| Founder(s) | Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Melanne Verveer, Theresa Loar, Donna McLarty, Alyse Nelson, Mary Daley Yerrick |
|---|---|
| Type | Women's Rights International Development |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Motto | Invest in Women. Improve the World |
| Website | www.vitalvoices.org |
Vital Voices Global Partnership is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization that works with women leaders in the areas of economic empowerment, women's political participation, and human rights. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C..
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The nonprofit Vital Voices Global Partnership grew out of the U.S. government's Vital Voices Democracy Initiative. The Vital Voices Democracy Initiative was established in 1997 by First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, following the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing to promote the advancement of women as a U.S. foreign policy goal.[1]
The Vital Voices Democracy Initiative led to the creation of Vital Voices Global Partnership as a nonprofit non-governmental organization (NGO) in June 2000.
Former Hillary Clinton aide and chief of staff Melanne Verveer is co-founder of the global partnership and its board chair.[2] Other co-founders were Alyse Nelson (current President of Vital Voices Global Partnership),[3] Donna McLarty, Mary Yerrick, and Theresa Loar.[4] Loar was the founding President of the Vital Voices Global Partnership[5] and also served as Director of the Vital Voices Democracy Initiative at the U.S. Department of State, the Senior Coordinator for International Women's' Issues at the U.S. Department of State[6] and Director of the President's Interagency Council on Women.[7]
Besides Clinton, honorary chairs include current and former U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Nancy Kassebaum Baker.[2]
Funding has come from a variety of sources, including individual donations, corporate sponsorships such as from ExxonMobil,[8] and the efforts of the Clinton Global Initiative.[9]
In 2002 Vital Voices was asked by First Lady Laura Bush to drive the effort to supply school uniforms to the many girls returning to school for the first time following the U.S. led overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan.[10]
Vital Voices' website states that its mission is "to identify, invest in and bring visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities."[11]
Vital Voices works in Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East and North Africa, focusing on the business, political and civil society sectors. The organization regularly hosts international forums, capacity-building workshops, and training seminars for women.[12]
Vital Voices’ Human Rights program currently focuses on combating human trafficking and other forms of violence against women and girls.[13]
Each year, Vital Voices hosts the Global Leadership Awards, honoring international women leaders who are working in the areas of human rights, economic empowerment, or political reform.
The 2009 program was named that year's "Most Inspirational Event" by Washington Life Magazine.[14]
The 10th annual Global Leadership Awards will be held on April 12, 2011, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.