Women’s Empowerment with Digitization in the Pre and Post Covid Era Zoroastrian delegation to deliver a panel discussion at the United Nations As part of the 67th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67)NEW YORK, March 3, 2023 – FEZANA will be participating at the 67th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) Conference to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA.
This year’s theme will focus on innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. FEZANA has put together a diverse team of delegates that will be attending and representing FEZANA at the conference.
Dr. Farah Shroff (Vancouver, Canada), Dr. Zebalda Bamji (Toronto, Canada), Sharmin Mistry (Toronto, Canada), Delna Sethna (Mumbai, India), Kaizaad Kotwal (Mumbai, India), Mahabanoo Kotwal (Mumbai, India), Javeed Shaikh (Gujarat, India), Afreed Mistry (Toronto, Canada) and Behram Pastakia (Washington, DC, USA) will be representing the Zoroastrians at the UN.
A subset of the above group will be presenting a panel discussion titled, ““Women’s Empowerment with Digitization in the Pre and Post Covid Era”. The panel will cover topics related to digitization (pre- and post-covid) concerning women. Issues covered with be related to mental health, society, technological accessibility and women’s safety. The panel will also provide actionable ideas for wider implementation.
This panel discussion is open to all, so please register to attend.
The panel discussion details are: Date: Monday, March 13th, 2023 Time: 4 PM EST / 1 PM PST Register: bit.ly/FEZANA
Speakers:
Dr. Farah Shroff
Farah is a visionary Canadian public intellectual with expertise in global public health research and education.
Planet. A policy expert, she has worked within and for many governments in Canada and elsewhere.
Her research areas are integrative health approaches such as Ayurveda and yoga, and social/environmental justice-from a feminist anti-racism decolonial lens. Speaking French, Spanish and English, she has worked in many nations as an educator in academia and other communities. She founded and leads Maternal and Infant Health Canada, a global public health collaborative aiming to improve the wellbeing of women, young ones and the environment.
Harvard School of Public Health recently awarded her a mid-career fellowship, recognizing her expertise in global
public health. She works as an independent consultant, faculty member at the University of British Columbia and
teacher of yoga, dance, meditation and other mind-body activities. Dr Shroff is regularly featured in the media.
Dr. Zebalda Bamji
Zebalda has dedicated her career to improving patient outcomes and healthcare delivery systems, leveraging her profound scientific acumen and exceptional business sense. With an impressive track record of diverse leadership roles, she leads cross-functional teams in biomedical sciences, program management, and business development for multimillion-dollar high-growth initiatives in medical innovation and digital health. She has served as a top-level strategist and subject matter expert across diverse organizations from Canadian and US Health Authorities, Hospital Consortiums, Pharmaceuticals, and Research Organizations across Canada, the US, India, Nepal, China, and the EU. Dr. Bamji has earned her Executive MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, her MS and Ph.D. from Howard University College of Medicine, and her BSc. from St. Xavier’s College Mumbai. She has strategized and supported the development of 6 start-ups with intellectual property patents and venture capital funding. As a thought leader, she has delivered countless seminars and presentations, authored peer-reviewed publications, and taught thousands of medical graduate and undergraduate students over the decades. She has held faculty appointments with Howard University and Northeastern University. She serves on the Board of healthcare facilities, local NGOs, and start-ups. She is also a committed member of several International Charitable Organizations, aiding in poverty alleviation, women’s empowerment, stress relief through meditation, and scientific advancement.
Sharmin Mistry
Sharmin is originally from Mumbai, India, now residing in Toronto, Canada, Sharmin is the Assistant Secretary of the Federation of Zoroastrians of North America (FEZANA). She is a marketing graduate from Seneca College, Toronto currently working at a global media agency, Publicis Media. As a women empowerment advocate, her goal is to inspire Zoroastrian women to become an inspiration for other women, through guidance, motivation and mentorship.
Moderator: Afreed Mistry
Afreed is from Toronto, Canada and has been an active member of FEZANA since 2002. She co-chairs the FEZANA UN-NGO Committee along with Dr. Behram Pastakia. Afreed is also the main representative for FEZANA at the United Nations. She has attended and presented at eight United Nations’ CSW Conferences and also been a part of the UN DGC Conferences, Parliament of World’s Religions and attended numerous UN meetings.
Dr. Behram Pastakia
Chair of the Zarathushti Youth Without Borders initiative of FEZANA, and Co-Chair of its UN – NGO Committee is a practicing radiologist in Metropolitan Washington D.C. He is part of RAD-AID International (www.rad-aid.org), an NGO which promotes health care in low resource countries, through education, innovation and entrepreneurship.
