IWTC
Women's GlobalNet #324
Activities and Initiatives of Women
Worldwide
International
Women’s Day celebrated with demonstrations, talks, strikes and peace actions around the world
By Sofia Binioris, Lilla
Osztrovzski & Joeyta Bose
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1.
UN SECRETARY-GENERAL AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT RELEASE STATEMENTS TO
MARK INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY (IWD) 2.
EVENTS AT UN HEADQUARTERS TO COMMEMORATE IWD 3. COMPREHENSIVE WEBSITE DEVOTED TO IWD
EVENTS ACROSS THE WORLD 4. A SELECTION OF GLOBAL EVENTS &
INITIATIVES |
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The staff of
the International Women’s Tribune Centre wishes all our readers a festive and
inspirational International Women’s Day. The United Nations has declared that
the theme for this year is “Ending Impunity for Violence Against Women and
Girls” and though a monumental amount of work still needs to be done to
achieve this goal, March 8 presents us with the opportunity to reflect on the
enduring efforts of women and the victories that have come from them and to
renew commitment and hope to the cause of gender equality. Yet, as we
celebrate International Women’s Day in the midst of the concluding days of
the 51st session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women and
hear from the 4,000 women and 200 girls who have gathered in |
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1. UN SECRETARY-GENERAL AND GENERAL
ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT RELEASE STATEMENTS TO MARK INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-Moon and UN General Assembly
President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa released
statements to mark International Women’s Day. In his text and video message,
Ban highlighted the toll of violence on women’s lives and said that the
importance of International Women’s Day was that “it spells out our
responsibility to work for enduring change in values and attitudes…It compels
us to strengthen every means of empowering women and girls -- from education
to microcredit.” Sheikha Haya, in her message,
referred to the comprehensive study on violence against women that was issued
during this 61st session of the General Assembly, and called on UN
member states to uphold their obligations in ending impunity of violence
committed against women. “States cannot abdicate their international
obligations to punish perpetrators and prevent violence against, and the
exploitation of, women and girls. Neither can they hide behind cultural and
religious reservations to international treaties condemning this violence…,”
she said. - Read
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s statement at: http://www.un.org/events/women/iwd/2007/sg-message.shtml - Read
UN UN General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa’s statement
at: http://www.un.org/events/women/iwd/2007/gapres-message.shtml |
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2. EVENTS AT UN HEADQUARTERS TO
COMMEMORATE IWD Two panel
discussions and a film screening will be held to observe International
Women’s Days at UN Headquarters on March 8. The first panel discussion on the
subject of violence against women and impunity will be opened by Secretary
General Ban Ki-Moon, General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa and Security
Council President Dumisani Kumalo.
Panellists will include Carlo Del Ponte, prosecutor at the International
Criminal Court, Dillian Torres, president of
Congress of the Republic of Colombia, Raghida Dergham, columnist and senior diplomatic correspondent of
London-based Arabic daily Al Hayat, and others. Organized by the Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General
on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI), the second panel is
entitled “Breaking Barriers: The day’s
events at UN headquarters will culminate with a special screening of “Women
In an Insecure World,” a film about the myriad forms of violence against
women, in particular: trafficking for forced prostitution, domestic violence,
female genital mutilation, rape during armed conflict and female infanticide.
The film will be followed by a panel discussion and reception. - Find
out more: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/feature/iwd/2007/ |
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3.
COMPREHENSIVE WEBSITE DEVOTED TO IWD
EVENTS ACROSS THE WORLD A free registry and website of events being
celebrated around the world for International Women’s Day is available via
the Internet. The site currently lists 431 events in 42 countries around the
world. - Take a look at: http://www.internationalwomensday.com/default.asp |
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4.
