News - Joining Forces for Change: The Women, Faith & Development Summit

Joining Forces for Change: The Women, Faith & Development Summit

April 15, 2008—A new global alliance of women, faith and development leaders announced a combined $1 billion commitment to empower women and girls and fight poverty during an April 13 summit in Washington, D.C.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and former President of Ireland Mary Robinson (pictured above right with CEDPA alumna Luisa Etede of Equatorial Guinea) were among the leading public officials that called for increased action for the world’s women during the Women Faith and Development Summit to End Global Poverty. They were joined by leaders of more than 90 corporations, foundations and non-profit organizations, including CEDPA President Yolonda C. Richardson, who pledged stepped up actions to advance women’s lives.

These leaders came together because today, women and girls represent 70 percent of world’s hungry and are two-thirds of those who are illiterate worldwide. Roughly 500,000 women each year die from preventable complications in pregnancy and childbirth, and more than 15 million women and girls are living with HIV.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu called for faith organizations to support women and girls around the world.

Archbishop Tutu, through a video address, acknowledged that faith communities needed to do more to address barriers to women’s full involvement in their communities. “The challenge is to consider where we have failed to do right by women…too often we have not condemned…cultural discriminatory practices such as child marriage, female genital mutilation, and violence against women and children,” he said. “We must come together as people of faith and stand up for women and girls.”

Madeleine Albright said to the thousands of attendees at the gathering that “We do not accept that poverty is an unavoidable part of the human condition.” She acknowledged barriers such as widespread violence against women and said “Some say these barriers are cultural, and there’s nothing we can do about it. I say it is criminal, and we have an obligation to stop it.”

Following the Summit, leaders met during a closed-door session to develop strategies to increase resources, mobilize political will and breakthrough the impasse that has relegated women to the lowest economic rung in many countries.

Summit organizers said that the financial commitments will impact the lives of over one billion women living in at least 60 different countries around the world—and improve the lives of their families and communities.

CEDPA committed to raise nearly $2 million over the next two years to equip and empower women to lead the global response to HIV/AIDS regionally, nationally and globally. This is critical to ensure that women living with HIV can contribute meaningfully to their families and communities and prevent further spread of the virus.

Read more about CEDPA’s work in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Learn more about theWomen Faith and Development Summit to End Global Poverty.

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