UN Women Co-Sponsored Events during the 56th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, 27 February – 9 March

UN Women Media Advisory
For immediate release

Media Contacts:
Oisika Chakrabarti, oisika.chakrabarti[at]unwomen.org, +1 646 781-4522
Hadrien Bonnaud, hadrien.bonnaud[at]unwomen.org, +1 646 781-4751

Rural women constitute one-fourth of the world's population, and their contributions are vital to the well-being of communities, economies, and the achievement of all development goals. During the Commission on the Status of Women, UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet will call for robust policies to remove the barriers that prevent rural women from reaching their full potential and ensure their rights. She will also underline the need to expand their economic opportunities and political participation and leadership. Highlighting the contributions of rural women and the challenges they face, UN Women events during the meeting will also showcase innovative strategies that focus on empowering rural women worldwide.

UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet will speak at a number of official and side events, including:

• Introductory Statement, Opening Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, 27 February, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., General Assembly Hall
• Joint US-China Panel on Rural Women and Sustainable Development, 27 February, 1:15-2:30 p.m., Conference Room 3
• Accelerating Progress towards the Empowerment of Rural Women, co-sponsored by UN-Women, FAO, IFAD and WFP, 28 February, 3:00-4:15p.m., Conference Room 5
• Opening Remarks, Parliamentarians Day at CSW 56, organized by IPU and UN Women, 29 February, 10-10:30 a.m., Conference Room 3
• Rural Women Speak Out, organized by NGO-CSW Forum, UN Women and FAO, in partnership with civil society organizations, 29 February, 5:30-7.00 p.m., Church Centre
• Launch of New Call for Proposals for Fund for Gender Equality and Panel Discussion on Advancing National and Regional-Led Rural Women's Economic Empowerment and Leadership, 1 March, 10:00-11:15 a.m., Conference Room 5
• Press Conference: Launch of the 2012 UN Women-IPU global map “Women in Politics, 2 March, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, DHL Auditorium
• Rural Women, Climate Change and Access to Energy, organized by UN Women and Mary Robinson Foundation-Climate Justice (MRFCJ), 5 March, 10:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., Conference Room A

UN Women-organized or co-sponsored side events include:

• Accelerating Progress towards the Empowerment of Rural Women, co-sponsored by UN-Women, FAO, IFAD and WFP, 28 February, 3:00-4:15 p.m., Conference Room 5
• Making Change Happen through Women's Collective Action, UN Women and Pathways of Women's Empowerment, 28 February, 3:00-4:15 p.m., Conference Room A
• Empowering Rural Women: What Role for Parliamentarians?, Inter-Parliamentary Union, co-sponsored by UN Women, 29 February, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Conference Room 3
• Preparatory Panel for 2013: Elimination and Prevention of All Forms of Violence against Women and Girls, 29 February, 1:15-2.30 p.m., Conference Room 4
• Rural Women Speak Out, organized by NGO-CSW Forum, UN Women and FAO, in partnership with civil society organizations, 29 February, 5:30-7:00 p.m., Church Centre
• Launch of New Call for Proposals for Fund for Gender Equality and Panel Discussion on Advancing National and Regional-Led Rural Women's Economic Empowerment and Leadership, 1 March, 10:00-11:15 a.m., Conference Room 5
• Making Progress on Women's Access to Justice, 1 March, 12:30-2:00 p.m., Church Centre
• Empowering Rural Girls: From invisibility to agency, UNICEF, UN Women, UN Girls Education Initiative and Plan International, 1 March, 1:00-3:00p.m., Danny Kaye Visitors Centre, UNIFEC House
• Evidence and Data for Gender Equality (EDGE), co-sponsored by UN Women and UN Statistics Division, 2 March, 8:45-10:00 a.m., ECOSOC Chamber
• Rural Women, Climate Change and Access to Energy, organized by UN Women and Mary Robinson Foundation-Climate Justice (MRFCJ), 5 March, 10:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., Conference Room A
• From Commitment to Action - Bridging the Implementation Gap, UN Women, 5 March, 3:00-4:15 p.m., Conference Room A
• Gender Balance and Accountability, UN Women, 7 March, 1:15-2:30 p.m., Conference Room 4
• Supporting Rural Women's Engagement in Sustainable Natural Resource Management in Conflict and Fragile Settings, organized by UN Women, UN Environment Programme and the Peacebuilding Support Office, 8 March, 1:15-2:30 p.m., Conference Room 4

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY: The official UN observance of International Women's Day will take place on 7 March, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Conference Room 4. The event will focus on this year's theme: Empower Rural Women - End Hunger and Poverty.

