Relay of the Women's Global Charter for Humanity

[Brigitte Verdière - MMF-WMW-MMM <bverdiere at marchemondiale.org>]

WORLD MARCH OF WOMEN

An irreversible mouvement








NEWS RELEASE --   Thousands of women celebrate the Relay of the Women's
Global Charter for Humanity -  For immediate release



Montréal. April 18, 2005 - Thousands of women are celebrating the passage
of the Women's Global Charter for Humanity through their country. They
numbered nearly 40,000 in the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on March 8,
2005, for the launch of the Charter and the Relay through the Americas.
Another 3000 women were present when the Charter crossed the border into
Argentina and continued through Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador,
Colombia, Haiti, Cuba and Honduras.



At every stop, women organize actions to present and distribute the Charter
and transmit it to decision-makers. In every country women also create a
quilt square representing the values of the Charter that they then attach
to an international solidarity quilt.



The Charter is now in El Salvador (April 17-20). It then goes to Mexico
(April 21-28), the United States, and Canada, where it will be arriving in
Vancouver on May 1, 2005. It will travel through the English-speaking
provinces until it reaches Québec on May 7, 2005. Québec women will send
the Charter to women in Turkey, which is the starting point of the European
Relay. The Relay will end on October 17, 2005, in Ouagadougou, Burkina
Faso. On that date, members of the March will hold 24 Hours of Feminist
Solidarity.



Delegates of the World March of Women who were gathered in Kigali, Rwanda,
adopted the Charter on December 10, 2004. The Women's Global Charter for
Humanity is a proposal to build a world where exploitation, oppression,
intolerance and exclusion no longer exist and where integrity, diversity
and the rights and freedoms of all are respected. It contains 31
affirmations describing the principles essential to the construction of
such a world. These affirmations are based on five values: equality,
freedom, solidarity, justice and peace.



A wealth of information and photos can be found in the 2005 section of the
World March of Women Web site:
<http://mmf.lecarrefour.org/>http://mmf.lecarrefour.org. The text of the
Charter and the list of countries participating in the Relay can be found
at: http://www.marchemondiale.org



The World March of Women is a global feminist action network made up of
5500 women's groups from 163 countries and territories. The World March of
Women is struggling for an end to poverty and violence against women.



Contact : Brigitte VerdiE're, Communications Officer, World March of Women,
Montreal (Quebec), Canada H2Y 1E6

Phone : (514) 395-1196 ext. 250
<mailto:bverdiere at marchemondiale.org>bverdiere at marchemondiale.org