Events
Closing the Gender Gap: Women Leaders as a 'Force Multiplier' in Politics, Business
The world’s population is split approximately 50-50 between men and women. But when it comes to presidents, prime ministers, and other heads of state and government, a significant gender disparity is uncovered. To commemorate the 15-year anniversary of the Council of Women World Leaders, we spoke with Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, and Margot Wallstrom, former vice-president of the European Commission, about their work, the status of women leaders, and prospects for the future.
Our Mentoring Programs
Two-way and peer- to-peer mentoring is at the heart of the Women in Public Service Project (WPSP) at the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative (GWLI) and an important cornerstone for the sustainability of the GWLI...
Mentee Rim Hajj Discusses the Impact of WPSP
A Women in Public Service Project (WPSP) delegate and mentee, Rim Hajj (Morocco), describes how the WPSP Wellesley Institute impacted her life personally and professionally.
Women in Democratic Transitions in the MENA Region
The Rabat Conference in November 2012 was hosted by the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior in partnership with the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Wellesley Centers for Women with support from Lynn and Bob Johnston. UN Women, UNDP, and the International Republican Institute provided valuable collaboration. Through this compilation of papers based on discussions at the conference, we celebrate the call for women’s centrality in the constitutional making processes and the negotiation processes involved in strengthening the rule of law in the MENA region.
Seminal Mentoring Session with Emerging Women Leaders in Burma
Our inaugural mentoring conference call with Burmese women activists was led by the Women in Public Service Project (WPSP) delegate, Soe Win. The 15 Burmese women who were on the phone with us, mostly from the ethnic states and rural regions, gathered together at an internet café for the Skype conversation.
WPSP Mentee Nyo Nyo Thinn from Myanmar Presents Plan to Parliament
Dr. Nyo Nyo Thinn, a delegate at the Inaugural Women in Public Service Project (WPSP) Summer Institute at Wellesley College, presented her plan on Proportional Representation (PR) in the Yangon Parliament in Myanmar.
Caroline Kennedy for Women's Rights in Japan
Caroline Kennedy has recently been placed in the spotlight as a potential US Ambassador to Japan. In light of that announcement, The Wilson Center’s Shihoko Goto wrote an article discussing the potential for women’s issues in Japan under Kennedy’s ambassadorship.
The Women in Public Service Project Joins Forces with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Wilson Center becomes the permanent home of the Women in Public Service Project, with Rangita de Silva de Alwis announced as Director of Women's Leadership Initiatives.
National Action Plan on Women's Equal Participation in Public Service
The evidence has never been clearer that women’s political, economic, and social participation and leadership are vital to development. Countries where women are fairly represented in government enjoy greater security, higher levels of development, and more inclusive policy-making. The incoming administration should take
advantage of this critical moment in history by developing the first-ever National Action Plan on Women’s Equal Participation in Public Service and sign an executive order directing that the plan be implemented. This plan would chart a course to enhance women’s equal role in public service and political participation around the
world, and it would transform how the United States approaches its diplomatic and development-based support to women, thus ensuring equal participation in all levels of decision-making.