UN Commission on Women to Host International Panel: Women Taking the Lead

Feb. 15, 2011 - PRLog -- The 55th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will take place at UN Headquarters in New York from February 21 through March 4, 2011. This year the Commission will focus on women’s and girls’ participation in education, training, science and technology, including the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and viable work. The UNCSW has organized and approved a series of panels and round-tables to exchange experiences, lessons learned and best practices.

Women's International will sponsor an International panel entitled "Women Taking the Lead: Education, Entrepreneurship and Opportunities for All" to explore the intersections between Women, Science and Technology and emerging opportunities for women in the global marketplace.

WIN's UN Representative and Liaison, Kimberly King, will serve as host and moderator for this discussion. Ms. King is a noted speaker, thought leader, social entrepreneur and change agent who works with whole-systems strategies and women's empowerment programs worldwide. Kimberly serves as founder and board member for numerous non-profits and was the 2008 recipient of the Eleanor Roosevelt Global Humanitarian Award.  

Featured Guest Speakers for the UN-CSW Panel to include:

Ms. Abigail Disney - Acclaimed philanthropist, community activist and business woman with a long history of work in support of women’s leadership and peace building internationally. Abigail is an award-winning documentary filmmaker who produced the Oscar short-listed film "Pray the Devil Back to Hell." Abigail is the founder and president of the Daphne Foundation, a progressive, social change foundation that makes grants to community-based organizations in NY. Ms Disney was recently honored with the prestigious Cardozo International Activist for Peace Award. Her current series, "Women, War and Peace" is  slated for release this fall 2011 in association with PBS.

Dr. Preeti Gupta - Senior Vice President for Education and Family Programs, New York Hall of Science. Dr. Gupta is responsible for strategic planning and program development for the internationally replicated Science Career Ladder Program, keys initiatives in school change, teacher professional development, and family learning. In 1999, she was selected as one of forty-two women who have contributed to the community in unique ways and was showcased in The Many Faces of Queens Women. In 2005, Dr. Preeti won the Inaugural National Roy L Schafer Leading Edge Award for Experienced Leadership in the Field from the Association for Science Technology Centers.

Deanna Kosaraju - Vice President of Programs at the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI). Deanna directs and manages the program team whose mission is to recruit, retain and advance technical women while changing the culture of technology. Deanna directs the Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing and is the founder for the Grace Hopper Celebration in India, launching ABI as an international NGO. Her team is currently working on a project partnering with the U.S. State Department to bring 38 women from the MENA region to Silicon Valley. TechWomen was created in response to President Obama’s Cairo speech in 2009. IIE and ABI were hand selected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to implement this program.

Ezinwa Orkoroafor - Activist, Attorney and Nigeria's State Director for the International Federation of Women Attorneys will also serve as a moderator and share some brief remarks.

Women Taking the Lead is a Parallel NGO Session which is open to all UN-CSW Delegates, and can also be accessed by the general public. No grounds pass or registration is needed. Details below:

Forum: 55th UN Commission on the Status of Women
Event:  Women Taking the Lead: A Dialog on Education, Entrepreneurship and Opportunities for All
Date:  Tuesday, February 22, 2011  4 PM - 5:30 PM
Place: UN Church Center, 777 UN Plaza
           The Hardin Room 11th Floor
           New York, NY 10017
Sponsoring Organizations: Women's International Network, Women's International Center, Restorative Justice Association, International Association of Women Attorneys and GPFC.

To learn more about the UN Commission on the Status of Women, please visit:
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/  and
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/55sess.htm