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“The ASEAN Committee on Women (ACW) agenda recognises the need to deliberate, identify, and monitor ways to ensure that globalisation is a positive force for reducing poverty and improving the lives of women. This is particularly urgent for rural women and those that have fallen by the wayside as a result of structural changes brought about by economic integration.” Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Singapore's Minister of State for Community Development, Youth, and Sports, promised in her opening speech during the fifth meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Committee on Women.

 

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Despite gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and the presence of a number of women's organisations, Tajikistan women still have yet to achieve gender equality. Culture, coupled with religion, is hindering women in attaining equal status with men, according to local activists.

 

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The United Nations (UN) High Level Panel on System-wide Coherence, convened by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, released its final report on UN infrastructure on November 9, 2006. One of the report’s recommendations is the creation of a stronger agency for women. 

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Will gender equality finally see the light of day in Southeast Asia?

This is the hope of the new partnership between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Signing a Framework for Cooperation Agreement on June 8, 2006, ASEAN and UNIFEM double up commitments to work for the active involvement of women in the social, economic, and political spheres in accordance with the 1988 Declaration on the Advancement of Women in the region.

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“Women's role in the consolidation of peace” was theme of this year's United Nations (UN) Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security held last October 26, 2006.

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Sydney, Australia—Top Muslim cleric Sheik Taj el-Din al-Hilali has sparked outrage and condemnation from Muslims and non-Muslims alike, when he said that unveiled women are comparable to uncovered meat that attract voracious animals.