Events Content
Launch of UN Women
UN Women Celebrates Launch as Powerful Driver of Women’s Equality
Media inquiries: Gretchen Luchsinger, UN Women media specialist, +1.212.906.6506, +1.201.736.2945 (mobile), gretchen.luchsinger@unwomen.org.
New York, 24 February 2011—The UN today celebrates the historic launch of UN Women, its newest organization, with an evening including luminaries from the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, the media, music and film in the UN General Assembly Hall.
UN Women, formally known as the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, combines four previous UN bodies and represents the United Nations’ most ambitious effort ever to accelerate actions to achieve gender equality. Around the world, supporters of women’s rights have heralded its debut.
“With the birth of UN Women, we welcome a powerful new agent for progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment,” says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “The challenges are great, but I believe that with the new energy, the new momentum and the new authority that UN Women brings, these challenges will be met. True gender equality should be our shared legacy in the 21st Century.”
The Secretary-General appointed former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to be the first Executive Director of UN Women. Calling the launch the first of many important milestones in the global pursuit of gender equality, she emphasizes that the decision to establish UN Women reflects ongoing frustration with the slow pace of change. UN Member States unanimously agreed to create the new organization, following longstanding advocacy by women’s activists.
“Think of how much more we can do once women are fully empowered as active agents of change and progress within their societies,” Ms. Bachelet says. “Historically, we are at a point of great potential and change for women. Now we must seize that opportunity.”
She adds, “My own experience has taught me that there is no limit to what women can do.”
UN Women will support individual countries in moving towards gender equality in economics and politics, and ending the worldwide phenomenon of violence against women. It will assist in setting international standards for progress, and lead coordinated UN efforts to make new opportunities for women and girls central to all UN programmes for development and peace.
UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and Academy-Award winner Nicole Kidman describes personal experiences of seeing women change the world. “There are incredible testimonies of resilience, strength and dignity—and ultimately of hope,” she says. “This is why I say that the women and girls I have met are my personal heroes. It is my pleasure and pride to be with UN Women, the new, strong voice for women around the world.”
H.R.H. Princess Cristina of Spain, in her capacity as President of the Institute of Health of Barcelona, urges broader understanding of how an investment in women is an investment in families, communities and nations. Citing uneven progress on aspects of the Millennium Development Goals such as reduced maternal mortality, she calls on“all stakeholders and champions—governments, foundations, the private sector, civil society, academic institutions and individuals—to invest in women’s empowerment as an instrumental strategy to achieve the MDGs.”
ABC News anchor Christiane Amanpour serves as emcee of the celebration. Other speakers include UN General Assembly President Joseph Deiss; the President of the UN Women Executive Board and former Foreign Minister of Nigeria, Ambassador Joy Ogwu; Nepalese activist Bandana Rana and former Commander of the all-female Formed Police Unit in Liberia Rakhi Sahi.
CNN founder and Chairman of the UN Foundation Ted Turner urges men and the private sector to get involved in achieving gender equality. Actress Geena Davis highlights the role of the media in promoting positive images. The singer Shakira has offered a special message emphasizing the importance of education.
The programme concludes with the performance of the song “One Woman,” which was written for the occasion, with lyrics by Beth Blatt, and music co-composed by Graham Lyle and Clay.
The celebration of the launch of UN Women can be seen via webcast at http://bit.ly/unwomenlaunch Thursday, February 24 from 6:30 to 8:00 EST (GMT 5).
For a broadcast feed, contact UNTV, James Ludlam, Ludlam@un.org, +1.212.963.7650.
Photographs of a pre-event photo opportunity with speakers will be available at ca. 7 p.m. EST; of the event at ca. 9 p.m. EST: http://bit.ly/unwomenlaunchphotos.
Media inquiries: Gretchen Luchsinger, UN Women media specialist, +1.212.906.6506, +1.201.736.2945 (mobile), gretchen.luchsinger@unwomen.org.
