NOW's delegates will join more than 36,000 women attending the non- governmental forum that begins Aug. 30 in Huairou, which is 32 miles from Beijing. The U.N. Conference on Women begins in Beijing Sept. 4, and NOW was allotted two delegate positions.
"We will celebrate women and exchange ideas on how to achieve women's equality worldwide," Johnson said. "The most pressing issues are the feminization of poverty, violence against women, education for girls, health care, and economic and political empowerment of women.
"We plan to listen to women's stories, ask questions, network and strategize ways to address and solve the problems women face. It's not just a big get-together. It's a time to get countries to make commitments on key issues and get women empowered to put on political pressure to make their countries follow through on the issues."
Controversy surrounding attendance by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton should not detract from the importance of the conference, Johnson said.
"We are happy that the First Lady is attending because this is a world conference on women and not on China," Johnson said. "More relevant, more painful sanctions can be levied against China than the absence of the First Lady from the World Conference.
"The eyes of the world will be on China, its government and its people simply by the conference being there. But clearly our mission is to devise effective means of promoting women's equality and expanding women's rights -- including in China. That should be, and is, our focus and purpose."
Further information can be obtained by contacting Melinda Shelton or Diane Minor at the NOW headquarters press office in Washington, D.C., (202)331-0066.