CAUCASUS 16 DAYS 2002 STRATEGIC PLANNING SEMINAR

Sponsored by the Government of

Organized by WomenAid International-Caucasus

Hotel Sympatia – 4, 1st  Alley Gagarin - Tbilisi, Georgia. 29 April – 1 May 2002

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PRESS RELEASE

Following the success of the Caucasus 16 Days 2001, when over 500 organisations collaborated to create a large regional calendar of events and activities promoting the elimination of violence against women, representatives of non-governmental organisations from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are travelling to Tbilisi to take part in a three day Caucasus 16 Days 2002 strategic planning seminar.

The Canadian Government is financially supporting the regional seminar and the Caucasus 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence 2002 in the belief that these activities facilitate the active participation of civil society actors in three countries in transition and strengthen the emerging Caucasus collaborative network against gender violence in all its forms. 

In 1989 14 Canadian female students were murdered because they were training to become engineers. This brutal act triggered the creation of two end-violence global campaigns: 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence and the White Ribbon Campaign – a unique initiative by Canadian men. Both campaigns were introduced to Georgia in 2000 by Pida Ripley, the Founder of WomenAid International and in 2001 were extended through the South Caucasus.  Caucasus 16 Days was the first regional coordination of the global ’16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence’ campaign in the world and was extremely successful thanks to the enthusiasm and hard work of the members of the national coordination committees in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. 

The three-day seminar will commence on 29 April and conclude on 01 May and will take place at the Hotel Sympatia, Tbilisi. The participants will focus on cultural and regional aspects of violence against women including domestic violence and trafficking.  Government and UN representatives will discuss strategies to combat violence against women and media professionals will share their expertise on how to maximise media impact of the campaign activities. 

For more information please contact the Caucasus 16 Days Focal Point:

WomenAid International-Caucasus:

17 Khvichia St. Tbilisi 380060 Georgia Tel/Fax: (995 32) 37 92 70; (995 99) 10 28 65

Email: waigeo@access.sanet.ge  NB:Further details of activities organized by NGO partners can be found on the specially created Caucasus 16 Days website: www.womenaid.org/16 days