Children Uniting Nations and Amnesty International Hold Oscar-Night Celebration to Focus on the Universal Rights of Children.

Entertainment Editors

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--March 1, 2002

The following was released today by Amnesty International:

-- American Express, City Of West Hollywood, And Los Angeles Magazine To
Support Human Rights Gala On Oscar Night

-- Gov. Gray Davis, First Lady Sharon Davis, Nobel Laureate Jose Ramos Horta to
appear in support of children's rights

Children Uniting Nations (CUN) and Amnesty International announced today that they will jointly host an Oscar-night celebration and benefit on March 24th. The event, begun by CUN three years ago, will focus on promoting the universal rights of children while honoring the creative excellence of the artistic community. The 350-person charity dinner will feature the Oscar-telecast and a silent auction and will be followed by an after-party. The evening's events will take place at Ago, Robert De Niro's West Hollywood restaurant, beginning at 5 pm. The evening will benefit both CUN and Amnesty International, and is presented by American Express, the City of West Hollywood, and Los Angeles Magazine.

The event's focus on children's rights grows out of ongoing work by both organizations, including CUN's campaign to bring federal funding back to arts education in the public schools and Amnesty International's work protecting the human rights of children, including campaigning against the use of child soldiers worldwide. "This partnership is an extraordinary opportunity to bring a new level of attention to the needs and rights of children," said William F. Schulz, Amnesty International USA's Executive Director. "On a night when we are celebrating the artistic talent of our stars, too many of our children are denied the opportunity for artistic education because of the lack of federal funding and federal standards for arts in our public schools," added Daphna E. Ziman, founder and Chair of Children Uniting Nations.

CUN's previous Oscar parties at the former Spago venue have enjoyed broad support and success. The opportunity to support children's rights at this year's gala has generated a lot of interest. "We're very excited about the support we're receiving for this year's event, and particularly appreciative of American Express' support of children's rights, as they have been a corporate leader in the entertainment industry for many years," said Ms. Ziman.

"The bottom line is that all children deserve to be free from hunger and harm, but also must be given freedom of self-expression and the opportunity to express their creativity," added Dr. Schulz. "We believe these issues are a perfect complement to the celebration of artistic excellence on Oscar night."

The CUN/Amnesty International party will include appearances and remarks by California Governor Gray Davis, First Lady Sharon Davis, West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos Horta, who currently serves as East Timor's Foreign Minister. All are coming to lend their support to children's rights. "CUN is there to protect the universal rights of children," said California's First Lady Sharon Davis, Honorary President of CUN. "Every child has the right to shelter, nutrition, education, creativity, imagination and love."

The event's location in West Hollywood is also no coincidence, as the City has worked with Amnesty International on a number of human rights projects. "We're delighted to be partnering with Amnesty International and CUN on an Oscar-gala with such a strong human rights focus," said John Heilman, Mayor of West Hollywood, which is also home to several other major Oscar-night parties.