UN WOMEN LAUNCH, a Members and Supporters Evening

In a historic move, the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously on the 2nd of July 2010, to create a new entity to accelerate progress in meeting the needs of women and girls worldwide.

The establishment of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women - to be known as UN Women - is a result of years of negotiations between UN Member States and advocacy by the global women's movement. It is part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact.

On 16th September 2010, the National Committee for UNIFEM Singapore (part of UN Women) will host the Launch of UN Women in Singapore. We hope to celebrate together with our Members, Advisors and all Supporters around the Island.

UN Women merges and will build on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system which focus exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment :

• Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW, established in 1946)
• Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI, established in 1997)
• United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM, established in 1976)
• UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW, established in 1976)

"UN Women will give women and girls the strong, unified voice they deserve on the world stage. I look forward to seeing this new entity up and running so that we - women and men - can move forward together in our endeavour to achieve the goals of equality, development and peace for all women and girls, everywhere," said Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.

We would like to invite you to celebrate with us and find out more about the role of UN Women on the local and international stage.

Please RSVP with your Name, Membership Number and Contact Details. Should you not be a member, we encourage you to become one by signing up here. Multiple Year Memberships are also available.

For a map to UNIFEM Singapore, please click here.

UNIFEM (part of UN Women) IN CONVERSATION 2010

UNIFEM IN CONVERSATION Series was launched with an up close and personal conversation with Dato Ambiga, winner of the 2009 International Woman of Courage Award. She is a resolute advocate of women's equality and their full political participation. In the face of death threats and intimidation, she has emerged as a strong voice of tolerance and justice. The series also included Mony Pen from Cambodia and Anshu Gupta from Goonj, winner of Lien Centre 3i Challenge.

Following our successful In Conversation session with Melissa Kwee, we are proud to announce our next respectable speaker for the month of September!

Our guest speaker, Dr. Chua Yang, is a frequent speaker at CME programs and public forums. She has worked with private organizations as well as Health Promotion Board, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore Cancer Society and Breast Cancer Foundation.

Her passion in providing medical care for under-served women has brought her to different cultures and communities. She continues to volunteer her time and energy for women in different parts of the world, including Niger, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Ladakh, Bangalore, and parts of Indonesia.

The upcoming In Conversation event will focus on her recent medical mission trip to Ladakh. The team in 4 and half days of clinic sessions managed to see and help a total of 2000 patients. Dr. Chua Yang will tell us all about it and show photos from the mission to Ladakh in the Himalayas.

Dr. Chua Yang just completed two terms as President of the Menopause Research Society of Singapore, and currently sits on the council of the Obstetrical & Gynaecological Society of Singapore. She is an active member of the Association of Women Doctors (Singapore) and Osteoporosis Society of Singapore.

Dr. Chua Yang graduated from the National University of Singapore. She also holds a graduate diploma in acupuncture.

Dr. Chua Yang is the founder, director and senior obstetrician and gynaecologist at A Clinic For Women. Her idea was to create a safe, comfortable and unhurried environment for women to address their medical, physical, emotional and even psychosocial needs.

To register, please RSVP with your Name, Membership Number, Contact Details and the Number of Seats required. Please feel free to bring your friends and family along for a cozy discussion! Light refreshments will be provided.

The In Conversation session will feature an array of local and
international speakers with a focus on women's local and global topics. In order to
ensure a captivated audience, we welcome your recommendations and requests at
contact@unifem.org.sg

For a map to UNIFEM Singapore, please click here.

UNIFEM Book Club

This month's Book Club Meeting will be based on Half The Sky - Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (2009), by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

Half the Sky lays out an agenda for the world's women and three major abuses: sex trafficking and forced prostitution; gender-based violence including honor killings and mass rape; maternal mortality, which needlessly claims one woman a minute. We know there are many worthy causes competing for attention in the world. We focus on this one because this kind of oppression feels transcendent – and so does the opportunity. Outsiders can truly make a difference.

In this thought-provoking and profoundly inspiring book, Kristof and WuDunn reveal the cruel and maddening reality faced by women who experience violence and oppression. Half the Sky will stir feelings of admiration and discomfort, and hopefully sow the seeds of humanitarian activism.

The book is available at selected popular book stores.

Please RSVP for UNIFEM's Book Club Launch with your Full Name, Membership Number, Contact Details and the number of seats required. Please feel free to bring your friends and family along for a cozy discussion on Half The Sky.

