Launch of the Women Leaders Intercultural Forum (WLIF) in New York

The launch of WLIF, co-convened by Mary Robinson, Thoraya Obaid, Mahnaz Afkhami and Lisa Anderson, took place in New York City on September 24-26th. This event marks the beginning of a unique endeavor linking women leaders around the world through intercultural and intergenerational networks. WLIF is a multi-year joint initiative of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative (EGI); the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); Women's Learning Partnership (WLP); Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA); the Council of Women World Leaders (CWWL); and Markkula Center for Ethics at Santa Clara University.

The Women Leaders Intercultural Forum aims to advance a paradigm shift in policy discussions on global and national security. WLIF is building an integrated approach--one that combines human security and state security as reinforcing components. This agenda demonstrates how protecting and empowering people at risk--the millions who are vulnerable to displacement, violence and poverty--is essential to cultivating national and international security. Through WLIF's intercultural, intergenerational and intersectoral process, this network of leaders will ensure that a necessary diversity of perspectives is incorporated into the new security paradigm. WLIF will bring awareness and concrete policy prescriptions for an integrated security agenda by strategically involving WLIF women leaders in key regional and global policy forums, and bringing its security messages to situations and crises where there is a clear need for WLIF's global leadership.

The launch included women from across the world and from various sectors, among them, former senior level government officials, such as Kim Campbell (former Prime Minister of Canada); high-ranking representatives of the UN, such as H.E. Sheikha Haya Rasheed Al Khalifa (President of the General Assembly); representatives of international NGOs such as Musimbi Kanyoro (General Secretary of the World YWCA); as well as members of the arts and media, such as Eve Ensler (renowned activist and playwright). Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan and President Michelle Bachelet of Chile sent in their remarks via video and written statement expressing support for the WLIF initiative.