On a cold New York evening last week, UN Women for Peace hosted a discussion on the global need to end violence against women at a private club on the Upper East Side.
The event featured opening remarks by Mrs. Ban Soon-taek, wife of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Patron of UN Women For Peace.
Mrs. Ban Soon-taek delivered a passionate plea for the rights’ of women, “violence against women is a violation of human rights. It may be universal, but it is not inevitable. It can be stopped.”
The panel was moderated by Fox News’ Uma Pemmaraj, which included three remarkable women Cindy Dyer (Vice President of Human Rights at Vital Voices), Aldijana Sisic (UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women) and Manda Zand Ervin (Alliance of Iranian Women).
Ms. Ervin shocked the room when she told the 90 guests that the “Islamic Council had legalized pedophilia that afternoon. Men can now legally marry their adopted daughters. Iran is now a gender-apartheid state.”
Guests included: Carole Acunto, Keiko Ono Aoki, Carl Adams, Paul Austin, Jean-Christophe Bas, Geoffrey Bradfield,Kendra Bridelle, Giancarlo Bruno, Sharon Bush, Eileen Butler, Jessica DeMarco, Katie Dervishi, Wendy Diamond, Daniella Diserens, Jean-Pierre Diserens, Paula Carlton Evans, Nicola Hewitt, Deirdre Imus, Lucia Kaiser, Audrey Latourette, Marcia Mintz, Sam Munshani, Valdona Neritani, Nicole Rhodes, Gaynor Shaw, Linda Silverman, Steven Tanger, Roric Tobin, Emmie Twombly, Melek Verbay, Carole Bellidora Westfall, Julie Weindling, Barbara Winston, Jacqueline Wolfson,
UN Women for Peace’s chairwoman, Muna Rihani al Nasser, announced the organization’s plans to host their second annual March in March in celebration of International Women’s Day, which will be at the United Nations Headquarters on Friday March 7, 2014.
UN Women for Peace will host over 500 attendees at a private luncheon and public march and rally to raise further awareness to end violence against women.
Luncheon guests will join hundreds of supporters inside the United Nations Headquarters’ Gates and marching through the UN Park to Dag Hammarskjold Park.
Last year celebrities that attended the march and rally included Christy Turlington Burns, Nana Meriwether (Miss USA 2012), Monique Coleman, Alexandra Richards, Kelly Rutherford and Susan Sarandon.