Reminder:  21 September is the annual international for peace.  We hope all will join us in participating in this world-wide series of events for the promotion of peace.  See http://www.idpvigil.com/ for more information.  For those of you who will participate we would like to post some of the events, prayers, photos depicting our members’ participation.  Please send this information to fergcf@earthlink.net

 59^th Annual UN Department of Public Information NGO Conference  with the theme

Unfinished Business: Effective Partnership for Human Security and Sustainable Development will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. During that event Catherine will be working with the NGO Committee on HIV/AIDS to chair a strategy session on the next step for AIDS Advocacy at the United Nations.

 Also during the conference Ana will be one of the featured speakers at a Friday midday workshop on “A Participatory Approach to Poverty Eradication.”  Click here to see the flyer and details about the event.

61^st Session of the UN General Assembly will open on 12 September with two high level meetings – one on migration and the second on least developed countries.  Since the topic of migration is so connected with trafficking, UNANIMA International has worked closely with the NGO Working Group on Migration to develop a brochure describing the human face of migrants and global policy.  The brochure shows the faces of many migrants along with a taste of their stories.  Importantly it gives recommendations for dealing in a respectful way with those persons who migrate.  The brochures will be used as an advocacy tool with government during this important high level meeting.

 We extend our thanks to Mary Wayne Gradon, SHCJ, a graphic artist who works for Casa Cornelia in San Diego, California, for developing a compelling brochure.  Both the brochure and the stories of the migrants and further analysis regarding their situations can be found on www.unanima-international.org.  We encourage all of you to visit the web site for both materials. 

 They will be translated soon into French and Spanish.

 Help from Victor Malarek on UI anti-demand campaign   When the UI Board of directors meets from 21-23 September to finish the development of our anti-demand for human trafficking campaign, they will be joined by Canadian journalist Victor Malarek who has carried out a major investigation of the trafficking of women from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.  If you haven’t read his book entitled The Natashas, we encourage you to read it and become alerted to more aspects of the situation.

 Victor Malarek will also give a public lecture on current development in human trafficking which UNANIMA International is sponsoring on Friday, 22 September 2006.  Please communicate with any in the New York area to invite them.  The lecture will be from 1:15-2:45 at the UN Church Centre on the corner of East 44^th St and 1^st Ave across from the United Nations.

 Error: If anyone is thinking about coming to the Commission on the Status of Women with the theme on ending violence and discrimination to the girl-child, please note that I have made an error in earlier calendars sent out.  There is an orientation session for NGOs on Sunday 24 February 2007, and the session itself will be held 25 February through March 9.