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

UNDP is organizing a Regional Forum on Equal Participation in Decision-Making (November 15-17, Istanbul), with co-funding from the UNDP-Japan Women in Development Fund. The Forum will explore opportunities to strengthen the capacities of the institutions represented in eliminating challenges and capitalizing on opportunities related to women’s equal participation in decision-making.

The five institutions represented will be:
• Political parties
• Parliament
• Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs)
• Public administration 
• Civil society

Most importantly, the Forum will identify the platforms where the collaborative efforts of these institutions will lead to greater gender equality results in decision-making processes. It will also explore why quotas can function as a catalyst in these efforts.

For more information please visit. www.undpeuropeandcis.org/gender

The Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) will hold the first ever Asia Pacific Feminist Forum (APFF) on 12-14 December 2011 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The APFF will bring together women activists, lawyers, academics, advocates and youth leaders to celebrate our collective achievements, reflect on our challenges and shifting political environments, deepen feminist knowledge and analysis, strengthen our sisterhood, solidarity and collaboration and reaffirm our resolve to advance women’s rights.

For more information visit the APWLD website. 

Workshops will focus on:

1.  Knowledge building: to share new scholarship, analysis, and understandings in key areas of challenges confronting the women’s movement in the region.

2. Skills building: to develop strategies and practical skills that can aid women’s rights advocacy.

3. Movement building: to strengthen collaboration across nations or regions and build new movements that reflect current challenges.

4. Our Well-being: Massage, dance, song writing workshops, and other creative workshops for our well being.