Humanitas Global Development Blog

World Prize Food Laureates Represent the Power of People and “Push”

Agi Schafer, writing from the 2010 World Food Prize, Des Moines, IA

via www.hunger-undernutrition.org

Leaders Cite Underlying Cultural Mindsets as Barriers to Women

Guest post by Sue Preziotti

It’s always a good time to talk about empowering women, and CBS News Anchor Katie Couric led a lively conversation last week at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) annual meeting with an intriguing group of global leaders:

• Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, the first woman president on the African continent, is a plain-spoken leader guiding her country out of years of war with a focus on tough laws and education.
• Queen Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, elegant and articulate, said women have opportunity in her country but are still sorely under-represented in the workplace.
• Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, is a business leader working with people in the developing world to foster sustainable communities which represent sustainable markets for the company’s products.

The discussion focused on the importance of empowering women in under-developed countries to succeed -- when they improve their own lives, they lift society as a whole.  The leaders cited challenges, opportunities and successes.

I was heartened to see that while implementing tactics to empower women and sometimes lift them from the darkest depths of poverty and abuse, leaders are also addressing underlying cultural reasons for the “second-class” status of women around the world. 

At the opening session of the CGI meeting, President Clinton himself said he’d like everyone to think about the reasons why we need to have so many programs to empower women, suggesting perhaps women were still viewed as property in many cultures. 

Below is a brief summary including some excerpts from the panel discussion, which can be viewed in full at:  http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/ourmeetings/2010/

Frank Talk About Cultural Mindsets

Katie Couric: “What are some of the biggest obstacles to women reaching their potential?”

Queen Rania: “Backward, traditional mindsets and poverty”

Katie Couric: “How do we work towards shaping cultural mindsets?” 

Queen Rania: “Don’t sweep problems under the rug... When debating women with policy-makers, there is an underlying chauvinism that exists; even though no one says it, it is there.  Women are key to progress and have contributed more to global GDP than the emerging markets of India and China.  Women inject 90% of their earnings back into the family...  Women must be at the center of public policy.”

Protect, Educate, Empower

Katie Couric:  “What strategy will lead us down the right path?”

President Sirleaf: “Protecting women from harm and keeping them safe is priority.”  In Liberia, rape and violence continue to be issues after many years of conflict.  “We’ve passed tough laws and established a special court to deal with violence against women, giving them much more freedom and access to justice.”

President Sirleaf's government is also improving working conditions for women, the majority of whom are independent farmers. Daycare is provided at marketplaces, and the private and non-profit sectors have been mobilized to counsel women on business practices and sometimes even teach them to read. 

“We need to provide education and access to knowledge, and elect more women leaders."

Success in Action: The Coca-Cola Company Fosters Women Entrepreneurs

Mr. Kent described the Coca-Cola Company’s successful micro-distribution program, which was started because its delivery trucks could not get to rural communities. The company created micro-distribution centers (MDC’s) where local independent entrepreneurs deliver beverages through alternate means.  According to Mr. Kent, they are "flourishing:"  “Those entrepreneurs become leaders in their communities, and they now employ an additional 8,000 people in Africa,” he said.   

Coke vowed last year that 50% of its new MDC entrepreneurs would be women, and “we have already passed that target in seven African nations.”   http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/nr_20100921_cgi.html

Mr. Kent added that Coke has invested $6 billion in the continent of Africa in the last ten years and has ear-marked an additional $12 billion for the coming decade. He said the company is taking the model to other parts of the world, including Asia and Latin America. 

(There was also some informal talk at the meeting about potentially working with Coca-Cola to use the distribution networks to deliver other goods to communities -- something to keep an ear out for.)

Get Involved/More Info

Queen Rania noted one way to get involved is www.girlup.org, the UN Foundation program where American girls can give a "High Five" to girls in developing countries, donating $5 or more to help provide basic needs like access to school supplies, clean water, and more. 

Millenium Development Goal #5: “PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER WOMEN.” http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/bkgd.shtml

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