USA Africa Dialogue Series - What's the significance of the bridge events for International Women's Day?

AV'S COLLABORATIVE GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS

What's the significance of the bridge events for International Women's Day?    To me, quite a lot. I have 12 women surrounding me between my sisters, daughters and mother. With my father, passed, I am the 13th member of this clan and the only male. Standing up for women is a natural inclination not an ideology to me. African Women especially need not only to be empowered, but they also need to be protected from unnecessary obstacles to their development and advancement. Some of these obstacles may stem from traditions and religious beliefs depriving access to quality education, health, economic actives and so on. African Views has dedicated a large portfolio to the Advancement of African Women and we are happy that our work on both the AVAWA (Anti Violence Against Women's Act and Anti Violence Against Women's Associations) as well as the PINK Africa Initiatives is having real impact on beneficiaries in some countries Africa, Europe and Latin America.  We wish all who work tirelessly for the empowerment and advancement of women a happy celebration. Today is a day to take the respite on your very important work, reflect on the progress and refresh your strength to meet existing challenges. You are not alone. i hope this simple comments resonates with all women and girls of all shades of veneer, sizes, and professional or cultural background, please ask not for whom the bell tolls. Women's wellbeing must be the priority of every formal society.   Happy International Women's day from the African Views.     The significance of the bridge events for International Women's Day     Last year, while discussing ways in which women build bridges of peace, the directors of the Women for Women's programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda lit upon the idea of women coming together on a bridge that borders their two countries, to make a stand for peace and for the end of violence against women. This idea sparked a global initiative. Today, on the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day (IWD), Join Me On the Bridge events will take place on bridges in communities all over the world. IWD was first marked as an international holiday in 1911, with men and women attending rallies calling for women to be allowed to vote, hold public office and enjoy equal opportunities in the workforce. The March 8 date was eventually chosen to commemorate the 1857 revolt of women in New York City, protesting conditions in the textile and garment industries. Quote: "I never realized until lately that women were supposed to be the inferior sex." — Katharine Hepburn   ------------   On behalf of UN Women I invite you to participate in the March for Gender Equality and Women's Rights on International Women's Day, March 8, 2015.   The March for Gender Equality and Women's Rights is being organized by UN Women in collaboration with the City of New York, NGO-CSW, the Working Group on Girls, the Man Up Campaign and the UN Women for Peace Association.    The march will take place on International Women's Day (March 8) and commemorate the 20-year anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This event will celebrate the achievements women and girls have made around the world since 1995. It will also be an opportunity to underscore the need for political commitment to accelerate action to achieve gender equality by 2030.   We will start at the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza (47th street and 2nd avenue) at 2:30 pm and end at Times Square (42nd street and 7th avenue) at 5:00 p.m.   The march will be divided into three parts: ·         Part 1—A lively start at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. The march will be flagged off by the UN Women Executive Director following a short program of 30 minutes. Eminent celebrities, a New York indigenous women's group, and a girls' dance troupe are on the programme.   ·         Part 2—A 1.5-hour march from Dag Hammarskjold to Times Square. The march will be a celebration that will include singing, marching, raising slogans, and showing solidarity for gender equality and women's rights. At the same time, the march will help point out the existing gaps and barriers to achieving gender equality.   ·         Part 3—An evocative closing at Times Square. The 30-minute program will consist of raising a collective torch to showcase intergenerational partnership. The program will bring together Ambassador Gertrude Mongella, the UN Women Executive Director, the First Lady of New York,  the UN Secretary General (TBD) and others. The program will conclude with a song    In terms of the choreography of the march, the participants will be divided into 12 blocks representing the 12 critical areas of concern in the Beijing +20 Platform for Action. These 12 blocks will be led by the first block that will represent the overall theme of Beijing+20 and Planet 50-50: Step It Up for Gender Equality – March for Gender Equality and Women's Rights.   The 12 critical areas of concern are as follows: 1.       Women and the environment 2.      Women in power and decision-making 3.      The girl child 4.      Women and the economy 5.      Women and poverty 6.      Violence against women 7.      Human rights of women 8.      Education and training of women 9.      Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women 10.  Women and health 11.  Women and the media 12.  Women and armed conflict   We are preparing 13 banners in addition to many placards, posters, and signs calling for gender equality and women's rights. We also encourage your organizations to bring your messages to the event and messages and materials for campaigns regarding Beijing+20, gender equality and women and girls' empowerment   Extensive outreach and mobilization is underway with an intention to bring between 10,000 and 20,000  people to march for gender equality. The last march of this magnitude for gender equality in New York City took place in the 1970s.   We invite you to join the march and to spread the word far and wide using the hashtags #Beijing20 and #genderequalitymarch. You can also go to @UN_Women for coverage of the march. Please disseminate the attached flyer widely through your networks and social media.   We welcome you to focus on any of the themes or critical areas of concern that are most relevant to your organization, and we look forward to seeing you at the march!   Please contact my colleague Ravi Karkara, Strategic Adviser Partnership to the Deputy Executive Director UN-Women who is coordinating the march (ravi.karkara@unwomen.org)   We thank you for your support.   Warm regards Lopa   P.S.: We encourage those of you who are pre-registered for CSW59 by an NGO in consultative status with ECOSOC and do not have a UN grounds pass yet, to register on-site for CSW prior to or after the march. NGO registration will be open on Sunday 8 March from 10am-2pm and after the march until 8pm (UNHQ main entrance on First Avenue between 45th and 46th street). For details, visit  http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/ngo-participation/ngo-advisories     Lopa Banerjee Chief, Civil Society Section UN Women