..Press Release................................ UNESCAP News Services

Date: 4 March 2011
Media Advisory: N/04/2011

Commemoration of 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day

Bangkok (United Nations ESCAP Information Services) – International Women's Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the achievements of women, regardless of divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. 2011 is the global centenary year for International Women’s Day — 100 years since International Women’s Day was marked for the first time.

Theme: Each year organizations, governments and women's groups around the world choose different themes for International Women’s Day that reflect global and local gender issues. The theme for 2011 is “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women.”

Highlight: Voices of Young Women: Envisioning the Future The United Nations family in the Asia-Pacific region is inviting young people from different groups to participate in a speech presentation. Five bright young women will be sharing their experiences and their dream for the future, and through their powers of imagination we can, perhaps, glimpse further progress in the next century.

The speakers are:
Thaw Zin Aye (Myanmar), Program officer of the Coalition of Asia-Pacific Regional Networks on HIV/AIDS (7 Sisters), working with young key affected populations.
Disha Subramaniam (India), high school student at the New International School of Thailand.
Yoshimi Horiuchi (Japan), who describes herself as “a blind bookaholic from Japan” and founded Always Reading Caravan in 2009, which provides mobile library services to children and adults both with and without disabilities in rural areas of Thailand.
Chayaporn Keawpromma (Thailand), a computer engineering graduate of Kasetsart University currently working in the IT sector as a network engineer.
“Amy” (Myanmar), is a young migrant worker who suffered hardship and exploitation, and is now an independent worker and a migrant rights activist.
The event will be accompanied by an exhibition by UN agencies and partners.

NOTE TO EDITORS:

You or your representatives are cordially invited to attend the 100th Anniversary Commemoration of the International Women’s Day which will take place on Tuesday, 8 March 2011, from 13.30 to 14.00 hours in Conference Room 4, first floor of the United Nations Conference Centre, Rajadamnern Nok Avenue, Bangkok.

For further information, please contact:

Wanphen Sreshthaputra
Social Development Division, United Nations ESCAP
Tel: +66 2 288 1586, Cell: + 66 81 824 38 25
E-mail: sreshthaputra-korotki@un.org

Montira Narkvichien
UN-Women
Tel: +66 2 288 1579, Cell: +66 81 668 89 00
E-mail: montira.narkvichien@unwomen.org

Thawadi Pachariyangkun
United Nations ESCAP Information Services
Tel: +66-2-288 1861, Cell: +66 81 835 8647
E-mail: pachariyangkun.unescap@un.org or unisbkk.unescap@un.org