(Communicated by the MFA Spokesperson)
About 50 participants - including women at the highest levels from about 30 countries around the world - among them government ministers, members of parliament, and holders of senior positions in civil society and academia arrived for the 26th biennial International Women's Leadership Conference held at the Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Center (MCTC) on 8-12 November 2009. Participants at the conference include experts from around the world, researchers in socio-economic fields, and representatives of UN agencies and various international and regional organizations.
This year's international conference is devoted to The Global Financial Crisis - Implications for Women. It is hosted in cooperation with Ms. Rachel Mayanja, the UN Assistant Secretary General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI), and under the auspices of MASHAV - Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Deliberations focus on gender issues and the impact of the current financial crisis on all aspects of society, and on the involvement of women in decision-making processes. The concluding declarations of the conferences constitute a platform for plans of action in social and economic fields in various countries.
The official opening ceremony took place at MCTC in the presence of Ms. Gila Gamliel, Israel's Deputy Minister for the Advancement of Women; Ms. Rachel Mayanja; and Ambassador Haim Divon, Head of MASHAV. The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Jomo Kwame Sundaram, UN Assistant Secretary General on Economic Development, Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). It will close with a meeting with the Speaker of the Knesset, Mr. Reuven Rivlin, and lunch at the Knesset on 12 November.