Part of the Women in Public Service Project, April 11–20 Institute Brings Together Wide Variety of Emerging Leaders from More Than 25 Countries to Mills College.
OAKLAND, Calif., 1/27/15 — “Women, Water, and the World: How Women Can Solve the Earth’s Water Crisis” will be held April 11–20, 2015, at Mills College in Oakland, California, in partnership with the US State Department and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
The Institute is part of the Women in Public Service Project (WPSP), founded in 2011 by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which seeks to develop emerging women leaders from around the world and is committed to training early- to mid-career women to advance their careers in government and public service as they move their nations forward politically, economically, and socially.
“Women, Water, and the World” programming will focus on women who are working to rebuild their communities, expand their public service orientation, and promote sustainable economic livelihoods. How women use water, share knowledge, and promote sound management and conservation of water are key issues for our planet’s future and critical issues for women in public service. Access to water has enormous relevance to women’s lives and was elevated as a human rights and critical policy issue by the United Nations in 2010, where it was acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realization of all human rights.
Invited delegates from North and South America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Australia represent a wide variety of professional and academic backgrounds: water activists, engineers, economists, disaster relief experts, grassroots organizers, journalists, doctoral candidates, public health experts, environmental, gender and racial justice advocates, and more.
The Institute will provide participants with the concrete tools and training necessary to increase the scope, efficacy, and visibility of their work. Invited scholars, policy makers, and government and nongovernment representatives will aid delegates in expanding their leadership and communication skills, developing effective use of traditional and social media, and improving their ability to build national, regional, and international networks. Panels and participants include the Global Women’s Water Initiative, Stanford University Law School, San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women, Global Women’s Leadership Network, Fenton Communications, nonprofit social media powerhouse Beth Kanter, and the Center for Socially Responsible Business at Mills College. Farah Pandith, former special representative to Muslim communities under Secretary Clinton and one of the architects of WPSP, will be one of the opening ceremony speakers at the Mills Institute on April 13.
“We look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with all the WPSP Institute participants in an effort to overcome barriers that will enable more women to enter public service and gain access to political office,” said Mills President Alecia DeCoudreaux. “As long as research continues to show that women are still underrepresented in political leadership roles around the world, strong institutions such as Mills are more important than ever in providing the opportunity for women to break through these barriers.”
About the Women in Public Service Project
The Women in Public Service Project (WPSP) is a program of the Global Women’s Leadership Initiative at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, which empowers the next generation of women around the world and mobilizes them on issues of critical importance in public service. Through innovative research, dynamic learning institutes, and strategic peer-to-peer and two-way mentoring, the WPSP is committed to a new global partnership aimed at reaching a minimum of 50 percent of all decision-making positions in public service held by women by 2050 (“50 × 50”).
Founded in 2011 by then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in partnership with the US State Department, and the historic women’s colleges of Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and Wellesley, the WPSP has now grown to include over 80 collaborating academic institutions and government entities around the world.
The WPSP’s network is distinguished by its unparalleled scope and reach. The Project engages an ever-growing assembly of emerging leaders and women at the highest levels of decision making and an international network of established women scholars, activists, and public servants who have led change in their communities and countries. The network covers the continuum of leadership, from women heads of state to grassroots leaders, offering a unique platform to amplify the voices of women leaders.
About Mills College
Located in Oakland, California, in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area, Mills College is a nationally renowned independent liberal arts college for women with graduate programs for women and men. Ranked one of the top-tier regional universities in the West by U.S. News & World Report, Mills is also recognized as one of The Best 379 Colleges in the nation by The Princeton Review. Since 1852, we’ve been empowering students to become creative, independent thinkers who take and inspire action. For more information, visit www.mills.edu.
