Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 19:53:24 -0400 (EDT) TO: Beijing Conference Action and Resource Network FROM: Judy Kramer UPDATE #13 JULY 6, 1997 INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER CHANGE Last week, I published an announcement about Gertrude Mongella speaking in the Bay Area the beginning of November. Plans have changed, and the speaker coming is Joyce Mungherera, also known as General Joyce for her extraordinary work building the YWCA against the wishes of a dictatorship in her country. She was also in on the planning of the Beijing Conference and is a winner of the Africa Prize for Leadership. Contact Melody Powers at 415-346-0949 for information about possible speaking opportunities for Ms. Mungherera. WORLDWIDE WEB SITE ADDITION One web site inadvertently left off the women's web site list last week is WomensWork . The site's creator, Judi Clark of Palo Alto, describes it as a resource center for collaborative work among women's groups, inquisitive feminists, women activists, and others. Some of the projects included are The Role Model Project for Girls, Women in Computing Academic Resource List, Technologies for the Futures of Women, and our own Beijing Conference Action and Resource Network. Check it out. UN INITIATIVE PETITION Bernice Fischer has passed on to me a petition from the Women of the World to the Governments of the World to be presented at the opening day of the 52nd session of the UN General Assembly and publicized on International Women's Day 1997. The petition has many international group endorsements. "We are horrified at the levels of violence witnessed during this century and that women and children are the primary victims of war and poverty. On behalf of society at large, we, the undersigned women of the world, demand that annually, for the next five years, at least five percent of the national military expenditures be redirected to health, education and employment programmes. By doing so, one half billion dollars a day would be released worldwide for programmes to improve living standards. "We also demand that war, like slavery, colonialism and apartheid, be delegitimized as an acceptable form of social behavior, and that governments and civil society together develop new institutions that do not resort to violence for the settlement of disputes. "Together we commit ourselves, as half of the world's population, to use our power to ensure that these demands, which will promote international peace and security, are met through legislation and action. We resolve that we will inaugurate a new century that rejects warfare and promotes well-being, justice, and human rights." Signers are asked to include their signature, printed name, mailing address, and country. Deadline is August 30, 1997. For more information, contact or ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This online update, published weekly in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, covers events, resources, and information related to follow-up to the UN Fourth World Conference on Women and the issues covered in the Platform for Action document. You are encouraged to send in information and news to Judy Kramer . Past updates are available on the web at