Source: IRIN
Decades of conflict and marginalization have left South Sudan the most dangerous country on earth in which to give birth.

Source: AllAfrica
A slightly higher proportion of babies was saved from HIV infection in 2011 than in the previous year, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on Thursday.

Source: South African Government News Service
The group KZN Disabled Real Men has taken a stand against the scourge of domestic violence by launching an initiative known as 'Real Men Can Save Pledge'.

Source: IRIN News
"More women die in child birth, per capita, in South Sudan, than in any country in the world," says Caroline Delany, a health specialist with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in South Sudan which is funding a raft of maternal health programmes.

Source: US Department of State
The world may be awash in data -- thanks to modern technology -- but still more needs to be collected to effectively meet the needs of women and promote gender equality, says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Source: The Chronicle
The Asogli Queen Mother's Association in Ho has decried violence and economic abuse of girls and women in the West African sub region. The Association has, therefore, organized a workshop in Ho, for the relevant stakeholders to deliberate on how to put an end to the abuse and violence against women and girls in the society.

Source: All Africa
SECRETARY CLINTON:
Thank you very much. Well, it's wonderful being here with all of you today, and I want to start by thanking Gallup for co-sponsoring this conference with the State Department and hosting us here this morning. Jim Clifton told me that this used to be the convention center in Washington in the late 1880s and that men would come here and tie their horses up down below and have all kinds of meetings. So it's great that we're back here today, and I am grateful to Jim Clifton and his team for joining us to highlight the urgent need for more and better information about women and gender equality around the world.

Source: UN News Centre
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has selected Asha-Rose Migiro of Tanzania, former United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, as his Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa – one of several appointments announced today.

Source: New Era
African leaders have for the first time elected a woman and a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission.

Source: IPS
Improving family planning to avoid unwanted pregnancies in developing countries, as well as assuring girls’ access to education, and women’s participation in the economy, are essential components of a sound development policy, according to Western experts and African activists.

Source: UN Women
Of the 565 of the peace agreements made between 1990 and 2010, 16 per cent mentioned the word women ; 7 per cent mentioned gender equality or women's rights; and just 3 per cent mention gender-based violence. These are just one set of startling statistics reported by a new documentary from the Government of Australia, in partnership with UN Women.

Source: Daily Observer

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Saturday, July 14, held talks with the new Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Jan Eliasson, in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Source: Africa Brains

Spindelegger congratulates Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on her election as Chairperson of African Union Commission (AU)

On the occasion of the election of the South African Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the new Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger stressed the importance of the AU for peace, security, and development on the continent. “For the first time, a woman was elected to lead the African Union Commission”, said Spindelegger, “this is a milestone and a signal of the significant changes taking place on this continent. I congratulate Minister Dlamini-Zuma for this responsible position”.

Source: IPS
Two days of hearings were set aside at the end of June for three victims who are not witnesses in the Jean-Pierre Bemba case before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Nevertheless, the Trust Fund for Victims is struggling to start its activities in the Central African Republic – three years after the confirmation of charges brought against the former Congolese militia leader.

Source: IPS
A shiver ran down Habiba Kanaté's* spine when she read about a policeman shooting and killing his wife in Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire. "That could have been me," she said.

Source: Women News Network
Zambia's first lady, Dr. Christine Kaseba (also known in Zambia as Mrs. Michael Sata), is calling for stiffer penalties for perpetrators of violence against women and children in the region. Regional advocates say the problem may be centered on violence inside the home.

Source: Care 2
Women’s rights groups in Morocco are denouncing comments made by Solidarity, Women and Family Minister Bassima Hakkaoui and are demanding reform of the kingdom’s rape laws.

Source: Daily Observer
The West African Women Association (WAWA) Gambia Chapter in collaboration with the international body of WAWA Tuesday began its first dissemination workshop on the Ecowas Women Treaty on Free Movement of People and Goods at the Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi.

Source: Global Post
One woman's fight against ancient tribal laws that favor men has inspired thousands more. When Rkia Bellot’s family sold their communal land in 2004, each of her eight brothers received a share of the proceeds. But Bellot, a single woman, got nothing.

Source: StarAfrica.com

Spindelegger congratulates Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on her election as Chairperson of African Union Commission

On the occasion of the election of the South African Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the new Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger stressed the importance of the AU for peace, security, and development on the continent. "For the first time, a woman was elected to lead the African Union Commission", said Spindelegger, "this is a milestone and a signal of the significant changes taking place on this continent. I congratulate Minister Dlamini-Zuma for this responsible position".

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