Greater gender balance needed in peacekeeping, says UN chief

Deploying more women to peacekeeping operations will help boost the protection of civilians and reduce the chances of sexual exploitation and abuse, the UN chief urged on Friday. António Guterres was speaking via video-link to chiefs of defence and senior military officials attending a conference at UN Headquarters in New York. The meeting is part of a wider process to improve the overall performance of UN peacekeeping missions. Jocelyne Sambira has more.

Bearing the “brunt of the war” in Uganda, women now need justice

Women in northern Uganda, who have borne the brunt of a 20-year war, now need full access to justice and their basic rights for society to make a full recovery. That’s the view of Uganda’s Chief Justice, Bart Magunda Katureebe, speaking at a High-Level meeting on Women’s Access to Justice here at UN Headquarters in New York. He explained that while the constitution protects women, parliament needed to put laws in place to make those provisions operational. He noted that women and girls needed legal pathways to create “an avenue for stability, and eventually for peace.” Liz Scaffidi asked the Chief Justice about the challenges women are facing in the region.

Myanmar: Muslim, Rakhine women bond over literacy classes

Women belonging to different religious minorities in the restive Rakhine State in Myanmar are mending fences as they learn to read, write and sew, the UN said on Friday. The project, supported by the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, promotes peaceful co-existence through vocational training classes. It’s based in the town of Maung-daw, where Rohingya Muslims reportedly suffered a “brutal crackdown” at the hands of the local police. Jocelyne Sambira reports.

Presenter: Matt Wells

Production Assistant: Ana Carmo

Duration: 10’00″