From: "NGO Committee on the Status of Women" <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > WORLD MARCH OF WOMEN An irreversible mouvement 8 March to 17 October 2005 For dates in your country see at end. NEWS RELEASE -- Global launch of the Women's Global Charter for Humanity For immediate release Sao Paul, February 25, 2005 - On March 8, International Women's Day, the World March of Women is launching the Women's Global Charter for Humanity. The global launch is taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where Brazilian women are holding a march. Joining them will be women from Quebec, where the March was initiated, and delegates from Cameroon, Congo and Burkina Faso, where the relay of the Charter will end on October 17, 2005. Burkina Faso was chosen because it is one of the poorest countries on the planet; also, violence against women takes many different forms there: in addition to rape and domestic violence, women suffer forced marriage, early marriage, levirate, and genital mutilation. Delegates of the World March of Women gathered in Kigali, Rwanda, adopted the Charter on December 10, 2004. The Women's Global Charter for Humanity is a proposal to build a world where exploitation, oppression, intolerance and exclusion no longer exist and where integrity, diversity and the rights and freedoms of all are respected. It contains 31 affirmations describing the principles essential to the construction of such a world. These affirmations are based on five values: equality, freedom, solidarity, justice and peace. From March 8 till October 17, women of the World March are organizing a Relay to pass the Charter around the world. The Relay will last till October 17, 2005, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. During the Relay, women will hold public education and information activities about the Charter, challenge their elected representatives, and question public opinion. Women will also create a quilt reflecting the values contained in the Charter. The patchwork quilt will be gradually pieced together as the Charter is passed from country to country throughout the world. On October 17, 2005, at noon, local time, women around the world will carry out 24 hours of feminist solidarity actions. The World March of Women is a global feminist action network made up of 5500 women's groups from 163 countries and territories. The World March of Women is struggling for an end to poverty and violence against women. THE TEXT OF THE WOMEN'S GLOBAL CHARTER FOR HUMANITY IS AVAILABLE ON THE MARCH WEB SITE: http://www.worldmarchofwomen.org Contact: Brigitte Verdi�re, Communications World March of Women, Montr�al (Qu�bec), Canada H2Y 1E6 - [EMAIL PROTECTED] Relay of the Women's Global Charter for Humanity, March 8 - October 17, 2005 The Relay will be held March 8 to October 17, 2005, starting in Sao Paulo, Brazil and concluding October 17, 2005, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The Charter will be relayed through 53 stopover points: Americas: - Brazil, March 8 -11 - border Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, March 12 - Argentina, March 13 -14 - Bolivia, March 15 - 19 - Peru, March 20 - 24 - Ecuador, March 29 - 31 - Colombia, April 1 - 3 - Trinidad & Tobago, April 4 - 6 - Haiti, April 7 - 9 - Cuba, April 10 -12 - Honduras, April 13 - 16 - Salvador, April 17 - 20 - Mexico, April 21 - 26 - border Mexico - United States April 27 - United States of America, April 28 - 30 - Canada, May 1 - 5 - Quebec, May 6 - 8 Europe: - Turkey/Greece, May 9 -12 - Italy, May 13 - 14 - Portugal, May 15 - 19 - Galicia, May 20 - 23 - Bask Country, May 24 - 27 - France, May 28 - 29 European action in Marseille- Belgium, May 30 - 31 - Netherlands, June 1 - 3 - Denmark-Sweden, June 4 - 5 - Romania, June 6 - 8 - Bulgaria, June 9 - 11 - Switzerland, June 12 - 15 - Castile-Catalonia, June 16 -19 Oceania and Asia: - New-Caledonia, June 20 - 24 - Australia, June 25 - 29 - Japan, June 30 - July 2 - South Korea, July 3 - 5 - Philippines, July 6 au 9 - Laos, July 10 - 12 - Thailand/Burma, July 13 - 16 - India, July 17 - 23 - Pakistan, July 24 - 27 - - Azerbaijan, July 28 - 30 Middle East and Maghreb: - Lebanon July 31 - August 2 - Jordan, August 3 - 4 - Tunisia, August 5 - 7 - Israel (Jewish and Palestinian women), August 8 - 10 Africa: - Sudan, September 4 - 6 - Uganda, September 7 -10 (to be confirmed)- African Great Lakes (Dem. Rep. Of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi), September 11 - 17 - Mozambique, September 18 - 21 -- South Africa, September 22 - 24 - - Cameroon, September 25 - 28 -- Niger-Benin, September 29 - October 3 - Guinea (Conakry), October 4 - 7 - Senegal, October 8 -10 -- Burkina Faso, October 15 - 17 [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