Held once every two months at our Nassim Road office, the book club will feature an array of local and international authors with a focus on women's literature. In order to ensure a captivated audience, we welcome your recommendations and requests via contact@unifem.org.sg

For a map to UNIFEM Singapore, please click here.

UNIFEM (part of UN Women) Film Screening

Inspired by Peter Landesman's bone-chilling NY Times Magazine story on the U.S. sex trade, "The Girls Next Door," director Marco Kreuzpaintner's TRADE depicts the heart-rending story of a brother-sister pair caught in the heinous web of sex trafficking and exposes the crime of its worst doings.

13-year old Adriana (Paulina Gaitan) is kidnapped by sex traffickers hounding the street of Mexico City. Her 17-year old brother, Jorge (Cesar Ramos) knowing well that the police will do nothing, decides to take the matter into his own hand and sets out to avenge the criminals and bring his sister back.

Adriana quickly realizes she is under the workings of a widely spread out international human trafficking network who think nothing of exploiting children and young women for the sake of millions of dollars. Alone and vulnerable, Adriana befriends Veronica (Alicja Bachleda), a young Polish woman who shares a similar fate. Simultaneously, Jorge joins forces with Ray (Kevin Kline), a Texas cop who has recently underwent a family loss and understands Jorge's desperate pursuit.

Together they battle corrupt officials, working fast and hard to reach Adriana before she is sold of in a harrowing auction to a brothel owner who will ensure that she is sexually abused daily.

UNIFEM Singapore comes back with another enthralling film on the subject of human trafficiking. Golden Village Vivocity in conjunction with our partners is proud to present TRADE, a screenplay by Academy Award nominee Jose Rivera.

STOP is an international campaign that wants to put an end to sex trafficking of children and young people. This global campaign was recently launched by UNIFEM, ECPAT, H.O.M.E. and The Bodyshop. It has been picking up tremendous momentum here and in other parts of the world.

RSVP here by September 21st, with your Full Name, Contact Details and Number of Seats required. Limited seats offered on a first come, first served basis.
For more information, please call +65 6238 6761
This film is rated M18 and is a free event

UNIFEM S.N.O.W 2010 Gala Benefit

UNIFEM (part of UN Women) will be holding its fifth annual fundraising dinner, SNOW 2010, on Friday 8th October 2010, at The Ballroom, Capella Singapore.

This year, Asia's finest culinary talent takes the spotlight with a luxurious meal prepared by the top ranked chefs from The Miele Guide 2010/2011 - such as Chris Salans of Bali's Mozaic Restaurant Gastronomique, considered one of Asia's best fine dining venues - accompanied by exquisite wine pairings in the beautiful ambience of the Ballroom at the Capella Singapore. Adding to the fun and conviviality will be activities such as a raffle draw and a silent auction of covetable fashion, art, jewellery, and lifestyle experiences.

For More Information on How To Sign Up, Please Click Here.

UNIFEM / The Body Shop - STOP Sex Trafficking Exhibition

Human trafficking is the third largest and fastest growing criminal industry worldwide. It is thought that over 1.2 million children and young people are trafficked every year.

Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People is a joint global campaign between The Body Shop International and ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) International, launched in August 2009, to raise awareness of the scale of the issue of sex trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children and young people.

2010 marks the second year of this campaign of The Body Shop Singapore working with our global campaign partner ECPAT, as well as local campaign partners UNIFEM and H.O.M.E. This year, we are launching a global petition calling upon all governments to give children greater protection against trafficking.

The campaign was launched islandwide on the 5 August 2010
and garnered over 6000 petitions on it's first day.

We hope that you too will support us in this global petition.

OUR PETITION:

Support the United Nations International Conventions in calling all governments to build awareness and understanding on the issue of trafficking of children and young people for sexual purposes, as well as to take steps to provide comprehensive protection and specialised services for child and youth survivors of trafficking.

• Forward this e-mail to a friend – the more signatures we get, the more impact we have.
• Visit thebodyshop.com.sg to learn more and follow our campaign progress.
• Support our cause on The Body Shop Singapore Facebook page and share the link with your Facebook friends.
• Buy our campaign products. The more money we raise, the more we can give children and young people the helping hand that they need.
• Visit our exhibition booth outside Wisma Atria from 26 to 29 August 2010, where you can learn more about this campaign, and lend your support in whichever way you can.