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AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT: A CRITICAL MOMENT TO SUPPORT SUDAN By Wangari Maathai For years, we have been hearing African leaders calling for African solutions to African problems. And for many more years, we have been waiting to see our leaders rise to the occasion and demonstrate strong leadership to resolve the many conflicts that are plaguing our continent. More >> THE PRIVATISATION OF LIVELIHOOD By Vandana Shiva Globalisation and trade liberalisation policies have led to the privatisation of water and biodiversity and the concentration of land ownership in India, reversing six decades of land reform and introducing a new form of corporate zamindari -a feudal land tenure system- through instruments like "special economic zones", writes Vandana Shiva, an author and international campaigner for women and the environment. More >> WOMEN'S HEALTH - A SMART INVESTMENT IN TROUBLED TIMES By Thoraya Ahmed Obaid The financial crisis that started in rich countries has deepened into a global economic crisis that threatens to reverse hard-won gains in education and health in developing countries, and women and children are among those hardest hit. That is why the theme of this year's World Population Day, 11 July, focuses on increased investments for girls and women to boost economic recovery and long-term equitable growth, writes Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). More >> POOR COUNTRIES RAILROADED INTO WEAK COMPROMISE AT UN FINANCIAL SUMMIT By Sylvia Borren After weeks of negotiations, the conclusion of the UN High Level Conference on the Financial and Economic Crisis (24-26 June) was a huge disappointment, writes Sylvia Borren, co-chair of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) and Worldconnectors. More >> LET THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT DO ITS WORK By Wangari Maathai, Wole Soyinka and Desmond Tutu Representatives of African States will meet in Addis Ababa (June 8-9) to "exchange views" on the International Criminal Court (ICC). Prompted by the war crimes indictment of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, the meeting will provide a platform for the Court’s dissenters in Africa, and aim to sew discord among ICC supporters, writes Wangari Maathai, Wole Soyinka and Desmond Tutu. More >> WORLD MUST KEEP UP PRESSURE ON AFGHAN LAW AGAINST WOMEN By Emma Bonino The new Shi'ite Personal Status Law recently passed in Afghanistan legalises rape within marriage and officially relegates women to second class citizens; it is a barefaced denial of human rights that needs to be condemned loudly, unequivocally and universally, writes Emma Bonino, vice-president of the Italian Senate. More >> GLOBAL CRISIS: WOMEN WORKERS WILL BE HIT HARDEST By Supachai Panitchpakdi As the global economic crisis continues to unfold, it is having severe effects on international trade. UNCTAD estimates that merchandise exports from developing countries could decline by 15.5% this year. At the regional level, we expect export growth to shrink by 16.8% in Asia, 12.5% in Africa, and 10% in Latin America, writes Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). More >> HEALTH-SWAZILAND: 'Role Models in the Community' Mantoe Phakathi interviews SYLVIA KHUZWAYO, expert client She is popularly known as sitjifiri (beautiful and well-kempt woman in SiSwati). Sylvia Khuzwayo travels across the Shiselweni region in the southern part of the Kingdom of Swaziland, giving testimonials to communities on her experience of living with HIV. More >> GLOBAL HEALTH SYSTEM IN STATE OF ALARM By Margaret Chan The current economic crisis poses an enormous challenge to global health but also offers opportunities to lay the foundations for more equitable and effective health systems in the future, and to rationalise and improve the way that international organisations work for the health of people throughout the world. More >> PRIVATISATION IS THE ENEMY OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE By Vandana Shiva More >> RETIREMENT ITALIAN STYLE - WOMEN AND THE PENSION TABOO By Emma Bonino More >>

Q&A: Equality Is Feminism More >> Q&A: Qualified Women Have Better Chance in Top Jobs More >> Q&A: 11.8 Seconds That Broke Taboos for Women More >> Q&A: More Women Journalists Doesn’t Mean More Gender Awareness More >> Q&A: "We Can't Continue to Pay Lip Service to Gender Equality" More >>

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This page includes independent IPS news coverage financed through the Dutch Government's MDG3 Fund: Investing in Equality, and through the United Nations Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM.