CIFAL Atlanta, the City of Atlanta and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) will be hosting the "Gender Equality and Government: The Americas Forum" in Atlanta, Georgia from September 5-7, 2007.

As part of the Global Leadership Initiative on Gender Equality, this forum will look to "promote gender equality and empower women," one of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) enacted by the United Nations. This event is also being supported by UN-INSTRAW, Metropolis International Institute and sponsored by Fulton County Government, Agnes Scott College and Delta Air Lines.

Program Background

In September 2000, the United Nations General Assembly of 189 nations, established gender equality as one of the Millennium Development Goals in an effort to eradicate poverty by 2015.  In 2005, UNITAR chartered CIFAL Atlanta to develop and lead a program for its worldwide network of centers in support of the United Nations Millennium Goals addressing the issue of gender equality with a focus on government. The Americas Forum will go beyond typical “awareness” conference approaches to focus exclusively on self-assessment processes, best practice knowledge exchange, and the development of action plans by government leaders.

Program Format

Utilizing UNITAR's unique methodology, each city delegation will complete the self-assessment survey prior to the Forum in an effort to measure their level of gender equality competency. This process facilitates best practice sharing as it assists in identifying potential "learners" and "sharers" for each best practice area and aids CIFAL Atlanta in pairing delegates for maximum knowledge exchange.

Interactive sessions will be held the first three days of the Forum. Action-oriented results and findings will be presented the last day of the program during a plenary session.

Participant Profile

Vice President of El Salvador, the Honorable Ana Vilma Albanez de Escobar, will chair this program and lead a select group of high-ranking government officials from cities across the Americas, who will come together with members of NGOs, academia and the private sector in order to exchange information and best practices on integrating gender into public policy formulation and implementation at the government level. In addition to a host of prominent speakers and attendees, program committee members include City of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin; the Honorable Portia Simpson Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica; Eminent Ambassador Carmen Moreno, Director of UN-INSTRAW; and Francine Senécal, President of Metropolis Women's International Network in Montreal.

Best Practices Areas

Venue

The Georgian Terrace Hotel

Built in 1911, this historic hotel showcases Atlanta's southern charm and elegance, while offering the latest technology in 16,000 square feet of business meeting space.

For more information, please contact:

Francesca Cesa Bianchi
Program Manager
Phone: 404.446.4175
Fax: 404.446.4173
Email: fcesabianchi@cifalatlanta.org

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