About United Nations
The United Nations is central to global efforts to solve problems that challenge humanity. Cooperating in this effort are more than 30 affiliated organizations, known together as the UN sytem. For more information visit www.un.org
About the Commission on the Status of Women
The CSW is a global governmental body that is dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. This commission was established by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1946. Every year the CSW holds a conference in the winter for a two-week period where Un entities, Member States and Civil Society discuss issues pertaining to women, girls and gender equality. The past 3 years this conference has been virtually hosted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FEZANA UN-NGO Committee is looking for participants to attend the 67th Commission on the Status of Women Conference at the UN Headquarters in New York from March 6-17, 2023.
This year’s main focus will be on innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
Individuals interested in attending the conference, are requested to send their resume and letter of intent for attending the CSW conference by November 30, 2022.
FEZANA, as an NGO in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Department of Global Communications (DGC), will facilitate registration to the CSW Conference. The conference will be in a hybrid format (partially in-person and partially online).
The selected participants are expected to make their own financial arrangements regarding visas, tickets, accommodation, food, and transportation in the city.
Details about the vision, mission and activities of the United Nations can be accessed at www.un.org.
The FEZANA UN-NGO Committee is looking for participants to attend the 2023 UN Water Conference at the UN Headquarters in New York from March 22-24, 2023. For more information on the conference: https://sdgs.un.org/conferences/water2023/about
On 20 December 2018, the General Assembly adopted the resolution on the “Midterm comprehensive review of the implementation of the International Decade for Action, ‘Water for Sustainable Development’, 2018-2028” (A/RES/73/226).The resolution calls for a Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action to be … sdgs.un.org
Individuals interested in attending the conference, are requested to send their resume and letter of intent for attending the conference by December 15, 2022. Please send the e-mail to both individuals below:
Behram Pastakia (Behram@fezana.org)
Afreed Mistry (Afreed@fezana.org) FEZANA, as an NGO in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will facilitate registration to the Water Conference. The selected participants are expected to make their own financial arrangements regarding visas, tickets, accommodation, food, and transportation in the city. Details about the vision, mission and activities of the United Nations can be accessed at www.un.org.
On behalf of World Bank Group (WBG)-International Monetary Fund (IMF), we invite you to register for the Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF). The CSPF is a key part of the WBG-IMF Annual Meetings (AMs), and is taking place from September 27 – 8 October 2021. It is comprised of 18 CSO-led sessions on key development issues, also including several WBG-IMF staff as panelists.
Registration is open until 5 p.m. EDT, 20 September 2021.
More information
Promote the Forum on social media! Use the message below.
Join the Civil Society Policy Forum from Sep 27-Oct 8! Explore inclusive space for civil society Engage @IMFNews@WorldBank@IFC_org Let your voice be heard Discuss shared development goalsRegister before Sept 20: http://wrld.bg/cLdp50G6z0m #AMCSO21
The FEZANA UN-NGO Committee is looking for participants to attend the 66th Commission on the Status of Women Conference from March 14 – 25, 2022.
This year’s main focus will be on achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental, and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes. The conference will also cover women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work.
Individuals interested in attending the conference are requested to send their resume and letter of intent for attending the CSW conference by September 30, 2021. Please send the e-mail to both individuals below:
FEZANA, as an NGO in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Department of Global Communications (DGC), will facilitate registration to the CSW Conference. Travel to New York City maybe required as the decision on a virtual or in-person conference is pending. Selected participants are expected to make their own financial arrangements regarding visas, tickets, accommodation, food, and transportation in the city. Details about the vision, mission, and activities of the United Nations can be accessed at www.un.org
You are invited to join this ZOOM Conference — to launch Brian Brown’s “Seven Testaments of World Religion and the Zoroastrian Older Testament” trilogy on February 1st, 2nd and 3rd, 2021, from 12:00 to 2:00 pm CDT each day.
Rohinton and Roshan Rivetna will be making a short presentation on “Zoroastrians in China” on the third day — Wed Feb 3, 12:00 to 2:00 pm CDT. See the ink below and the attached invitation.
Brian Brown was guest speaker at the 2018 SSZ (Society of Scholars of Zoroastrianism) Conference at the Darbe Mehr in Chicago. In his writings, he presents a heightened emphasis on the debt owed to Zoroastrianism by all seven world religions. He points out references in the Avestan texts – that he calls the “older testament” – that were inherited by Jewish prophets from Zoroastrian priests in Babylon and are recognizable in popular culture today as the Zoroastrian legacy to the modern world.
For information contact Rohinton Rivetna at Rivetna@aol.com.
You are invited to help launch the upcoming UNITED NATIONS WEEK FOR RELIGIOUS HARMONY by Zoom
Please review the attached brochure for details Time: Feb 1, 2 and 3, 2021 at 1:00 – 3:00 PM daily Eastern Standard Time (US and Canada),
(Additional information if needed): Meeting ID: 853 8180 8205
Passcode: 144856
(If you plan to participate on a mobile devise from the USA, the One tap mobile accesses that will work for most would be:
+13462487799,,85381808205#,,,,*144856# US (Houston)
+16465588656,,85381808205#,,,,*144856# US (New York)
The FEZANA UN-NGO Committee is looking for participants to join our team for implementing The Ava Project.