New York, 24 February 2011—The UN today celebrates the historic launch of UN Women, its newest organization, with an evening including luminaries from the worlds of politics, entertainment, business, the media, music and film in the UN General Assembly Hall.
UN Women, formally known as the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, combines four previous UN bodies and represents the United Nations’ most ambitious effort ever to accelerate actions to achieve gender equality. Around the world, supporters of women’s rights have heralded its debut.
“With the birth of UN Women, we welcome a powerful new agent for progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment,” says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “The challenges are great, but I believe that with the new energy, the new momentum and the new authority that UN Women brings, these challenges will be met. True gender equality should be our shared legacy in the 21st Century.”
The Secretary-General appointed former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to be the first Executive Director of UN Women. Calling the launch the first of many important milestones in the global pursuit of gender equality, she emphasizes that the decision to establish UN Women reflects ongoing frustration with the slow pace of change. UN Member States unanimously agreed to create the new organization, following longstanding advocacy by women’s activists.
“Think of how much more we can do once women are fully empowered as active agents of change and progress within their societies,” Ms. Bachelet says. “Historically, we are at a point of great potential and change for women. Now we must seize that opportunity.”
She adds, “My own experience has taught me that there is no limit to what women can do.”
UN Women will support individual countries in moving towards gender equality in economics and politics, and ending the worldwide phenomenon of violence against women. It will assist in setting international standards for progress, and lead coordinated UN efforts to make new opportunities for women and girls central to all UN programmes for development and peace.
UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and Academy-Award winner Nicole Kidman describes personal experiences of seeing women change the world. “There are incredible testimonies of resilience, strength and dignity—and ultimately of hope,” she says. “This is why I say that the women and girls I have met are my personal heroes. It is my pleasure and pride to be with UN Women, the new, strong voice for women around the world.”
H.R.H. Princess Cristina of Spain, in her capacity as President of the Institute of Health of Barcelona, urges broader understanding of how an investment in women is an investment in families, communities and nations. Citing uneven progress on aspects of the Millennium Development Goals such as reduced maternal mortality, she calls on“all stakeholders and champions—governments, foundations, the private sector, civil society, academic institutions and individuals—to invest in women’s empowerment as an instrumental strategy to achieve the MDGs.”
ABC News anchor Christiane Amanpour serves as emcee of the celebration. Other speakers include UN General Assembly President Joseph Deiss; the President of the UN Women Executive Board and former Foreign Minister of Nigeria, Ambassador Joy Ogwu; Nepalese activist Bandana Rana and former Commander of the all-female Formed Police Unit in Liberia Rakhi Sahi.
CNN founder and Chairman of the UN Foundation Ted Turner urges men and the private sector to get involved in achieving gender equality. Actress Geena Davis highlights the role of the media in promoting positive images. The singer Shakira has offered a special message emphasizing the importance of education.
The programme concludes with the performance of the song “One Woman,” which was written for the occasion, with lyrics by Beth Blatt, and music co-composed by Graham Lyle and Clay.
The celebration of the launch of UN Women can be seen via webcast at http://bit.ly/unwomenlaunch Thursday, February 24 from 6:30 to 8:00 EST (GMT 5).
For a broadcast feed, contact UNTV, James Ludlam, Ludlam@un.org, +1.212.963.7650.
Photographs of a pre-event photo opportunity with speakers will be available at ca. 7 p.m. EST; of the event at ca. 9 p.m. EST: http://bit.ly/unwomenlaunchphotos.
Source: UN Women Press Release
www.unwomen.org
www.unwomen.org
Pray The Devil Back to Hell
The US National Committee sponsored screenings throughout 2009 of the award winning film, Pray the Devil Back to Hell. "Pray the Devil Back to Hell chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country."
Through a special arrangement with the fimmaker, the US National Committee joined with other organizations throughout the world in screening this award-winning film as a participant of the September Global Peace Tour.
