2000 Events

In order to raise awareness about the importance of a strong cadre of women leaders in strengthening civil society in the Middle East, Africa, and elsewhere, and to generate global dialogue on this issue during the United Nations' General Assembly Special Session on Beijing + 5, WLP convened the international symposium Cultural Boundaries & Cyber Spaces: Innovative Tools and Strategies for Strengthening Women's Leadership in Muslim Societies in New York on June 1, 2000.

The symposium brought together activists, scholars, and influential women leaders in politics, civil society, media, and information technologies from Muslim societies and elsewhere in the Global South. Discussions focused on women's definitions of leadership, new approaches to leadership, and women's uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to empower themselves and each other, strengthen their full potential, and mobilize grassroots communities around common causes.

Speakers included Speakers included Mahnaz Afkhami, Davar Ardalan, Janice Brodman, Charlotte Bunch, Gillian Caldwell, Noeleen Heyzer, Bushra Jabre, Zahira Kamal, Asma Khader, Amina Lemrini, Jacki Lyden, Thoraya Obaid, Ayo Obe, Shazia Rafi, Aruna Rao, and Najat Rochdi.