In March 2010, the 54th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will undertake a fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly. Emphasis will be placed on the sharing of experiences and good practices, with a view to overcoming remaining obstacles and new challenges, including those related to the Millennium Development Goals.

Gender Links, the African Woman and Child Feature Service, Gender and Media Southern Africa and the Gender and Media Diversity Centre will be collaborating to produce a conference newspaper for the event. To complement the daily news items to be produced on site, we are commissioning pieces from Africa based on the following themes.

· Gender and Soccer 2010 – opportunities and challenges, etc.

· Gender Based Violence – how far have we come, measuring GBV, new initiatives, legal issues, prevention, etc.

· Gender and the Media – breaking glass ceilings, media monitoring, new media, media diversity, reaching diverse communities, etc.

· Governance – 50/50, women in politics, profiles, achievements, challenges, etc.

· Climate Change – adaptation, action on the ground, impact, etc.

We are looking for fresh perspectives that offer an African view to the worldwide audience attending CSW 54.

· +/- 750 word pieces (shorter news pieces or profiles also accepted)

· Well-captioned photos that include the name of the person photographed, place, date appreciated.

Interested contributors should please send their ideas to the editor Deborah Walter [email][email protected] as soon as possible. All commissioned pieces must be submitted by: 10 February.

Editor will discuss rates and final word count.