Posts by Iman Bibars
Clinton Global Initiative: Investing in Female Changemakers
Published October 21, 2009 @ 11:26AM PT
The plight of women and girls in the developing world is a book of sobering stories with very few happy endings. Year after year, we are reminded of some of the most jarring injustices of our time, most of which go unrecognized, let alone unpunished. And yet, hope for action is on the horizon. The Clinton Global Initiative, along with some inspirational stories to both humble and inspire us, just might have signal the arrival of this increasingly crucial issue to the forefront of the agenda.
The 5th annual CGI meeting, held this past September, serves as the gathering grounds for hundreds of influential leaders, scholars, business executives, celebrities, and journalists to discuss and engage in multi-sector cooperation towards a common development goal. Tackling poverty alleviation, climate change, and the promotion of economic opportunity - CGI annually highlights the most critical development issues of our time - topics worthy of the utmost global recognition and concern. This year CGI is again addressing these subjects, but to the hope of many there is a new issue on the agenda: the subject of investments in girls and women.
Adding this new component of CGI may very well begin elevating the issues of women's inclusion to a top priority on the global development agenda. CGI has an opportunity to truly assert women's development, making it an argument that can no longer be viewed as 'soft' or only relevant to women, elevating it from a distant second relative to poverty alleviation, AIDS prevention, climate change, etc. to other development issues. In fact, one could even argue that women's development underpins the advancement of each of these agendas.
Investing in women has a domino effect of sorts, with women's empowerment adding to the prosperity of entire societies. Women and girls who earn money reinvest up to 90% of it into their families, as compared to only 30% or 40 % by men. Furthermore, if girls' enrollment in schools increases by only 10%, the country's economy will grow steadily by 3%, showing again how investments in girls and women benefit both genders, community, and country. Top scholars and leaders are arguing more and more that investing in women, unequivocally, simply makes sense for everyone, and it is time we looked at how this agenda could play out, and took note of some of the key changemakers in this movement.
