In accepting the Nobel Peace Prize last year, Yemeni activist Tawakkol Karman thanked women of the Arab world for her medal. Without their struggle to win equal rights, she would not be there, she said. The greatest challenge in that quest is not religion but the lack of economic and social development and a dearth of perceived security, said a Gallup Poll released Monday.

"The idea that coming in with a secular liberal social program as the solution to fixing how societies view women isn't supported by the evidence," said Dalia Mogahed, executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies.

Read more at cnn.com

Download the full report at gallup.com

How many women are represented in the Tunisian parliament? Do women in Iraq have the right to seek divorce? And in which countries is abortion legal? Find the answers to these and many more questions in this country overview that offers information on women’s rights in the Middle East, North Africa and Denmark. For each country you will find facts on women and education, women’s legal and civil rights, women’s status on the labour market and other relevant information. 

Go to rights map

A year after the Arab Spring revolution, Tunisia's future is still being written, and it will be authored in part, quite literally, by Ferida Lebidi. Two decades ago, Lebidi was in law school, but she was blocked for years from taking her exams and was even imprisoned because of her political activity.

Listen to the story at npr.org

On 2 June KVINFO became a member of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) – a network of more than 80 human rights organizations and institutions in Europe and the Mediterranean area. The decision to admit KVINFO as a member was made on the network’s general assembly in Copenhagen, running from 31 May to 3 June. Organisations from 30 countries in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa are part of the network, including many countries where KVINFO has established partnerships.

Read more about EMHRN here

Libyan women are dipping into politics in the hope of drafting a constitution which protects their rights. “Women gave a lot of hard work to support the revolution, so why not enter the government now?” asked Samira Karmusi, who is running with the Justice and Construction Party. The party brings together members of the Muslim Brotherhood with other Islamists and independents. 

Read more at alarabiya.net

Women in remote parts of Morocco are benefiting from a literacy scheme that also teaches civil rights, numeracy and beekeeping. The literacy programme is part of Morocco's national literacy strategy.

Read more at guardian.co.uk

Algeria’s legislative elections saw women take almost a third of the seats, making the national assembly the most gender-balanced in the region, but activists say the battle is far from won. According to official results made public Wednesday, 143 of the enlarged national assembly’s 462 seats will be occupied by women, up from a representation of only 7 percent in the outgoing house.

Read more at dailystar.com.lb 

The Morrocan cooperative of craftswomen, Reseau Femmes Artisanes, won the price for best production at the fair Riad Art Expo in Marrakech on March 30. The cooperative, which is based in Marrakech, is part of a partnership project facilitated by KVINFO with among others the Danish Design School. The Morroccan Minister of Tourism and Handicraft, Lahcen Haddad, visited the cooperative at the fair and showed a great interest in their products.

Read more at riadart-expo.com 

Amal al-Malki, a Qatari author, says the Arab Spring has so far failed women in their struggle for equality. Amal talks to Al Jazeera about women’s rights in the Arab world, political and social empowerment and Islamic feminism.

Watch the video at mideastposts.com

KVINFO is hosting an international conference on women’s position in society after the Arab uprisings on April 16^th in Copenhagen.

During the Arab uprisings, women and men protested side by side and were united in their call for freedom, basic rights and a just society. However, a year after the blossom of the Arab spring, strengthening gender equality remains a great challenge in the Middle East and North Africa.

The aim of the conference Women in a Changing Middle East and North Africa – Facing Challenges and Seizing Opportunities is to take stock of the situation, look into the future and discuss opportunities and challenges for women in the region.

Activists, politicians, journalists and scholars from the MENA region will attend the conference, which will be opened by the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Villy Søvndal. A panel of women activists and female parliamentarians from the Middle East and North Africa will participate in the debates.

The conference on April 16^th is followed by a two-day partner meeting for KVINFO’s more than 70 partners in the MENA region, which will take place on April 17^th-18^th.

Participation in the conference is free, but it is necessary to register. Read more about the conference and register online here no later than April 10^th.