Gender News Archive

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How young people can help prevent the spread of HIV: Released: 23 December 2004
How Poorer Women Can Benefit From Globalisation: Released: 9 December 2004; A Commonwealth Secretariat publication demonstrating how women on low incomes can benefit from globalisation, if opportunities are made available to them, was launched at Marlborough House, London, UK, on 7 December 2004.
10th December Human Rights Day Message from the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Don McKinnon: Released: 9 December 2004; When the Nigerian political activist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa was hanged along with eight other Ogoni leaders by the Abacha regime in 1995, Commonwealth leaders, who were meeting in New Zealand, immediately took action to suspend Nigeria from the association.
Women And Girls Key To Stopping Spread Of HIV/AIDS: Released: 2 December 2004; "Women and girls should be at the centre of our joint efforts to halt the spread of AIDS" - Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has called for women and girls to be at the centre of efforts to stop the spread of AIDS.
World Aids Day Forum Focuses On Women’s Rights: Released: 2 December 2004
Supporting Women Entrepreneurs: Released: 25 November 2004
Businesswomen Tackle Obstacles With ICTs: Released: 11 November 2004
Commonwealth Seeks Greater Role For Women In Conflict Prevention And Resolution: Released: 4 November 2004; Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Winston Cox has called for women to be given a bigger role in preventing and resolving conflicts in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, and Peace and Security.
Deputy Secretary-General to speak on Women, peace and security at UN security council: Released: 28 October 2004; Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Winston Cox will address the United Nations Security Council in New York on 28 October 2004. He will speak on the Review of Progress and Implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, and Peace and Security.
New Publication: 'Gender Human Rights in the Commonwealth': Released: 28 October 2004

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International Women’s Day is held each year on 8 March. It was first observed worldwide in 1909.

There are 20 women Presidents and Prime Ministers in the world; seven from Commonwealth countries: Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, India's President Pratibha Patil, Jamaica's Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, Malawi's President Joyce Banda, Mauritius' President Monique Ohsan Bellepeau and Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar.

Currently, 13 Commonwealth countries are in the top 40 for mainstreaming women into Parliaments: Australia, Canada, Guyana, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Rwanda, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda. Rwanda ranks first with 56 per cent.

A third of African countries have over 30 per cent representation of women in governance.

Following constitutional amendments to reserve a third of all local government seats for women in India, over one million have been elected to the Panchayat Raj (local government)

Each year, more than 500,000 women – at least one every minute – die from pregnancy-related causes. The vast majority of these deaths occur in developing countries. An African woman's lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes is one in 16; in Asia, it's one in 65. In Europe, it's one in 1,400.

Women produce half the world's food, but own only 1 per cent of its farmland.

Past mortality rates for females in child-bearing age groups were higher than males at the same age. This is no longer the case. Female human life expectancy is considerably higher than men.

The first computer programmer was a woman in 1842: Ada Lovelace (1815–1852), analyst of Charles Babbage‘s analytical engine.

The first country to grant women the right to vote was New Zealand in 1893.

700,000 people will experience domestic violence in the UK. 90 per cent are white British females

Gender-based violence causes more deaths and disabilities among women aged 15 to 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war.

More than one billion people live in extreme poverty, 75 per cent are women and girls.

7 of the top 9 Fortune list of the most powerful businesswomen are from Commonwealth countries.

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Enquiries on our gender work:

Ms Linda Kalindi
gender@commonwealth.int

Media enquiries:

Victoria Holdsworth
+44(0)20 7747 6383
v.holdsworth@commonwealth.int

Gender News Archive

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