WOMEN AND GIRLS: FROM ADVERSITY TO HOPE
17 March 2016
1o - 11:15 a.m.
Conference Room 1Opening Remarks
Hawa Diallo, Public Information Officer, NGO Relations, Advocacy and Special Events,
Department of Public Information (DPI)

Moderator
Zainab Zeb Khan, President, Muslim American Leadership Alliance (MALA)
Video Clip: Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Malala Yousafzai, (Malala Foundation) addressing youth at
the United Nations in 2013

Presenters
MoniCa Singh, Founder, Mahendra Singh Foundation
Consolee Nishimwe, Motivational Speaker, Author, and a Survivor of the Rwanda Genocide
Naila Amin, College Student, Child Bride Survivor and Activist
Sarri Singer, Founder, Strength to Strength
Alexandra Akira, Executive Producer, Goddess in Progress
Film clip: “Woman” film series featuring Winona LaDuke, Indigenous Women Leader@UNDPINGO
UNDPINGO Relations
UNDPINGO#DPINGO
Webcast: webtv.un.org
Website: outreach.un.org/ngorelations#CSW60#UNNGO2016

60th Session of the Commission on theStatus of Women (CSW60) Side Event

OPENING REMARKS
Ms. Hawa Diallo comes to the Department of Public Information withextensive United Nations experience in public information outreachand fostering civil society partnerships, with a particular emphasis onyouth and women’s organizations.
She began her United Nations career in 1987 with theDepartment of Public Information in New York, where she worked invarious public information capacities. From 1992 to 1994, she served intwo United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in Cambodia andSomalia, respectively.

Hawa Diallo
Public Information Officer,
NGO Relations, Advocacy
and Special Events,
Department of PublicInformation

Upon her return to New York, Ms. Diallo joined the Office of the Deputy
Secretary-GeneraluntilmovingtotheUnitedNations
Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in Nairobi, as anAssociate Human Settlements Officer and later worked as aPartners and Youth Officer until moving to the Agency’s New York
Liaison Office in 2010. In June 2013, Ms. Diallo was appointed PublicInformation Officer in the NGO Relations Section of the Department ofPublic Information, where she coordinates UN and NGO partnership
activities.

@salonetitihawa@UNDPINGO

MODERATOR
Ms. Zainab Khan is the President of the Muslim American Leadership
Alliance (MALA). Ms. Khan is a therapist, award winning painter, andhuman rights advocate. She became an activist after eye-opening
experiences counseling survivors of domestic violence and organizing
exhibitions for artists facing repression.
A former Senior Clinician holding a Master’s Degree in ClinicalPsychology, Ms. Khan also co-curated the International Museum ofWomen’s exhibition “Muslimah: Muslim Women’s Arts and Voices” andserved as a United Nations Association delegate to the 59th
Commission on the Status of Women. The YWCA Chicago gave her its
2014 Racial & Social Justice Award.

Zainab Khan
President, Muslim
American Leadership
Alliance (MALA)#DPINGO #CSW60

She has published in The Daily Beast about young Muslim-Americans’
struggles with bigotry; written about gender-based violence for NoCeilings; featured in Cosmopolitan Magazine; and appeared in thegroundbreaking documentary Honor Diaries. She gave a notable TEDxtalk, “How to Fight Injustice Without Saying a Word”. Ms. Khan washonored as a “Global Hero” for Safe Magazine’s 2015 issue, and wasrecognized as one of Fortune Magazine’s 2015 Most Powerful Women
Next Gen. She is also a speaker for the 66th Conference on World
Affairs.

http://outreach.un.org/ngorelations

SPEAKERS
Ms. Monica Singh is a fashion designer, motivational speaker andsurvivor of an acid attack. She is pursuing a degree in Marketing at
Parsons, The New School for Design in New York.

Monica SinghFashion Designer andMotivational Speaker

Today, Ms. Singh has become an inspirational and motivationalspeaker. She recently spoke at the UN during a Humanitarian Award
function and was a guest speaker on international human rights at
Brooklyn Law School. Ms. Singh also had an opportunity to speak on
Women Against Violence at the 2015 Parliament of World Religions
meetings held in Utah. Spreading awareness about violence against
women and girls has given her a motive to create a new life throughher mission. She recently spoke at the UN 2016 International Women’sDay Observance.

@MonicaSingh91
Ms. Consolee Nishimwe is a survivor of the Rwanda Genocide. Born inWestern Province, Rwanda, Ms. Nishimwe migrated to the United Statesin 2001 where she has taken a progression of steps to overcome themulti-faceted traumatic events she suffered during the genocide andto chart a new course for her life.

