A special civil society event is planned as part of the Global Preparatory Meeting for the 2010 High Level Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The theme of the event is based on the agenda for ECOSOC this year which includes gender equality and the empowerment of women, and is entitled “Financing for climate change: Gender Equality.” It is co-organized by the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY. 

The event will open with keynote statements by the United Nations Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mr. Sha Zukang and His Excellency Mr. Hamidon Ali, President of ECOSOC. Her Excellency, Ms. Dessima M. Williams, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Grenada to the United Nations and His Excellency, Mr. Jarmo Viinanen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Finland to the United Nations will follow with brief opening remarks. 

The second part of the event will include presentations from a panel of experts on the topic of “gender equality and the empowerment of women related to financing for climate change.” The panelists will be: Soon-Young Yoon, Vice-Chair, NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY; Liane Schalatek, Associate Director, Heinrich Boell Foundation; Christian Holmes, Senior Advisor for Energy and environment at the USAID, Yuvan A. Beejadhur, Counselor, Sustainable Development Network and Office of the Special Representative, the World Bank; and Rachel Harris, U.S. Climate Change Campaign Coordinator, Women’s Environment and Development Organization.