Last week, SI UN Representative Cinzia Palmi attended the 144th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organisation. She reports back on the latest debates on food security and rural investment.Many of the regional conferences held earlier in 2012 focussed on issues of food security – particularly in rural areas. There

SI UN Representative Wilfrida Hendrickx attended the 20th Session of the Human Rights Council. She reports back from a side event on Harmful traditional Practices against Women and Girls - Laws vs. practic. During the 20th regular session of the Human Rights Council (18 June - 6 July 2012), special

SI UNESCO Representative Dominique Mertz attended the annual review of the Global Partnership for Female Education at the end of May. She reviews some of the innovative private sector partnerships which are providing schools and resources in some of the poorest countries. The Global Partnership was launched in 2011, armed

Soroptimist International UN Representative Yoko Komori Olson attended an NGO briefing on child labour earlier this month. She reports back on behalf of Soroptimist International. In 2002, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) launched the World Day against Child Labour (June 12th) to focus world attention on the urgent need to

On 5th June 2012, World Environment Day, and only 2 weeks before Rio + 20, the Geneva Environment Network, as part of UNEP (United Nations Environment Program), held a high level discussion on green economy, the development agenda post 2015 and the challenges facing us in the near future. It

On Sunday 24 June 2012, the Women’s Major Group (WMG), representing 200 civil society women’s organizations from all around the world issued a statement to express great disappointment with the results of the Rio+20 conference. Soroptimist International is a member of the Women’s Major Group and an active participant in

SI's delegation at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+20, report back from the opening day of the Heads of State Plenary Session. You can tweet your questions to SIE Programme Executive @SubaUma with any questions, or leave SI International Assistant Programme Director Anusha a message through the

SI's delegation at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+20, report back from day 2 of the NGO Development Dialogues. You can tweet your questions to SIE Programme Executive @SubaUma with any questions, or leave SI International Assistant Programme Director Anusha a message through the SI Facebook pages.

Soroptimist International UN Representatives in Vienna attended the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice at the end of April. As part of the Vienna NGO Committee on the Status of Women, SI co-hosted a side event on one of the focus topics of this year's commission, women in prison.

Disappointingly, the 56th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women failed to adopt agreed conclusions. As a result of this outcome, Soroptimist International, together with partner women's rights organisations signed a statement to discourage any re-opening of negotiations on the already established international agreements on women’s rights.