KYIV, Ukraine, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the words to a
 new pop song, "Not For Sale," echoing in their ears, women leaders seeking
 to advance civil society and combat human trafficking in Eastern Europe and
 the former Soviet Union were the focus of Vital Voices of Eurasia: A
 Leadership Summit for Women & Girls, launched by the international
 nonprofit Vital Voices Global Partnership here today.
     The Washington, DC-based NGO, dedicated to building the capabilities,
 connections, and credibility of women leaders around the world, opened the
 second of five high-profile women's training, leadership development, and
 mentoring Summits it is conducting in different world regions as part of a
 four-year project, Vital Voices 2010: A Global Leadership Initiative for
 Women and Girls.
     During four days in Kyiv, 150 Eurasia Summit participants from 25
 countries will be encouraged to seek political and governmental careers by
 distinguished female mentors such as former Canadian Prime Minister Kim
 Campbell, Baroness Mary Goudie, Member of the British Parliament, and
 former U.S. Congresswoman Connie Morella (R-MD,) who has just completed a
 term as Permanent Representative to the Organization for Economic
 Cooperation and Development (OECD.) The emerging female leaders will learn
 corporate and business strategies from top women executives from Boeing
 Co., Coca Cola Co., Wells Fargo & Co., and LexisNexis; they'll be counseled
 by prominent women from major international nonprofits, foundations, and
 government agencies; and they'll mingle with regional officials including
 Ukraine's First Lady Kateryna Yushchenko and Foreign Minister Arseniy
 Yatsenyuk, along with former First Lady and foundation leader Jolenta
 Kwasniewski of Poland
     "Without the full and equal participation of women, democracy cannot
 flourish, market economies cannot grow, and nations cannot advance. Global
 prosperity depends on women having the right to jobs, education, and
 credit," said United States Senator Hilary Clinton (D-NY,) by video, in a
 moving message that opened the Summit, which commemorated a conference of
 300 international female leaders in Vienna when Mrs. Clinton was First
 Lady. The agenda of that historic conference, Vital Voices: Women and
 Democracy, was to explore ways to strengthen the role of women in
 developing open, democratic societies in the emerging countries of the
 former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The 1997 conference inspired both
 the name and the mission of Vital Voices Global Partnership, which has
 since built a Global Leadership Network of 5,000 women leaders in 85
 countries, focusing on three key areas: generating political opportunities,
 increasing political participation, and protecting human rights.
     "We are here to celebrate 10 years, but there's still a lot of work to
 do. So get in there and use your power," Melanne Verveer, Co-Founder and
 Chair of Vital Voices, and an organizer of the original conference, told
 the gathering. Ambassador Morella cited OECD statistics that underscore Ms.
 Verveer's message: Women constitute 40% of the work force internationally,
 yet they occupy only 10.4% of corporate board seats, 17% of parliamentary
 seats, and 32% of managerial positions. Former Prime Minister Campbell
 added her hope that the gathering might "inspire young men to think that
 great things are possible for their sisters."
     One of the organization's youngest "vital voices," Ukranian pop singer
 Ruslana Lyzhchko, winner of the 2004 Eurovision song contest, appeared at a
 press conference with Vital Voices leaders to announce a joint public
 awareness campaign to combat human trafficking in Eastern Europe and the
 former Soviet Union. Ruslana played excerpts from a new song she has
 written, "Not for Sale," that encourages young women to be wary when shady
 recruiters approach them with promises of high-paying jobs abroad.
     Vital Voices of Eurasia: A Leadership Summit for Women & Girls is
 supported by the U.S. Department of State; UNESCO: National Commission of
 Ukraine for UNESCO; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Ukraine;
 AntiAIDS Foundation, Ukraine, and founder Elena Franchuk; and corporate
 partners Liz Claiborne, The Coca Cola Co., Chevron, Procter & Gamble,
 ExxonMobil, CH2M Hill, Marathon Oil, LexisNexis, Microsoft, and Avon.
     About Vital Voices Global Partnership
     Established in 1997 as a government program and in 1999 as a 501(c)3
 nonprofit corporation, Vital Voices Global Partnership believes in the
 transformative value of women's participation in society. Vital Voices has
 invested in over 5,000 women leaders in 80 countries - pioneers of
 economic, political, and social advancement in their countries - and has
 helped build the capabilities, connections, and credibility these women
 have needed to unlock their potential as catalysts of global progress.
     For more information about please contact:
     Eileen White Read, media contact, Vital Voices Global Partnership
     Phone 8 095 480 9058 in Kyiv until 18 Oct. 2007
     Phone (202) 861-2625 in Washington, DC
     e-mail: EileenRead@vitalvoices.org
     website: www.vitalvoices.org
 
 

SOURCE Vital Voices Global Partnership

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