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Wednesday, September 23, 2009 NEW YORK (AP) |
GLOBAL INITIATIVE TAKES
ON GENDER INEQUALITY
by DEEPTI HAJELA
Associated Press Writer
The importance of gender equality took center stage Wednesday at the Clinton Global Initiative as speakers emphasized how investing in girls and women can have repercussions at all levels of a society. "No country can prosper if it leaves half its people behind," said Melanne Verveer, the State Department's ambassador-at-large for global women's issues. Diane Sawyer, the new ABC evening news anchor who moderated the panel, asked what impact empowering and educating women could have on extremism. "The most dangerous places in the world, frankly, are those places where women are put down in the greatest way. It's where societies implode and where states fail," Verveer replied. Verveer was joined on the panel by Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs; Zainab Salbi, CEO of Women for Women International; Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil; Robert Zoellick, head of the World Bank; and Edna Adan Ismail, a former Somaliland foreign minister. The Clinton Global Initiative, started by former President Bill Clinton, brings together the public and private sector to discuss solutions to problems in four areas - climate change, poverty, global health and education. Clinton opened the morning session by highlighting a number of commitments that had been made in the area of empowering women, and emphasized the importance of the issue. "Whether the issue is improving the involvement of young women and girls in education, to climate change and all political, economic, and social issues in between, I think empowering women is central to what the world has to do in the 21st century," he said. Former Vice President Al Gore was scheduled to speak on a panel Wednesday afternoon about the need for innovation to create sustainable development. The conference started Tuesday, with President Barack Obama among the speakers. Attendees at the conference are expected to make concrete commitments on steps they will take to work on global problems. Since the first conference, 1,400 commitments have been made, said Robert Harrison, the initiative's chief executive officer. Some have been worth billions of dollars.
Those who don't follow through on their commitments are not allowed to return.
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Written by
DEEPTI HAJELA Associated Press Writer
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The Clinton Global Initiative is a non-partisan catalyst for action, bringing together a community of global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. William J. Clinton Foundation was created by former President Bill Clinton to promote the values of fairness and opportunity for all. Programs include health and HIV/AIDS, economic empowerment, leadership development, and citizen service. Vital Voices Global Partnership envisions a world of peace, justice and economic opportunity for all, where the voice of every woman is heard and respected. Vital Voices invests in women who are leading social, economic, and political progress in their countries. MY HERO Honoros Women Heroes |
Last changed on:9/24/2009
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