bangkit.net

Dear Friends of PAN AP,

Greeting of peace and solidarity!

PAN AP as one of the main organisers of the Asian Rural Women’s Conference (ARWC) would like to invite you to be part of this historic event.

The Conference will be held on 6-8 March 2008 in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu, India. It will be hosted by the Tamil Nadu Women’s Forum, the Tamil Nadu Dalit Women’s Forum and the Society of Rural Development and is the first such conference of its kind aimed at trying to consolidate women’s resistance, especially rural women’s, against corporate globalisation, fundamentalism, state violence and militarization; and also provide a venue for rural women to speak as one voice. The Conference will also make visible the collective strength of women - rural and indigenous women, peasants, agricultural workers, fisherfolk, Dalits, pastoralists, informal workers, migrants, minorities and nomads from Asia. For more details please refer to the letter of invitation and programme.
The Conference will see the coming together of one thousand rural women leaders and representatives from over 15 Asian countries. We hope you will join us as this will be a great opportunity for you to exchange experiences, forge alliances and strengthen relationships.

The main objectives of the Conference are:

· Empower all women in the rural economy to assert and claim rights;

· Strengthen and consolidate rural women’s movements in knowledge, action and organisation; and

· Build solidarity and unity through a collective identity in Asia.

Join us in this historic event as we march in solidarity with the Asian Rural Women and as we move towards Asian Rural Women’s Liberation!

The following documents are attached:

a) Letter of invitation, and

b) Conference Brochure and Programme (also available at www.asianruralwomen.net).

If you are interested to join, please contact us at panap@panap.net, and at marjo.busto@panap.net with the subject Asian Rural Women’s Conference 2008. A minimal charge is requested to cover conference materials, transport, meals and basic accommodation. Also, please do check the conference website at www.asianruralwomen.net for more information, which will be updated from time to time.

Please also circulate and invite your network partners to the Conference.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Thank you.

In solidarity,

Sarojeni Rengam

Executive Director

Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN AP)

Email: panap@panap.net

Email: sarojeni.rengam@panap.net

Email: marjo.busto@panap.net

PAN - Asia and the Pacific
P.O. Box 1170, 10850 Penang, Malaysia
Tel:604-6570271/6560381 Fax:604-6583960
Web: www.panap.net

Pesticide Action Network (PAN) is a global network working to eliminate the human and environmental harm caused by pesticides and to promote biodiversity based ecological agriculture. PAN Asia and the Pacific is committed to the empowerment of people especially women, agricultural workers, peasant and indigenous farmers. We are dedicated to protect the safety and health of people, and the environment from pesticide use and genetic engineering. We believe in a a people-centered, pro-women development through food sovereignty, ecological agriculture and sustainable lifestyles.