INTRO 512 -- HUMAN RIGHTS GOAL
(Government Operations Audit Law)

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2005, 10am-1pm New York City Hall Council Chambers

(JMZ/4,5,6 to Bklyn Bridge/City Hall; R,W to City Hall)

The first hearing for ground-breaking local human rights legislation developed by the NYC HUMAN RIGHTS INITIATIVE will be held on Friday April 8 at 10am, in the main Council Chambers at New York City Hall.

Introduced by Councilmember Bill Perkins, INTRO 512 -- the Human Rights in Government Operations Audit Law (HUMAN RIGHTS GOAL) takes a unique preventive and participatory approach to identifying and eliminating discriminatory policies before they result in harmful outcomes. Too many individuals and groups in New York City have had to resort to costly and time-consuming litigation to get their grievances addressed--and even if they are successful, the solutions are often limited in scope. Human Rights GOAL tackles problems collaboratively and head-on, resulting in greater efficiency, more comprehensive solutions, better services for everyone, and increased savings over time.

The hearing will provide an exciting opportunity to witness democracy in action, learn why good governance is contingent upon core human rights and anti-discrimination principles, and hear some of our city's most eloquent scholars, politicians and social justice advocates make the case for why human rights are as important, relevant and necessary in New York City as they are in Baghdad, Kabul and Bejing.

5 April Meeting NGO C. Sustainable Development fwd by N. Colton

There will be briefing by Mr. Johan Scholvinck, Director, Division for Social Policy and Development, on "Social Development and Sustainable Development: A Contradiction?" The meeting, organized by the UN NGO Committee on Sustainable Development, will take place on Tuesday, April 5, 1:15-2:45, Conference Room 7

Members of Permanent Missions, Secretariat staff, representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental orgaizations and the media are invited to attend. For futher information please contact Chairperson, Ms. Roma Stibravy(212.703.5069) or Ms. Meriam Gueziel(212.963.5853 or gueziel@un.org).

WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT
Don't Agonize; Organize!

Come, Share Your Experiences; Hear Other Women's Ideas at a ROUNDTABLE
DISCUSSION

Tuesday Evening, March 15th, 7 to 9 PM
U.U. Community Church of New York
40 East 35th Street at Madison
~~~
We'll do a sing-along with the powerful Raging Grannies!

A Woman Judge from Iraq has been Invited to Speak.
Various Women's Organizations will be Represented:
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom,
Project Enterprise for Micro-Lending, and Many Others.
~~~
Sponsored by the Council of Ethics Based Organizations at the UN
and the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York
(914) 588-5284

ALL ARE WELCOME - REFRESHMENTS ARE AVAILABLE

UN-NGLS - Civil society observer Newsletter: "Appeal for September 10th 2005
Global Day of Mobilisation For a New World Order Against Poverty, War and Unilateralism
Dear friends,
we invite you to endorse the Global Day of Mobilisation For a New World Order Against Poverty, War and Unilateralism that will take place on September 10th 2005, at the eve of the UN Head of States meeting in New York of September 14-16 2005.
The Appeal for mobilisation we are sending you was launched on January 28th 2005 in Porto Alegre (Brasil) at the World Social Forum 2005, with the support of 140 organisations that took part in the Reclaim our UN international seminar.
The mobilisation has been decided after a long discussion process developed within the WSF International Council during the last year, which involved hundreds of civil society organisations and international networks from all over the world.
As underlined in the Appeal, 2005 will be a crucial year for the future of international democracy and of the United Nations.
The UN that was established sixty years ago to ban war, eradicate poverty and social injustice is now under attack, weakened and marginalised diminishing its historical role for peace, development, social and international justice in world governance.
On September 14-16 all heads of States of the world will be called to decide on the reform of the UN and to reaffirm and implement their commitments to eradicate poverty and to achieve, at least, the MDGs.
We believe that this agenda is too important to leave it completely in the hands of governments, themselves mostly responsible for the current critical situation of humanity and for the terrible crisis of the UN. "

Values Caucus - at the United Nations
Culture of Peace
The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
Convention on handicapped
March 3rd, 2005 1:15 – 2:45pm

Conference Room 9
All NGOs & UN Staff are invited
For further information
Carl Murrell 212.803.2531 · valuescaucus@valuescaucus.org
www.valuescaucus.org