In 1998, two
meetings initiated by the Council
of Women World Leaders (CWWL) — a two-day summit held at the Kennedy
School last April, and a meeting of high-level women in finance and economics,
jointly sponsored by the CWWL and the World
Bank in Washington, DC in October — offer a glimpse into a new age
of high-powered women networking.
The CWWL, an
independent body based at the Kennedy School, joins together 22 current and
former women presidents, prime ministers, chiefs of state, and heads of government.
The only body of its kind in the world, the council is directed by Laura
Liswood, co-founder and vice chair of the CWWL, who is a nationally recognized
speaker, author, and advocate for women's involvement in politics, and is
chaired by Vigdis Finnbogadottir, president of Iceland from 1980 to1996. Its
goal is to provide a venue for women at the highest levels of government to
exchange information, share their experiences, and debate how best to address
pressing problems of global concern.
The April summit,
which was held at the Kennedy School and hosted by President Vigdis, brought
together nine of the Council members for the Council's inaugural meeting.
The participants included Benazir Bhutto, prime minister of Pakistan from
1988 to1990, and 1993 to 1997; Kim Campbell, prime minister of Canada, 1993;
Pamela Gordon, premier of Bermuda from 1997 to 1998; Dame Eugenia Charles,
prime minister of Dominica from 1980 to 1995; Violeta B. de Chamorro, president
of Nicaragua from 1990 to 1996; Tansu Ciller, prime minister of Turkey from
1993 to 1996; Kazimiera Prunskiene, prime minister of Lithuania from 1990
to 1991; Maria Liberia-Peters, prime minister of the Netherlands Antilles
from 1984 to 1986 and 1988 to 1994; and Hanna Suchocka, prime minister of
Poland from 1992 to 1993.
The most recent
initiative, the meeting of high-level women in finance and economics, brought
together more than 30 women from 28 developed and developing countries in
an effort to facilitate the exchange of experiences and further assist the
women in their work. Chaired by Alice Rivlin, vice chair of the U.S. Federal
Reserve Board, the meeting focused on two critical global concerns: financial
crises and the financial management of post-conflict situations.
Discussions included such issues as how to help countries experiencing large refugee populations from neighboring nations in conflict, and how to strengthen tax collection to provide resources for social investment. Participants sought new, creative solutions that go beyond traditional approaches and attempt to incorporate culture, tradition, and local participation. The keynote address was delivered by Campbell, one of only two women (along with Margaret Thatcher) to ever participate in a G7 meeting.