Happy International Women's Day! On this 101st Anniversary of International Women's Day, SID-Washington recognizes that all genders in the development community share an interest in women's empowerment. According to the 2010 Quadrenial Diplomacy and Development Review: "Women are at the center of our diplomacy and development efforts--not simply as beneficiaries, but also as agents of peace, reconciliation, development, growth, and stability." In this month's release of the USAID policy on Gender Equality and Female Empowerment, Rajiv Shah states: "We know that long-term, sustainable development will only be possible when women and men enjoy equal opportunity to rise to their potential." A basic yet impactful advancement, gender equality represents an essential goal for development. Please join SID-Washington, the MCC, and our impressive panel of speakers this coming Monday, March 12, for an important conversation on development and women's empowerment. SID-Washington March Chapter Event Women's Empowerment: The State of Affairs at the 101st International Women's Day Monday, March 12, 2012 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Millennium Challenge Corporation 875 15th Street, NW 2nd Floor Conference Room Washington D.C. Each year around the world, International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. This year marks the 101st anniversary of its celebration and thousands of events will occur throughout the month of March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. The success of progress in developing communities has been tied to gender equality and women's rights; yet obstacles such as illiteracy, sexual abuse, and death related to pregnancy and childbirth still prevent women from advancement. We will be joined by a distinguished panel of speakers to discuss women's empowerment: progress made by the movement, goals for the future, obstacles being faced today, and solutions which will make these goals a reality. Moderator: Jeni Klugman, Director of Gender and Development, The World Bank Speakers:Dr. Virginia Seitz, Senior Director of Social and Gender Assessment, Millenium Challenge Corporation Gina Reiss-Wilchins, Director, Girl Up, United Nations Foundation Alyse Nelson, President and CEO, Vital Voices Global Partnership Karen Sherman, Executive Director of Global Programs, Women for Women International To RSVP for this event, please click here. If you have any questions, please contact Sally Waley by e-mail at swaley@sidw.org or by phone at 202-884-8535. We look forward to seeing you next week! Kind regards, 
Dan Runde President, SID-Washington |