Women's rights have long been considered a development keystone. Tunisian women-in the vanguard of the Arab world-will put that theory to a crucial test as the country's new democracy takes shape following last week's elections.
Barbara Crossette does not always favor microcredit. But as widows and low-wage workers in countries like Sri Lanka struggle with the devastation of the tsunami, she says now-if ever-is the time for lots of small aid packages.
The two-woman effort to raise money for the U.N. Population Fund to cover the $34 million cut by the Bush administration is still going strong after 14 months.
A grass-roots campaign led by two women is aiding the leading international reproduction-health group, which lost all its U.S. funding last summer after a damaging anti-choice report whose findings were not officially corroborated.
Micro-credit programs have long been praised as stepping stones out of poverty. But new international studies shed doubt on whether small loans can really make a difference against the enormous problem of poverty. Also see Our Story which follows.
The 1990s saw a record number of U.N. agencies led by women. But when Mary Robinson stepped down as high commissioner for human rights yesterday, the decade of women leaders came to a close. Also, several women gained momentum in Tuesday's primaries.
The first comprehensive report on the rape and abuse of women during Africa's widest war finds that all sides used brutal violence against civilian women as a military tactic.
A multi-ethnic delegation finds that rape and sexual violence against women are prevalent in the recent surges of unbridled violence between India's Muslims and Hindus.
The Bush administration is now urging the U.N. to adopt its abstinence-only approach to family planning. Opponents say many pre-teen mothers are married and have no option to refuse, even as early childbirth remains a leading cause of death.
