Women's rights have been in the spotlight over the past two weeks. The UN commission on the status of women (CSW) began in New York last week with a call for a stand-alone goal on gender equality and women's empowerment in the post-2015 development goals. Concerns were raised over the watering down of some of the text written in the CSW outcome document, and men were called on to stop trying to control women and to better understand what equality means.
Dan Collyns reported on the Peruvian women fighting the state over forced sterilisations, and Mary Rusimbi explained why Tanzanian women are hoping for a stronger voice in the new constitution.
Elsewhere on the site
India's rice warrior battles to build a living seed bank as climate chaos looms
Darfur conflict: civilians deliberately targeted as tribal violence escalates
UK aid watchdog tells DfID to focus on quality of healthcare in Kenya
UK urged to increase aid to Burma in bid to press home democratic gains
Pakistan drought: government accused over child deaths in Sindh province
OECD donors consider pulling plug on aid to richer developing countries
On the blog
Celeste Hicks: Niger food crisis scheme offers local approach to recurring cycle of hunger
Philippe Douste-Blazy: Hepatitis C medicines must be made accessible faster than HIV drugs were
James Copnall: Sudan: a country ensnared by poverty, inequality and underdevelopment
Multimedia
• Video: Back to Timbuktu? Mali's displaced people face uncertain return home a year on from crisis
• Animated video: Giving a voice to marginalised women in Tanzania
• In pictures: Nepal's chaupadi tradition banishes menstruating women
Coming up
We speak to William Easterly about his new book, The Tyranny of Experts
Claire Provost will be reporting from El Salvador on Central America's clean water crisis
We will continue to monitor proceedings at the CSW
And, to mark world water day, we will be asking you to test your knowledge in our quiz
Podcast
This month's podcast will explore common misconceptions about Africa. Before the podcast is recorded on 27 March, nominate the myth you would like to see debunked.
What you said: this week's top reader comment
On our talk point on debunking myths about Africa, LastNameOnTheShelf said:
How about the myth that Africa contains chimpanzees who know more about the world than British people?
OK – seriously then …
How about the myth that all Africans are black? Isn't there a significant Asian diaspora? How many white Africans are there now? Others? Do we "accidentally" forget north Africans when we speak of Africa or do we really mean sub-Saharan Africa?
Or one of the many myths about African culture: How about: "All African societies are either traditional or destitute?" to which there is maybe a counter-myth: "Nothing in traditional African society or culture is still relevant."
Highlight from the blogosphere
Global Voices: Reducing the gap between Africa's rich and poor
And finally …
Poverty matters will return in two weeks with another roundup of the latest news and comment. In the meantime, keep up to date on the Global development website. Follow @gdndevelopment and the team – @MaeveShearlaw, @ClaireProvost, @LizFordGuardian and @MarkTran – on Twitter, and join Guardian Global development on Facebook.
