Role of women in society

Conference of Syrian women, convened by UN Women and Netherlands, ends with strong recommendations for upcoming peace talks
 
(Geneva, 14 January) A two-day meeting to support women's participation and voice in the Syrian peace process, convened in Geneva by UN Women together with the Government of the Netherlands, ended today with a statement by Syrian women civil society members and activists.

Egyptians were voting in a referendum on the country’s draft constitution on Tuesday and Wednesday, a document that would enshrine unprecedented gender equality for women.

Since the so-called Arab Spring shook Egypt and the region to its foundations in 2010, the roles and rights of women in the Middle East’s most populous country have been under the spotlight.  

The presidential deputy for women and family affairs says Iranian women are mostly excluded from top positions in the government. ILNA reports that Shahindokht Molaverdi said in a report that except for a few women in Parliament, the unfortunate truth is there are no women in top posts.

Egyptian women have been the worst sufferers in the revolution and the rise of Islamist factions has seen curtailment of the rights of women, said a leading women's activist from the North African nation whose organisation has been quietly operating in the country's southern region to empower women through training in traditional crafts to enable them stand on their own feet.

iraha, NEPAL, SOUTHERN ASIA: Sanju Kumari Das is a petite, soft-spoken woman, but don’t let that fool you. Hailing from Siraha, a volatile district in Nepal’s eastern Terai, this formidable 26 year-old commands the attention of political giants, helps end nationwide strikes, and is one only a handful of female radio show hosts in Nepal.

ISLAMABAD: To add to the hype surrounding local bodies elections, non-government organisation and human rights groups have urged the election commission to prepare and release gender disaggregated data. 

Addressed to the Prime Minister, Senate chairman and chief ministers, the letter demands categorised data to strengthen democratic culture.

Nouakchott, Mauritania - An African Union (AU) observer mission to the Mauritanian municipal and legislative polls, led by former Algerian Prime Minister, Ahmed Ouyahia, has recommended that the Mauritanian government should create an environment which will allow more women participate in the country's political process.

Speaking Tuesday to the media, Ouyahia, who monitored the elections in November and December, said the measure would put the country on the international map as one which encourages gender parity.