Though the issues facing our
planet are daunting, a grassroots ground swell of women
and organizations are more committed than ever to taking
actions that can make a difference.
Launching a global platform intended to support the
United Nations in actualizing its Millennium
Development Goals (MDG's) and the principles of
the UN Platform for Action
Declaration-Beijing 1995, leaders of the
Women's World Conference: Sophia (SophiaWWC)
and 5WWC introduced Sophia
Action Circles to 10,000 participants who
gathered last week at the U.S. Social Forum
in Atlanta, Georgia.
The “Women's World Conference: Sophia, Women and
Wisdom” will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, May
25-29, 2010. The conference will serve as a "global best
practices and world cultures celebration" for those
addressing the greatest challenges of our age - abject
poverty, pandemic disease, violence, hatred, injustice,
inequality, illiteracy environmental degradation and
climate change. These are the issues stirring the
passions and lighting the fires of action within these
women and organizations, even though there is no
individual or group with the resources, power or answers
to undertake any one of the challenges alone.
"The vision of Sophia Action Circles,"
says Kimberly King, President of The Peace Company and
Co-Chair of the Global Organizing Circle for SWWC, "is
to invite and connect women from every nation,
profession, political persuasion, economic strata, age
and faith. We are seeking those who care passionately
about women's, children's and planetary issues and who
seek to raise consciousness and effect lasting change."
Included in the vision for Sophia Action Circles is the
formation of Local Action Circles, Global Action
Circles, MDG Circles, Beijing Circles, Sacred Service
Circles and more. These will be formed around the
respective passions, missions and offerings of
volunteers and circle members.
“The previous four UN World Conferences and the Platform
for Action have created a worldwide grassroots women's
movement to advance the status of women and girls,” says
Ann Smith, co-founder of Circle Connections and a
Co-Chair for SWWC. “We are a vast network of millions of
people around the world engaged in human rights,
fundamental freedoms and social development.”
Sophia WWC will create the connections among the civic,
political and spiritual will needed to implement
critical "living documents" of the UN through the other
SWWC objectives of attending the environment, affirming
supportive men and advancing the young people. It will
also promote awareness, advocacy and action for women's
equality and empowerment, social development,
environmental preservation and world peace.
The SWWC organizers honor the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia
as a meeting place at the heart of multiple
civilizations and cultures. Bulgaria also offers a
perfect paradigm of social, ethnic and religious
tolerance, and hospitality, all hallmarks of the
Bulgarian people. The application of advanced
technologies will connect millions of people to the 2010
world women's conference on their “Journey to Bulgaria
and Beyond.”
SWWC welcomes participation of civil society, the United
Nations and governments.
