March 11, 2005

Dear Colleague:

The Fulbright Scholar Program would like to extend you an invitation to attend the plenary session of the 2004-5 Fulbright New Century Scholars Program,

Towards Equality: The Global Empowerment of Women

Thursday, April 28th, 2005
8:30am - 1:00pm
Kaufman Conference Center, 12th Floor
Institute of International Education
809 United Nations Plaza (1st Avenue, between 45th and 46th)
New York, NY

The event is co-sponsored by the National Council for Research on Women, UNIFEM, and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.

The public plenary is the culmination of a year of individual research and collaborative work by thirty-one distinguished and innovative international scholars and activists brought together by the New Century Scholars Program. Drawn from the United States and 21 other countries, these remarkable individuals have already made a difference for women in South Africa, Kenya, Peru, Ecuador, India, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and many other countries. (Please visit the NCS Web site to learn more about this year's New Century Scholars.) Their work has carried them into a wide variety of issues and arenas in pursuit of the overall theme of the global empowerment of women: Islamic feminism, quotas in local government, trafficking and illegal migration, HIV/AIDS interventions, diasporic citizenship, global governance, and many more.

During the past year, the New Century Scholars have brought together their individual findings to develop new concepts to frame the issues and recommendations to carry their work into educational and policy arenas. At this meeting, the Scholars will share the results of their collaborative activities and bring their findings to scholars and program activists in the women and gender field.

The key themes to be discussed include:

		Establishment of a truth commission on women as a response to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women and peacekeeping.
		Using feminist analysis to assess the effects of HIV/AIDS interventions on female sexuality and autonomy.
		Ways in which gender structures the construction of national and ethnic identities in nation-building, post-colonial transitions and diasporic identity formation.
		Identifying alternatives to contemporary global hegemonies and neoliberal governance to sustain communities and the care economy.

We think you will find this meeting considerably advances the gender agenda first established at the Fourth UN Conference on Women in Beijing with new issues and new tools for activism. We hope you will be able to join the New Century Scholars in seeking solutions that will empower women everywhere to enjoy full human rights, to have access to critical resources, and to realize their potential contribution to national and global development.

Please join our Fulbright New Century Scholars for coffee and conversation at 8:30am.

Seating at this event is limited. Please respond by April 8 via e-mail to hzahid@cies.iie.org or by phone to Hajra Zahid at 202-686-6250. Please include your full name, institutional affiliation, and e-mail in your response.

Sincerely,

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