Vilnius Lithuania, June 2018
Women in Politics Summit
In June, H.E. Dalia Grybauskaitė, the President of Lithuania and Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders, held a meeting of Council memebers and co-hosted the Women Political Leaders Global Forum 2018 Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. The Summit commemorated the centennial anniversary of the restored Lithuania and celebrated the country’s many achievements concerning gender equality, including one-hundred years of universal adult suffrage.
The three-day Summit organized by WPLGF, titled “It’s About Time! 100 Reasons to Act!,” convened participants from over 90 counties to continue to work towards creative solutions to today’s pressing global challenges, including eradicating gender-based violence, increasing women’s political efficacy and leadership roles in government, and closing the pay gap. The Summit’s leadership also took the opportunity to recognize the extraordinary contributions current and former women heads of state have made in their own countries and on a global scale. The Council is proud to announce that all four of the recipients of the WPLGF 2018 Awards are Council members: Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, President of Latvia (1999-2007), Maria das Neves, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (2002-2004), Maria do Carmo Silveira, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (2005-2006), and Laimdota Straujuma, Prime Minister of Latvia (2014-2016). Laura Liswood, the Secretary General of the Council of Women World Leaders, was one of the Award presenters. The Council also hosted a private lunch on the occasion of the Summit, convening Council members to discuss new members, organizational issues, and upcoming Council events. It was hosted by Council Chair, President Dalia Grybauskaitė at the Presidential Palace. Attendees included Dalia Grybauskaitė, Council of Women World Leaders Chair and President of Lithuania, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of Malta, Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Paula Cox, former Premier of Bermuda, Maria Das Neves, former Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe, Atifete Jahjaga, former President of Kosovo, Jennifer Smith, Premier of Bermuda, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, former President of Latvia, Maria do Carmo Silveira, former Prime Minister of former Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe, Laimdota Straujumand, former Prime Minister of Latvia, and Laura Liswood, Secretary General of the Council of Women World Leaders. Read more here |