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March 8, 1999, will mark the last International Women's Day of the 20th Century. To celebrate, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is spearheading the first event of its kind ever held in the United Nations General Assembly Hall. Featuring women whose personal experiences of violence have inspired grassroots initiatives or policy changes, "A World Free of Violence Against Women" is a global videoconference that will link five sites: Mexico City, Nairobi, New Delhi, New York and Strasbourg.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador and actor/singer Julie Andrews, Rwanda War Crimes Tribunal Member Judge Navanethem Pillay human rights activist Bianca Jagger, and UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Radhika Coomaraswamy will be among those participating.
Moderated by ABC News Correspondent Lynn Sherr, CNN Anchor Judy Woodruff, and ITN Anchor Daljit Dhaliwal the global videoconference will focus on:
By joining this global meeting as part of the "viewing gallery," you can participate in this unique policy-making process. Your presence as observer sends a message to UN decision-makers about your belief in the importance of ending violence against women. You also gain a ringside seat to a unique interaction that brings the experiences of activists and advocates working at local and national levels into the United Nations General Assembly Hall. This is a valuable opportunity for all students and advocates of human rights, public health, women's issues, and social justice.
The event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. New York City time. Through the generous donations of ATC Teleports, Globecast, North America, INTELSAT, PanAmSat, and ITESM, the videoconference will be accessible globally via satellite.
You can join as an observer by using one of three options: videoconferencing, the World Wide Web, or downlink a satellite broadcast. See the UNIFEM Web site www.undp.org/unifem for updated details on viewing the videoconference, or join the End-violence Working Group, which also posts updates on access for viewing the videoconference.
You can observe the event via any videoconferencing facility that has a H.320 compatible videoconferencing system. If you would like to join via videoconference, please contact Stratosphere, a global videoconferencing company, by email to: fehr@stratosphere-nyc.com; by phone: (toll free in the US) 1-888-212-0700 or, outside the US 1-212-702-0700; or by fax: 1-212-702-8871. In your message, state your interest in observing "A World Free of Violence Against Women," your name, the name of your organization, your contact information (phone/fax/email), and the location of the videoconference facility you will be using. We will provide you with information on costs and instructions for dialing into the event.
The event will be broadcast, live, over the World Wide Web. We will send a message to the End-Violence Working Group providing the URL and other information you need to observe the Web-based broadcast. (Instructions for joining the Working Group are below). If you cannot join the Working Group, but would like to receive information on the Web-based broadcast, please send an email to: Marisa Kohan. Be sure to include your interest in watching "A World Free of Violence Against Women" via the World Wide Web, your name, your organization, your location (town and country).
The videoconference will be carried via satellite network through the generous donations of ATC Teleports, Globecast, North America, INTELSAT, PanAmSat, and ITESM. There is *no* charge for downlinking. Universities, TV stations, and others who have the ability to downlink a video feed from a satellite can air the broadcast of the videoconference, which will be held 8 March 1999, 9:30am to 11:00 am New York City time. For details on satellites that will carry the videoconference in different regions of the world, please visit the UNIFEM Web site www.undp.org/unifem or send an email to: end-violence-mod@edc-cit.org or call 617-618-2921. Be sure to state your interest in watching "A World Free of Violence Against Women" via satellite, your name, your organization, your location (town and country).
The End-violence Internet Working Group is an exciting discussion that involves more than 1,000 people from 80+ countries, leading up to the videoconference. Update about the videoconference are posted to the Working Group. The Working Group members share experience about innovative actions to end violence against women worldwide. If you would like to join the End-violence Working Group, send an email message to:
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