Women’s health was Finland’s “sensitive issue,” says former premier

Investing in women’s healthcare as a basic human right in Finland used to be something of a “sensitive issue”, but it has turned out to be a “smart investment”, the country’s former President said at the UN on Tuesday. Speaking ahead of a debate at the Human Rights Council in Geneva to promote women’s rights with the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, Tarja Halonen told  Daniel Johnson that in her 50-year political career, she had seen the harm caused by budget cuts.

Handmade dolls share dreams of Syrian women, children with the world

Dolls made by Syrian women living in a UN-run refugee camp in Lebanon, are being used to tell the stories and dreams of mothers and children left behind. The dolls are part of a project called ‘The Ana Collection,’ created by Marianne and Melina Moussali, daughters of a Lebanese father and a Syrian mother. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, says the initiative helps the refugees to “open up to other communities” in the Shatila camp in Beirut, which originally was set up for Palestinian refugees. Michelle Alves de Lima reports.

UN expert urges action to combat discrimination against women and girls with disabilities

A UN human rights expert is calling for action to address what she has described as “the multiple layers of discrimination” against women and girls with disabilities. Catalina Devandas Aguilar made the appeal as activists meet at the UN this week to take stock of progress made since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006. Mark Petimezas sat down with Ms Devandas Aguilar, who is the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, and began by asking her to define what progress really means.

Presenter: Dianne Penn

Production Assistant: Ana Carmo

Duration: 10'00″