NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK DAY TO BE OBSERVED AT HEADQUARTERS; THEME IS 'THE FUTURE IS ME'

Press Release

NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK DAY TO BE OBSERVED AT HEADQUARTERS; THEME IS 'THE FUTURE IS ME'

Isabella Rossellini, Marlo Thomas, Lea Salonga and Vendela To Participate

Take Our Daughters to Work Day will be observed at United Nations Headquarters for the fourth consecutive year on Thursday, 22 April. All staff, members of delegations and accredited media are invited to bring girls aged nine to 15 to work with them to participate in the activities of the Day.

The observance is being organized by the Office of the Special Adviser for Gender and Advancement of Women, the Department of Public Information (DPI), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). It will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall with a musical interlude by 15-year-old singer Pia Sukanya, who is a student at the United Nations International School (UNIS). Zohreh Tabatabai, Focal Point for Women in the Secretariat, will welcome the guests.

At 10 a.m., Nane Annan will address the girls. Actress/model Isabella Rossellini, whose daughter will be attending the programme, will answer questions about her career. Ms. Rossellini's film credits include "Blue Velvet", "Zelly and Me" and "Big Night". Marlo Thomas, co-founder of the Ms. Foundation for Women and author of Free To Be ... You and Me, will make an appearance. Ms. Thomas produced and starred in the television show, "That Girl". Model/actress Vendela, a spokesperson for UNICEF with a special focus on the issue of girls' education, will also participate in the programme. Vendela appeared in the films "Batman and Robin" and "The Parent Trap".

At 10:45 a.m., the girls will be divided into small discussion groups coordinated by Andrea Johnston, author of Girls Speak Out and co-founder, with Gloria Steinem, of a girls' advocacy organization of the same name. Facilitators will lead the groups in identifying ways to make the future a better place for all girls everywhere and in choosing five ways that best represent their particular group.

- 2 - Note No. 5556 20 April 1999

At 12 noon, there will be a screening of clips from the Disney animated film, "Mulan", based on a Chinese folk tale about a girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to take her ailing father's place in battle. Lea Salonga, who was Mulan's singing voice in the film and is currently the lead in Broadway's "Miss Saigon", will appear after the screening with her mother to take questions from the girls.

At 12:45 p.m., two of the girls will read out some of the suggestions agreed on by the discussion groups, followed by a musical finale by Pia Sukanya. Girls are expected to spend the rest of the afternoon in the offices of their parents or mentors.

Take Our Daughters to Work Day was launched in 1993 by the Ms. Foundation for Women. The Day is designed to give girls an opportunity to develop a sense of their own potential by working alongside adult mentors, where they can see for themselves what women accomplish in the world and strengthen their belief in the promise and importance of education. While most boys are influenced early on to plan for a lifetime of work and career development, many girls are not, even though most will work outside the home for pay throughout most of their lives. Take Our Daughters to Work Day is the one day of the year when girls get the undivided positive attention of adults and the media, being celebrated and encouraged to pursue their dreams. It allows girls to see work as an integral and valuable part of women's lives, and to make crucial connections between their own education and their future in the workplace.

For further information, please call (212) 963-6828; for media accreditation, (212) 963-6934; for United Nations television coverage, (212) 963-7650.

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