International Colloquium to Make History and Foster Change in Liberia, Africa, and the World
Presidents of Liberia and Finland Host Colloquium to Focus on Women's Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security
Delegation from Americas Region Prepares to Attend: includes Governor General of Canada, former Premier of Bermuda, former Prime Minister of Netherlands Antilles, and Acting U.S. Assistant Secretary for the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
Press Release by Americas Committee of the International Colloquium
Monrovia, Liberia:Â On March 7th and 8th, 2009, women leaders from around the world will convene the International Colloquium for Women's Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security (the Colloquium) in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa. The Colloquium, conceptualized in 2006 during the inauguration of Liberian President Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, will bring together 1000 women participants and their champions: heads of state and government, public and private sectors, and community leaders. The conference, co-convened by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and President Tarja Halonen of Finland, seeks to create an environment for women from around the world to discuss, learn, demonstrate, and act on the lessons learned from women in leadership, peace, and security. As part of the Colloquium, a team of women leaders from across the Americas region, led by Dr. Carole Henderson Tyson, Vice-Chair of the Americas Committee of the International Colloquium and President of Henderson Global Voices, will attend this major event. "The Colloquium participants will be able to interact with other women world leaders to confer and discuss issues relating to women's leadership, peace and security. They will also come away with new tools, information, and partners to help them achieve their goals, and to collectively advance women in leadership and to empower them within their communities and workplaces." The two-day conference will tackle critical issues impacting women and the world. Overarching objectives for the event include:
- To empower women to be more effective leaders by linking them with their peers from around the world
- To foster exchange among women in order to learn about issues impacting leadership and to broaden the impact of their work in their respective countries
- To support the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security to ensure that women are protected from the worst abuses in times of conflict and to empower them to assume a vital role in helping their countries
- To contribute to the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 3 on Promoting Gender Equality and Empowering Women
- To demonstrate the clear gender dimensions of climate change, migration, environment protection, and sustainable development
The Colloquium will launch the Angie Brooks International Center on Women's Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security, to be based in Liberia. This Center will support the implementation of actions evolving from the Colloquium, and will provide training, research and documentation, and partnership and advocacy through partnerships with collaborating expert institutions in these areas. The Center is named in honor of Angie Elizabeth Brooks, Liberia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Africa's first woman President of the United Nations General Assembly (1969). The Colloquium will initiate several capacity-building projects and jump-start areas of economic opportunity for Liberia. The Young Professional Emerging Leaders Dialogue Series will feature live interviews of current and former women heads of state interacting with a global audience of future world leaders. The conference will showcase Liberia's tourism industry, through which the service sector of Liberia will benefit greatly from additional training, leading to a substantial upgrade in the country's service and hospitality industry. An initiative titled Building Women's Entrepreneurship will include training for women in business presentation, sales and negotiation skills, and will provide an opportunity for local businesses to showcase their services and goods to women leaders. The Council of Women World Leaders, an international organization comprised of nearly all current and former women Heads of State and Government, will convene its members on the occasion of the Colloquium, marking its first-ever meeting in Africa.
For more information on the Americas Committee of the International Colloquium, the International Colloquium, or to schedule an interview, please contact Dorothy Davis at +1-917-903-3461 or e-mail at diasporantouch@aol.com or Ellen Dunbar at +1-301-275-2790 or email at missafricaintl@aol.com. In Liberia, please contact Hester Pearson, Colloquium Communications Committee Chairperson at hestapearson@hotmail.com or Rachelle Olden, International Communications Coordinator and Physical Registration at rachelleolden@yahoo.com. Information on press registration, press accreditation and the use of video or other photographic equipment at the Colloquium can be found online at www.womenscolloquium.org.
