The
future success of the World Economic Forum (WEF)
hinges on the increased participation of women,
said former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright
at a conference to launch the Women¹s Initiative
at the WEF Annual Meeting on February 3. .
Albright
and about 150 other women who participated in the discussion
were among the 10 percent of nearly 3,000 delegates
invited to ODavos¹ in New York City--a ratio Laura
Liswood, Secretary General of the Council of Women
World Leaders, hopes to improve at next year's WEF
Annual Meeting. "Our objective is to increase
the participation of women in the Forum," said
Liswood, who, along with Donna Redel, on of the Forum's
Managing Directors, founded the Women¹s Initiative.
Liswood said that the proportion of women at the WEF "mirrors" the
percentage of women in leadership positions in society,
but said that she hopes the panel will inspire attendees. "By
increasing the number of women who have a voice and
who serve as "experts' at the Forum, the Initiative
can serve as a role model for the next generation of
women," she said.
Liswood
said the senior management of the Forum has
been "very supportive" of women's
efforts to improve their visibility, though Barbara
Walters, ABC News anchor and the Initiative's
moderator, seemed less enthusiastic about the
Forum's response to the panel. The meeting is "not
even in the main hotel, Waldorf-Astoria," Walters
said.
Others
said they hoped that the Forum's first formal
Women's
Initiative would highlight the
problem of gender inequality. "People at
the Forum's knowledge of women's issues is probably
quite limited," said Executive Director
of Women's Environment and Development Organization
(WEDO) June Zeitlin. "In this context, it
is important that women's issues be brought to
their attention." Liswood said that one
way to raise awareness and encourage support
is by "engaging in dialogue with men." To
that end, the Initiative has launched a new annual
meeting workshop, Women's Leaders Initiative:
The Next Generation composed of both men and
women, "to debate key areas where women's
leadership is a major force for changing society
and business," according to the Forum's
press release.
Ideally,
Liswood said, she'd "like the
men who get invited to look around and say, "Wait,
there are no women on this panel. This doesn't
make any sense,'" though she noted that
underrepresented individuals are usually the
ones to notice and complain.
Zeitlin
said she considers such one-sided attention
to be
an obstacle to the advancement of the women's
movement. "Not many men speak on these issues.
That's part of the problem," she said.
Liswood
said that she hopes this will change at the
Forum's
2003 Annual Meeting as a result
of "the energy created from this year's
work." "Hopefully next year we will
see some demonstrable changes," she said.
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