EVENT: Please join us on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 for a digital press briefing with Katrina Fotovat of the US Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues on the theme of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV Ms. Fotovat will discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to preventing and responding to GBV, including through the first-ever U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality recently released. , the next update of the US strategy to prevent and respond to GBV globally. , and the development of the first-ever U.S. national action plan to end gender-based violence. After brief opening remarks, Ms. Fotovat will answer questions from participating journalists.

DETAILS: Speaker: Katrina Fotovat, Senior Official in the US Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues

Date: Wednesday, December 1 Time: 4:00 p.m. (Johannesburg) | 3:00 p.m. (Brussels) | 2:00 p.m. GMT | 9:00 am EST

Language: English French interpretation will be offered Basic rules: the briefing will be recorded

Login Info: To be provided at RSVPRSVP: Please confirm attendance by clicking here Tweet: Join the conversation on # AFHubPress Follow us on @AfricaMediaHub General Info: Please visit the Office of Global Women’s Issues website.

SPEAKER’S BIOGRAPHY: Katrina Fotovat, senior official Office of the Secretary of the Global Women’s Initiative Katrina “Kat” Fotovat is currently the senior official of the Secretary of State at the Office of Global Women’s Issues (S / GWI), where she leads a team of gender experts promoting gender equality efforts, including support for women, peace and security, countering violent extremism, promoting women’s economic empowerment and combating against gender-based violence. Ms. Fotovat has over 20 years of experience advocating for gender equality and human rights globally, particularly in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Previously, Ms. Fotovat was Director of the Office of Communications, Policy and Partnerships, Office for Conflict and Stabilization Operations, where she oversaw a team of experts who provided policy and strategic guidance to respond to atrocities, fragility , global stability and peacebuilding. , and integrate the efforts of women, peace and security in conflict zones.

Ms. Fotovat also served as Deputy Director of the Office for Global Programs at the Office for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, where she oversaw more than $ 1 billion in active programs aimed at supporting civil society and communities. human rights in the most sensitive and fragile areas. , including internet freedom, transitional justice and marginalized populations. Ms. Fotovat’s other positions in the United States government include positions as Policy Officer at the United States Embassy in Moldova, Senior Grant Officer in the Office for Monitoring and Combating Trafficking in Persons, Senior Advisor human rights in the office of the procurement officer, and as an interagency liaison with USAID.

Prior to joining the US government, Ms. Fotovat’s experience included efforts in transitional justice and peace negotiations with the Public International Law and Policy Group (PILPG) nominated for the Nobel Prize. This work included the drafting of post-conflict constitutions in Iraq and Kosovo, and international negotiations on crisis assistance in Sri Lanka. Additionally, she has done extensive work on gender and human rights through UNHCR, CEDAW, American Bar Association and other organizations. Ms. Fotovat previously worked as a legal advisor at the International Human Rights Legal Clinic, focusing on human trafficking and asylum cases, with a particular focus on Burma. Ms. Fotovat also helped found an anti-trafficking organization in Moldova, where she was also a Peace Corps volunteer. She holds a Juris Doctor in International Human Rights Law and a Masters in Foreign Policy from American University. She lives in Rockville, Maryland with her son and her husband.

LOGISTICS:

Participants must join the briefing 10 minutes in advance.

Ms. Fotovat will deliver a brief opening statement, and then the question-and-answer session will begin.

If you register through the Zoom app or the URL, you can submit your questions by clicking on the ‘questions and answers’ tab and typing in your question. If you register by phone, you can enter the questions queue by pressing “*” and “9” at any time. Questions can also be submitted in advance via the Eventbrite RSVP page or by email to [email protected]

Participants using the Zoom app or the URL can “vote for” others’ questions in the “questions and answers” ​​tab by clicking the “Like” button to the right of that question.

If you encounter any technical difficulties during the call, you can send an email to [email protected] to alert the moderator of any problem.

Distributed by African Media Agency on behalf of Africa Media Hub.

Source: African Media Agency (AMA)