Opening remarks by Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni to the International Conference on Women's Leadership for Sustainable Development
Jerusalem, 18 November 2007
Distinguished guests,
It is a great honor to welcome you to Jerusalem to the opening of this International Conference on Women's Leadership for Sustainable Development, held in cooperation with UNESCO. I am glad to see an increasing number of women leaders in central positions around the world - in politics, the business community, international organizations and civil society.
We are here to acknowledge that the blessings of human security and prosperity are withheld from many regions of the world, where women like other weaker groups in the society are shunned from productive activity.
I believe that women's empowerment is not a women's only issue. In a utopian world every leader should realize that status of women in society characterizes society as a whole.
Women leaders reached positions of leadership for various reasons. I myself entered politics in order to promote the peace process. I know that women leaders promote the welfare of all and not only women's interests, but nevertheless we have an additional responsibility as well.
But past experience tells us that before creating this utopian world in which also men take care of the status of women, we need to handle and to meet the changes that are needed in the status of women and this is first and foremost our responsibility. Women should unite and act jointly, reclaim their rights worldwide without differences of nationality or religion, and most of all provide every woman the conditions and means for making choices on how she wants to live her life. Only choices that are made of free will are legitimate, not choices that lack alternatives, the means to achieve them and social support.
The vast majority of the more than one billion people living in poverty in the developing world are women. Generations of inequity, including low investment in women’s education and health, restricted access to services and financing, plus legal and regulatory restraints have all marginalized and undermined women’s position in society. All of these have limited women’s opportunities for participation in decision-making, thus contributing to growing gender gaps. This must be changed.
In order to make a genuine change, we need to awaken both our global conscience and national commitment, and remember that the possibility of achieving this change lies within our capacity as women leaders. We should not expect anybody to do it for us.
This Conference also marks the 50th Anniversary of Israel’s International Development Cooperation Program implemented by MASHAV. The State of Israel exists only six decades. During most of those years it had to fight for its existence, at the same time acting in accordance with our values: equality and recognition that we are part of one large community - the world.
Israel has conducted programs throughout the world addressing the issue of promoting different groups in society motivated by the aim of sharing with the rest of the developing world the know-how and technologies which provided the basis for Israel’s own rapid development. This program focused on grassroots-level human capacity building at a time when Israel itself was still very much a developing country.
This vision was to make Israel a friend for the developing countries through cooperation, beginning with the newly independent nations of Africa. Over time it blossomed and has become to this very day an extensive program of cooperation operating throughout the developing world with the aim of promoting sustainable development and social equity. This vision and legacy will be lost unless they reinforce our commitment to development and drive us forever forward in the direction of their highest ideals.
I hope that this conference will have an enduring resonance as a milestone on the road to realizing the Millennium Development Goals of promoting gender equality and women empowerment, and developing a global partnership for development. Moreover, I wish that this conference will be a steppingstone toward global unity and prosperity. Together we are strong enough to do so.
Thank you.