Consolee Nisimwe
Motivational Speaker andAuthor

In 2012, Ms. Nishimwe released her memoir Tested to the Limit: AGenocide Survivor’s Story of Pain, Resilience and Hope. Inrecognition of her courage and accomplishments, she wasawarded the 2013 ASALH Living Legacy Award, the NSANGA STEP UP
Service Award, and was recently listed in the ISSUU magazine by theTogether for Girls Organization as one of 50 Global Heroes who help
stop sexual violence against children in the world.

@nconsolee
Ms. Naila Amin, is a survivor of a forced marriage and currently resides
in New York. Ms. Amin studies social work at Nassau Community
College and wants to specialize in working with survivors of forcedmarriage. She wants to open up the first group home for survivors offorced marriage, and for males and females escaping honorviolence. Ms. Amin has big plans for the future. Her biggest dream isto criminalize forced marriage and raise as much awareness aspossible.

Naila Amin
University Studentand Activist#DPINGO #CSW60

http://outreach.un.org/ngorelations

SPEAKERS
Ms. Sarri Singer, Founder and Director of Strength to Strength, anon-profit organization which focuses on bringing together victims ofterrorism around the world and assisting with long term
psychological care. In 2001, Ms. Singer moved to Israel to volunteer withvarious organizations working with victims of terror and theirfamilies.
Ms. Singer has addressed audiences throughout the United States,
Canada, Europe, South America and Israel and continues to share her
unique insight into the ongoing struggle for victims of terrorism in Israel
and around the world. (www.stosglobal.org)

Sarri Singer
Founder and Director,Strength to Strength@sarrisinger
Ms. Alexandra Akira is a Philanthropist, Humanitarian, Environmentalist
and Social Justice Entrepreneur. Ms. Akira is an Executive Producer
whose main focus is to utilize art, music, and the entertainment industry
as catalysts for change. She has consulted for fashion, financial, art,cultural, governmental and historic preservation agencies, andprovides strategic planning and project management services. She has
worked with city, state, and federal government agencies,
implementing and strategically developing incentives and initiatives toincrease economic development and job creation, while maintaining
and growing sustainable economies.

Alexandra Akira
Executive Producer,
Goddess in Progress@AlexandraAkira#DPINGO #CSW60

Prior, she was an Executive in Charge of Development and Production
for Viacom Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Disney Publishing, andZiff Davis for fifteen years, and was instrumental in the development ofthe Noggin Children’s Television Network. Ms. Akira attended theUniversity of Connecticut and the School of Visual Arts in New York City,
where she lives with her daughter Gabriella, and is committed tomaking tremendous contributions to this world.

http://outreach.un.org/ngorelations

SAMPLE TWEETS#DPINGO Briefing will focus on the personal stories of women worldwide rising above
adversity in their lives to achieve a future of strength. #CSW60

#DPINGO Briefing focus is on #SDG5 Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment#CSW60 #StickTOAGoal

Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls is thereview theme of #CSW60. #DPINGO #SDGs



Did you know women spend 1 to 3 hours more a day on housework thanmen? .@UN_Women #CSW60 #DPINGO

Companies greatly benefit from increasing leadership opportunities for women,
which is shown to increase organizational effectiveness #CSW60 #DPINGO#CSW60 will focus on women’s empowerment & its link to sustainable
development #DPINGO #SDGs

Learn more about girl’s education and the SDGs at #UNNGO2016 Conference in theRepublic of Korea at #DPINGO #SDGs http://goo.gl/E3598S

Globally, women are paid less than men. Women in most countries earn on average
only 60 to 75 per cent of men’s wages #CSW60 #DPINGO



Increasing women and girls’ education contributes to higher economic growth#CSW60 #DPINGOWhen women are at the peace tables, the probability of a peace agreement increases at least 20% in 2 years, & 35% in 15 years #CSW60 #DPINGO

.@UN_CSW Global review shows the progress made on women’s rights from historic
Beijing Conference has not been enough #CSW60 #DPINGO.@UN_CSW today, only one in five parliamentarians is a women#CSW60 #DPINGO

Happily announcing Republic of Korea to host 66th #DPINGO Conference inGyeongju, 30 May—1 June #UNNGO2016#DPINGO #CSW60

http://outreach.un.org/ngorelations

Special Thanks to:
NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY
Global FamilyInternational Council of Women
Muslim American Leadership AllianceWorld Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations
Africa Development Interchange Network
Global Family for Love & Peacewww.un.org/sustainabledevelopment#GlobalGoals#DPINGO #CSW60#sticktoagoal
http://outreach.un.org/ngorelations