Beijing Circles to gather in New York for reflection, presentations and interactive work

The Beijing Circles movement will meet February 25-29, 2008 in the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York City as part of a series of regional gatherings to introduce the Beijing Circles Resource and allow practice using it.

Beijing Circles is a tool which offers the church a way for people to connect to the work of the third Millennium Development Goal -- Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women.

The gathering, which coincides with the annual session of the United Nations for the Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) that brings together thousands of women from all over the world, will include reflection time, introduction to and practice with the resource, as well as presentations and interactive work.

“This is an opportunity to take advantage of the many side events being held in conjunction with the UN meeting, while providing the opportunity for us to practice using the Beijing Circles process to build solidarity with others and see appropriate solutions to issues women face around the world,” said Susanne Watson Epting, editor of the Beijing Circles Resource.

Among the presenters will be Drs. Mayra Buvinic and Marlaine Lockheed leading a presentation on February 26 at 1:45 p.m. titled, “Gender Budgeting -- Why is it Important?”

Buvinic is section director for Gender and Development, PREM Network, World Bank. Between 1996 and 2004 she was chief of the Social Development Division and special advisor on Violence Prevention at the Inter-American Development Division Bank. She is past president of the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) and member of a number of non-profit boards. A Chilean national, her published works are in the areas of gender, poverty and development, health and reproductive rights, and violence prevention.

Lockheed is a visiting fellow at the Center for Global Development and co-author of “Inexcusable Absence: Why 60 Million Girls Aren’t in School” and “Exclusion, Gender and Education.” She retired from the World Bank in 2004, where she directed major studies on education, including the Bank’s contribution to the 1990 Jomtien EFA conference, Improving Primary Education in Developing Countries (Oxford University Press 1990).

“Beijing Circles connect local organizing efforts with their implications on the global scene,” said Margaret Rose, director of Women’s Ministries for the Episcopal Church.

Space is limited so early registration is advised. Further information and registration is available here.

Scholarships for women under 35 years of age and women of color are available. Email krobey@episcopalchurch.org for the financial assistance form and further information.