Our chapters are sponsored screenings, to raise money for our efforts to support UNIFEM.
- UNIFEM continues to help the women of Liberia find their voice and to assist them with rebuilding the country.
- The film has won numerous awards including the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, and so have the producer, Abigail Disney, and many of the women featured from Liberia.
December USNC Chapter Screenings:
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Wednesday December 2, 2009 6:00PM |
Metro NY Chapter with Marymount Manhattan College
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Monday December 7, 2009 7:30PM |
Connecticut Chapter, in collaboration with the Southern Connecticut State University Women's Studies Program
Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT 06515
Refreshments will be served |
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Wednesday December 9, 2009 6:30PM |
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, in collaboration with the UC Hastings Center for Gender and Refugee Studies
UC Hastings School of Law Alumni Reception Room 200 McAllister St San Francisco, CA 94102
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December 13, 2009
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Brooklyn Museum, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Auditorium
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Small Change for Big Changes
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Did you know that there are 3,337,000,000 women and girls living in the world today? Many of them live in poverty; many of them go to bed hungry; many are malnourished. Many live in fear, as 1 out of every 3 women and girls will experience violence during her lifetime. |
CEDAW is the only comprehensive international treaty guaranteeing women's human rights and the prevention of the elmination of dicrimination against women. CEDAW provides a universal international standard for women's human rights - a framework for governmental policy to combat gender inequality. CEDAW's scope is wide ranging, addressing discrimination in areas such as education, employment, health care, marriage, and family relations, politics, finance, and law.
Help us with these efforts today. If we have just one penny for each woman in the world, we would have over $3 million! As we celebrate V-Day on February 14, International Women's Day on March 8, and Mother's Day on March 14, collect your small change and send it to UNIFEM-USNC. Your small change, when accumulated, can lead to big changes!
Click here for instructions on how to send in your change or to make an online contribution today!
2009 Annual Conference in Chicago
Women and Men Gather from Across the 
Country to Empower Women and Transform Lives
The 2009 annual meeting and conference of the US National Committee for UNIFEM took place July 10 - 12 in Chicago, Ill. Participants included the National Board of Directors, Chapter officers and members, and a number of people who were being introduced to the organization. All sections of the country were represented.
Saturday's workshops on Trafficking, Microfinance and Women's Maternal
Health , chaired by Dr. Katrin Schultheiss were extremely well received. Saturday evening'spicnic at Millenium Park, listening to the beautiful music of Gilbert and Sullivan, provided a respite from the busy schedule of the day.
Sunday's highlight was a luncheon at the Crowne Plaza which featured Peg Snyder, a founder as well as the first Executive Director of UNIFEM, who gave us an overview of how the organization began as an outgrowth of the International Conference in Mexico, and Joan Libby- Hawk, Chief of Public Affairs at UNIFEM who spoke about Partners for Empowerment. Ms. Libby-Hawk reminded us that partnerships not only have to be nurtured, they have to be a good fit for both parties.
Cumulative attendance reached over 150 with an average of 40 - 50 at each event.
The 2010 annual meeting and conference will take place in New York, NY, June 10 - 12. Please save the date.
To view our conference pictures, please click here.
View speakers' material here:
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Support our 50-50 Campaign
| In this day of increased competition for support, UNIFEM/USNC has recognized the urgent need to update our technology infrastructure to better manage memberships and donations, improve our email and communications capabilities, and expand our website. These critical measures will enable supporters like you to more easily access pertinent information, make contributions, and help us spread the word about UNIFEM’s vital programs. To accomplish this, the entire National Board and all of the Chapters Presidents have joined to endorse the launching of our “50-50 Campaignâ€, targeted to raise $50,000 through donations in $50 increments over the next 3 months. The funds raised will allow us to direct a higher percentage of our fundraising dollars toward UNIFEM programs by:
Please make a donation today of whatever amount you can - $50, $100, $150 or more - any donation is appreciated and will help us reach our goal. Donate now by clicking here: Â  Campaign Benefits Development of an Online Database and Communication System
Cost Savings
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2008 Annual Meeting
Creating Change...Improving Lives
UNIFEM/USNC's 2008 Annual Conference
Over 100 UNIFEM/USNC members and guests joined us for our 2008 Conference in Atlanta, GA on June 21 and 22.
