"Creating more economic opportunities for women like Mrs. Cigdem is among the goals of the 2011 Global Summit of Women meeting through Saturday in Istanbul as a sort of Davos for women, mirroring the annual gathering of world economic leaders at the Swiss resort. Held for the first time in Turkey, the conference is taking place in a country where women, once they find jobs, often struggle to stay in them."
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"Asian participants made a strong showing at a key women’s summit in Istanbul, reflecting Asia’s rising clout in global affairs, while the turmoil in North Africa appeared to have kept many people from that region away.

More than a third of the 1,000 female participants in the 2011 Global Women Summit, dubbed the “Davos for Women,” are from the Asian Pacific region. Host country Turkey has the highest number of participants, 200, in the event, which is being held in Istanbul from May 5 to 7 and has drawn attendees from 81 countries."

"The Women's Summit...was a symbol of a worldwide understanding which -- using economic relations as its point of departure -- conspires to bring together women from all over the world to form an enormous public-private partnership for long-term change."

Hon. Ursula von der Leyen, Minister for Labor, Germany

"It was impressive to meet so many prestigious and high-ranking women from all over the world who have a strong commitment to business and diversity. It was not any one specific presentation or session at the Summit that informed me, but returning to my day-to-day business, I felt energized to make the difficult decisions that are part of my work because of the commitment and empowerment that I drew from the Summit from so many women leaders."

Ursula Schwarzenbart, Director of Global Diversity, Daimler AG

“Seeing one thousand people from 81 countries in a room is impressive. It is even more impressive when you consider that the topic of discussion is women, women’s representation and development,”

Umran Beba,
President, Asia Pacific Region, PepsiCo

Thank you very much for arranging another Global Summit of Women successfully. It is really a true and effective international forum and platform for women across the world, where we can share our thoughts, feelings and experiences globally. Thank you once again for giving me opportunity to deliver my presentation in that august gathering.

Shahinoor Rahman
Owner, Shanoo's Collection
Bangladesh

It has been my pleasure to have been with such an amazing team of great women that made things happen no matter what. The summit was inspiring for me and I truly appreciate that you made me a part of it. 

Deniz Misir, Area Director, Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency