Women's Empowerment Conference

Friday, May 08, 2009 from 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM (ET)

Washington, DC

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Ticket Information

Ticket Type	Remaining	Sales End		Quantity
12:40 PM, SESSION #1: The Economy: Education, Agriculture, and Institutional Reform more info Session Chair: Baroness Amos, Former Leader of the House of Lords, Great Britain	Sold Out	Ended	Free	Sold Out
3 PM, SESSION #2: Political Empowerment and Security more info Session Chair: Dr. Gwendolyn Mikell, Professor of Anthropology and Foreign Service, Georgetown University	Sold Out	Ended	Free	Sold Out
4:15 PM, SESSION #3: Health and the Environment more info Session Chair: Dr. Jeanne Toungara, Associate Professor of History at Howard University	Sold Out	Ended	Free	Sold Out
6:30 PM, SESSION #4: "A Powerful Noise" Film & Discussion with Sheila Johnson more info Film introduction and commentary by Sheila Johnson, Executive Producer, CARE Ambassador	Sold Out	Ended	Free	Sold Out
OVERFLOW ROOM: 6:30 PM, SESSION #4: "A Powerful Noise" Film & Discussion with Sheila Johnson	Sold Out	Ended	Free	Sold Out
VIP Registration	Sold Out	Ended	Free	Sold Out

Event Details

**DUE TO THE OVERWHELMING RESPONSE TO THE CONFERENCE, REGISTRATION FOR ALL SESSIONS IS NOW CLOSED. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING ADDED TO OUR MAILING LIST, PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL WITH YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME , EMAIL ADDRESS AND ORGANIZATION TO: Eddie.burke@fco.gov.uk

THANK YOU.

The British Embassy and National Geographic Society invite you to attend the

2009 Women's Empowerment Conference

National Geographic Society (GHG Auditorium)
1145 17th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036

REGISTER ONLINE NOW

MORE INFO: Eddie.burke@fco.gov.uk or 202-518-7523

Dress code: Business Attire

Join the British Embassy and National Geographic Society for the Second Women's Empowerment Conference on May 8, 2009 in Washington, DC. The conference will explore key issues related to Women in Africa as identified by the United Nation's Millennium Development Goal 3 to promote gender equality and empower women. This year's theme is "African Women and the Changing Global Outlook."

The event has a powerful line up of speakers including Baroness Valerie Amos of Great Britain; a message from Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai; CARE Ambassador and philanthropist, Sheila Johnson; Ambassador Amina Salum Ali of the African Union; Emmy Award Winner, Tracey Neale, and many more. This FREE conference promises to be an enlightening and inspiring event that will help to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women in Africa.

A special thank you to our sponsors: Africare • Allafrica.com • Transafrica Forum • Howard University, Ralph J. Bunche Center for International Affairs • Georgetown University, African Studies Program • Vibrant Design Group • The Washington Informer • The Diaspora Report • BZB International • League of Black Women • Diaspora African Women’s Network • Global Woman Magazine • Council on Foreign Relations • NCNW

11:00 pm	REGISTRATION
12:30 pm	INTRODUCTION & WELCOME (GHG Auditorium) Opening performance by Anna Mwalagho
	Barbara Paulsen, Deputy Executive Editor, National Geographic Magazine
12:35 pm	OPENING REMARKS
	Dominick Chilcott, Deputy Head of Mission, The British Embassy, Washington, DC
	MODERATOR: Tracey Neale, Founder, Veronica’s Story Foundation
	Words of welcome: Video Message : Sarah Brown, Wife of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Global Patron for White Ribbon Alliance Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-At-Large for Global Women’s Issues, State Department
1:00pm	Session I: The Economy: Education, Agriculture, and Institutional Reform Session Chair: Baroness Amos, Former Leader of the House of Lords
	SPEAKERS Regina Amadi, Regional Director for Africa, ILO Remi Duyile, Program Manager, Gender Entrepreneurship Markets (GEM) - IFC Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, Vice President of Africa Region, World Bank
	Q & A Celene Greene, Program Officer, Africa, Vital Voices Global Partnership
2:15 pm	Break (NGS Dining Hall)
2:45 pm	Session II: Political Empowerment and Security Session Chair: Dr. Gwendolyn Mikell, Professor of Anthropology and Foreign Service, Georgetown University
	SPEAKERS Ambassador Amina Salum Ali, AU Ambassador to the US Emira Woods, Foreign Policy in Focus Co-Director Institute for Policy Studies Ritu Sharma Fox, Women Thrive Worldwide (formerly Women’s Edge Coalition) Niemat Kuku, Coordinator, Gender Center for Research and Training in Sudan
	Q & A
4:00 pm	BREAK
4:15 pm	Session III: Health and Environment Session Chair: Dr. Jeanne Toungara, Associate Professor of History, Howard University
	SPEAKERS Congressman Donald Payne (D-NJ), Chair of Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health— VIDEO MESSAGE Radha Muthaih, VP Strategic Partnerships and Alliances, CARE Jeannine Scott, Senior Vice President, Africare Kim Knowlton, Dr PH Senior Scientist, Health & Environment Program, Natural Resources Defense Council, NRDC
	Q & A
5:20 pm	Closing Summation: Baroness Valerie Amos
5:30 pm	Networking Reception (NGS Dining Hall) African Village: Artisans & Advocates
6:30 pm	SESSION IV: Film screening - “A Powerful Noise” (GHG Auditorium) Film introduction and commentary by Sheila Johnson, Executive Producer, CARE Ambassador
	Q & A
8:30 pm	Closing

