Tripoli, January 12:
The Voice of Libyan Women announced speakers for its . . .[restrict]second annual One Voice Conference, which will be held in Tripoli, January 26th – 28th 2013.
One Voice 2013 will focus quite strongly on the role of women in the Libyan Constitution and in Security. Gathering over 150 selected civil society activists from over 25 cities in Libya who will come together to connect, collaborate and formulate practical and realistic recommendations for the Libyan Government and General National Congress.
Confirmed session topics at this year’s One Voice Conference: New Horizons, include:
- After The Fall: Advancements & Challenges in Women’s Rights since Liberation
- Upholding and Promoting women’s rights in the Libyan Constitution
- Security & Security Provisions for Women
- Religion & Legislation: How Religion will influence Laws and the Constitution in Libya
- Building the Bridge: Improving the Partnership between Government and Women-focused Civil Society
There will also be two Key Recommendation Building Sessions:
How to move forward: A Roadmap for Women’s Participation in the Constitution” and “How to move forward: Security and Security Provisions” which will allow participants to focus solely on establishing concrete procedures among themselves, allowing them to create change both on a local and national level.
The conference will feature keynote speakers including the Honorable Amina Megheirbi, Member of the General National Congress of Libya as well as the former Austrian Minister Maria Rauch-Kallat. H.E Melanne Verveer, the United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues will be delivering a video message to participants, as will internationally renowned women’s rights activist Zainab Salbi, founder of Women for Women International.
Libyan speakers will include the Honorable Majda Fallah, member of the General National Congress of Libya, Ahmed Bani of the National Military Council, prominent judges Naima Gibril and Thuraya Ghdamsy, Founder of the Al Taghyeer Political Party Juma Al Gamaty, Former Libyan Prime Minister Abdulrahim El Keib, Intisar Aghily formerly of the National Transitional Council, Abdulrahman Arabi, Head of the Department of Civil Society within the Ministry of Culture, Sami Zaptia owner of KnowLibya and co-founder of the Libya Herald and Intisar Azzouz, Advisor to the Head of State,
Leading Libyan activists speaking will include: Rania Swedak, Najiba Istaita, Laila Bughaighis, Rabab Halab, Najat Dau, Shafa Abida, Najla Mangoush, Wafia Safialnasr, Riadh Salem, and Huda Alghali.
International speakers include the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the American Islamic Congress Zainab Al-Suwaij, Anna Luhrmann, the youngest-ever member of the German Parliament as well as the youngest member of parliament in the world. Sally Fehat founder of The Uprising of Women in the Arab World, and activists Christina Hering, Inge Relph, and Katarina Kralikova.
In November 2011, One Voice marked itself as the first ever International Women’s Conference in Libya and earned a reputation for pragmatic and actionable recommendations. One Voice 2011 has since been acknowledged as a pivotal moment in the women’s movement in Libya, as it propelled further action nationally from female activists and geared civil society organizations, many of which were humanitarian aimed, into a new arena.
This year’s One Voice 2013 programme is being organized in collaboration with Attawasul Association, Together we Build it Movement, The Committee for the Support of Women in Decision–Making and Tripoli Women’s Union. It has been generously supported by The German Federal Foreign Office.
During the final evening of One Voice 2013: New Horizons The Voice of Libyan Women will present the first ever “Khadijah Al-Jehmy” Award for outstanding representation of women in public life as well as the “Hamidah El-Anezi” Award for outstanding initiative.
For further information contact: (www.vlwlibya.org)
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