Brazilians will return to the polls next week less than a month after voters elected a record number of women as mayors, but gender equality is still a distant goal in a political culture long dominated by men.

Only one female candidate will participate in the 50-city mayor run-offs on 28 October, which means Brazil will continue to lag behind most other Latin American states in terms of the gender balance among elected officials.

The elections are seen as a test of stability 10 years after its civil war, with no women standing for president despite a push to register more female candidates.

"All presidential candidates nominated by nine out of the 10 officially recognised political parties are 100% male, and of the nine vice-presidential candidates, five are males," chief electoral commissioner Christiana Thorpe told journalists.

All-China Women’s Federation ( ACWF) Vice President Meng Xiaosi said Thursday that Chinese women would be more than happy to join hand with women of East Asia countries to promote gender equality and environmental sustainability.

Meng made the statement during the ongoing fourth meeting of the ASEAN plus Three Committee on Women (ACW+3) held in Lao capital Vientiane.

The Botswana National Front (BNF) candidate, Abigail Mogalakwe, who is vying for the Mahalapye West parliamentary seat has urged women to fight for their rights and be a competitive force to their counterparts.

Women are closing the gender gap with men in health and education but struggle to get top jobs and salaries, data from a study of 135 countries showed on Wednesday.

"Gaps in senior positions, wages and leadership levels still persist," even in countries that promote equality in education and have a high level of economic integration among women, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said in its annual Global Gender Gap Report.

Guam will be hosting the FAWA International Convention for the 5th time October 25-28, 2012. Over 110 off-island delegates and over 100 Guam delegates will be in attendance. The Opening Ceremony is a formal event and we are inviting all media. Our formal flag procession of nations will commence soon after we begin at 9am. Our Guam leaders will be in attendance as well.

The number of women running for public office should get closer to 50 per cent, says the P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

The council has produced a new municipal election guide for the 2012 elections called "Women Care for Communities."

Women currently make up about 30 per cent of the municipal politicians on Prince Edward Island, a much higher percentage than in provincial and federal politics, but still well short of their proportion of the population.

A United Nations (UN) report which called for legalizing prostitution as a way of preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in Asia and the Pacific was condemned on Monday by a Philippine non-government group advocating women's rights.

Gabriela, the National Alliance of Women in the Philippines, said prostitution is the "worse exploitation that can be done to women."