A SELECTION OF GLOBAL EVENTS &
INITIATIVES |
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GLOBAL WOMEN’S STRIKE The
Global Women's Strike, a UK-based organization, has linked with organizations
in 13 countries to arrange demonstrations, talks and panels to demand
economic and social recognition for women’s unwaged work as caregivers and the
return of military budgets to the community and to women. The strike call
demands a world that invests in caring not killing. Activities around
the world include: -
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- - - - - USA: On International Women’s Day, women will hold a speak out
against the arrest of sex workers and in support of home health care services
in San Francisco; mothers who have lost child custody to the state because
they are poor will hold a weekly demonstration in Philadelphia; Public
meeting with So’ Anne, Haitian activist and folk singer in Los Angeles;
Welfare Warriors in Wisconsin will hold a “faxathon:”
a mass faxing of the government department demanding fair treatment for
families in poverty and people with disabilities, while screening two welfare
rights movies. Website: http://www.globalwomenstrike.net |
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GLOBAL
EDUCATION TOUR The
International Women’s Development Agency has organized several events in Website: www.iwda.org.au |
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WOMEN
IN TECHNOLOGY 2007 The Canadian
Information Processing Society (CIPS), a professional association providing
leadership in information systems and technologies, will host “Women in
Technology,” an annual program with local events in major cities across
Canada aimed at increasing awareness among Canada’s female youth about
careers in technology. On March 8,
CIPS will bring together women role models from a variety of technology
fields to share their experiences and encourage students to stay in math and
science throughout high school so they have the opportunity to join the
technology fields. Website: http://local.cips.ca/ottawa/womeninit.htm 24-hour live internet broadcast on women Website: http://march8.amarc.org |
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TOGETHER,
FIGHTING FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS Amnesty
International, Website: http://www.amnistia.cl/ |
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Picture This! Girls’ Photography Exhibit The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement will host a three-month exhibit to highlight
the talent of girls who have used photography to capture their concerns and
perceptions of violence against women in Website:
http://www.fwrm.org.fj/ |
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INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN’S DAY: A CALL TO ACTION IN Fired by the
March 3 arrest of 33 prominent women activists in Tehran who were
demonstrating peacefully against the unjust trial of five other grassroots
leaders, the Organization for Women’s Liberation in Iran will be holding gatherings, demonstrations and declaring
"No to women's oppression!," "No to the veil!,"
"No to gender apartheid" and "Long live women's
liberation." Website: http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/2007/02/28/international-womens-day-a-call-to-action-in-iran/ |
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KEBIRIGO-NYAMIRA
WOMEN’S MARCH The Massaba Rural Development Organization, which supports
health and education programs, income generating activities, food security,
housing and shelter, water and sanitation, is organizing the Kebirigo-Nyamira Women’s March against female genital
mutilation. The march aims to showcase
the women who have participated in the Women’s Empowerment Program activities
for 2007. Visit: http://www.massaba.org/
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International Conference on Kurdish Women for Peace
and Equality Dedicated
to the memory of the late Ms. Soraya Serajeddini, former Executive Vice President of the
Kurdish National Congress, this event will focus on the role of Kurdish women
in politics, science, art and history inside Kurdistan and the diaspora, as well as on the marginal participation of
women in politics, their increased participation and representation in
positions of power, examination of the “gender” of politics, and the gender
implications in political, scientific and artistic aspects of life in
Kurdistan. |
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FEMINISM IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION The Women’s Commission and the Public Service
Commission of the |
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Organized by the International Labor Organization, this annual roundtable will highlight
the roles and achievements of women in a particular field of work. This
year’s special guests include Anousheh Ansari, entrepreneur and first female private space
explorer and Rabiatu Serah
Diallo, general secretary of the Confédération Nationale des Travailleurs de Guinée (CNTG). Website:
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/event/women/2007/index.htm |
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INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN’S PLAY DAYS Right To Play
– Tanzania, a humanitarian NGO committed to improving the lives of children
and their communities through sports and play, will bring play days, sports
and games to girls and women in school and NGOs in Dar es
Salaam, Serengeti District, and Refugee Camps in Western Tanzania, near Kigoma, Kasulu and KibondoOrg'n. For more information: http://www.righttoplay.com/site/PageServer |
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PROSTITUTION:
WHAT’S GOING ON? The Women’s Library,
a cultural center including a library, museum and
archive, housing the most extensive collection of women’s history in the U.K,
will host an exhibit, “Prostitution: What’s Going On?” It will be a provocative and challenging
exhibition challenging the topical and urgent issues of prostitution and
trafficking for sexual exploitation, in historical and contemporary context. For more information, visit: http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/thewomenslibrary/ |
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stop the (women)
killings As of
February 2007, 832 community organizers, activists, church leaders and
journalists have been victims of extrajudicial killings in the |
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A GLOBAL CELEBRATION OF MOTHERS The International Museum of Women will hold a gala in |
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VIDEOCONFERENCE ON
women’s global leadership Young women leaders in Website: |
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Against All Odds: Women
Partnering for Change in a Time of Crisis This event
will address how women’s rights and activism across the world are being
threatened by rising religious fundamentalism, war and conflict, and
government restrictions, including legislation that limits activities of
civic organizations. While women are disproportionately affected by these
phenomena, they are also key agents of change, upholding communities and
families, and engaging in peaceful forms of resistance. Speakers will include
Mahnaz Afkhami
(Iran/USA), president of the Women's Learning Partnership and former minister
for Women’s Affairs in Asma Khader Asma Khader
(Jordan), a leading advocate of the campaign to strengthen legislation
outlawing honor killing, a member of the Permanent
Arab Court as Counsel on violence against women; and Sindi
Medar-Gould (Nigeria), executive director of BAOBAB
for Women’s Human Rights and chairperson of the Nigeria Coalition on the
International Criminal Court. It will be moderated by Azar
Nafisi, author of “Reading Lolita in |
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