Partnership Update: WLP & Partners Hold Transnational Capacity Building Meeting

Over 30 women leaders representing 19 partner organizations of Women’s Learning Partnership gathered in Potomac, Maryland, April 1st-4th, for the annual Transnational Partners Convening. Women from Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America, and the Middle East shared experiences and explored strategies for increasing the number of women in decision making positions and expanding awareness and expertise about the ways and means of promoting participatory and democratic leadership; participated in an exercise positing the world we would wish to create by the year 2018, and studied the steps needed to achieve that world; and deliberated on sustainable institution building and future directions of the Partnership. Participants tackled organizational growth and human resource challenges, and considered strategies for expanding the Partnership’s reach to broader audiences.

The meeting concluded with a public event titled "The Politics of Participation: Women and Transformative Leadership," co-sponsored by the Dialogue Project of Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. Eight panelists from within the Partnership lead a conversation on the expanding participation of women in political processes around the world. They discussed the achievements, challenges, and opportunities present in each of their countries, which included Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, and the United States. To listen to a podcast of the event, click here.

In addition to in depth discussions on how to help bolster our organizational capacity and contribute to movement building, the Transnational Partners Convening was an occasion for the WLP’s partners to strengthen the solidarity and friendships that inspire us in our work on behalf of women everywhere.