Note to Correspondents

Quilting Exhibition Opens at United Nations 8 MARCH

 

On the 101^st anniversary of International Women’s Day, 8 March, the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, is hosting a reception at 6 p.m. in the North-East Gallery of the Visitors Lobby to mark the opening of a unique quilt exhibition titled “Women are the Fabric”.  The exhibit is a tribute to the enduring strength of women and a plea for the support and protection they need to take care of themselves and their families.  It is also a testimony to their role in weaving the social fabric of their communities.

“In a world of 7 billion and growing, every person should enjoy equal rights and dignity,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin.  “By advancing women’s and girls’ health and rights, we can make greater progress towards sustainable development and build a world of opportunity for all.”

The 20 quilts displayed are embedded with powerful messages and appeals for action.  Some are cries of pain from women who have directly experienced sexual violence and massacres.  Several express anger at the impact of war on women.  One depicts the magic of a rainforest threatened by oil exploration.  Together they convey the strength of women working together on shared concerns.

Some of the quilts at the exhibition were made by women in developing countries to address issues affecting their daily lives; others by North American artists reflecting on the issue of women, peace and security.  They were provided by the Advocacy Project, Quilt for Change and White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood.

Statements at the opening reception will be delivered by Dr. Osotimehin; United States Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Rosemary DiCarlo; Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Margot Wallström; and the Founder of SOS Femmes in Danger (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Marceline Kongolo.

The exhibition, which will be on display from through 30 April, is presented by UNFPA, the United Nations agency that delivers a world in which every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.  The Fund is on the ground improving lives in more than 140 countries.  For more information, contact Omar Gharzeddine, tel.:  +1 212 297 5028, e-mail gharzeddine@unfpa.org; or Alexandra Sicotte-Levesque, tel.:  +1 212 297 5077, sicotte-levesque@unfpa.org.

The United Nations exhibit galleries are free-of-charge and open to the public seven days a week.  For more information on United Nations exhibitions, call Jan Arnesen at +1 212 963 8531, Liza Wichmann at +1 212 963 0089; e-mail at arnesen@un.org or wichmann@un.org.  Visit our website at visit.un.org or find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UNVisitorsCentre.

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For information media • not an official record