As part of an effort by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Pakistan to further debate on the relationship between Women, Culture and Development, a discussion between various women scholars and activists was organized in the regional office in Lahore in 1994. The first meeting was developed to an Annual Women and Religion Symposium, held from 1996 until 2002, and was addressing a range of issues pertaining to women and different religious traditions.

Aurat Foundation has for a long time wanted to compile a book focusing on the first four-year term of the newly elected women councilors, highlighting their experiences, struggles and success stories. We strongly believe that such a publication would guide aspiring women politicians and aid them in their careers. The second edition was now launched.

This book is about the devotional subcultures which women have always created. Its authors draw their evidence and inspiration from the Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic and Christian traditions of Asia in particular.

A selection of texts on climate change and Energy

The Heinrich Böll Foundation, Le Monde Diplomatique and Friends of the Earth Europe / BUND launch the new Meat Atlas 2014, an analysis of the big business of the global meat trade.

All Meat Atlas graphs are published under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-SA 3.0). You can download them here as PDF files.

Above all, the West wants stability in Syria. Because he has managed to sit out everything that has happened in recent years, the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad seems to offer this very stability. But accepting the kind of stability Assad offers would mean having to forget the atrocities committed by his regime.

The Supreme Court of India overturned a historic ruling of 2009 by the Delhi High Court, which legalised homosexual intercourse for the first time in India. But there is still a glimpse of hope.

"At the heart of the problem is the existence of two competing logics for how arms control discussions in the Middle East should proceed: immediate focus on the elimination of Israel’s assumed nuclear weapons (Egypt’s view), or dealing first with the very problematic context of inter-state relations in the Middle East, creating essential channels of communication and dialogue, and establishing a basis of mutual confidence and trust (Israel’s view)."