Melbourne, 16 August 2010: The Zoroastrian Association of Victoria
(ZAV) announced today its participation at the United Nations conference on Global
Health at the Melbourne Convention Center from 30 August to 1 September 2010.
Utilising the power of the individual to make a difference and have a positive
impact on society, has been the paradigm established by Zarathushtra, the prophet
of ancient Iran and it is one which Zoroastrians all over the world adopt today.
The Zoroastrian Association of Victoria (ZAV) will be teaming up with The Federation
of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA) and Ashta No Kai (For A Better
Tomorrow), a literacy, health and development project for women in rural India,
at the event which will highlight effective ways in which civil society can contribute
to fostering global health: not just managing disease. The UN Millennium Development
Goals were outlined in 2000 and this conference will chart the progress made thus
far.
A workshop entitled "Public Health
and the Millennium Development Goals: A Paradigm Shift for Global Health Care Outcomes"
will be held on Wednesday, 1 September 2010 from 3:30
pm to 5:00 pm by members of the Zoroastrian community from the US, Australia and
India.
"Political Will and the Power
of the Individual are currently lacking in the modern global development effort.
Overcoming these two hurdles requires unrelenting inspiration, persuasion and the
ignition of one’s soul to help the poor," said Kayzad
Namdarian, from Tonga, who will lead the workshop. In this era of globalization
and ascendancy of social media, ideas will be explored that can improve health care
particularly for those at the bottom of the socio economic pyramid. Learning to
make appropriate life style choices which respect the connectivity of body, mind
and spirit in maintaining good health will be the key message.
About The 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 system.
For more information visit: www.un.org.
About the ZAV: Founded in 1978, the Zoroastrian Association
of Victoria is the representative body of the Zoroastrian community in Victoria.
For more information visit: www.zav.org.au.
About Fezana: Founded in 1987, FEZANA serves as the
coordinating body for 26 Zoroastrian associations throughout the United States and
Canada. FEZANA promotes the study, understanding and practice of the Zoroastrian
faith. Visit: www.fezana.org.
About Ashta No Kai (For
A Better Tomorrow): A women’s literacy, health and development
project in rural India launched in 1998 to promote the empowerment of rural women
and the education of the girl child. For more information email:
ankindia@vsnl.com.
ZAV media relations: Jurstine Daruwalla – Mobile 0422 453 545 : Email:
committee@zav.org.au
