IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics Director Ana Lita, was invited on Saturday, May 13 2006 by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and its Goodwill Ambassador, actress Nicole Kidman, to join the celebration of the UNIFEM’s 30th Anniversary held at the Hilton New York ballroom.
Some diplomatic missions at the UN, NGO’s whose missions focus on women’s rights, business, entertainment and fashion people and founders of UNIFEM gathered to celebrate UNIFEM’s 30 years and honor Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Terry J. Lundgren, Chairman, President and CEO of Federated Department Stores, Inc.
“Commemorating UNIFEM’s 30th anniversary is a special opportunity for me to bring UNIFEM’s accomplishments to the attention of a larger audience of concerned citizens,” said Ms Kidman, as she welcomed almost 500 guests.
Speaking of the three decades of UNIFEM’s efforts to empower women and improve their lives, Ms Noeleen Heyzer, the Executive Director acknowledged the importance of partnership in their endeavor to bring about the improvement of the economic and social status of women throughout the world.
Ana Lita says: “Recently, I attended The 50th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women 17th Feb to 10th of March, 2006. On this occasion I met Noeleen Heyzer, The Executive Director of UNIFEM. Briefly I explained to her the intention of the IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics to establish a close relationship with UNIFEM as the Center also promotes women’s rights including reproductive and sexual rights allover the world.”
Ana Lita also reports that at the UNIFEM’s celebration she was invited to seat at the same table with some of the founders of UNIFEM, among them Ms Mildred Robbins Leet currently the Board Chair of Trickle Up Program (www.trickleup.org) and Mr. Arthur Miller, M.D. and his wife also a members of the board and founders of UNIFEM.
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| (above, left to right) Ana Lita; Haleen Heyzer, Director of UNIFEM (United Nations Fund for Women); Mildred Robbins Leet, founder of UNIFEM |
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| (above, left to right) Ana Lita; Mildred Robbins Leet, founder of UNIFEM; Arthur Miller, M.D., founder of UNIFEM; Mrs Miller |
UNIFEM is the women’s fund at the United Nations, providing financial support and technical assistance to innovative programs promoting women’s human rights, their economic and political empowerment, and gender equality in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit http://www.unifem.org UNIFEM, 304 East 45th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10017. Tel: +1 212-906-6400. Fax: +1 212-906-6705.
The IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics is a new initiative of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, the international umbrella organization for humanist, ethical culture, rationalist, secularist and free-thought groups throughout the world. It has 91 member organizations. The IHEU-Appignani Center for Bioethics focuses on raising awareness of bioethical issues confronting the international community by promoting a human-centered approach to these issues and developing and implementing an international program for lobbying. The Center and the IHEU holds a special consultative status with the United Nations, a general consultative status with UNICEF and the Council of Europe as well as operational relations with UNESCO in Paris.