On Tuesday, 23 November 2010, the United Nations will commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women at the UN Headquarters.

Women's activists have marked 25 November as a day against violence since 1981. The date also marks the brutal assassination in 1960, of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists in the Dominican Republic, on orders of Dominican ruler Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961).  By resolution 54/134 of 17 December 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and invited governments, international organizations and NGOs to organize activities designated to raise public awareness of the problem on that day.

Join the UN Secretary-General’s campaign, UNiTE to End Violence against Women, to mark the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women and to kick off the 16 Days of Activism. The UN Secretary-General launched the UNiTE campaign in 2008, calling upon governments, NGOS, and the UN system to work together on the issue. The campaign is bringing together UN and government representatives, activists and corporations, media personalities and spokespersons, for this event to engage people all walks of life.

Watch the LIVE webcast on www.un.org/webcast and follow Say NO on Twitter on 23 November 2010 to learn more! We will be tweeting LIVE from the event, and connecting you with speakers and activists on location.

Stay tuned on www.saynotoviolence.org and stay engaged.

Together we CAN end violence against women!

INTERNATIONAL DAY
FOR THE ELIMINATION OF
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Official Observance
“ Leadership of the Corporate Sector in
Ending Violence Against Women and Girls”

TUESDAY, 23 NOVEMBER 2010
UN Headquarters, New York

Opening 10:00 – 10:30 a.m.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY
Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations

SPEAKERS
H.E. Mr. Joseph Goddard, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations
Ms. Debi Nova, artist, Costa Rica

Panel Discussion 10:30 – 12:00
Ms. Michelle Bachelet, UN Women Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director
Ms. Margery Kraus, Chief Executive Officer, APCO Worldwide
Ms. Sharon D’Agostino, Vice President, Corporate Contributions, Johnson & Johnson
Ms. Shupe Makashinyi, Equality Now, Zambia

MUSICAL PERFORMANCES BY
Empire City Men’s Chorus
The World United Musician Association (WUMA)

MODERATOR
Ms. Juju Chang, ABC News