When

Friday, May 08, 2009 from 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM (ET)

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Where

National Geographic Society
1145 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036

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News & Updates

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Global conversations

Eddie Burke

Public Affairs Officer Washington

TUESDAY 05 MAY, 2009

African Women and the Changing Global Outlook

On Friday May 8, The British Embassy will host the second Women's Empowerment in Africa conference in partnership with the National Geographic Society at their headquarters in Washington. The conference will examine how the global economic downturn impacts women's empowerment in Africa.

There's no question that the economic downturn will have a significant impact on women. For example, in some African countries there has been a fall in foreign direct investment, remittances, commodity prices and a continuing rise in food prices.

Panelists at this Friday's conference will try to anticipate what affect this economic hardship will have on the Millennium Development Goals. The MDGs represent a fresh desire to provide education and career opportunities to women in impoverished countries.

Unfortunately, education and jobs - which are normally at a premium for women in many parts of the world - are even more restricted given the current economic environment.

Conference participants include Baroness Amos, Former Leader of the House of Lords, Melanne Verveer, Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues, State Department, Mr. Dominick Chilcott Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy, Washington, Ms. Sheila Johnson, CARE Ambassador and Philanthropist and Ambassador Amina Salum Ali, African Union Ambassador to Washington. The sold out conference has received an overwhelming level of support from a range of sponsors including, the National Geographic Society, VOA, The Diaspora report, AllAfrica.com, Council on Foreign Relations, League of Black Women, Africare, The Washington Informer, TransAfrica Forum, Georgetown University, Howard University and Vibrant design group.

I am personally looking forward to hearing some great dialogue and debate between such a varied group of panelists. You can follow the conference no matter where you are in the world by checking out the Embassy's Twitter feed on Friday.

http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/roller/burke/entry/african_women_and_the_changing

Thursday, April 23, 2009

FRIDAY 17 APRIL, 2009

By Eddie Burke
Public Affairs Officer
The British Embassy

What is Africa's Challenge? Ask Wangari Maathi

Eddie Burke and Wangari Maathai

I had the pleasure of sitting down with 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Wangari Maathi yesterday in the lobby of the Marriott hotel in downtown Washington. Believe me, this is rare given her busy schedule!

For those not familiar, Dr. Maathi is the founder of the Green Belt Movement, an environmentalist, a civil society and women's rights activist, and a parliamentarian. I should add that she was the first woman in Sub Saharan Africa to gain a PhD.

Since winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Wangari Maathai has become a spokesperson for a number of important initiatives. Her organisation, the Green Belt Movement, began by addressing a serious problem with simple solution: getting communities to plant trees as a symbol of their commitment. Since 1977 she has overseen the planting of around 10 million trees on the continent of Africa.

We talked in depth about the Congo Basin project. Dr Maathi told me she was full of praise for Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the British Government for their support of the Congo Basin Project and for recognising the important contribution gained from forests especially the Congo forest. The Prime Minister (then Chancellor of the Exchequer) In 2005 gave a $100 million contribution for a new fund to support conservation of the Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem. This initiative will help to protect the Congo Basin Forest ecosystem spanning ten countries in central Africa.

The Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem in central Africa plays an important role in absorbing CO2, a main greenhouse gas, and provide the world with oxygen.

"The Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem must be protected, because without them not only will the global climate not be stabilised, but the world will suffer, in particular the region of Africa which has few options"

Of course I took this opportunity to tell Dr. Maathi about the British Embassy's work on climate change and the upcoming Women's Empowerment conference at the National Geographic Society which will focus on "Women and the Global Outlook." And although she will be out of the country for the conference, she will be sending us a message to be included in our keepsake program. Make sure you get your copy at the conference.