News headlines in March 2019, page 14

MANILA, Mar 02 (IPS) - The stubborn challenge of diagnosis and treatment of leprosy among difficult to reach populations in the Philippines should soon become easier with the rollout of a mobile app connecting field health workers with physicians and clinics.

WASHINGTON DC, Mar 01 (IPS) - Christine Lagarde* is Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

March 8 marks International Women's Day, which provides a chance to reflect on the struggle for greater gender equality.

The roots of this annual event reach back more than a century, yet its focus on respect and opportunities for women remains strikingly relevant today—from sexual harassment and violence to unequal laws and unfairness in the workplace, where women are too often underemployed, underpaid, and underpromoted.

BANGKOK, Thailand, Mar 01 (IPS) - Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Equal rights have been demanded and promised for generations, but last year a shift occurred in the women's movement. Across Asia and the Pacific and around the world, women demonstrated to condemn a status quo which continues to deprive too many women and girls of respect and equal opportunity.

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 01 (IPS) - In light of rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies, governments are exploring ways to tackle taboos around condoms.

In a new study, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) reviews the availability and accessibility of condoms, hoping to dismantle potentially harmful misconceptions.