March 8th is International Women’s Day. The United Nations is also celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action from the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995.

Some additional links:

The Scout Report link to the Gender and Land Rights Database from the FAO, which explains that “disparity on land access is one of the major causes for social and gender inequalities in rural areas.”

NATO Promotes the Role of Women in Peace and Security. In honor of International Women's Day, NATO will be hosting a video debate today on empowering women in conflict zones.

Amnesty International USA ‘s Violence Against Women page traces the progress of the International Violence Against Women Act (S. 2982) re-introduced in Congress in February 2010.

Nicholas Kristof’s (New York Times) column on Three Proven Steps to Advance the World’s Women (education, micronutrients, microfinance).