The Yahoo! Business & Human Rights Program, along with Yahoo! Maktoob, and in partnership with Vital Voices, is hosting a summit in Cairo, Egypt on January 18, 2012.

Change Your World! Cairo 2012 will spotlight how women across the Middle East and North Africa are using technology, the Internet and various social and digital media platforms to create positive change in the world.

The Summit will be moderated by Mona Eltahawy and will focus on four primary areas: women’s leadership in governance and politics, women’s rights/human rights and social justice, journalism, and entrepreneurship. 

Confirmed participants include Dalia Ziada, Shereen Allam, and Danya Bashir Hobba.

To learn more about Change Your World! Cairo 2012, and the full line-up, please view the Agenda. If you’re based in the region and interested in attending, please see here.

The Women in Public Service Project

Mission

The Women in Public Service Project is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the Seven Sisters women’s colleges – Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Smith and Wellesley – to advance women to positions of influence in governments and civic organizations worldwide. The initiative is distinguished by the partners’ demonstrated legacy of educating women leaders across the globe and linking them to each other through powerful intergenerational networks.

Vision

The initiative will provide vital momentum to the next generation of women leaders who will invest in their countries and communities, provide leadership for their governments and societies, and help change the way global solutions are developed.

Working in alignment with other leading organizations and institutions in the U.S. and around the world, The Women in Public Service Project will create intensive training and mentoring opportunities for emerging and aspiring women leaders; establish and sustain a vibrant international network of such leaders; generate new, cross-culturally valid insights on women's political leadership; and gain momentum over time.

The Women in Public Service Project envisions a world in which political and civic leadership is at least 50 percent female by 2050. The Department of State and the Sister colleges are committed to building the infrastructure and convening the conversations necessary to achieve this vision.

The Women in Public Service Institute

Wellesley College in Massachusetts will host the first Women in Public Service Project Institute in June 2012 for a period of two weeks from June 11-22.  The pilot institute will bring together 50 emerging women leaders from across the globe between the ages of 25-45 who are already serving in different fields of public service and/or political or elected office.  The institute hopes to provide a forum for shared learning and dialogue; exchange of experiences and expertise; peer-to-peer mentoring and networking; and build an important platform for cross-fertilization of knowledge and innovative leadership skills.

Since the institute will be launched a year from the defining events of the Arab Spring it will acknowledge the uniqueness of this historical moment by including a particularly strong cohort from the Middle East and North Africa regions (MENA) as well as from other countries undergoing political and social transformations.   

The Project will cover the travel and accommodation costs of all selected participants.  English will be the medium of instruction and English proficiency is required of all applicants.

Ongoing and future initiatives will take place at institutes at Seven Sister campuses and abroad with technology-supported networking and mentorship; conferences, studies and other public initiatives; evolving toward the development of a uniquely powerful and visible women’s public service institute that attracts talented women from all countries and walks of life.

For more information, see The Women in Public Service Project