The 2009 annual meetings will take place this year in Rome. The theme of the Support Group on Thursday, 26th November is “Millennium Development Goal 3 and the role of the media”. As we celebrate the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, IPS will hold a meeting primarily focused on how communication can contribute to ending violence against women and recognising the 30th anniversary of CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women). Senior representatives of governments, civil society partner organisations, U. N. agencies and academics will introduce innovative ways of getting messages across, and stimulate a debate about how to strengthen communication efforts on gender issues.

During the Support Group meeting, IPS will hold the international launch of its new Reporting Violence against Women media handbook, part of our current global programme of work “Communicating for Change: Getting Voice, Visibility and Impact for Gender Equality“. Then, we will take advantage of the event being in Rome and the timing immediately prior to Copenhagen to invite the three Rome-based UN food agencies to address the issue of gender and climate change.

The Support Group event, “Millennium Development Goal 3 and the role of the media” is the public part of the annual meetings of IPS that bring together media clients, donors, board members and partners of the news agency. The meeting will take place at Rome’s historic town hall, the Campidoglio, on Thursday November 26th 2009, and is organised this year with the support of the host government, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For more information about attending the meeting write to SupportGroup@ips.org

On Friday 27 November IPS donors will be invited to remain for the annual Core Group meeting, and an IPS international Board meeting will take place later that day.