2007 Global Summit of Women Updated

2007 Global Summit of Women

Berlin, Germany

June 14-16, 2007

“The  Global Marketplace: Opportunities and Challenges”

This evening we are 1,000 strong from 95 countries. That makes us the G95 Women’s Economic Summit that follows the G8 Summit that had 7 men and one woman. Welcome…to this wonderful global gathering.”  – Irene Natividad

Minister Ursula Von der Leyen (Germany), Summit President Irene Natividad, and H.E. Truong My Hoa (Vietnam)

Ministers who attended the 2007 Ministerial Roundtable gather on the stage during a Plenary session. Ministerial Best Practices winners at center with executives from IBM, Cisco, and Microsoft who sponsored the awards

Hon. Ambassador Delia Domingo-Albert, Philippine Ambassador to Germany, with fellow ministers

Summit Outcomes

RELEASE of Corporate Women Directors International 2007 Report  on  “Women Directors in the Fortune Global 200”

LAUNCH of the Global Consortium to End Cervical Cancer

GSW 2007 Grants for Ministerial Projects

Mini-Grants for Public-Private Partnerships: Advancing Women and Girls’ Economic Opportunities

A Ministerial Roundtable focusing on public-private partnerships advancing women’s economic opportunities kicked off the Summit on June 14 featuring 38 female government ministers. The Summit awarded three $5,000 mini-grants to economic development projects around the world initiated by the following Ministries:

Hon. Mary Michael Nagu, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Tanzania

The Women’ Entrepreneurship Support project, a partnership between the Ministry of Justice, an NGO, and private sector partners including Barick Gold Mind Ltd and the National Microfinance Bank, aims to improve social support for women and girls by mobilizing them in economic development activities. The project trains women entrepreneurs in business skills and promotes and markets the products, helping women to accumulate savings to access social services

Hon. Bela Tsipuria, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education and Science, Georgia

The “Deer Leap” project launched by the Ministry of Education and Science in partnership with Georgian Railway Telecom makes the Internet available to all educational institutions in the Republic of Georgia. Extending into rural areas, the project raises equality in the use of technology in education and gender equality and engages remote communities to modern educational activities

Hon. Rejoice Thizwilondi Mabudafhasi, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Trade and Industry, South Africa

The Medicinal Plant Project, a partnership between two government agencies (Dept of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and Dept of Agriculture) and the South African Essential Oils Producers Association, assists traditional healers in acquiring medicinal plants while promoting the principles of sustainable development. The project transfers skills in plant propagation techniques to the women who will manage the project, while alleviating environmental pressures cause by over-harvesting indigenous medicinal plants

2007 Summit Award

Maud Pagel, SVP and CDO, Deutsch Telekom, (left) and Summit President Irene Natividad (right) honor H.E. Vaira Vike-Freiberga

H.E. Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia

*Two-term President of Latvia and the first woman Head of Government in post-communist Eastern Europe

*Responsible for Latvia’s NATO membership and accession to the European Union

*Strong advocate for women’s health issues globally

Rita Suessmuth, Member of Parliament and Former President, Bundestag

 *Long-time head of Women’s Union in political party and Former Minister for Family, Seniors, Women, and Youth

*Active in many civil society organizations emphasizing tolerance and fighting xenophobia

Ulrike Detmers, President, Mestemacher GmbH

 *Grew 100 year old bread and baked goods company into global leader of packaged whole grain breads

*Incorporated gender equality with bread and art in corporate culture

What the Press is Saying…

Women Power

“A recent high-powered summit in Berlin to improve women’s economic opportunities amid intense global competition underlined the dearth of female representatives in boardrooms across Europe.” (click here to read the full article)

U.S. Delegation Attended Global Summit of Women, June 14-16, 2007

“The Global Summit of Women, informally called the “Davos for Women,” is an annual gathering of women business, professional, NGO, and government leaders from around the world for three days of exchanging best practices in advancing women’s economic status worldwide. The 2007 Summit will explore the business opportunities that the 21st century marketplace offers as well as the challenges that an open global marketplace presents to women as workers and entrepreneurs.” (click here to read full article)