NEWS RELEASE
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND
7115 South Boundary Boulevard
MacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101
Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894
March 12, 2004
Release Number: 04-03-33
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MOSUL CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
MOSUL, Iraq - For the first time in history, women in Mosul, Iraq, were able to join the rest of the world in celebrating International Women's Day Monday. International Women's Day, commemorated by the United Nations in 1911, serves as a day to recognize coordinated efforts of women everywhere for equal rights and political and economic equality.
Herro Mustafa, the Coalition Provisional Authority coordinator for Ninevah Province, spoke to more than 150 Iraqi women and female soldiers of the U.S. Army about the role of women in Iraq.
"International Women's Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of women's rights. Today, we are celebrating the story of Iraqi women -- for all the past, current and future work they have done to build a new Iraq," Mustafa said.
The conference highlighted women working in all levels of the new Iraqi government and the work that they have been doing to establish a foundation for women's rights. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the People's Assembly building was rededicated as the Center for Iraqi Women.
The center will serve as a meeting place for all women of Iraq, where they can share ideas, offer training, coordinate communication and build a safer homeland, said Mustafa. "The women I have met and worked with in Iraq are strong, intelligent, wise beyond their years, resourceful and willing to work for the future of everyone," Mustafa said.
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