Breakthrough Summit

Listen to an audio file of the Breakthrough Summit press conference with WFDA leaders Mary Robinson, Ann M. Veneman, and Dr. Ishmael Noko.

Extraordinary Alliance Announces over $1.4 Billion Dollars of New Investments in Women and Girls to Fight Global Poverty

Faith and women's organizations rise above differences, join development organizations, multilateral institutions, and corporations in historic coalition

Former US Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, former US President William Jefferson Clinton, actress Ashley Judd, and former UN Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson joined leaders from the women's, faith, international development, public policy, and business communities to launch the Women, Faith, and Development Alliance (WFDA), a new global effort that catalyzed commitments worth over US $1.4 billion to empower women and girls and fight global poverty.

At Washington National Cathedral's Breakthrough: The Women, Faith, and Development Summit to End Global Poverty on April 13, 2008, icons, executives, and activists offered a global look at women's needs and launched WFDA.  The boundary-breaking Alliance which works to change the policies of governments, multilateral institutions, and private groups, is launching at a critical time.  The U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (p.4, no. 20), the UN's Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, and the UN Millennium Development Goals recently noted failures to support women, who are: 

• 70 percent of the world's poor and owner's of just 1% of titled land (UNOHCHR)
• Two-thirds of the world's illiterate people (UNMDG p. 11)
• Dying at a rate of 500K/year from preventable complications of pregnancy (UNMDG p. 17)

In remarks provided before the event, Honorary Breakthrough Co-Chair Archbishop Desmond Tutu highlighted the urgent need for, and groundbreaking nature of, WFDA:

"We have come together as the new WFDA because new solutions and energy are needed to empower women and end poverty.  Despite its global leadership on human rights and humanitarian aid, the faith community has failed to champion gender justice...[and interfaith leaders] must join with leaders of other sectors to press for more resources...and address the deep injustice of extreme poverty borne so heavily by women."  (For Archbishop Desmond Tutu's Remarks, visit: http://wfd-alliance.org/EVtutu)
Listen to audio of leaders discussing the needs of women and girls in poverty; the unprecedented coming together of women, faith, and development communities; and the $1.4 billion in commitments to programs to help million of women in at least 60 countries please use the following access information.

Tangible Progress: Over $1.4 Billion in New Commitments

Over 90 organizations announced new commitments to programs for women and girls at the BreakthroughSummit, with an estimated impact on over 1 billion women in dozens of countries. The commitments offer a unique look at the diversity of women's needs:

• Multi-issue: United Nations Population Fund will address maternal mortality, gender violence, female genital mutilation, and empowering adolescent girls in a broad campaign covering 50 countries. Value: $500 million
• Gender Equity: International Rescue Committee will address global issues like gender violence and women's education. Value: $500 million
• Women's Community Support: The Sister Fund and Women's Funding Network will significantly expand the "Women Moving Millions" campaign to increase the collective assets of foundations/NGOs serving global women. Value: $150 million
• Preparing Women for Success: Islamic Relief will help over 1 million women and girls by launching new programs on education, entrepreneurship, access to clean water, support for orphans, and basic health. Value: $43 million
• Women's Advocacy: United Way will expand its network by bringing Women's Leadership Councils, which help women advocate for their own needs, to 46 countries. Value: $30 million
• Women's Leadership: Women's Learning Partnership and twenty other organizations will work in 20 countries to train 100,000 women to be leaders in their households, communities, and beyond. Value: $5 million
• Gender Violence: Religious leaders from around the world will campaign to end gender-based violence and forward the directives expressed in the Millennium Development Goals.
• Others: Nearly 70 other organizations are committing to programs on independence and literacy, economic empowerment, environmental sustainability, access to justice, and other issues. Value: $100 million

Ahead of the launch, Founding WFDA Chair and Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright underscored the importance of showcasing tangible progress:
"Women and girls in poverty are not asking for new rhetoric or promises.  They want action that will mean something in their daily lives and have a ripple effect with governments, multilateral institutions, and other organizations.  WFDA, with its reach, resources, and expertise, will deliver that to them starting with today's more than $1 billion in new commitments to empowerment programs."  
For a full list of commitments, visit: http://www.wfd-alliance.org/EVcommit.htm.

Uncommon Collaboration: High Level Leadership

Tutu and Albright were joined in their support of the WFDA by some of the world's most influential leaders, including their fellow Breakthrough Co-Chairs:

• Her Excellency Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President, Republic of Liberia (Honorary)
• President William Jefferson Clinton, Former President, United States of America (Honorary)
• Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Chair, King Hussein Foundation (Honorary)
• Her Excellency Mary Robinson, Former President, Republic of Ireland; Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
• The Right Honourable Kim Campbell, Former Prime Minister, Canada
• Sheikh Shaban Mubaje, Grand Mufti, Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, Co-Chair of the Religions for Peace African Council of Religious Leaders
• The Reverend Dr. Ishmael Noko, General Secretary, Lutheran World Federation

The WFDA's influential Leadership Council brings together executives from the women's, faith, and development communities as well from UN agencies and private corporations.

• Ann M. Veneman, Executive Director, UNICEF
• Kemal Dervis, Administrator, United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
• Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund
• Kathy Calvin, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, UN Foundation
• Reverend Canon John L. Peterson, Director, Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation, Washington National Cathedral*
• Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, General Secretary, World YWCA
• Ritu Sharma Fox, Co-Founder and President, Women Thrive Worldwide*
• Faye Wattleton, Center for Women's Advancement
• Ken Hackett, President, Catholic Relief Services
• William Vendley, Secretary General, Religions for Peace*
• Sam Worthington, President, InterAction*
• Mehrezia Labidi-Maiza, Muslim Women's Conference, France
• Ruth Messinger, President, American Jewish World Service

* WFDA Co-Convening Organization Heads
WFDA also draws support and guidance from several influential figures among the Breakthrough Co-Chairs and rising youth leaders from the developing world, including:

• Marcella Harris, President, Winward Islands Farmers Association, Dominica
• Bhuvana Manohari Nataraj, Growing Opportunity Finance, India
• Stellamaris Mualeh, Youth Activist, Kenya
• Alice Hope Birungi, Youth Activist, Uganda
• Andrew Francis, Youth Activist, Jamaica

WFDA and the Breakthrough Summit are being generously supported by the United Nations Foundation, ExxonMobil, InterAction, Catholic Relief Services, Conrad Hilton Foundation, Heifer International, Summit Foundation, The Sister Fund, Tibotec/Johnson and Johnson, United Way, Women Thrive Worldwide, and World Vision.

Background on the WFDA

The first meeting of the WFDA took place in June 2006 when 30 representatives from interfaith and development organizations gathered at Washington National Cathedral to begin an inquiry into the unique impact that combining the faith, development and women's communities could make on global poverty and gender equality. Since then, over 120 organizations have joined WFDA. For a complete list of member organizations, click here. 

Women, Faith, and Development Alliance: Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues, NW, Washington D.C. 20016