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FOR NEXT OAS KEYNOTE LECTURE, HIGH RANKING BRAZILIAN OFFICIAL SPEAKS ON COMBATING RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION

  November 30, 2007

Brazil’s Special Secretary for the Promotion of Racial Equality Policies, Matilde Ribeiro, will be the keynote speaker for the twenty-fourth Organization of American States (OAS) conference in the Lecture Series of the Americas, which will be held at OAS headquarters on Tuesday, December 4. The topic will be “Combating Racism and Discrimination: A Policy of Inclusion.”

With extensive experience in her country’s social services sector, Matilde Ribeiro became integrated in the transition government between Fernando Henrique Cardoso and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with the responsibility of developing the program “Brazil without Racism.”

Her career was highlighted by various positions that demonstrated her engagement in the battle for social equality. She lectured at the Department of Social Services in the Metropolitanas Unidas Faculty (FMU) of São Paulo and was coordinator for the Advisor for Women’s Rights of the Municipality of Santo André, São Paulo, during 1998-2001. During that time, she implemented the government’s policies for gender programs where she developed integrated projects regarding gender and race issues. She has published various articles on race and gender, environment and state politics. In 2003, she assumed the challenge of becoming Special Secretary for the Politics to Promote Racial Equality for the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil.

A question-and-answer session follows the Lecture, which will be webcast live over the Internet (www.oas.org) The Lecture will be broadcast by radio and television, on dates and times to be announced.

Created by the OAS Permanent Council to promote principles and values in the countries of the hemisphere, the Lecture Series of the Americas invites internationally renowned speakers to address key issues such as democracy, human rights, social development, hemispheric security and the fight against poverty. The conferences are possible thanks to financial contributions form Peru’s San Martin de Porres University and the governments of China and France.

WHAT: Matilde Ribeiro headlines OAS Lecture Series, on “Combating Racism and Discrimination: A Policy of Inclusion.”

WHEN: Tuesday, December 4, 2007
3: 00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

WHERE: Hall of the Americas
OAS Organization of American States
17th Street & Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20006

Reference: AVI-065/07