U.S. Department of State

Summary Recommendations of the Women's Empowerment Working Session

October 11, 2006

FACT SHEET
Office of the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State for Women's Empowerment (S/WE)
October 11, 2006

On September 23, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hosted a working session with women Ministers and Heads of State to discuss strategies for the political, economic, legal, and educational empowerment of women worldwide. The participants agreed on the following recommendations:

Networking:

• Networking among women leaders should be expanded.
• A Roster of Women Leaders should be established.
• Sharing of women’s empowerment “best practices” between regions is essential.
• At the grass roots level, setting up “Model Villages” to encompass political, economic, and justice issues is a deliverable worth pursuing.

Education:

• Literacy and education must remain a key component in empowerment efforts.
• In some cases, educational opportunities must target girls in particular, especially in the developing world, to address their unique challenges and disadvantages.

Political Participation:

• Women leaders will work toward dealing with the stereotype that women are weak participants in political systems.
• More senior women are needed in the UN and other regional organizations.
• Civic education is an important vehicle for changing political culture.

Peace and Security:

• Because women are directly affected by conflict, women must be at the negotiating table for peace building efforts and post-conflict decision making.
• Statutory changes and rule of law are required to protect women.
• Women leaders could establish a roster of women qualified to serve as envoys in mediation and peacekeeping.

Culture and Religion:

• Women’s participation in religious and cultural dialogues is important.
• A working session including women of the Islamic world is desirable.

Economic Empowerment:

• Microfinance projects particularly help women. While the US has been active here, European leaders noted more could be done from Europe in support of microfinance and in building partnerships.

Follow-up:

• Austria offered to host a follow-up Working Session.
• A small Steering Committee will be constituted with members from each region of the world to take women’s empowerment forward.

Participants (non-U.S.):

Austria	FM Ursula Plassnik
Bahrain	Ambassador Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, President of the 61st UN General Assembly
Barbados	FM Dame Billie Miller
Benin	FM Marian Aladji Boni-Diallo
Burundi	FM Antoinette Batumubwira
Croatia	FM Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
Greece	FM Dora Bakoyannis
Iraq	Minister Wijdan Salim, Minister of Human Rights
Iceland	FM Valgerdur Sverrisdottir
Liberia	President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
Liechtenstein	FM Rita Kieber-Beck
Malawi	FM Joyce Banda
Mozambique	FM Alcinda de Abreu
Niger	FM Aichatou Mindaoudou
Nigeria	FM Ogwu
Pakistan	Minister Sumaira Malik, Minister for Women’s Development
Poland	FM Anna Fotyga
Tanzania	FM Asha-Rose Mtengeti-Migiro

Participants (U.S.):

• Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
• Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State for Women’s Empowerment, Ambassador Shrin Tahir-Kheli
• Undersecretary for Democracy and Global Affairs, Paula J. Dobriansky

Questions about this event should be directed to the Office of the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State for Women’s Empowerment at 202-647-7282.