Attendees:
- Were inspired by Senator Nan Orrock (GA, District 36) and Dr. Sita Ranchod-Nilsson of the Institute of Developing Nations of Emory University at our luncheon;
- Participated in panel discussions focused on HIV/AIDS, Microfinance, Trafficking, and Promoting Women's Leadership;
- Laughed during the comedic performance of Neale Godfrey Is Tap Dancing Through the Boardroom; and
- Learned about UNIFEM's Safe Cities Program and Security Council Resolution 1820 from UNIFEM Deputy Executive Director for programmes, Joanne Sandler.
SAVE THE DATE! Our 2009 Conference will be in Chicago on July 11-12.
To learn more about our conference, please view our Conference Booklet.
Below is a list of our panel discussions.
HIV/AIDS: The Impact on Women and Girls
Dazon Dixon Diallo, MPH, is the Founder and President of SisterLove, Inc., the first and largest women's AIDS organization in the Southeast region of the United States. As an adjunct faculty member, Dazon teaches Women's Health and Development as part of Morehouse School of Medicine's Master of Public Health Program, and the Comparative Women’s Studies Program of Spelman College.
Crystal Lander is the Senior Advocacy Advisor for the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), where she manages their engagement on U.S. and global policy in the organization's focus areas of girls' education, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and women's leadership. Prior to her position with CEDPA, she managed and led the Feminist Majority Foundation's national campus leadership program and campaigns on over 200 community colleges and four-year institutions. Ms. Lander is a public health professional with more than ten years of experience in global and domestic health issues.
Lisa Merritt, MD is a well-respected doctor and prolific author in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. She has lectured nationally and internationally on rehabilitation and multi-cultural issues. Dr. Merritt incorporates many complementary approaches to create a complete wellness program for her patients.
Hermeyone Wilson is a Nurse Practitioner at Family Healthcare of Atlanta. She has been providing care and treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS for over 12 years. She is a member of the Metropolitan Atlanta HIV Services Planning Council and volunteers her time as a member of the planning committee for the African American Outreach Initiative.
Moderator: Maggie Forster Schmitz, UNIFEM/USNC Board Member
Maggie Forster Schmitz is an independent consultant and specializes in
international and non-governmental organizations and the international aid community. She lives with her husband and two young daughters in Southern CA.
Microfinance: Empowering Women Worldwide
Elisabeth Bara served in the Peace Corps in Swaziland and lived in Zimbabwe from 1994-2005. In 1994, she founded ASAP - A Self-help Assistance Program for community development in Zimbabwe whose mission is to cultivate self-reliance. To date, over 25,000 women living in rural Zimbabwe have been empowered through ASAP's rural microfinance project.
D. BryAnn Chen is the Executive Director of Refugee Women's Network (RWN). In her thirteen years in the Atlanta area, she has worked in the non-profit sector on issues ranging from violence against women, nutrition education, and teen driving safety. Ms. Chen is also a founding member of Tapestri, Inc: the Immigrant and Refugee Coalition Challenging Gender-Based Violence.
Astrid Yolanda Pregel is the President of Feminomics Inc., a consulting company working at the intersection of gender, leadership, entrepreneurship and the economy. She is particularly interested in women's economic roles and their enormous potential to contribute to the eradication of global poverty. Ms. Pregel served for 25 years in Canada's Foreign Service and has worked in commercial and development assistance in 10 East African countries, in India and, finally, as the Consul General to the South Eastern United States here in Atlanta.
