting new standards of governance that appear to be taking hold. With Indoneisa’s economic growth outpacing other countries in the region, Mulyani’s practices are proving to be both socially and financially sound.
Women’s rights groups continue to face roadblocks in the campaign to secure equal citizenship rights in Lebanon. Promised by political allies that such a bill would be passed into law before the June 7 parliamentary election, these rights have yet to be codified.
Lebanese women face gender discriminatory laws that forbid the transfer of citizenship to their spouses and children if they marry foreigners. Activist groups including the Lebanese Women’s Rights and Nationality Law Project, sponsored by the United Nations Development Program, have begun to research the laws’ effects. Continue Reading »
On June 24, Cambodian Member of Parliament Mu Sochua addressed a gathering of NGO and government representatives on the condition of the Cambodian nation during a meeting facilitated by Vital Voices.As an advocate of human rights, democracy and good governance, Sochua has served the Cambodian people as a fearless voice on behalf of interests that have too often gone unrecognized.
Championing the rights of poor and disadvantaged citizens, the Nobel Peace Prize nominee has worked to expose government corruption and promote reform. Consequently, Sochua has faced a campaign of political intimidation led by President Hun Sen of Cambodia.
Sochua traveled to the United States this week to advocate for the Cambodian people. She met with leaders in government and civil society and petitioned the U.S. government and other nations to re-evaluate their position on Cambodia. Sochua is campaigning for the reform of the Cambodian government and political establishment, urging for accountability and honest dialogue with the public, members of the opposition and those promoting civil society. Though she remains hopeful for change, she cautions that the status of governance in Cambodia is at risk for further deterioration.
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