Invitation. to the first Equality Summit and to the opening of the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities for All

Transcription

1 Invitation January 2007 Berlin, Berlin Congress Centre

2 Invitation Dear Sir, Dear Madam, Berlin, November 2006 The societies in which we live today are characterised by a wide diversity of cultures and religions and the coexistence of several generations and different lifestyles. This diversity provides a wealth of opportunities, as long as equality for everyone is guaranteed. This is why the European Union has designated 2007 as the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All. The aims of this initiative are to highlight the benefits of diversity for European societies and to make citizens aware of their right to equal treatment and to a life without discrimination of any kind, regardless of their sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, disabilities, age or sexual orientation. To perceive diversity as an enrichment, to encourage solidarity with and between the different population groups and to accept differences without value judgments: such are the essential components of both a modern and just society, which we can be proud to live in. Only a society, which respects and values all its members, can be competitive on a long-term basis. Last summer s football World Cup in showed us how enjoyable the presence of such diversity can be. The 2007 European Year offers us an opportunity to take this awareness further and to maintain the positive climate. Ursula von der Leyen Federal Minister for Family Women and Youth The European Commission and the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union are pleased to invite you to celebrate the opening of the, on the occasion of the first ministerial-level Equality Summit, which will take place in Berlin on January By bringing together for the first time all key stakeholders in the fight against discrimination, this Summit will make it possible to identify concrete approaches in order to gain maximum benefit from the diversity of our societies and make equal opportunities a reality in today s Europe. We look forward to welcoming you to Berlin on January and to a gala dinner on the evening of 30 January. More detailed information on the Summit is attached. Your travel and accommodation costs will be covered. Vladimír Spidla ˇ European Commissioner for Employment, Social affairs and Equal opportunities Yours faithfully, Ursula von der Leyen Vladimír Spidla ˇ 2

3 Agenda 1st day of the conference: 30 January :00 11:00 Registration 11:00 11:30 Opening of the 2007 European Year of Equality for All by Federal Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner Dr. Vladimír Spidla ˇ 11:30 11:45 Presentation of the results of the Eurobarometer survey on attitudes of Europeans towards discrimination 11:45 12:15 Keynote speech: Diversity: a challenge and an opportunity for the 21st century Europe Prof. Dr. Rita Süssmuth, Former President of the German Federal Parliament 12:15 13:00 Young people s stories Their expectation for :00 14:30 Lunch 14:30 15:30 Panel Discussion: Let s make equality a reality with Federal Minister Ursula von der Leyen, French Minister delegate for Equal opportunities Azouz Begag and Commissioner Dr. Vladimír Spidla, ˇ representatives of the European Parliament, of the Social partners and of European civil society Panel Moderator: Trevor Philipps, Chairman of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, United Kingdom 15:30 16:15 Questions from the floor and general debate 16:15 16:45 Coffee 16:45 18:15 Parallel workshops (Part 1): - Rights Making legislation work - Representation Making all voices heard - Recognition Highlighting the benefits of diversity - Respect Eliminating stereotypes and prejudice Conference moderation: Sabine Brandi, freelance journalist and West-German Broadcasting Corporation (WDR) moderator 20:00 Gala dinner and cultural programme 3

4 Agenda 2nd day of the conference: 31 January :00 11:00 Parallel workshops (Part 2): 11:00 11:30 Coffee - Rights Making legislation work - Representation Making all voices heard - Recognition Highlighting the benefits of diversity - Respect Eliminating stereotypes and prejudice 11:30 12:30 Reports of the workshops to the plenary session 12:30 14:00 Lunch 14:00 15:30 Panel Discussion Maximising the benefits of diversity with State Secretary Gerd Hoofe and Chairman of the Committee of the Regions, representatives of the European Economic & Social Committee and from business, media and research Panel Moderator: Conny Czymoch, TV moderator, Phoenix 15:30 16:00 Concluding remarks by Commissioner Dr. Vladimír ˇSpidla and State Secretary Gerd Hoofe, Official launch of pilot projects initiated by and other participating countries Conference moderation: Sabine Brandi, freelance journalist and West-German Broadcasting Corporation (WDR) moderator 4

5 Information on the conference, practical tips Conference venue The conference takes place in the BCC The Berlin Congress Centre. Alexanderplatz 3, Berlin The BCC meets all state-of-the-art standards in terms of conference facilities and technology and has of course been modernised to be accessible to the disabled. Accreditation All participants are accredited via the enclosed registration form. Please return the form to our conference office as quickly as possible. Many thanks! The registration form must be received by Tuesday, December at the latest. Please note that one form must be completely filled in for each person. Conference Badges For security reasons, access to the conference area is only possible with a valid photo identification (passport or identity card) and a conference badge. You will obtain these badges prior to the start of the conference on 30 January 2007 during registration in the BCC lobby between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Conference languages Simultaneous interpreters will translate all speeches and presentations into German, English and French as well as in Sign-Language. Information for participants with disabilities Please indicate on your registration form whether you are using a wheelchair or whether you are in need of further assistance (e.g. sign language interpreters, the receipt of all documents as word-documents,...) and further if you wish to attend with an accompanying personal assistant. Workshops There are four workshops being held during the conference at the same time (see programme/schedule). Please indicate on your registration form which workshop you would like to attend (1st and 2nd choice). It must be filled in. Gala Dinner The Gala Dinner with entertainment programme takes place in the Kuppelsaal of the BCC. Costs The travel expenses and accommodation costs as well as the costs for catering during the conference of the selected participants are being paid for. There are no participation fees for this conference. 5

6 Information on the conference, practical tips Hotels We have booked rooms for the participants in three hotels close to the BCC between January 29 and 31 January In addition to detailed directions to the BCC, you will also be sent the address of your hotel and a description of its location together with the confirmation of your participation. Please indicate how many nights you intend to stay. All hotels provide rooms for people with special needs. Travel Arrangements As soon as we have received the registration form with your data, we will pass on your travel needs to our travel agency, Carlson Wagon Lits. The travel agency will then contact you per to coordinate further details of your travel with you. Please bear in mind that the conference organiser s travel budget is subject to certain limitations for financial reasons. Travel arrangements that were not organised by the chosen travel agency cannot be reimbursed! Furthermore, we ask you to confirm your chosen travel arrangement (by fax or ) directly with the travel agency within 24 hours. Please note: Conference participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements to the nearest airport/train station. History This building and its unique location at the Alexanderplatz in the centre of Berlin exemplify recent German history as much as new beginnings for a unified Berlin. Planned and built between 1961 and 1964 by GDR star architect Hermann Henselmann, who was influenced by Bauhaus architecture, the BCC is an example of the Bauhaus style that shows functionality and transparency in a futuristic architecture. The building was listed in the 80s when numerous international conferences took place here; the GDR s People s Parliament held a few sessions here, too. Starting in 2002, the building was renovated and modernised in accordance with historic site standards and could already be reopened in September 2003 with a big international conference. Berlin You will find information on Berlin, s capital with 3.3 million inhabitants, on its places of interest, museums, shopping centres, restaurants as well as its art and culture on the Internet under Weather in January With average daytime temperatures of 2 degrees and nighttime temperatures of minus 3 degrees, it is rather cold in Berlin in January. The sun shines on average only two hours during the day and it rains ten days during the month on average. 6 The photos are from this campaign