29 November 2013, European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium
The inaugural WIP Annual Summit 2013 has been a tremendous success, laying strong foundations for a dynamic and inspirational future.
3 days, 400 female Parliamentarians, 600 participants, 100 countries, 14 awards, over 60 speakers, 21 Advisory Board Members…
The energy and momentum created by both participants and speakers during the 2013 Annual Summit of the Women in Parliaments Global Forum (WIP) has been overwhelming, yet the result is clear; by harnessing our collective strengths and abilities we can indeed contribute to advancing society, and so we must.
The WIP Annual Summit 2013 was the first time ever in history that the worldwide community of female Parliamentarians had been invited to come together to use their collective experience to advance society. The programme was designed to move away from classical gender issues, embracing broader societal challenges, as well as peace and security. The result was a positive, open dialogue based on experience and a global perspective.
The conference ended with an incredibly dynamic Townhall meeting with contributions from female Parliamentarians from all over the world. A number of key messages were emphasised:
- Yes, there is a desire and a need for a ‘next time’
- Let us look at regional and thematic meetings
- Let us create a regular exchange of knowledge, experience, data and documentation through a virtual platform
- And let us build this network of female Parliamentarians across the globe.
WIP’s role is to continue to work hard to advance society; the inspiring contributions from our participants, Nobel Prize Winners, Heads of Government, European Commissioners, Ministers, Academics and high profile representatives from Civil Society and Philanthropy, will form the basis for our future roadmap.
In addition to the support of the European Parliament, WIP is delighted to be cooperating with the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), UN Women, the World Economic Forum (WEF), Transparency International the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), EY, the World Bank, The National Democratic Institute, iKNOW Politics, and the many other organisations, who were represented at the WIP Annual Summit 2013.
Photos and Videos of the WIP Annual Summit 2013 can be viewed at:
http://audiovisual.europarl.europa.eu/Page.aspx?id=809
Press Contact: Sinead O’Laoire ([hide-email email=”[email protected]”])
