A workshop on the role of women in the promotion of multicultural
identities opens tomorrow in Rome.

The two-day workshop, organized by IOM and the Islamic
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), with
the support of the Municipality of Rome, brings together academics,
representatives from women’s associations and policy makers
to discuss the role migrant women play in promoting cultural
diversity.   

"The workshop aims to promote cultural diversity in host
countries, focusing on the role that migrant women can play in the
improvement of the perception of migrants and the fight against
racism, religious and all other forms of discrimination perpetrated
against migrants," says IOM’s Peter Schatzer, IOM’s
Chief of Mission in Rome.

"It also seeks to promote a better understanding of the role
religions play in the migratory process, particularly in the
context of integration, as well as to strengthen tolerance and
mutual understanding," he notes.

In December 2005, with the support of ISESCO, IOM and the
Ministry in Charge of the Moroccan Community Residing Abroad
organised an international conference in Morocco on the theme
"Migration and Religion in a Globalized World."

IOM signed a cooperation agreement with ISESCO in December 2003,
which has resulted in closer cooperation between the two
organizations.

ISESCO was created in 1981 by the Third Islamic Summit
Conference to promote cooperation between Islamic states in the
fields of education, science, culture and communication.

For more information, please contact:

Redouane Saadi

IOM Geneva

Tel: + 41 22 717 93 21 or +41 79 786 1992

E-mail:  "mailto:rsaadi@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">rsaadi@iom.int