The Ava Project will bring together a group of people from across the World to form a working group that exchanges ideas pertaining to the environment. The first project is related to the creation of Water and an activity associated with water, i.e. cleaning up of the waters.
For more information or to sign up for the project, please fill in this form:
AGlobal Call to Action for Climate Change Turning Ideas into ActionThe FEZANA UN-NGO Committee is pleased to announce that a broadcast of the Tedx Gateway : “A Global Call to Action on Climate Change”, will take place on: Saturday, Oct. 17th at 6:30 AM ET / 5:30 AM CT / 3:30 AM PST / 4:00 pm IST / 6:30 pm in Perth, Singapore and Hongkong /
Countdown: To A Better future is a global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis, turning ideas into action.This virtual event will bring together scientists, activists, entrepreneurs, urban planners, farmers, CEOs, investors, artists, musicians, government officials, and others to find the most effective, evidence-based ideas that work. The goal is to identify the bold solutions that can be activated when people break out of their silos and rise to the challenge.
The 2020NobelPeacePrize has been awarded to the UN World Food Program. Provision of food addresses conflict resolution, hunger, poverty, climate change…all these issues are interlinked.
The speakers will include:
Bishow Parajuli, Nepali, Representative and Country Director to India,
UN World Food Program
Actors Chris Hemsworth and Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Activist for Climate Change, Nobel Prize Winner, Al Gore and
many others, that can be seen listed here.
To view the live Facebook broadcast please click here.
NEW YORK, July 10, 2020 – FEZANA delegates will be participating in a Multi-Stakeholder Meeting on Accelerating the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at the United Nations on July 21st, 2020 from 10 AM to 6 PM EST.
The multi-stakeholder meeting will take place on a virtual platform and due to technical limitations, only 3 representatives per NGO can participate. The following will be the designated FEZANA representatives:
Shirin Mehri from Karachi, Pakistan is currently serving as the Program Manager for Ethics & Governance at the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business. After successfully completing projects in education in Tanzania, Azerbaijan, and the United States, Shirin is leading projects on family-friendly workplaces and Pakistan’s investment landscape in partnership with the IFC at the Pakistan Business Council. Prior to her move, Shirin worked alongside the founders of growing social impact start-ups focussed on community development in the UAE.
Nadia Jam from Toronto, Canada is a light-hearted, free-spirit full of energy and passion. Her involvement in the Zoroastrian Society of Ontario and the UN Commission on the Status of Women Conference, as a FEZANA NGO representative, has inspired her to lead the international sub-community, Zoroastrian LGBTQ+-Straight Alliance online and at the 2019 World Youth Congress of which she and the other panellists wrote about in WZO’s Hamazor Journal (Issue 2-2019). Nadia has a B.A. in Political Science in French Immersion from the University of Ottawa and she will be continuing her education with a Masters in Counselling Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in pursuit of a career in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
Behnoosh Sethna was born and raised in Karachi and currently resides in Maryland working for a financial institution. She has a passion for bringing strategic value-added projects focusing on women’s empowerment and communities’ prosperity. Behnoosh was the moderator of the UN panel at the 7th World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in Los Angeles presenting about the organization’s efforts on the Sustainable Development Goals and Zoroastrian’s presence and history at the UN. She also represented FEZANA at the 68th DGC United Nations Civil Society Conference in August 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Along with the virtual participation, the UN will do a public webcast of the proceedings. Viewing the webcast does not require you to register. The webcast will be live at:
Zarathushtis interested in participating with FEZANA at the UN can send a letter of intent as to how they see themselves promoting the mission of the United Nations, (www.un.org) with a copy of their curriculum vitae to:
The SDG Academy is a program of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a global initiative for the United Nations supporting the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more about SDG Academy here.
With colleges and universities shifting to online learning, there is an increasing
need for online resources that can be easily integrated into their existing
curricula. The SDG Academy looks to ease the transition to online learning for
educators teaching in a variety of disciplines and geographical contexts by
offering free, high-quality content. Our resources include 30 massive open online
courses (MOOCs) on topics related to the interdisciplinary field of sustainable
development, and nearly 1,200 lecture and case study videos from world experts
available in our searchable SDG Academy Library. Our resources are pitched at an introductory Master’s level, but are suitable for students, policymakers, life-long
learners, and anyone with an interest in sustainable development.
If you are new to using online content in your classes, the SDG Academy will be hosting three webinars to discuss how our free resources can help you create an engaging online learning experience. Click below to register for the session that best fits your schedule:
Dr. Farah Shroff
Dr. Zebalda Bamji
Sharmin Mistry
Afreed Mistry
Dr. Behram Pastakia
Explore inclusive space for civil society
Engage 
Let your voice be heard
Discuss shared development goalsRegister before Sept 20: 
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