Empowering Women to meet LatAM & the Caribbean’s most pressing challenges.

Vital Voices Global Partnership hosts its third summit for women and girls from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean to recognize and build on the critical role they can and must play in moving the region forward socially, politically and economically. The Summit, Vital Voices of the Americas: Women as a Bridge to a More Prosperous Future, will include government officials, community and NGO advocates and leading businesswomen to strengthen and build a powerful network of women leaders across sectors, cultures and generations.

Over the course of the three day summit, participants will hear from experts and policymakers including: Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Inter-American Development Bank; Dina Powell, Goldman Sachs Head of Corporate Global Engagement and 10,000 Women Initiative; Ambassador Anthony Wayne, US mission to Argentina; Mayra Buvinic, World Bank Group Senior Director for Gender and Development; Kathleen Vaughn, Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo; and First Lady Vivian Fernandez de Torrijos of Panama.

“We are thrilled about this opportunity to once again support a diverse group of women leaders from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Alyse Nelson Bloom, President of Vital Voices Global Partnership. The summit is backed by the generous support of the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, Goldman Sachs, the US State Department, the ExxonMobil Foundation, and others.

With the goal of developing action plans for the future, the participants will address pressing challenges facing the region: economic development, trade, political leadership, violence against women, and good governance. The Summit will feature training sessions in leadership, advocacy, mentoring, media outreach and communications. There will be cultural activities and receptions hosted by various government and corporate representatives, as well as a Cybercafe and a Women Entrepreneurs Marketplace. Vital Voices will also host a group of young women ages 14-20 to participate in a leadership and mentoring program.

To close, Vital Voices will launch Vital Voices Leadership Initiative for Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. This initiative will include an on-line networking community for sharing resources and building partnerships. To support this Initiative, Vital Voices will establish an Advisory Board for Latin America and the Caribbean, made up of program speakers, chapter representatives, and participants.