Women Win Founder & President to Address the Power of Sport at 2011 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting

NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- What if the story of one girl's path to economic empowerment became the story of teams of girls? This is the question Astrid Aafjes, Founder and President of Women Win, will address during the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting on September 21st in New York City.  

Aafjes will be serving on a panel with Tony Blair, Luis Moreno and other global leaders during the Special Session: Sport as a Tool for Social Good. This session will focus on the value of sport in establishing bridges between groups in conflict, expanding health education and challenging gender norms.  In addition, the panel will explore how to integrate sport programmes within existing development efforts.

Women Win aims to raise the bar on quality programming by setting standards around good practices for girls' and women's sport programmes – programmes that address critical issues affecting the lives of girls and women in their communities, including sexual and reproductive rights, gender-based violence and economic empowerment. As a proud CGI member, Women Win believes that sport can serve as a powerful tool in enabling girls and women to access resources, education and valuable skills to change their own lives.  

As part of Women Win's CGI Commitment to Action, Women Win has launched a wiki-style online guide to addressing one of the largest barriers to global development: gender-based violence. This web-based tool, co-created in the field, is now live at GirlSportGuides.org/GBV.  

About Women Win
Founded in 2007 by Astrid Aafjes, Women Win is recognised as a leading global organisation using sport as a strategy to advance women's rights.  Women Win works by building partnerships with key players, sport initiatives, investors and institutions at global and local levels, and by influencing policy and practice in the field. Women Win launched the first interactive, online guide: International Guide to Designing Sport Programmes for Girls (GirlSportGuides.org).

About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made more than 2,000 commitments, which have already improved the lives of 300 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued in excess of $63 billion. The 2011 Annual Meeting will take place Sept. 20-22 in New York City.

This year, CGI also convened CGI America, a meeting focused on developing ideas for driving economic growth in the United States. The CGI community also includes CGI U, which hosts an annual meeting for undergraduate and graduate students, and CGI Lead, which engages a select group of young CGI members for leadership development and collective commitment-making. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

SOURCE Women Win