United Nations Radio

women around the world.

The dramatic rise in food prices this year, which has led to shortages and even riots in many countries, has also increased the risk of malnutrition and hunger among the poorest and most vulnerable people. Many of these are women. A workshop on the human right to food at the annual UN conference for non-governmental organizations held in Paris this week heard from different sectors of society about best practices on ensuring food security and proper nutrition.

Women parliamentarians lead changes in African politics

One of yardsticks that's often used to measure gender equality is women's representation in elected office. By this measure some African nations are leading the world. Almost half the parliamentarian seats in Rwanda are held by women - the highest percentage in the world. And six countries in Africa are among the top 21 nations with the highest female parliamentary representation. In this report by Michael Cavanaugh of UNICEF Radio, women parliamentarians from Burundi, Tanzania and Rwanda share their stories of breaking through their countries' gender barriers and in the process opening up other opportunities for women and girls.

Increasing women's participation in the response to the AIDS epidemic

Women's voices are still not being heard enough to influence the response to the AIDS epidemic. This is the conclusion of a nine-month global review by UNIFEM and the ATHENA Network. The full report is coming out in November, but a summary was presented at the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City last month. It says women's participation is lacking, not because they are not doing anything, but because they are not being ensured a space to voice their opinions, to share their learning, and to influence the policies and strategies that are put in place.

Producer: Bissera Kostova