Vital Voices
Encyclopedia
Vital Voices Global Partnership is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization
that works with women leaders in the areas of economic empowerment, women's political participation, and human rights. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
.
Hillary Rodham Clinton
and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
, following the United Nations
Fourth World Conference on Women
in Beijing
to promote the advancement of women as a U.S. foreign policy goal.
The Vital Voices Democracy Initiative led to the creation of Vital Voices Global Partnership as a nonprofit non-governmental organization (NGO) in June 2000.
Former Hillary Clinton aide and chief of staff Melanne Verveer
is co-founder of the global partnership and its board chair. Other co-founders were Alyse Nelson (current President of Vital Voices Global Partnership), Donna McLarty, Mary Yerrick, and Theresa Loar. Loar was the founding President of the Vital Voices Global Partnership and also served as Director of the Vital Voices Democracy Initiative at the U.S. Department of State, the Senior Coordinator for International Women's' Issues at the U.S. Department of State and Director of the President's Interagency Council on Women.
Besides Clinton, honorary chairs include current and former U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison
and Nancy Kassebaum Baker
.
Funding has come from a variety of sources, including individual donations, corporate sponsorships such as from ExxonMobil
, and the efforts of the Clinton Global Initiative.
In 2002 Vital Voices was asked by First Lady Laura Bush
to drive the effort to supply school uniforms to the many girls returning to school for the first time following the U.S. led overthrow
of the Taliban in Afghanistan
.
Vital Voices works in Africa
, Asia
, Eurasia
, Latin America
and the Caribbean and the Middle East
and North Africa
, focusing on the business, political and civil society sectors. The organization regularly hosts international forums, capacity-building workshops, and training seminars for women.
Vital Voices’ Human Rights program currently focuses on combating human trafficking
and other forms of violence against women
and girls.
, honoring international women leaders who are working in the areas of human rights, economic empowerment, or political reform.
The 2009 program was named that year's "Most Inspirational Event" by Washington Life Magazine.
The 10th annual Global Leadership Awards will be held on April 12, 2011, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
that works with women leaders in the areas of economic empowerment, women's political participation, and human rights. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
History
The nonprofit Vital Voices Global Partnership grew out of the U.S. government's Vital Voices Democracy Initiative. The Vital Voices Democracy Initiative was established in 1997 by First Lady of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Korbelová Albright is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99–0...
, following the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Fourth World Conference on Women
Fourth World Conference on Women
The United Nations convened the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace on 4-15 September 1995 in Beijing, China. 189 governments and more than 5,000 representatives from 2,100 non-governmental organizations participated in the Conference...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
to promote the advancement of women as a U.S. foreign policy goal.
The Vital Voices Democracy Initiative led to the creation of Vital Voices Global Partnership as a nonprofit non-governmental organization (NGO) in June 2000.
Former Hillary Clinton aide and chief of staff Melanne Verveer
Melanne Verveer
Melanne S. Verveer is, since April 6, 2009, United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. She is the former Chief of Staff to First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton and co-founder and chairman of the board of the Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international...
is co-founder of the global partnership and its board chair. Other co-founders were Alyse Nelson (current President of Vital Voices Global Partnership), Donna McLarty, Mary Yerrick, and Theresa Loar. Loar was the founding President of the Vital Voices Global Partnership and also served as Director of the Vital Voices Democracy Initiative at the U.S. Department of State, the Senior Coordinator for International Women's' Issues at the U.S. Department of State and Director of the President's Interagency Council on Women.
Besides Clinton, honorary chairs include current and former U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kay Bailey Hutchison
Kathryn Ann Bailey Hutchison, known as Kay Bailey Hutchison , is the senior United States Senator from Texas.She is a member of the Republican Party. In 2001, she was named one of the thirty most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. The first woman to represent Texas in the U.S....
and Nancy Kassebaum Baker
Nancy Kassebaum Baker
Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker represented the State of Kansas in the United States Senate from 1978 to 1997. She is the daughter of Alf Landon, who was Governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937 and the 1936 Republican nominee for president...
.
Funding has come from a variety of sources, including individual donations, corporate sponsorships such as from ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil, is an American multinational oil and gas corporation. It is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company, and was formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. Its headquarters are in Irving, Texas...
, and the efforts of the Clinton Global Initiative.
In 2002 Vital Voices was asked by First Lady Laura Bush
Laura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...
to drive the effort to supply school uniforms to the many girls returning to school for the first time following the U.S. led overthrow
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
of the Taliban in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Mission and programs
Vital Voices' website states that its mission is "to identify, invest in and bring visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities."Vital Voices works in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and the Caribbean and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, focusing on the business, political and civil society sectors. The organization regularly hosts international forums, capacity-building workshops, and training seminars for women.
Vital Voices’ Human Rights program currently focuses on combating human trafficking
Human trafficking
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
and other forms of violence against women
Violence against women
Violence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women...
and girls.
Global Leadership Awards
Each year, Vital Voices hosts the Global Leadership AwardsGlobal Leadership Awards
The Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards honor international women leaders who are working in the fields of human rights, economic empowerment, or political reform. The event takes place annually in early spring at the John F...
, honoring international women leaders who are working in the areas of human rights, economic empowerment, or political reform.
The 2009 program was named that year's "Most Inspirational Event" by Washington Life Magazine.
The 10th annual Global Leadership Awards will be held on April 12, 2011, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Board of Directors
- Susan Ann Davis (Chair of the Board) (Chairman, Susan Davis International)
- Bobbie Greene McCarthy (Vice Chair of the Board and founding member) (Director, Save America's Treasures & National Trust for Historic PreservationNational Trust for Historic PreservationThe National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
) - Alyse Nelson (President and CEO, co-founder)
- Jaspal Bindra (CEO, Standard Chartered BankStandard Chartered BankStandard Chartered PLC is a multinational financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom with operations in more than seventy countries...
