International News

Afghanistan: For Women in Kabul, ‘It Is Just Me and the Water’

Dec 22, 2019 | Fatima Faizi and Thomas Gibbons-Neff, New York Times

Though the city has become markedly more politically progressive in the nearly two decades it has been governed by a Western-backed democracy, Kabul is still…

Brazil: ‘The Forest is Shedding Tears’: The Women Defending Their Amazon Homeland

Dec 21, 2019 | Jonathan Watts, The Guardian

It is midnight at an almost deserted bus station and one of the Amazon’s most courageous warriors is sitting on a plastic chair and breastfeeding…

Liberia: Ethnic Tension Thwarts Court’s Ruling in Ganta Land Case

Dec 18, 2019 | Joaquin M. Sendolo, Observer

The Eighth Judicial Circuit in Sanniquellie, Nimba County passed its ruling in a land case in 2018, giving right of possession to Fred Suah of…

Colombia: 2018 Delegation of Parliamentarians in Conversation with Rural Women in Villavicenco

Dec 18, 2019

Members of the British Parliament participating in the August 2018 Delegation were: Chris Bryant MP and Patrick Grady MP. MP’s Conversation in Villavicencio with rural women: Diana,…

China/Vietnam: Vietnam Fights China's 'Nine-Dash Line' amid Old Enmities

Dec 17, 2019 | Sen Nguyen, Al Jazeera

It came as no surprise to Vietnamese student Doan Thanh Hai that China's infamous nine-dash line has been causing trouble in his country. China has…

Afghanistan: Over 600,000 Afghan Women to Attain Self-Sufficiency in Next Four Years through Agriculture

Dec 17, 2019

Afghan Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Nasir Ahmad Durrani announced Tuesday that over 600,000 women would become self-reliant through an economic empowerment program in…

Colombia: Death Threats for Defending Land and Water from a Coal Mine: Force of Wayúu Women in Colombia

Dec 16, 2019 | Land Rights Now

Members of the organization Fuerza de Mujeres Wayúu (Force of Wayúu Women) have received death threats and been subject to defamation and stigmatization for opposing…

China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam Hopes for Chinese Restraint in South China Sea in 2020

Dec 16, 2019 | Reuters

Vietnam said it hoped China would show restraint in the South China Sea next year after a Chinese oil survey vessel and its escorts spent…

Afghanistan: Saffron Processing Center Built in Afghanistan's Badghis Province

Dec 15, 2019 | Xinhua

A saffron processing center was recently built in the western Baghis province, as the precious plant cultivation is gradually expanding across the mostly poppy growing…

Ghana: National Peace Council Trains Members on Gender Roles in Peacebuilding

Dec 15, 2019 | Modern Ghana

As part of the mandate of the National Peace Council to facilitate measures to prevent, manage and resolve issues that threaten the development and peace…

Liberia: A Forest of Obstacles for Liberia’s Palm Oil Industry

Dec 12, 2019 | Lucinda Rouse, Business Day

Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world, contained in products that range from bread to shampoo and biofuels, and demand…

Nepal: Rickshaw Drivers Break Stereotypes in Nepal

Dec 12, 2019 | UN Women

Hira Kumari Sewa is among the few female rickshaw drivers in Nepal. Service is literally in her name.

Afghanistan: 'Combatting Hidden Enemies': Meet the Women on the Front Line of De-mining Afghanistan

Dec 8, 2019 | Roshan De Stone and David L. Suber, Independent

Nearly 100 Afghans are killed every month by unexploded mines, and yet when Gulandam first signed up to help with de-mining efforts, men would hurl insults…

Colombia: Implementing Peace: Gender Issues Lag Behind

Dec 7, 2019 | Tasha Sandoval, The Bogota Post

New analysis released today highlights a clear gap in the implementation of gender specific aspects of the Colombian peace agreement and stresses that the active…

Afghanistan: Afghans Mourn Japanese Doctor Nakamura, Who Came to Treat Leprosy but Cured Drought

