A post by Ambassador Behar in Dakar, Nov. 2010

A cool breeze at the end of the day blows down the sandy slope of the village of Mbisau in Senegal. A few dozen women, who are carrying their infants tied to their backs and wearing headscarves, are working bent down in their small plots of land where they are growing organic potatoes and onions. There are 126 women in this TIPA project, which uses advanced Israeli drip irrigation and agricultural techniques. Their project is a part of a broader program of MASHAV (Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation) and the Embassy of Israel in Senegal to combat poverty. The women are pleased. The new engagement in agriculture enables them to earn much needed money and also to deal with their other tasks such as raising their children and cooking. When the sun set and shines its last golden rays for the day on the green fields, the women return home happy and with smiles on their faces.

Gideon Behar,

Ambassador

Embassy of Israel,

Dakar

In historic move, UN creates single entity to promote women’s empowerment

UN News Center, July 2nd, 2010. A very welcome initiative!

In a bid to accelerate the empowerment of women, the General Assembly today voted unanimously to create a dynamic new entity merging four United Nations offices focusing on gender equality, a move hailed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other senior officials.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=35224&Cr=gender&Cr1

More women choosing to work, but gender equality remains a long way off

From ILO website, two days ago.

Despite signs of progress in gender equality over the past 15 years, there is still a significant gap between women and men in terms of job opportunities and quality of employment, according to a new report by the International Labour Office (ILO).

http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_123827/index.htm

Nicole Kidman helps break ground on UN-backed centre to end violence against women

from UN news Center- 8 January 2010 – Actress and Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman is set to help break ground today on a new centre located in San Francisco to combat violence against women, part of an initiative between the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and Family Violence Prevention Fund.
According to UNIFEM, data suggests that up to 70 per cent of women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence from men in their lifetime.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33439&Cr=violence+against+women&Cr1

International Conference of Women Leaders to be held in Haifa, Israel

The UN Assistant Secretary General on Gender Issues, and about 50 high level representatives from around the world will attend the international conference from November 8-12.

About 50 participants - including women at the highest levels from about 30 countries around the world - among them government ministers, members of parliament, and holders of senior positions in civil society and academia will be arrive for the 26th biennial International Women's Leadership Conference to be held at the Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Center (MCTC) on 8-12 November 2009. Moreover, participants at the conference will include experts from around the world, researchers in socio-economic fields, and representatives of UN agencies and various international and regional organizations.
This year's international conference will be devoted to The Global Financial Crisis - Implications for Women. It will be hosted in cooperation with the UN Assistant Secretary General on Gender Issues, Ms. Rachel Mayanja, and is under the auspices of MASHAV - Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Deliberations will focus on gender issues and the impact of the current financial crisis on all aspects of society, and on the involvement of women in decision-making processes. Thousands of leaders from around the world have attended these conferences thus far. The concluding declarations of the conferences constitute a platform for plans of action in social and economic fields in various countries.