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For Immediate Release
March, 05 2015, 11:45am EDT
Contact:
Kat Noel, MADRE Media Coordinator, 1-212-627-0444, media@madre.org
Interviews Available: Women's Human Rights Activists Mark 20 Years Since Beijing
As thousands of advocates convene at the United Nations, interviews are available with activist leaders creating local and global strategies to promote women's human rights.
NEW YORK, NY
As thousands of advocates convene at the United Nations, interviews are available with activist leaders creating local and global strategies to promote women's human rights.
This annual UN gathering of the Commission on the Status of Women, taking place March 9 - 20, assesses progress and obstacles for women worldwide. This year also marks 20 years since the historic 1995 conference that set standards for achieving gender equality in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Adopted by 189 governments, this landmark set of commitments focused attention on issues such as women's poverty, violence, education and health. These global targets are still far from being met.
Activists at this gathering will bring critical perspectives on a wide range of issues, informed by their expertise on local conditions and on the international human rights framework.
Available for interview:
- Yifat Susskind, MADRE Executive Director, works with women's human rights activists from Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, creating programs to address violence against women, economic development, armed conflict, climate change and more. (English)
- Yanar Mohammed, President of the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) works to shelter women escaping extremist violence and to denounce violations of women's human rights. (English or Arabic)
- Stella Duque Cuesta, clinical psychologist, leads Taller de Vida, a Colombian organization that uses art therapy to empower former child soldiers and survivors of sexual violence. (Spanish)
- Rose Cunningham, President of Wangki Tangni, a grassroots organization in Nicaragua, mobilizes to confront violence against Indigenous women and to demand policies that uphold rights. (English or Spanish)
Members of the media are also invited to attend the following events. Reply to this message to RSVP:
Women Confronting ISIS: Local Strategies & States' Responsibilities
Locally-based Iraqi and Syrian women activists and international experts will address the crisis of women's human rights under the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Friday, March 6, 2015
9:00am - 5:00pm
CUNY School of Law - 2 Court Square, Long Island City, NY 11101
Click here to view a livestream of the event
Ending Rape as a Weapon of War
Activists from Nicaragua, Colombia, Iraq and Syria will share breakthrough perspectives on preventing the use of rape as a weapon of war.
Friday, March 13, 2015
10:30am - 12:00pm
Armenian Convention Center, Ballroom 2 - 630 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10017
MADRE is an international women's human rights organization that partners with community-based women's groups to advance women's human rights, challenge injustice and create social change in contexts of war, conflict, disaster and their aftermath. MADRE advocates for a world in which all people enjoy individual and collective human rights; natural resources are shared equitably and sustainably; women participate effectively in all aspects of society; and all people have a meaningful say in policies that affect their lives. For more information about MADRE, visit www.madre.org.
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