It relies on volunteer support and financial contributions from individuals and organizations. Wearing a white ribbon is a personal pledge never to commit, condone nor remain silent about violence against women. Each year, men and boys are urged to to wear a ribbon for one or two weeks, starting on November 25, the International Day for the Eradication of Violence Against Women. The CD-ROM contains 497 documents totaling over 11,000 pages. Distributed at no cost to people in developing countries.
Issues contain a range of information on gender and participation issues.
Most development agencies now boast gender policies and strategies, gender units, gender specialists, gender reporting and monitoring criteria. This change of agenda should provide cause for celebration. A University of East Anglia study suggests that targeting poor women as key intermediaries in anti-poverty programmes will not necessarily improve their lot. Fair deals for women are more likely to arise from actions rooted in dedicated gender analysis. The goal of the satellite meeting and concurrent events will be to increase global awareness of the impact of HIV on women around the world and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and to identify strategies to help women confront the AIDS pandemic.