On Monday, I'm delighted to be attending a panel discussion in honor of the 2009 International Women's Day celebrations! This global holiday celebrates the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future. Here in NYC, the World Policy Institute, the Women's Leadership Initiative at Demos, and The American-Scandinavian Foundation have organized:
The Hillary Effect: How Will the Secretary of State Change the Status of Women Worldwide?
Though Mrs. Clinton is the third female US Secretary of State, some think that her appointment could herald a new chapter for global women's rights. She is, after all, a candidate who ran for President partly on the fact that she was a female and that "it was time." Will Hillary Clinton extend that platform to her diplomacy? Can she? Should she? If so, what should her policy priorities be? Will she identify the United States, as she sought to do during her time as First Lady, with women's rights? What will be the fate of the Bush Administration's controversial women's initiative to the Arab world? What might she take to heart from women leaders around the world --where many countries are far ahead of the United States in terms of representation by women in key political positions?
Speakers:
Senator Pilar Cayetano, member of the Philippine Senate and President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians
Blanche Wiesen Cook, bestselling biographer of Eleanor Roosevelt, and Distinguished Professor of History and Women's Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center
Rounaq Jahan, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia School of International and Public Affairs and former Bangladeshi representative to the UN
Ambassador Kirsti Lintonen, Permanent Mission of Finland to the United Nations
The discussion will be moderated by one of my favorite science writers, World Policy Institute Senior Fellow and New York Times journalist Claudia Dreifus. A limited number of seats are still available, so join us!
A reception with light refreshments will start at 6pm and the panel begins at 6:30:
Scandinavia House58 Park Avenue (37th and 38th Streets) New York
The cost of this event is $10. The fee will be waived for full-time students and non-profit professionals. For more details and to register, click here or email events@worldpolicy.org.