Asia) - Beth Brooke (Global Vice Chair, Ernst & Young LLP)
- Paul Charron (Senior Advisor, Warburg PincusWarburg PincusWarburg Pincus, LLC is an American private equity firm with offices in the United States, Europe, Brazil and Asia. It has been a private equity investor since 1966...
) - Tia Cudahy (Attorney)
- Deborah DingellDeborah DingellDeborah "Debbie" Dingell is the wife of Congressman John Dingell and a major figure in the Michigan Democratic Party. She, along with U.S...
(Vice Chair, General MotorsGeneral MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
Foundation) - Sonnie Dockser (President, Dockser Family Foundation)
- Samia Farouki (Founder and CEO, HII-Finance Corporation)
- Sally FieldSally FieldSally Margaret Field is an American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter. In each decade of her career, she has been known for major roles in American TV/film culture, including: in the 1960s, for Gidget or Sister Bertrille on The Flying Nun ; in the 1970s, for Sybil , Smokey and...
(Actor and activist) - Carly FiorinaCarly FiorinaCarly Fiorina is an American business executive and a former Republican candidate for the United States Senate representing California. Fiorina served as chief executive officer of Hewlett-Packard from 1999 to 2005 and previously was an executive at AT&T and its equipment and technology spinoff,...
(Former CEO, Hewlett-PackardHewlett-PackardHewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
) - Mary C. Foerster (Vice President, BoeingBoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
Commercial Airplanes Communications and Marketing) - Nancy Folger (Former Chairman, White House Endowment TrustWhite House Endowment TrustThe White House Endowment Trust, sometimes also called the White House Endowment Fund, is a private, non-profit, tax-exempt fund established to finance the ongoing restoration and refurbishment of the state rooms at the White House, the official home and principal workplace of the President of the...
) - Baroness Mary Goudie (Member of the House of LordsHouse of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - Lorie Jackson (Director, Women and Girls Program, ExxonMobil Corporation)
- Kate James (Chief Communications Officer, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)
- AmbassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
L. Craig JohnstoneL. Craig JohnstoneL. Craig Johnstone is UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees and former United States Ambassador to Algeria . He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and Council on Foreign Relations....
(Managing Director, jSolutions; International President, Manti Oil and Gas) - Nancy Kamel (Managing Partner, Strategic Expansion Partners)
- Dr. Alice Kandell (President, International Opera Alliance)
- Dr. Carol Lancaster (Dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign ServiceEdmund A. Walsh School of Foreign ServiceThe Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service is a school within Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., United States. Jesuit priest Edmund A...
, Georgetown UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
) - Marlene Malek (President, Friends of Cancer ResearchFriends of Cancer ResearchFriends of Cancer Research Friends of Cancer Research is a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the nation’s progress toward prevention and treatment of cancer by mobilizing public support for cancer research funding and providing education on key public policy issues.-Mission:Friends...
) - Donna McLarty (Founding Board Member)
- V. Sue Molina (Retired Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP)
- Dr. Karen Otazo Hofmeister (Manager, JKH Group LLC)
- Dina Habib Powell (Global Head of Corporate Engagement, Goldman SachsGoldman SachsThe Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
) - Victoria Sant (President and Co-founder, the Summit Foundation)
- Roselyne Swig (Former Director, US State Department Art in Embassies ProgramArt in Embassies ProgramEstablished in 1963, the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies Program plays a vital role in American public diplomacy through the creation of temporary exhibitions and permanent collections. AIEP produces temporary exhibitions of original works of art by American artists, on loan from a...
) - Kathleen VaughanKathleen Vaughan-Selected filmography:* Handy Andy * Corinthian Jack * Belphegor the Mountebank * The Adventures of Mr. Pickwick * The Crimson Circle * The Last Hour...
(Executive Vice President for Wholesale Lending, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage) - Diane von FurstenbergDiane von FürstenbergDiane von Fürstenberg, formerly Princess Diane of Fürstenberg , is a Belgian-American fashion designer best known for her iconic wrap dress. She initially rose to prominence when she married into the German princely House of Fürstenberg, as the wife of Prince Egon of Fürstenberg...
(Fashion Designer and President of CFDACFDACFDA may refer to:* Carboxyfluorescein diacetate, a fluorescent dye* Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, a federal assistance research guide provided by the US General Services Administration...
) - Mary Daley Yerrick (Co-Founder)
- AmbassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
Elizabeth Frawley BagleyElizabeth Frawley BagleyElizabeth Frawley Bagley is an attorney specializing in trade and international law, a diplomat, and a major Democratic party donor and fundraiser.-Life:...
(Director Emeritus) - Betty Bumpers (Director Emeritus)
- Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-IwealaNgozi Okonjo-IwealaNgozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed in July 2011 as Nigeria's “de facto prime minister” and the new Minister of Finance for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Prior to this appointment, she was the Managing Director of World Bank and has also held the position of a Finance Minister and Foreign...
(Director Emeritus) - The Honorable Judith McHaleJudith McHaleJudith A. McHale is the current Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, helping lead America’s engagement with the people of the world. Appointed by President Obama, she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 21, 2009 and sworn in on May 26.McHale is the former President...
(Director Emeritus) - Jan Piercy (Director Emeritus)
- AmbassadorAmbassadorAn ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
Melanne VerveerMelanne VerveerMelanne S. Verveer is, since April 6, 2009, United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. She is the former Chief of Staff to First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton and co-founder and chairman of the board of the Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international...
(Chair Emeritus)