Women’s Democracy Network Celebrates First Anniversary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2007

Washington, D.C. — The International Republican Institute’s Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) celebrated its first anniversary with a conference in Washington, D.C., March 6-8, 2007. The conference coincided with International Women’s Day on March 8. Twenty-one women from 19 countries gathered in Washington for the conference.

A dinner on March 6 featuring The Honorable Frances Fragos Townsend, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, opened the conference. Ms. Townsend inspired the audience of international delegates, Washington policy makers, civil society representatives and academics with her words of advice and wisdom. She noted the record number of women who are serving at senior levels in President George Bush’s administration, and advised the international delegates that there is plenty of room for women to be leaders alongside their male counterparts.

The conference meetings began on March 7 with a panel presentation on the findings of each of the regional WDN meetings held over the past year. Representatives from WDN regional conferences in Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East and North Africa gave an overview of the proceedings from each meeting and reviewed the follow-on activities designed by network members for their particular region.

In addition to sharing the ideas and information exchanged at each of the regional conferences, delegates participated in thematic workshops based on the specific follow-on activities designed at the regional conferences. The thematic workshops focused on mentoring programs, establishing a legislative caucus, training programs, the WDN website, special programs and building the network at the regional level. Specific action plans were created during the thematic workshops.

Throughout the conference, participants had the opportunity to network with U.S. business leaders and policy makers. IRI Board Member Cheryl Halpern hosted the delegation at a luncheon meeting at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, where network members engaged in a lively discussion on the challenges and opportunities of a government-created broadcast system designed to be neutral and serve the public.

The delegation also attended a reception at the Old Executive Office Building featuring U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao who inspired the women with her story of determination as an immigrant to the United States. Jovita Carranza, Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration, also gave moving remarks to the members of the network as she shared her personal story rising through the ranks of a prominent corporation.

The program concluded with an International Women’s Day dinner with the diplomatic community at the Embassy of Finland, which was celebrating 100 years of women’s suffrage in Finland.

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