BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Oct. 6 Vital-Voices-award
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At a gathering of more than 300 women, Chair and Co-Founder Melanne Verveer highlighted 10 years of Vital Voices involvement and engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean, opening the Women Leadership Summit. Vital Voices also presented President Michelle Bachelet of the Republic of Chile with its prestigious Global Trailblazer Award.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081006/DC37246 )
(Previous recipients include Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, Mohammed Yunus, Noble Laureate and founder of Grameen Bank and Sheikha Lubna al-Qasima, the first female finance minister in the Middle East.)
Verveer praised women of the region for their hard work in achieving many of the goals they set for themselves 10 years ago. "In the last decade, the increase of female labor participation in Latin America and the Caribbean was the second highest in the world. Women hold almost 25% of minister and cabinet posts in Latin America. Women in the region hold 20% of the seats in Parliament." But she acknowledged that there is still much work to do. "There are great disparities in access to economic opportunity. Those living in poverty are especially vulnerable to abuse, including human trafficking, which continues to be a regional and global scourge."
Since 1998, Vital Voices Global Partnership, now an international NGO, has conducted more than two dozen leadership programs throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, reaching hundreds of emerging women leaders in business, government and civil society. Those women, in turn, have educated and trained thousands more women and established Vital Voices chapters across the hemisphere.
At that first meeting in Uruguay, both the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) president and then First Lady Hillary Clinton challenged women of the region to develop effective strategies to address critical issues faced at that time. Today, after a historic campaign to become the first woman president of the United States, Senator Clinton again reached out to attendees by video conference. "I'm confident we can continue to raise our vital voices on behalf of change." Joining in person were Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne, US Ambassador to Argentina and Gabriela Michetti, Vice Governor of Buenos Aires.
A second panel representative of the region looked back on ten years of achievements and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Panelists included Danielle St. Lot of Haiti, Norma Quixtan of Guatemala and Reyna McPeck of Venezuela who shared their experiences with participants and suggested strategies for enhancing their effectiveness at home.
Verveer concluded the panel by reminding participants that every one of us has a role to play. "We all have the opportunity and the responsibility, not only to raise our own voices, but to empower others to raise theirs as well."
Vital Voices Global Partnership invests in emerging women leaders -- pioneers of economic, political, and social advancement in their countries -- and builds the capabilities, connections, and credibility they need to unlock their potential as catalysts of global progress. Through our leadership development and local empowerment programs around the world, Vital Voices works to expand women's role in generating economic opportunities, increasing political participation, and protecting human rights. With over a decade of experience empowering women in Latin America and the Caribbean, we have hosted over two dozen leadership and training programs, resulting in the birth of eight local chapters.
CONTACT: Maria Gabriela Hoch, 011 +54 11 4703-1080 ext 23, mobile: 011 +54 15 4146-6911, mghoch@mghcm.com
SOURCE Vital Voices Global Partnership