Genia Topple is the Executive Director of the Rockland Foundation. From 2003-2007, she served as the organization's Program Officer for Microfinance developing their strategy for microfinance in the Arab region and building relationships with grantees. She traveled extensively and lived in Egypt for a year to establish Sanabel, a regional association serving the Arab microfinance industry.
Moderator: Christine Griftner, UNIFEM/USNC Secretary
From the classroom to global business development, Christine has 25 years experience working for start ups and high tech Fortune 100 companies in sales, management, marketing and business development. With a Masters in Educational Technology, she currently consults with corporations such as SRI and the Sun Microsystems Foundation.
Voices of Leadership: Promoting Women in Governance
Nancy Abudu is an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Atlanta who primarily works in the area of voting rights. She has also represented victims of domestic violence on behalf of the Legal Aid Society of New York and presented testimony before the UN regarding the issue of environmental racism, with an emphasis on its impact on the health of women and children. She currently co-chairs the Political Action Committee for the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys and is a frequent speaker on the role of women in government.
Francesca Cesa Bianchi has been associated with CIFAL Atlanta, the North American affiliate of the Decentralized Program of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), since June 2006. In her position as Program Director, Ms. Cesa Bianchi oversees the Leadership Initiative on Gender Equality, a program launched in November 2006 in collaboration with the City of Atlanta and Fulton County Government. Prior to her current position, she served as Director of Public Relations for the Georgia Council for International Visitors, freelance writer for CNN Italia, and a Carter Center-accredited election observer in Venezuela in 2003 and 2004.
Janet Rankin is Regional Commissioner for the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics' Southeast Regional Office. In her position, Ms. Rankin provides leadership and direction for all Bureau of Labor Statistics economic and statistical programs in the eight-state Southeastern Region. These programs generate information on the labor force, employment and unemployment, prices and living conditions, safety and health, and occupational employment and compensation levels. Ms. Rankin is also Vice President of the Zonta Club of Atlanta, a part of Zonta International, an organization of professional women dedicated to advancing the status of women worldwide.
Moderator: Francine Brown, UNIFEM/USNC Board Member
Dr. Francine Brown is the President of the Sarasota Gulf Coast Chapter. of UNIFEM/USNC. Prior to joining UNIFEM/USNC, Francine served for many years in the corporate and educational arenas, with specialities in Organizational Leadership and Change, and Training. She is involved with several organizations in the community.
Trafficking Women and Girls: A Global Phenomenon
Alia El-Sawi is the Anti-Human Trafficking Program Coordinator for Tapestri Inc., an organization dedicated to ending violence and oppression in refugee and immigrant communities. Tapestri provides services to victims of trafficking and family violence. Ms. El-Sawi designs and provides training and outreach to service providers, law enforcement and community organizations on human trafficking.
Paula R. Goode has served as Deputy Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP) in the U.S. Department of State since May 2005. She was appointed Acting Director of the office in mid-December 2006 and served in that capacity until the current Director, Ambassador Mark Lagon, was sworn-in in July 2007. As Deputy Director, she is responsible for the overall management of the office and she also advises Ambassador Lagon on policy and programmatic issues. The TIP office coordinates U.S. government activities in the global fight against modern-day slavery including forced labor and sexual exploitation.
Lola Ibitoye has volunteered with Amnesty International for five years and is currently its Stop Violence Against Women's Coordinator. She also works at Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta. Refugee Resettlement & Immigration Services of Atlanta provides a wide spectrum of services to refugees before, during, and after their arrival.
Moderator: Leslie Wright, UNIFEM/USNC Board Member
In addition to serving on the UNIFEM/USNC Board, Leslie Wright is also President of the Metro NY Chapter of UNIFEM/USNC. She is an advocate for women and girls at the United Nations, frequently speaking on trafficking issues and other issues related to violence against women.
A Powerful Noise Live!
Thank you to everyone who joined us on Thursday, March 5, 2009 for an unprecedented ONE NIGHT event.
