Africa has a long history of migration. Persistent economic instability, fragile ecosystems, cyclical drought patterns, and civil wars and other types of conflict have propelled people from their countries of birth. Currently, more than 16 million Africans are classified as migrants, and their numbers are increasing. In particular, South Africa has the largest number of foreign-born persons (excluding irregular migrants).
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As women in developed countries enter the labour market in greater numbers they create an increasing demand for domestic and care labour which, combined with the deficient response of public institutions, has created the so-called "care crisis". The care crisis, which opens up opportunities mainly for women, has been a factor in the feminization of migratory processes. The need to sustain households on a daily basis has created global care chains with cross-border dimensions.
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Over the past 20 years national mechanismsfor the promotion of women have been established throughout Latin America. Despite the progress achieved, they need to be strengthened to ensure their success. Currently, those responsible for these mechanisms are building networks aimed at strengthening their political incidence and making gender equality policies a priority for all Latin American governments.
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With the aim of offering capacity-building that responds to the needs of local women politicians, UN-INSTRAW and the Regional Association (PROCASUR) will carry out two “Routes to Learning” exercises in Central America (August 2008) and the Andean Region (September 2008).
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Very few Guatemalan women are elected to local government, and in addition, they face aggression and discrimination. This was evident in the framework of the First Interdepartmental Meeting of Women in Municipal Governments and Women’s Commissions held in Panajachel, Solalá, with the support of UN-INSTRAW.
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UN-INSTRAW has produced 11 publications that present the general picture of women’s political participation in local governments of Latin America. These publications are now available through InterCambios, a newsletter from the Latin American Centre for Rural Development (RIMISP).
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UN-INSTRAW hosted the Expert Group Meeting on Tracking and Monitoring Gender Equality and HIV/AIDS in Aid Effectiveness. The meeting, co-organized by UNIFEM and the European Commission, aimed to identify and promote approaches to ensure that the aid effectiveness agenda promotes greater action on and investment in reducing HIV/AIDS among women and girls.
The Conference “Crafting Human Security in an Insecure World” is being co-convened by the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (IPJ), UN-INSTRAW, the Global Justice Center, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF).
The media has incredible potential to be a change agent in relation to gender equality. Considering that women are the central focus of only 10% of news stories, mass media in general does not give an accurate representation of reality or take into account the current changes in perceptions or gender norms and roles.
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It is estimated that during the conflict in the Balkans in the early 1990s, between 20,000 and 50,000 women were raped; during the Rwandan genocide, it is estimated that 500,000 women were raped; and during the conflict in Sierra Leone, between 50,000 and 64,000 women experienced some form of sexual violence.
Within the framework of the project “Gender and remittances: Strengthening the capacities of Colombian women migrants as development agents from a human rights perspective,” UN-INSTRAW provides technical assistance to Sisma Mujer, an organization that monitors the situation of women’s human rights in Colombia.
