2005 Ministerial Roundtable

Public/Private Partnerships

World Bank Partnerships

  • Rachel Kyte, Director, Environment and Social Development Dept. International Finance Corporation, World Bank

Benchmarking Corporate Performance

  • Barbara Krumsiek, President, Calvert Fund
  • Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director, UNIFEM

Combatting Domestic Violence

  • Patricia Espinosa Torres, President, Instituto de las Mujeres, Mexico
  • Ann Crews, Vice President of Government Affairs, Mary Kay

Researching Women Workers

  • Maud Pagel, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Deutsche Telekom

Ministerial Recommendations

There was consensus among the ministers participating that more public/private sector partnerships needs to be developed in order to expedite the economic development of nations. Government alone cannot address all the barriers that prevent women’s full participation in the economies of their countries. The private sector can and should be a partner in the development and growth of all citizens, including women.

Microsoft, given its dominant position in the world of Information Technology (IT), needs to develop a specific program for girls and women that bridges the technology gap in developing economies.

Areas of public/private sector partnerships that could be developed include:

  1. Training of micro and small businesses to improve their sustainability
  2. Opening access to more credit for women from existing banks
  3. Re-training women workers displaced by industry shifts
  4. Provision of IT training by companies in rural, as opposed to only urban, areas since the need is greater there; this can be done through partnerships with local governments and NGOs.

Co-Chairs

Cynthia A. Pratt, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, the Bahamas

Debra Chrapaty, Corporate Vice President, MSN

Ana Vilma Albanez de Escobar, Vice President, El Salvador

Sithembiso Nyoni, Minister of Small and Medium Enterprise Development, Zimbabwe

Paula Dobriansky, Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs U.S. Department of State (USA)

Josefina Vazquez Mota Minister of Social Development (Mexico)

International Partners

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED                                                                        
Afghanistan
Bahamas
Cameroon
China
Dominican Republic
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Finland
Guatemala
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
Laos
Malaysia
Malaysia
Mexico
Paraguay
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Swaziland
Tunisia
Uganda
USA
Zimbabwe
PORTFOLIOS REPRESENTED

Central Foreign Affairs Office
Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Consejo Nacional de Areas Protegidas
Ministry of Culture
Instituto Nacional de la Mujer
ISDEMU
Ministry of Education
National Council of Women
National Institute of Women
Lao Women’s Union
National Security
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
Ministry for Promotion of Women
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Office of the Vice President
Department of State – Global Affairs
Ministry of Tourism
Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry
Minister of Small & Medium Enterprises Development
Ministry of Social Development, Community and Gender Affairs
Ministry of Women’s Affairs
Ministry of Women’s Affairs – Economic Empowerment Department
Women’s Affairs, Family and Children
Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development
Ministry of Youth, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities