United Nations Radio

Women: a weekly 14-minute news magazine that looks at issues affecting women around the world

Peacekeeper dispenses medication in Haiti

The United Nations is actively trying to recruit more women into its peacekeeping missions. In 2000, the Security Council recognized that because war and armed conflict affect women and men differently, peacekeepers must respond appropriately to their different needs. A recent panel organized by the United Nations University looked at some of the challenges in achieving gender parity in peacekeeping and especially in the police forces, which routinely deal with civilians.

Women battling HIV/AIDS in Sudan

Women wait for treatment at hospital

The equal sharing of responsibilities between men and women, especially regarding HIV/AIDS is the theme of the current session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Women representing non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, from around the world have been sharing their experiences of fighting the epidemic, often with little resources. We talked to Fatima Ahmed, the President of Zenab for Women and Development, an organization active in the eastern Sudanese state of Gadaref.

Women's participation in Parliament

Pia Cayetano

Women's participation in Parliament reached a global high in 2008 according to a report published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). But progress towards the United Nations target of 30 per cent representation of women, remains slow and uneven throughout the world. Senator Pia Cayetano of the Philippines, who is also President of the IPU's Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians talks about the situation in her country.

Producer: Bissera Kostova
Production Assistant: Sandra Guy
Duration: 14:00