Women and girls are the key to sustainable development and have the capacity to resolve myriad crisis that plague our world.  I applaud the many insightful articles in today’s The New York Times Magazine with the cover “Why Women’s Rights Are the Cause of Our Time” (emphasis my own).  I have been an advocate of the perspective highlighted in these pieces and I encourage you to read all of them.  As Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn wrote in their 21st century manifesto, there is growing recognition among leaders from all sectors – public and private – that supporting women and girls throughout the world is the solution for many of the world’s problems.  As Mark Landler wrote in his piece... more

I’ve been reflecting on how my international work and relationships with people globally mirrors what I have made my “extended family”.  Immaculée Ilibagiza, who survived the Rwandan genocide in a three- by four-foot hidden room with seven other women for 91 days, and Helen Silberberg (1927-2207), my cousin’s mother-in-law who survived the Holocaust in a Nazi Concentration camp when she was a teenager, gave meaning to each other and all those who were at one of my family gatherings.  The four living generations of my “actual” family (as typically defined in our culture) have roots from many nations, cultures and religions.  My husband just went from Belfast to Monegal to Ballyferriter reconnecting with his own and President Barack Obama’s Irish... more

I looked around the table at the dinner Ambassador Lindiwe Mabuza, South Africa’s High Commissioner to the UK, had hosted in honor of my husband and me on Mandela’s birthday in tribute to our long history of support for South Africa’s freedom. While I simply had invited friends who I knew in London, I saw that among the 11 present we hailed from India, Mexico, Nicaragua, Ghana, the UK, South Africa and the US; had family roots in Ireland, Germany, Russia and Poland; had done work in the Philippines, Uganda, Colombia, Cambodia, DRC and other places throughout the world where people had experienced profound trauma. Then the one guest Lindiwe had invited who I’d never met before, Tessa Uys, one of... more

The speakers at 10 Downing Street included our host Sarah Brown, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Anne Aslett of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Dillon Woods of the Donald Woods Foundation (DWF) who each explained why they support the comprehensive services provided by DWF, all created with shared ownership by the residents in the Mbashe area of South Africa’s Eastern Cape. They believe as I do that only through an engaged, empowered multi-faceted approach do local communities achieve self-sustainability. I have learned over decades of work that whether you are a business, an NGO or a government when you follow the guidance of local leadership, help strengthen local capacity and collaboratively address problems from multiple angles, you can create sustainable success. DWF does exactly this... more

I am not surprised by today’s story in The New York Times about Russians not clamoring to see President Obama as people have in other countries.  While even the U.S. still has to grapple with zenophobia, closed nations with state-controlled media are even more distrustful of “the other.”  My Bubby and Zayde (grandmother and grandfather in Yiddish) escaped the Tsarist pogroms with my then-young uncle Mersh.  More recently, we’ve seen how Chenchens, and Ossetians and Abkhazians have been treated by Russia.  We have a long way to go in our own country, but at least we have the advantages of an open society where we freely can voice dissent.  But I believe whether here or in other nations, ethnic violence is based... more

Today, while Colloquium workshops continue, another historic event is part of the program. Tonight the film Pray the Devil Back to Hell about the Liberian women’s peace movement responsible for ending the brutal 14-year civil war wasshown. This was the first time it is being screened for the public in Liberia. Radio stations have been promoting this for the last several days and many Liberians came to the Samuel K. Doe Stadium. Tomorrow Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will present awards to representative of the women who organized the amazingly powerful, courageous and ultimately successful effort to bring peace to their country. This morning the women – dressed in white, as they did during their entire campaign – marched into the stadium to... more

Half a dozen concurrent thematic sessions – each with a half dozen panelists and a moderator before tea; another dozen break-out sessions – also with panelists, moderators and rapporteurs delving deeper into the themes before lunch, each charged to develop concrete action steps; an afternoon session with several remarkable segments including, among more:Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tarja Halonen signing a new Monrovia Declaration 2009 calling on all to celebrate and draw strength from women’s leadership at all levels. I couldn’t help but think that this was building – with gender equity and making it global this time – on the historic Monrovia Declaration 1979 commitment by African heads of state and government “to promote the economic and social development... more

Leaving lodging now to sounds of music coming from every direction and vendors in full swing everywhere: how wonderful to see Liberia returning to its past vitality after enduring such a devastating war.  While I know all people of this nation still are deeply traumatized, I am profoundly moved by everyone’s spirit of generosity and hope.  They so believe that with the US having a new administration, there is renewed promise for their nation.   We can not let them down: Liberia is a model of possibilities of post-conflict recovery, ripe with opportunity and fraught with challenges. We must encourage international support from nation-states, NGOs, the business community and the continued presence of the United Nations Mission in Liberia.  We can not... more

I am a blog virgin and this is my first!   For many years, as a consultant I’ve been encouraging all my clients to learn about and utilize the many tools and platforms the Internet provides to allow them to increase their impact and many have done so to great success.   As I also teach courses at graduate schools, I’ve taught my students the same, bringing in experts from the field as guest lecturers to share the latest cutting edge information.  I simply familiarized myself on all this well enough to be able to describe where to look for guidance and how to begin.  I always have known that I have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, if... more