Note to Correspondents

HANDBOOK FOR PARLIAMENTARIANS ON CONVENTION TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION

AGAINST WOMEN, TO BE PRESENTED AT PANEL DISCUSSION ON 14 JULY

On Monday, 14 July 2003, from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m., a panel discussion, sponsored by the Division for the Advancement of Women and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), to present the Handbook for Parliamentarians on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol, will take place in Conference Room 2, at United Nations Headquarters.

Speakers at the panel discussion, which will be moderated by Carolyn Hannan, Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women, will include:

-- Joan Fraser, Member of the Senate, Canada

-- Lydia Madero, Member of the Senate, Mexico

-- Françoise Gaspard, Expert on the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

-- Kareen Jabre, Manager of the Programme for the Promotion of Partnership between men and women, IPU

The Handbook, which is a collaboration between the Division for the Advancement of Women and IPU, is designed to familiarize men and women members of Parliament with the Convention and its Optional Protocol, and focuses on what should be done to ensure effective implementation of the Convention and to encourage use of the Optional Protocol.  It seeks to encourage parliamentarians to take measures to ensure that national laws, policies, actions, programmes and budgets reflect the principles and obligations in the Convention.  The presentation of the Handbook takes place during the twenty-ninth session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

Members of permanent missions, United Nations staff, non-governmental organizations and the media are invited to attend.  For more information, please contact Assiya Akanay, Division for the Advancement of Women; tel: 212-963-8034; e-mail: akanay@un.org.

* *** *