12 March 2004

Mr. Kofi Annan
UN Secretary-General
S-3800

Mr. Secretary-General:

We, representatives of women’s organizations and members of the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security, would like to request a meeting with you to discuss the procedure and timeline for appointing a new Assistant Secretary-General, the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women. Over the years, we have worked with and supported the United Nations leadership on gender equality, and in particular, Ms. Angela King, her office staff, the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality and the Network’s taskforces.

This week, during the 48th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, we joined with other participants in the NGO linkage caucus- a regularly convened body for strategy-building and information-sharing among CSW participants- to discuss the significance of OSAGI and the roles and mandate of the Special Adviser. As women from around the world brought vision and commitment to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, and, collectively, played a critical role in the creation of the position of the Special Adviser, we look forward to the opportunity to share our concerns and expectations about this very critical leadership role on behalf of gender equality at the United Nations.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Please contact Kara Piccirilli, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-United Nations Office at 212 682 1265 or kara@peacewomen.org.

Sincerely,

Mama Koite Doumbia
African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)

Charlotte Bunch
Center for Women’s Global Leadership

Cora Weiss
Hague Appeal for Peace
NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security

Isha Dyfan
International Women’s Tribune Centre (IWTC)
NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security

Sandra Krause
Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children
NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security

June Zeitlin
Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)

Susi Snyder
Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom-UNO (WILPF)
NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security