June 2, 2008

Dear IWF Members:

Just back from Buenos Aires and the first IWF World Cornerstone Conference ever to be conducted in South America, I am proud to present to you the press coverage, member reflections, and photo journal montage of Women Leaders Rising – 2008 Argentina! (Click each of the following links to view the coverage separately: Press Coverage; Member Reflections; and Photo Journal Montage). With over 550 leaders from 30 nations on hand, our World Cornerstone Conference in Buenos Aires last month featured top female presidential contenders from across South America; women Ministers of State from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and North America; as well as the leading thinkers and strategists on global trade, global development, the future of democracy, global health, global security and stabilization.  We are deeply grateful to our host - IWF Argentina - led by Maria Eugenia Estenssoro and to the 2008 World Cornerstone Conference Chair - Luisa Cerar - who led the effort so ably and impressively with IWF's team to bring us this highly successful program!

Women Leaders Rising – Argentina

With expert leaders from the Carter Center whose award-winning work is helping alleviate human suffering and disease around the world; Oxford University; the Pew Research Center where the Pew Global Attitudes Project is run; the Latin Barometer-Chile which conducts polling data and research on the development of democracies, societies and economies; and the United Nations; as well as the leading journalists of Latin America and female corporate leaders, corporate directors, entrepreneurs, writers and more, the World Cornerstone Conference placed into context the challenges, opportunities, expectations and demands of what's at stake for women leaders rising across the globe.

Though fragile and at-risk, hard-fought gains have been made by women in societies both heavily dominated by traditional male models of leadership and those that view themselves more progressively. Satiating a global appetite for change in a tricky climate of global competition for finite energy resources, food, capital, and access to health care, economic opportunities and stable communities, is a task to which women leaders are bringing new perspectives, ideas and ethics.

The IWF World Cornerstone Conference looked at the role of corruption in stymieing global development and the hope of democracy in reducing its impact as well as the needs of the Bottom Billion living in the 53 nations struggling today as the new third world.

Leader-to-leader, shoulder-to-shoulder, viewpoint-to-viewpoint, our 2008 World Cornerstone Conference in Buenos Aires brought together, for the first time, a broad array of Latin voices from a continent where women leaders are gaining top political positions at a pace that exceeds  more aged democracies in North America and Europe.   Learning of their winning strategies as well as their fears and insecurities, it was clear that their fortunes have risen on a confluence of social and economic forces that are shared common ground around the world.

IWF Helping A New Generation Rise

Also attending the Buenos Aires Conference were Fellows from previous IWF Leadership Foundation classes who are part of IWF's growing reach into a new generation of women leaders rising around the world.  The IWF Leadership Foundation – where the legacy of the women of IWF is protected, and the lessons we've learned are passed on to women of high potential – has grown the Fellows Program exponentially with 27 nations represented in expanded class tracks for women of more regions than ever before.  At time of writing, new interest from new countries that includes Vietnam, Madagascar, Lithuania, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, the Czech Republic, Mozambique, Syria, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Burundi, Ethiopia, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Ukraine, India and New Zealand has come forth seeking to submit candidates for the program.

IWF Growing

Linked to Buenos Aires and in tandem with IWF global forum development, we moved closer to finalizing the development of IWF Germany as well as to establishing our foothold for forum development in Morocco , Nigeria and Bahrain .  With featured speakers from Germany , Morocco and Nigeria , a wave of enthusiasm and understanding for the value of membership in this unique and singular global network that is IWF yielded invaluable connections and advocates who are moving IWF's forum development forward on a global basis.

Sustainable Futures – Pittsburgh 2008

We look forward to the 2008 IWF World Cornerstone Conference & Gala on Sustainable Futures that will take place in Pittsburgh October 15-17, 2008.  Building Our Masterpiece – Transforming the Now/Mastering the Next will present a unique and far-reaching World Conference that will join world leaders with grassroots visionaries alike from five continents in a live and virtual exchange highlighting cutting-edge urban projects, creative solutions, and across-the-century-thinking to improve the human habitat.  From Knowledge Economic City in Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia, and Ecotopia   Masdar City under-construction in Abu Dhabi, to the green movement that is shaping tall buildings and urban environments world-over with renowned architects like Rem Koolhaas and IWF's own Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, to the Prince of Wales' Foundation for the Built Environment and The Convenient Truth of Curitiba, Brazil; the program will bring together experts of the United Nations; the World Bank; the European Union, and practitioners in the green movement from India, Africa, South America, Scandinavia and Asia who will meet with some of the world's leading philanthropists in Pittsburgh who are changing the face of the human habitat!  Watch for further details that will be available on IWF's website next month.  I do hope to see you there!

Warm regards,

Esther Silver-Parker

IWF President

President's Message - January 2008

President's Message - November 2007