In honor of International Women's Day, CARE and NCM Fathom presented A POWERFUL NOISE Live in 450 movie theaters nationwide for one night. UNIFEM/USNC was a Partner Group for this screening. The event began with the acclaimed documentary, "A Powerful Noise," which follows three women from different countries who overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to bring lasting solutions to their communities. Immediately following the film, a town hall discussion with humanitarian experts Madeleine K. Albright, Natalie Portman, Nicholas Kristof, Christy Turlington Burns and Dr. Helene Gayle was broadcast live to all theaters.
To learn more about the film, please visit www.apowerfulnoise.org.
Around the Roundtable Dinner Parties
What better way to enjoy the Women's Global Roundtable than to invite your friends around your table?
Here's how:
- Join the Women's Global Roundtable. Register here.
- Invite 3-5 friends to your home for dinner either before or after the conference call on Tuesdays at 8:00 PM/ET. To reduce work on yourself, have everyone bring a dish to share. For fun, try recipes from the country of the speaker. Google: recipes, (name of country). You'll have thousands to choose from.
- Email your friends the link to the Women's Global Roundtable, http://unifemusa.org/?q=wgr so they can get excited about the series.
- Have someone do some basic research on women's issues in that country to share during the meal.
- Dial in at least 5 minutes before the call.
- When the call is in process, if possible, place your phone on mute to reduce background noise. Remember to un-mute when you ask a question during the question/answer period.
- After the call, debrief with your friends and discuss any follow up action you may choose.
Note: We would appreciate if all our your guests would personally register for the WGR. Your $10 donation supports UNIFEM and Peace X Peace.
Some tips for the call:
Have a telephone, cell phone or blackberry with speakerphone capability so that all will be able to hear the speaker. Test out the speakerphone function in advance if you haven't used it before. Please remember to mute during the call except when you are asking a question.
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You can use your computer speaker for the call through a web-based service called Skype. To make a call to our conference line through Skype, you will need to make the minimum payment of $10.00 via the Skype website, http://www.skype.com/. This payment provides hours of calling time at very low rates to anywhere in the world. Once you have signed up, go to "Add" then, "Add your number as a Skype Out contact." Click "United States" and add the conference number, which will be emailed to you upon registration. Test out Skype a few days in advance by calling your home phone or cell phone.
Bon appetit and happy listening!
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Women's Global Roundtable - UNIFEM Series
A series of live weekly conference calls and webcasts
with women from around the world
Join us each week as we celebrate the unsung "ordinary" women of the world and their extraordinary actions. Listen to their stories, learn about their challenges and triumphs, forge new relationships and connect across cultures.
Every Tuesday at 8PM ET/5PM PT, Peace X Peace and UNIFEM/USNC will feature one woman every week whose life has been touched by the work of UNIFEM (the United Nations Women's Fund) through the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women.
Women know that if there is to be peace in the world we need to connect directly with women from other cultures. The Women's Global Roundtable is designed to guide your curiosity, open your heart, and expand your life within a global community of women.
Help us spread the word! Organize an Around the Roundtable Dinner Party for 3-5 of your friends. Click here for more information.
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Visit Peace X Peace's Past Speakers page to learn more about our Women's Global Roundtable Speakers.
Details for Joining the Call
| When: |
Every Tuesday evening at 8 pm EDT/5 pm PDT*. Can't make this time? All interviews will be archived and accessible from your computer where you can listen and watch at your convenience |
| Format: |
A 40-minute interview followed by a 20-minute Question and Answer session with an additional 30-minute community forum for those who are interested in continuing the conversation. |
| Where: |
Listen on your phone at work, in the car or at home. |
| How: | Join by clicking the "Reserve Your Seat Today" button above. After you complete the online registration process, you will receive a follow-up email with the information you need to participate and weekly updates on the speakers. |
Questions? email: wgr@unifemusa.org
hosted by: www.peacexpeace.org and www.unifem-usnc.org
*Note: Long distance charges may apply depending on your telephone service and carrier.