I love the UNFPA Technical Division. They consistently produce fascinating, under-reported documents on women and women’s health. Most recently, they have developed an up-to-date cost estimate for implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). These numbers were actually presented to the UN in March 2009, but the comprehensive report that explains methodology was just released.
(Kabul) -- Afghan women in public life have always struggled, but the involvement of the international community in Afghanistan over the past eight and a half years opened space for women that did not exist under Taliban rule. Current trends, though, are negative. Women’s participation in politics and public life generally is declining, and, alarmingly, violence against women who venture out of the private sphere is spiking across the country.