A student from Notre Dame Girls Secondary School, Fiapre, Sunyani in Brong Ahafo Region, Agnes Agyemang-Barnie has been nominated to be part of a delegation of 25 students and adults who will be participating in a meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York from February 26 this year to March 9. The CSW is a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council and it is dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women. Ms Agyemang-Barnie’s participation and that of others, 17 adults and 7 other students is being sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The programme is the 51st session of the CSW and will come off at the United Nations Headquarters. The delegation is made up of students and adults representing Africa, Europe, and Latin America. The meeting is on the theme “The Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination and Violence Against The Girl Child”. The meeting is in accordance with the commission’s multi year programme of work for 2007 to 2009 and it is dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women. The programme is held at the UN Headquarters to evaluate progress on gender equality, identity, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and the advancement of women world wide. The Working Groups on Girls, affiliated with the Non-Governmental Organisation Committee on UNICEF has awarded a travel grant to Ms Agyemang-Barnie to attend the programme. She is currently studying issues and practices which negatively affect the girl child and students from Notre Dame have joined the discussion groups to make contributions so that through her their voices may be heard. The congregation of SSND is an international community of nearly 4,000 religious women who serve in 35 countries around the world and has been registered with the UN’s Department of Public Information since 1993. Source: Daily Graphic