The article reports, “The world welcomed its 7 billionth inhabitant today when tiny Danica May Camacho made her appearance in a Manila, Philippines hospital to great fanfare. India also greeted its version of the 7 billionth person on earth: a girl named Nargis, born in the state of Uttar Pradesh. That these two symbols of a major population milestone were girls is only a coincidence, but it is also a reminder that central to global progress in stabilizing population growth has been the empowerment of women and greater gender parity. Given greater opportunities and rights, women make decisions that slow population growth, and this impact is being seen worldwide, says Babatunde Osotimehin, the executive director of the United Nations Population Fund.”

Read the full article at: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-Issues/2011/1031/As-world-welcomes-7-billionth-baby-UN-says-empowering-women-is-key-to-stability

The article reports, “Domestic violence is outlawed in 125 countries of the world, but globally, 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not considered a crime. The above mentioned and many other such interesting and contradicting dimensions make part of the UN Women’s first major report following the organisation’s launch in early 2011. The report titled ‘Progress of the World’s Women: In Pursuit of Justice’ says that justice remains out of the reach of millions of the world’s women.”

Read the full article at: http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=56370&Cat=6&dt=7/7/2011

The article reports, “UNICEF, UN-HABITAT and UN Women launch ‘Safe and Friendly Cities for All,’ a five-year programme that aims at making women and children feel safer in their local neighbourhoods, while improving their quality of life. This partnership initiative builds on prior experience that all three organizations have accumulated on preventing gender-based violence, using innovative tools for child and youth engagement in urban settings, and promoting integrated crime prevention strategies in cities.”

Read the full article at: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_58984.html

The article reports, “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has correctly warned that women’s rights in Tunisia and Egypt risk being undermined, endangering reforms to gender discriminatory laws and jeopardizing the vital social, economic and political contribution of half the population. In this crucial post-coup stage, women who fought for change should heed the betrayals of gender rights in Algeria and Iran during periods of crisis.”

Read the full article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ida-lichter-md/muslim-womens-selfrelianc_b_835881.html

The artile reports, “The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and its Goodwill Ambassador, Academy Award-winning actress Mira Sorvino, today launched a new fund that will support groups working on the frontlines to assist the victims of human trafficking.”

Read the full article at: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37702&Cr=trafficking&Cr1

The article reports, “The American Civil Liberties Union will join other organizations today in meeting with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women. The Special Rapporteur, Rashida Manjoo, arrived in the U.S. Sunday on an official fact-finding mission to gather information on U.S. policies concerning domestic violence, sexual assault in the military and treatment of women in detention.”

Read the full article at: http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2011/01/24-2