What holds society together when society is pulling itself apart? According to Ulster University Professor Paul Arthur, the answer is civil society. Over a candlelit dinner, Professor Arthur shared his immeasurable wisdom and insights on the origins and opportunities of conflict in divided societies. With experience witnessing the transformation of Northern Ireland as well as his engagement in both the Middle East and South Africa, Professor Arthur was poised to share invaluable observations with our South African and Israeli/Palestinian delegations. Continue Reading »

On Sunday morning, four South African participants disembarked their plane sporting beaded pins displaying their colorful national flag. Exuberant about South Africa’s victory at the World Cup rugby final just hours earlier, the participants happily chided the passport control officer about the British team’s defeat. Importantly, the same excitement the participants demonstrated about South Africa’s rugby victory, they also shared in anticipation of our upcoming program on conflict resolution and reconciliation. Continue Reading »

Nearly a decade after the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, over a decade after the end of apartheid in South Africa, and days into the latest effort at shuttle diplomacy in the decades long Arab-Israeli peace process, Vital Voices is convening a gathering of women from Northern Ireland, South Africa and Israel to discuss their efforts to contribute directly to their countries’ peace and security. Whether as teachers, lawyers, mediators, or , the selected participants are women engaged in the work of peace in communities where the language of peace has not been spoken for decades. Continue Reading »

Issues of implementation and enforcement are central to any discussion on legislation to protect and promote women’s health and women rights. In Russia, one NGO reported that they have strong laws for victims of trafficking which include financial and legal services. However, most people are not aware of the laws or that they have a right to protection and assistance if they find themselves in situations of exploitation. In the U.S. one approach to raise awareness among women experiencing domestic violence was training beauticians to recognize signs of violence and offer advice on available services. Baroness Mary Goudie, UK Member of the House of Lords, stressed the benefit of finding a celebrity or well-known expert (…I discovered these persons are otherwise known as “Lovies” in England and “Sparklies” in U.S.) to champion a social issue in order to get the massage into mainstream media. Continue Reading »

After visiting Dr. Suniti’s model hospital that has taken care of 12,000 HIV patients, I rushed back to the Accord Hotel to have a lunch meeting with Dr. N.M. Samuel. I was introduced to Dr. N.M. Samuel through Bob Bilheimer, the producer and director of the HIV/AIDS documentary film, A Closer Walk. Due to limited time in Chennai, I regrettably was unable to visit Dr. Sam’s hospital in Namakkal, 300 km from Chennai. Continue Reading »

Today was jam-packed with motivating addresses and discussions about women throughout and outside the region who have run or thought about running for public office. You could not come away without being inspired and loaded for bear in the political arena. Following the keynote address in the morning, there were many useful seminars for women who aspire to getting into leadership positions in government, developing favorable trade policies and legislation to protect and promote women’s health and human rights. A lively discussion ensued about crafting and advancing legislation that touches all the critical bases and tries to reach consensus, while knowing that, in the ‘REAL” world we must work toward applying cooperation and support between countries and understanding Society’s ‘outcasts’ also the understanding that all countries are not like and societies, culture and progress is not uniform. Continue Reading »

In yesterday’s strategy session, Fostering Government and Civil Society Collaboration, it became quickly clear that there is great diversity among represented countries in the extent and success of NGO and government partnerships as well as the support and credibility given to civil society by government officials. Cross-cutting challenges identified by civil society leaders included establishing a seat at the table for NGOs in discussions with government ministries, law enforcement and elected officials, and finding a balance between partnership with government and maintaining enough independence to criticize negative government actions. Katerina Chubchenko, the Rising Voice of the group, said one problem was that the government is often not willing to listen…especially not to a 19-year-old woman. She said, “Why does it matter whether the person is a man, woman, or girl and not only what is in your heart? Why can’t I also attempt to make the world better?” Continue Reading »

The second day of the Vital Voices Summit is referred to as Human Rights Day, with a longer official title of “Women Safeguarding Human Rights: A Necessary Foundation for a Stable and Prosperous Society.” It began with a keynote address from the Honorable Jolanta Kwasniewski, Former First Lady of Poland. She delivered a very moving and personal address about her feelings with regard to human rights and candidly shared some of her experiences as First Lady over the past decade. She admitted to having an epiphany with regard to relating to those in need and now has a true sensitivity to those around her who have less money and less mobility and those who exist on the fringes of society. She is committed to being a catalyst for change. One of the most poignant beliefs she shared was her firmly held belief that every single human being is entitled to the same rights and the most important right of all is the right to dignity. She touched us all with her candor and her ability to connect with everyone in the audience. Continue Reading »

It’s hard to believe it’s been TEN years since our Vital Voices Voyage set sail in Vienna. It seems much more recent especially when I saw so many of the women who gathered together in 1997—350 women from all the former Soviet Union countries met with women in Western Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States and Canada. Many of those same women came here to Kyiv. It’s amazing but their appearance has hardly changed a bit. I suspect it’s because they are doing what they love and it keeps them looking young and vibrant. Along with the returning crowd were a large group of newcomers and young women and girls. Continue Reading »

On the first day of Vital Voices Global Partnership’s Eurasia Leadership Summit for Women and Girls, I had the pleasure of listening to the Right Honorable Kim Campbell’s “Getting Women to the Power Table” discussion and offers a few notes below.

While Kim Campbell is best known as Canada’s nineteenth and first female Prime Minister, former Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and Minister of National Defense, the fact emerged in a strategy session late on Monday afternoon, that one of her earliest leadership feats was as the first female student body president in high school. Continue Reading »