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With the completion of its Charter, the Association on South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is receiving a renewed interest among its neighbors in the region and beyond. While ASEAN may not be as cohesive as other regional bodies, its member countries have so much natural and human resources to offer that ASEAN remains a strategic body to engage. This is more or less the logic behind the European Union's pursuit for a Partnership Cooperation Agreement with ASEAN.

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More than a year since the historic Philippine court decision that convicted an American soldier for raping a Filipina, women's groups fear another betrayal of justice and sovereignty.

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Just two weeks since the exclusive press conference in Spain, another opportunity to openly discuss Ines Alberdi’s appointment as United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Executive Director was thwarted.

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Feminists from the South continue to strongly express their views on UNIFEM appointment  

It is almost a month after the appointment of Dr. Ines Alberdi as Director of UNIFEM, yet feminists, particularly from the developing South, continue to strongly voice out their heart-felt disappointment in UNIFEM’s appointment process and choice. Such expressions appear to be primarily stirred by the lack of transparency and accountability displayed by the appointment process, especially since UNIFEM is considered an offshoot of the women’s movements by many feminists.

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The Cambodian authorities have halted processing foreigners’ applications for marriage licenses to wed Cambodians. The policy was implemented after a report showed that cases of human trafficking have increased and that the women are entering potentially abusive situations. The directive to halt processing of licenses was met by a corresponding move from the Korean embassy to stop approving marriage visas.

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In 2001, Saudi Arabia signed the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), but much more is yet to be done if women’s civil rights are to make it beyond paper.