Delegates Share Knowledge on Ways to Best Achieve Gender Equality
and Empowerment of Women as Purported by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals
The City of Atlanta and CIFAL Atlanta welcome 45 international women leaders for the first Global Leadership Initiative on Gender Equality for National and Local Governments Workshop, November 13-15, at the Georgian Terrace Hotel, 659 Peachtree Street.
The opening ceremony commences at 12:00 p.m., Monday, November 13 with a welcome address by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and remarks from the Minister of the Economy of Honduras, Elizabeth Azcona; followed by a review of the major workshop themes.
The first in a series of global workshops to be held until 2009, the kick-off in Atlanta is designed to encourage greater female representation in the fields of academia, business and government.
“Throughout the world, gender inequities are among the most common forms of inequality,” said Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. “This workshop will provide participants an opportunity to meet and discuss the importance of gender empowerment and economic independence as we work to meet the Millennium Development Goals.”
Established by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly as one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), promoting gender equality and empowering women can help to assist countries reduce poverty, promote sustainable development and build good governance as reported by UN Secretary General Kofi Anan. In an effort to achieve these goals by the UN deadline date of 2015, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) chartered CIFAL Atlanta to develop and lead a program for its worldwide network of centers in support of the MDGs.
“We are pleased to be again an organizing partner with the City of Atlanta and the Fulton County Government for this important event,” said Axel Leblois, executive director of CIFAL Atlanta. “Participants will walk away with best practices on how to achieve gender equality within cities from some of the leading experts in the field as well as colleagues from other cities who have been successful in this area. As we move forward in 2007, it is important that we remain committed to investing in programs that continue to support the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations.”
Utilizing an integrated approach developed by UNITAR, the workshop will look to broaden delegate’s knowledge of gender issues that will enable them to achieve an outline of action items for implementation by their respective governments. Participants include high-level government officials and gender equality experts representing 19 cities worldwide.
Workshop will cover 10 major themes:
- Raising awareness and providing gender training
- Increasing women's participation in electoral politics
- Engendering government appointment policies
- Building partnerships between non-governmental institutions
- Engendering the local budgeting process
- Securing equitable access to education
- Providing gender-sensitive services
- Developing a mentoring system for women leaders
- Developing monitoring and evaluation tools to measure progress
- Promoting economic opportunities and participation for women
“This will be an amazing opportunity for an important international conversation on gender equity,” said Fulton County Commissioner Nancy A. Boxill and CIFAL program committee member. “The teaching, learning and relationship forged during the conference can, I believe, change the experiences of and for women in significant ways. Conversations exploring policies on gender equality will become action agendas for real change.”
Workshop speakers include Mr. Axel Leblois, Executive Director of CIFAL Atlanta; the Eminent Ambassador Carmen Moreno, Director of the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW); the Honorable Elizabeth Azcona, Minister of the Economy of Honduras; the Honorable Brigitte Grouwels, Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities for the Region of Brussels, Belgium; Mr. Marcel Boisard, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UNITAR; Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, President of Spelman College. Rounding out the list is the Honorable Nancy A. Boxill, Commissioner of Fulton County who will give the closing remarks at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 15.
Organized by CIFAL Atlanta, UNITAR, and the City of Atlanta, The Global Leadership Initiative on Gender Equality for National and Local Governments Workshop is also being sponsored by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW), and the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT). Local sponsors for this event include Fulton County Government, Agnes Scott College, Atlanta Commission on Women, Atlanta Women’s Foundation, Spelman College and Delta Air Lines.
For more information on this workshop, visit the CIFAL website at www.cifalatlanta.org.
CIFAL Atlanta, a North American center of the United Nations Institute for Research and Training (UNITAR), partnered with the City of Atlanta in 2005 to deploy international programs for local authorities and civil society leaders throughout the Western Hemisphere and the world.
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For more information about this and services of the City of Atlanta visit our website at www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26.