Women Leaders Proclaim New Approach to Global Security, Linking Climate Change, Terrorism to Human Security

Transcription

1 Women Leaders Proclaim New Approach to Global Security, Linking Climate Change, Terrorism to Human Security November 17, 2007 (New York, New York)--Powerful women from across the world proclaimed that a new approach to global problems is within reach, and that women leaders are uniquely positioned and qualified to solve them. The leaders from more than 30 nations gathered here Friday and Saturday (November 16-17) for the International Women Leaders Global Security Summit, the largest-ever stateside gathering of women leaders to address security issues. The summit is a project of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, in partnership with the White House Project, the Council of Women Leaders and the Women Leaders Intercultural Forum. Human security cannot be separated from human dignity, and it is our duty to speak up for those women across the globe who lack their own platform to do so, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright told the participants. Women leaders have been pushed aside over the years. Some say it's cultural, that there's nothing we can do. I say it's criminal, and we all have an obligation to stop it, and to demand the economic, social and political justice necessary to prevent it. Current and former women presidents and prime ministers who participated in workshops and planning sessions included Emily Saidy de Jongh-Elhage, Prime Minister, Netherlands Antilles; Mary Robinson, President, Ireland ( ); Kim Campbell, Prime Minister, Canada (1993); Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of the Republic of Latvia ( ); Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, President of Sri Lanka ( ); Jenny Shipley, Prime Minister, New Zealand ( ); and Maria Liberia-Peters, Prime Minister, Netherlands Antilles ( and ). Asha Rose Migiro, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, addressed the attendees. Leaders from the public, private, non-governmental and academic spheres from all corners of the globe were involved in every phase of the summit, as each speech was followed by intimate workshop-style meetings among attendees. These women observed that issues sometimes viewed as soft, such as climate change or economic inequality, can be the root causes of hard security problems, such as violence or terrorism, because they provoke mass population movements, reduce confidence in government competence and increase the potential for identity-based conflict.

2 Participants also emphasized the importance of working together to negotiate non-violent solutions to both domestic and international disputes. Although speakers highlighted issues as far-ranging as the impact of climate change on Arctic communities, the killing of young girls in Darfur because of their ethnicity and the challenges of overcoming two decades of violent struggle and economic inequality in Uganda, they shared a common theme that, as Secretary Albright said, Security can only be built from the ground up. The complexity of security issues today reminds me of the saying, When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail, said Prime Minister Campbell. "The women leaders at this summit understand that the complicated reality in the world right now is more like a Phillips-head screw. And that interconnected complexity requires the kind of consensus-building and focus on the human element that women excel at." A documentary about educating and encouraging the young women of today to become the women leaders of tomorrow was filmed at the summit. Joining Secretary Albright in welcoming the participants was Ambassador Shirin Tahir- Kheli, Senior Adviser on Women s Empowerment to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The Honorable Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission, moderated a panel with Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, who was detained in Iran this year on allegations of endangering Iranian national security; Bineta Diop, Executive Director, Femmes Africa Solidarité, Senegal; and President Mary Robinson. Over the course of the Summit, Olubanke King-Akerele, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Liberia; Sarah Sewall, Director, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University; and Ms. Sheila Watt-Cloutier, climate change activist, 2007 Nobel Peace Prize nominee and former Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, presented personal stories about their experiences handling critical security issues. Angelique Kidjo, Grammy nominated Beninese singer-songwriter, who recently returned from a peacekeeping trip to Eastern Chad, performed, and Academy- and Golden Globewinning actress Geena Davis introduced the documentary film on women leaders and security. Poet Maya Angelou, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Arts and Mother Teresa Award, read the Call to Action to commemorate the Summit via video address. The three-day conference began the evening of Thursday, November 15, with a dinner featuring women heads of state and government at the Jumeirah Essex House in Manhattan, where the Summit was held. Workshops, panel discussions and breakout sessions on November 16 and 17 highlighted an interactive action-oriented agenda. Information exchange and feedback was assisted through the use of computer software linking the live discussions to a large in-room screen. Members of the philanthropic community and the media joined key sessions. The International Women Leaders Global Security Summit comes at a pivotal moment

3 when an injection of new voices and innovative ideas has the potential to positively influence a broad range of situations from conflict in the Middle East to terrorism s roots in economic insecurity to the devastating outcomes of climate change. As the longterm effects of globalization come into clearer focus, the needs of states and the safety of people are pre-eminent concerns. The Initiative views the recent emphasis on women s leadership at the national level including Benazir Bhutto s bid for power in Pakistan, the temporary release of Myanmar s detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner s rise in Argentina as an opportunity for women to advance and deepen their roles on the global stage. Leadership is exercised increasingly by women at the international, national and local levels, said Mary Robinson, President, Ireland ( ), and Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders. This is the first summit to commit to harnessing the collective power of those women leaders as we join together to address issues of human security. There is a global leadership crisis on issues of security, and the Summit s core goal is to bridge this gap, said White House Project Founder and President Marie Wilson. We are meeting to put forward a new security agenda one created by women and intended to meet the needs of all. Our agenda views the safety of people as inseparable from state security. Indeed, the two are complementary and we must cease posing them as tradeoffs. Seeing a group of women in leadership roles helps remove a psychological barrier for both women and men, said Council of Women World Leaders Secretary General Laura Liswood. Many don't realize how many women have made it to the highest political offices around the world. By bringing these leaders together, their voices can work together to move issues of concern to women and all human beings to the forefront. This Summit provides women leaders a unique opportunity to deepen relationships, share ideas and approach complex issues with fresh eyes. With unity, trust and respect, women leaders can help make the world a better place, added Wallis Annenberg, Trustee of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands. For more information about the International Women Leaders Global Security Summit, please visit ###

4 About the Partners: The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands was established in 2001 by the Annenberg Foundation to address serious issues facing the nation and the world community. The Trust engages in a variety of educational and charitable programs, hosts and participates in retreats and conferences and educates visitors through public access on the significance of the historical and architectural importance of the property known as "Sunnylands," located in Rancho Mirage, California. ( The White House Project The White House Project, a U.S.-based, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization, aims to advance women s leadership in all communities and sectors, up to the U.S. presidency. By filling the leadership pipeline with a richly diverse, critical mass of women, The White House Project seeks to make American institutions, businesses and government truly representative. The White House Project s Real Security Initiative is based on the premise that real security requires harnessing all elements of U.S. power strengthening diplomacy, economic leverage, and intelligence in addition to a strong military. The longterm objective of the Real Security Initiative is to increase the profile of women and their values both in the media and politics, on issues of U.S. national security and the need for different national priorities. ( The Council of Women World Leaders The Council of Women World Leaders is a network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers. The Council, chaired by Mary Robinson, currently has 37 members, who represent nearly all of the world's current and former women world leaders. The Council's mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development. A ministerial initiative, chaired by Madeleine Albright, which engages sitting and former women ministers and cabinet members, is an integral and essential part of the Council structure. Women Leaders Intercultural Forum of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative By addressing common issues that transcend perceived cultural, religious, sectoral and generational divides, the Women Leaders Intercultural Forum aims to leverage the efforts of women leaders to raise greater public awareness about global human security concerns and serve as a catalyst for collaborative action.

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