Women's Initiatives focus session

Inspirational Women Together Building a Culture of Peace
Aiming to fulfil the U.N. Millennium Development Goal No.3
‘Gender Equality & the Empowerment of Women’

Our aim is to assist women interested in taking a more active role in decision making processes, through a series of events, presenting information and offering practical skills training. We believe that gender parity in national policy making, would significantly change policies and practices in our countries, in ways which would more accurately reflect women's concerns. Four eminent women will speak on the crucial topic of:

‘Gender Equality & the Empowerment of Women’

We are honoured to welcome Mrs. Ida Odinga, wife of Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Kenya and Chairperson of the LKWV – League of Kenya Women Voters as our special Guest speaker.

Other speakers on the panel will include: Dr.Elke Preußer–Franke, Chair Woman, Jewish Women's Federation Dresden, Germany, Patricia Lalonde, representing MEWA, Mobilization for Elected Women in Afghanistan - 'Solidarité Panshir', France and Carolyn Handschin, Deputy Director of the Office for United Nations Relations for Women's Federation for World Peace International and Director of the UN Office of UPF/IIFWP in Geneva.

We would be delighted if you could join us at this special conference. A discussion and
Q & A session will follow the speeches. We sincerely hope that you will also be able to join us in the festivities that follow the conference and which offer a rich programme of cultural entertainment, including music, dance and song.

The women’s focus group will run from 2 pm until 4.00 pm.
Please register online below or use the attached response form. We look forward to welcoming you on the day.

Draft Programme

13:30 – 14:10

 Registrations. 
14:15 – 14:20  Welcome Remarks by Martina Coombs – European Vice Chair – WFWPI.
Christa Rennie – Secretary General WFWP - UK – MC Introductions of      speakers.		 
14:20 – 14:40 Keynote Speaker – Mrs. Ida Odinga, wife of Prime Minister Raila Odinga     of Kenya and Chairperson of the LKWV – League of Kenya Women Voters. 
14:40 – 14:50 Dr. Elke Preußer–Franke, Chair Woman, Jewish Women's Federation Dresden, Germany. 
14:50 – 15:00 Patricia Lalonde, representing MEWA, Mobilization for Elected Women in Afghanistan - 'Solidarité Panshir', France. 
15:00 – 15:10 Patti Boulaye President/ Founder - Support For Africa –To inform the  developed world of the effect that AIDS is having on the people of Sub-Saharan Africa and to raise funds to provide practical medical help and create awareness throughout Africa. 
15:10 – 15:25 Carolyn Handschin, Deputy Director of the Office for United Nations Relations for Women's Federation for World Peace International and Director of the UN Office of UPF/IIFWP in Geneva.
 
15:25 – 16:00 Question & Answer session. 
16:00 – 16:30

 Relocation for the Global Peace Festival Celebration to the main hall.

 
   

Main Speakers' Curriculum Vitae

 
Mrs. Ida Odinga (Kenya)Wife of Prime Minister Odinga of Kenya (more details to come)
 
Dr. Elke Preußer – Franke (Germany)Chairwoman of managing committee of the Jewish Women's Federation Dresden

1973 Diploma of engineering Assistant with an order to teach at the Technical University of Dresden.
1978 Graduation taking the degree of a doctor for pedagogics eacher at a university at the Pedagogic University Dresden, now retired.
Working for the committee of the county Saxonia of the „Association of persecute of the NS-Regime" German managing committee, from the friends of „YAD VASHEM" - Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority -in Israel managing Interviewer for Steven Spielberg's „SURVIVORS of SHOA" – Visual history Foundation - in Los Angeles
Public responsibilities
Foundation of the first Jewish Kindergarten in all countries from the former GDR, in Dresden. Foundation of the first network against Antisemitism and NS-Extremism in Saxony Member of the Board of the Women's Federation for World Peace in Germany Ambassador for Peace.		 
Patricia Lalonde (France)Responsible for the association MEWA - Mobilization for Elected Women in Afghanistan - 'Solidarité Panshir'. The association has the objectif to support afghan women in all fields, support to the refugees, help to develop in the valley of Panshir and building schools for girls and boys. She developed a support programme for the elected women of Afghanistan. She is now consultant for companies to help in humanitarian projects. In 2007, she edited a book : 'Paris-Kaboul, journal d'une femme révoltée'. 
Carolyn Handschin (Switzerland)Deputy Director of the Office for United Nations Relations for Women's Federation for World Peace, International. She is Director of the UN Office of UPF/IIFWP in Geneva. She is permanent representative of these organizations at the UN in Geneva, contributing to the Commission on Human Rights (now, Human Rights Council) and it's Sub-Commission since 1994, making regular interventions in the area of education for peace , governance and women, and peace-building. As a very active member of the CONGO NGO Working Group on "Peace" at the United Nations in Geneva, she contributes regularly to the task forces on "Disarmament" and "Culture of Peace", the latter of which she chaired. She is currently coordinating a project of the WG on women's role in conflict resolution and peace-building.

She has organized conferences on the issues of Middle Eastern women's role in peacemaking, women's leadership, disarmament and education for a culture of peace. She has also worked as a journalist and writer, having contributed to the UNESCO on line encyclopedia EOLSS. She has coordinated youth projects and women's training seminars and considers a large part of her capacity for lobbying for peace- related issues to her daily efforts to build a peace-promoting family with her husband and 7 children.		 
   
The following persons on the conference organising committee are available to answer any further questions: 
T. Martina Coombs
Women’s Initiatives – GPF
European Vice Chair – WFWPI
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 		Mitty Tohma
Women’s Initiatives – GPF
President – WFWP - UK
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www.wfwp.org