Launch of Global Women's Action Network for Children

WLP co-convenes gathering of prominent women leaders

From June 11-13, 2006, women leaders from around the world, including Nobel laureates, heads of state, philanthropic leaders, and advocates for women and girls, joined together to address the crucial issues of girls' education and maternal mortality.

The three-day conference by the Dead Sea in Jordan marked the launch of the Global Women's Action Network for Children (GWANC), a new alliance of high-profile women leaders committed to supporting programs for women and girls and to building a powerful global voice for women and children that will impact national and international policy arenas.

The conference, entitled Mobilizing for Action, was convened by five women: former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; former President of Ireland and UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson; CEO of Vital Voices Melanne Verveer; President of the Children's Defense Fund Marian Wright Edelman; and founder and President of Women's Learning Partnership Mahnaz Afkhami.

Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan and Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf opened the conference. Other participants include the First Ladies of Bahrain, Egypt, Mauritania, Rwanda, Ukraine, and Zambia; and a group of Nobel Peace Laureates, including Shirin Ebadi, Betty Williams, and Jody Williams.

Discussions at the conference addressed strategies for meeting the Millennium Development Goals on maternal mortality and girls' education. With more than 115 million children around the world out of school, the majority of them girls, and more than half a million women dying during pregnancy or childbirth, the GWANC tackles a critical and timely challenge.