Luz Lajous addresses the Presidents' Roundtable
Isabel Allende's Hall of Fame Acceptance Speech
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Breakfast & Breaking News
Opening Plenary
Friday, Ocobter 18, 2002
Camino Real Ballroom
Mexico City, Mexico
IWF President Luz Lajous's Opening Address
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Welcome. we are gathered here today on a platform built by an organization of women leaders from 20 nations. an african miner, an israeli technologist, a russian publisher, a bahamian academician, a venezuelan manufacturer, an american composer, a honduran vice president… are among the many gathered here for answers, for questions, for discourse and solutions.
Over the next few days, women leaders come together from across latin america, asia, the middle east, europe, africa and north america to bridge the divide…for cultural peace, economic dignity & global survival. we live in a world of change that affects every aspect of our lives. for good or evil, we are being pushed into a new world order that affects us all.
Globalization is seen by many as a purely economic phenomenon, as the establishment of a global market, and particularly, of a global financial market, the fact is that globalization is technological, cultural and political as well. globalization, as we know, has been driven, above all, by changes in communications systems that date back to the 60s.
Nations are changing. each country is re-creating its identity. but this is being done mostly by individuals who are using various means of communication, radio, television and the internet, to communicate with other individuals. personal transformation is resulting in worldwide transformation.
In the midst of all of this change, women are renegotiating their role in society. in many regions of the world, women are demanding a greater independence, and they are joining the labor force in ever growing numbers.
These aspects of globalization are at least as important as the creation of world markets. they are the source of tension within the traditional family, which has been forced to change, and will be forced to change even more. political institutions are also changing. but in the midst of all this change, we must be alert, because fundamentalism rises where traditions crumble.
In a globalized world, we are all in constant contact with others who think and live differently from us. tolerant people embrace these differences and accept cultural complexity. fundamentalists find it dangerous and perturbing. we must hope that tolerance will prevail.
Globalization has fostered democracy, but it also exposes the limits of our institutions. our greatest challenge is to build institutions that respond to the demands of our global era, institutions that will allow economic growth as it eliminates the inequality that the market forces do not attend to. we must build institutions that allow equality between men and women; that consolidate democracy and an effective social justice. institutions that avoid ecological and health risks. we must re-build our basic social institutions, beginning with the family and all the way up to a coherent world system.
It all seems like an endless task, that is why we have to begin now. the international women's forum is in a unique position to convene women leaders of diverse expertise from all over the world to exchange solutions and strategies on the pressing issues of our time. issues that deeply impact women and their communities throughout the world. and, here, as an independent, free association of women leaders on five continents, we can do much outside the constraints of the official positions of our native countries.
We have much to bring forth as the only organization of its kind in the world today uniting women world leaders across political, religious, cultural, occupational and geographic divides.
This is your forum. in this year of iwf's 20th anniversary as a global association of top women leaders, we are mindful of the nergy and vision that our forum leaders contribute to make the organization what it is. it has been said that if you want to keep on the exponential curve of innovation, you must tap into the genius of women around the world.
That is what the forum presidents of iwf bring to us, and i pay special tribute to them this morning.
Friends and forum leaders, when i call your name, please stand up and be recognized:
You are the heart and soul of iwf, and we honor you:
Betty Wei, President, Hong Kong Women's Forum
Carolyn Sparks, President, Nevada Women's Forum
Karen Erwin, President, Ireland Women's Forum
Alana Innis, President, Vermont Women's Forum
Maureen Fleming,President, Montana Women's Forum
Barbara Creed,President, Northern california Women's Forum
Suzanne Black, President, Bahamas Women's Forum
Zonia Atencio, President, Venezuela Women's Forum
Kay Apfel, President, Florida Women's Forum
Adina Katz, President, Israel Women's Forum
Paloma Villasenor,President, Mexico Women's Forum
Carolyn Warner, President, Arizona Women's Forum
Maura Carley,President, Connecticut Women's Forum
Joyce Higgins Ginatta, President, Ecuador Women's Forum
Marcella Schuyler, President, Florida suncoast forum
Marina Vaccari, President, Italy Women's Forum
Jan Morgan, President, Iwf london
Jean West,President, Minnesota Women's Forum
Ruth Frazier, President, New Mexico Women's Forum
Diane Perlmutter, President, New York Women's Forum
Lou Kerr, President, Oklahoma Women's Forum
Bridgette Radebe,President, South Africa Women's Forum
Laurie Jonsson, President, Washington State Women's Forum
Jenna Dorn, President, Washington, dc Women's Forum
Let's give them a big round of applause!!!
With this incredible talent and that of our 4000 members worldwide, iwf is expanding it's reach and building opportunities for women in leadership around the world. one of their many accomplishments is the new program delivery system that our leaders have put together, offering a new and exciting program line-up that is more accessible to members from all corners of the globe.
We experienced a successful test of the new program model in beijing last july where women leaders of the iwf met with top chinese women organized in collaboration with the all china women's federation.
Upcoming in south africa on january 29 - february 1 2003, iwf will conduct the first cornerstone conference with our young and vibrant south africa women's forum in johannesburg. on the agenda are the icons of peace and democracy who brought tolerance and reconciliation to that fabled country.
in south africa we will meet and hear from:
President thabo and mrs. mbeki. nobel laureates desmond tutu, nelson mandela, and frederik de klerk. we will meet graca machel and some of the most celebrated leaders of our time in a program entitled courageous leadership for global transformation. our south african leaders who are here with us in mexico will speak more about the program tomorrow and provide us with further information. next up, after south africa, is dublin in may 25-25, 2003.
With us in mexico are ireland forum leaders karen erwin and gemma hussey who will tell us more about that exciting cornerstone event tomorrow.
And, of course, the 2003 world leadership conference & gala hall of fame cermony will take place in toronto on october 22-25, 2003.
Our incomparable canada women's forum will host this global event, and canada's leaders are with us here in mexico to tell us more over the course of our world leadership conference.
Our forum presence is growing in strength and numbers. iwf is responding to membership interests by establishing programs and opportunities that target the issues, interests and needs of women leaders closer to where they live and work.
And now, more than ever, the access iwf provides in connecting leaders to leaders, ideas to information, and implementation to success, your iwf is a resource for opportunity, connectivity and empowerment.
The importance of connecting the resources of the international women's forum to future generations of women leaders - building their prospects and securing the gains we've made for women - is a major goal of the iwf.
Through the work of iwf's leadership foundation, these gains are being leveraged for women throughout the world.
I want to acknowledge the president of iwf's leadership foundation who is with us today on stage….karyl innis of the dallas forum, and chairman and ceo of the innis company…
Karyl has embraced the hopes and dreams iwf has for women and girls through her work at the leadership foundation. she will speak to us tomorrow about some of the exciting developments of iwf's foundation where we now have one of the most interantional executive development programs for women leaders in the world today.
Working with the carnegie corporation, with the help of iwf member susan king, the foundation has its first fellow from tanzania and is building a base in uganda to complement south africa's participation in the program.
Although we face uncertain times, we face them with a certainty of resolve…that working together we can achieve great things. at this time it is my pleasure to invite to the stage for the 2002 iwf world leadership conference prologue, patricia harrison, united states assistant secretary of state.
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