The Arab Spring has had a dramatic ripple effect across the region, still in upheaval to many extends. Although women were prominent actors of those upheavals, issues of non-discrimination, equality and women’s rights face difficulties to be included in the frameworks of ongoing and/or upcoming constitutional reform processes. Moreover, in many countries retaliation against women has been brutal, ranging from rapes to virginity tests to imprisonment and torture.

The international community is playing a significant role both in terms of diplomacy as well as direct support and selective media coverage. “The Arab spring” has created new international interests as well as new funding pots. What are the implications for the peoples of these countries and for women’s rights in particular?

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Within the framework of strengthening the promotion of gender equality including gender mainstreaming in all EU policies and the resulting national policies, the European Institute for Gender Equality, EIGE, is organising an international conference on ‘Good Practices in Gender Mainstreaming: Towards Effective Gender Training‘.

The conference will be held in Brussels, Belgium on November 28, 2011.

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The division for Gender Equality of the cabinet of the UNESCO Director-General and the Destree Institute in the presence of Ms. Irina Bokova, Dorector-General of UNESCO Millennia 2015 organises a conference on Millennia2015- ‘An Action Plan for Women’s Empowerment’. 

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The 15th Annual Conferencef the International Lesbian & Gay Association in Europe will take place in Turin on 27-30 October 2011, at the NH Ambasciatori, Turin, Italy. The theme of this year’s conference is Human Rights and “Traditional Values”: clash or dialogue?

The following keynote speakers have been announced so far:

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