Media Opportunities: Gender rights advocates and practitioners are available for media interviews including from Iraq, Papua New Guinea, Mexico, Cameroon, Uganda, United Kingdom, etc. (list below).

Photos and videos from UN Women events: www.unwomen.org

UN Women press release: www.unwomen.org/?p=10551

Social Media: Follow @UN_CSW and @UN_Women on Twitter for the latest updates and stories, using the #CSW56 hashtag

CSW webcast: www.un.org/webcast

United Nations press accreditation: www.un.org/media/accreditation

Related Links:

• CSW official events: www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/56sess.htm
• List of all official side events: www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/56sess.htm#sideevents
• NGO parallel events: www.ngocsw.org/ngo-csw-forum/ngo-parallel-events

POTENTIAL INTERVIEWEES INCLUDE:

Dr. Mishkat Al Moumin, Former Minister of the Environment, Iraq
Mishkat Al Moumin was the former Iraqi Minister of the Environment and is the founder of the organization Women and the Environment. The NGO empowers rural women in Iraq through resources management, and has trained nearly 8000 people in 50 Iraqi villages in Basra, Maysan, and Thi Qar provinces to manage water, sanitation and hygiene. This has also included training women to participate in environmental designing at the village level, and educating the village leadership on the role of women as primary users of the environmental resources.

Lilly Be'Soer, Voice for Change, Papua New Guinea
Lilly Be'Soer Kolts is the founder of the women's human rights NGO, Voice for Change, in Papua New Guinea. She has been a victim of tribal conflict and also a survivor of polygamous marriage. She is currently raising six children alone. She defines herself as “a women's human rights defender and has taken a lead in facilitating mediation tribal conflicts and wars in Papua New Guinea. In 2010, she was awarded a Pacific Human Rights Defenders Award. This year, she successfully coordinated a peace reconciliation to resettle 500 internally displaced families and is also facilitating a drug surrender programme for youths in her local district. Be'Soer is currently the General-Secretary of the newly established regional network Highlands Regional Human Rights Defenders Network.

Elisabeth Atangana President, Pan-African Farmers' Organization, Cameroon
Elisabeth Atangana is a farmer who has been actively involved in the creation of associations, and agricultural producers organizations since 1979. These include Platform Sub-Regional Peasant Organizations of Central Africa (PROPAC) and the platform Pan-African Peasant Organizations (PAFO). She was particularly active in the establishment of the peasant movement at the regional and international levels. During the period 1998-2005, she was actively engaged in the consultation process of National Platforms of Peasant Organizations of Central Africa. Atangana was the first elected President of the Pan-African organization of farmers and producers.

Veronica Zebadua, UN Joint Programme, Development and Evaluation of a Holistic Model to Prevent Gender-Based Violence in Indigenous Populations, Mexico
Veronica Zebadua is currently coordinating the UN Joint Programme, Development and Evaluation of a holistic model to Prevent Gender-Based Violence in Indigenous populations supported by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The project pilots an intercultural and gender-sensitive approach to prevent violence against women in indigenous communities of Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico. Previously, she worked in a number of non-governmental organizations working in the areas of gender budgets and sexual and reproductive rights. The UN Joint Programme aims at contributing to increase and improve knowledge and prevention of gender violence in indigenous populations, especially among girls, boys and adolescents.

Patricia Munabi, Director, Fund for Gender Equality Grantee Forum for Women in Democracy, Uganda
Patricia Munabi is implementing projects to improve equitable distribution and resource use in Uganda through community level activities. The organization advocates for accountability to women's priorities in government plans and budgeting. Initiatives also focus on the creation of community-led clubs to increase budgeting and planning at the local level that are responsive to women's needs.

Marta Sanchez, Member, International Forum of Indigenous Women (FIMI), Mexico
Marta Sanchez is working for indigenous women's networks in various regions of the country by improving their organizational, leadership and coordination capacities, and increasing their active participation in decision-making forums. Her work and that of her organization also focuses on improving the dialogue between decision makers and indigenous leaders and to advocate for equality and non-discriminatory policies that recognize diversity, culture and distinct identities.

Marai Larasi Director of Imkaan, United Kingdom
Marai Larasi is the Director of Imkaan which is an UK-based national organization dedicated to challenging violence against black, minorities and refugee women and girls. She is also the Co-Chair of the country-wide End Violence against Women Coalition. Her work focuses on strategic advocacy and policy development, and her organization also works on the challenges associated with the prevention of violence against women and girls.