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."

After three days of meetings in Pristina, Kosovo, a group of women and men leaders from around the world has created the “Pristina Principles,” a set of guidelines and priorities aimed at eliminating barriers to women’s political participation, aiding their economic empowerment and giving them access to security and justice in the region and around the world.

In partnership with Governments across South Asia, UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from South Asia launched the first ever knowledge hub for elected women representatives in rural areas across the region.

Unveiled in the presence of more than 200 women leaders, experts and policy makers, the knowledge hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy and linguistic barriers.