On 18 December 1979, 30 years ago, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) was approved. One of the articles of the convention highlights women’s participation in politics at all levels of society. To commemorate this date, UN-INSTRAW is launching a tool to help authorities at the local level to evaluate the extent to which they have been able to incorporate a gender focus into their work and to fulfill their commitments to women’s political rights.

Male and female migrants around the world have been greatly affected by the global financial crisis, yet they have also adopted new strategies to cope with the crisis. Today, on International Migrants Day, UN-INSTRAW commemorates women around the world who have made the decision to migrate in search for a better life.

Local female politicians from over ten Latin American countries gathered in Quito, Ecuador, on 14-15 December to consolidate their networks and to create a space for the regional articulation of the rights and obligations of local women authorities in Latin America.

Latin America and the Caribbean is a dangerous place for women. More than 50 percent of the women on the continent have been victims of some form of violence. In commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UN-INSTRAW is launching a media kit on violence against women and human security in the region as well as a new study about gender and security sector reform in the Dominican Republic.

“It is important to build bridges, not only to connect different government ministries or women’s organizations but also across all the sectors and areas of responsibility to connect different stakeholders in different countries to reach our goal for the full implementation of the Resolutions on women peace and security.”