Dec 7, 2019 | Kritika Sharma, The Print

The death of a Japanese doctor who helped lakhs of Afghans gain access to clean water drew pained reactions and tributes from across the country…

Liberia: Land Dispute in Bong

Dec 6, 2019 | New Dawn

The issue of land dispute continues to hinder the development of Bong County as the current one centers a boundary harmonization between the residents of…

Jordan: Civil Society and Youth from the Arab States Review the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

Dec 6, 2019 | UN Women Arab States

Over 70 representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) and youth advocates from across the Arab States region met in Amman, Jordan on 26 and 27…

Bring Women to the Table to Build Peace in Africa, Say Gender Experts

Nov 30, 2019 | Newsroom

Women bear the brunt of conflict and for peace building to be successful they must be involved in conflict resolution and reconstruction at every stage,…

Land: Dealing with Land Conflicts and Improving Land Governance for Peace and Stability in Africa at the Heart of a High-Level Dialogue in Abidjan

Nov 29, 2019 | UN Economic Commission for Africa

Friday in Abidjan, the conference on land policy in Africa, a high-level dialogue on ethnicity and land conflicts were held. As part of the 3rd…

FAO Stands with Generation Equality to Oppose Rape

Nov 25, 2019 | FAO

FAO is taking a stand against sexual and gender-based violence by participating in the UN Secretary-General’s campaign: UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women.

Syria: US Occupation of Syria’s Oil Fields Is ‘Legal’ under International Law: Envoy

Nov 24, 2019 | Al-Masdar News

Washington is not doing anything illegal by securing oil fields in Syria, US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey told reporters on Friday. Jeffrey…

Vietnam: Strengthen Women’s Livelihoods and Participation for Greater Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change in Viet Nam

Nov 22, 2019 | Thao Hoang, UN Women

When Tran Thi My Linh, a 51-year-old rural woman first said that she would replace her rice fields with lotus fields, she raised many eyebrows.…

Can the US Take Syria’s Oil? [Audio]

Nov 21, 2019 | Shirin Jaafari, Public Radio International

Over the last few weeks, President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to keep American troops in Syria to “guard the oil” and that…

Democratic Republic of the Congo: How The Mining Business is Helping Women in Congo Escape Isolation

Nov 5, 2019 | Eleonora Vio, TRT World

Congolese women entered the mining sector in the late 90s and ever since they have been fighting discrimination, superstition and outdated customs, while they successfully…

Colombia: Colombia's Growing Sustainable Farming Movement

Nov 3, 2019 | Andrew J. Wight, Public Radio International

In the developed world, concerns around pesticides, herbicides, and industrial fertilizers are often framed around their impact on the environment, but for Carlos Osorio and…

Liberia: Court Rules in Nimba County Forest Saga

Nov 1, 2019 | Edward Genoway Jr., FrontPage Africa

The Circuit court in Sanniquellie, Nimba County has handed down its verdict in favor of Liberia Tree and Trading Company (LTTC) and its Chief Executive…

Iraq: How a Collective of Iraqi Women Is Bringing the Country Closer to Peace

Nov 1, 2019 | WLPF International

A delegation representing the Iraqi Women’s Network attended the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) session on the 20th…

Netherlands: How Fairphone's Social Mission Created Gender Balance ... Without Really Trying

Oct 30, 2019 | Oliver Balch

Eva Gouwens had heard that the tech industry was male-dominated, but it wasn’t until she attended the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona for the first…

India: Mother Earth’s Café Dares Climate Crises in India

Oct 29, 2019 | Manipadma Jena, Inter Press Service

The sun has barely risen when Phlida Kharshala shakes her 8-year-old grandson awake. He hoists an empty cone-shaped bamboo basket on his back, sets the…

Colombia: Colombia, Aún Lejos de Hacer las Paces con el Medioambiente (Colombia, Still Far from Making Peace with the Environment)

Oct 29, 2019 | Laura Betancur Alarcón, El Tiempo

En 2016, con la firma de los acuerdos de paz, los ojos de cientos de investigadores y ambientalistas estaban en Colombia. Había esperanza. Si este…