Ministerial Overview

Initiative

The Council's Women's Ministerial Initiative, led by The Honorable Margot Wallström is dedicated to advancing democracy, gender equality and excellence in governance

throughout the world by promoting ministerial level exchange on global issues. The Council Secretariat convenes ministerial meetings for women ministers within a variety of portfolios such as health, education, environment, finance, economy and development, women's affairs and culture.

The Initiative facilitates developing cross-ministerial solutions to issues, providing a platform for these women leaders, increasing their visibility both nationally and internationally, and identifying and addressing the particular challenges facing women in ministerial leadership positions.

Goals

·  Provide a vehicle for highly placed women leaders to have a collective voice

     on particular global issues

·  Prepare, inform and shape the agendas for United Nations meetings and other

     multilateral meetings, conferences and conventions with a focus on gender aspects

     of those agendas

·  Increase the visibility, participation and voice of top level women with the media,

     governments, academia, civil society and other policy bodies

·  Share best practices and experiences amongst ministers with varying levels of

      tenure, government support, and number of women in individual country cabinets

·  Be a resource of women leaders capable of assuming other leadership roles for

     multilateral, intergovernmental and national governments.