Women Deliver 2013 is the sum of so many things—the program, the media coverage, the exhibit halls, the World Bank paper, and the fabulous banners that were displayed in the halls of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Don’t forget the cartoons from across the world, the side events that added such texture to the conference or the Prime Minister of Malaysia announcing in front of thousands that family planning is a human right. Hundreds of partners worked with us to make the conference meaningful and timely. What we have learned from our evaluation is that for so many attendees, Women Deliver 2013 was a transformative event.
VOICES OF ATTENDEES:
“I am going away with the conviction that this conference will
have a much (much, much) larger global impact on national and
international policies, funding and ground realities than any of
our nitpicking and publicly yawn-inducing academic conferences.”
“It was a wonderful experience that will make a difference in my
life and will inspire me to contribute to improving the lives of
women and girls and of society as a whole.”
As we started planning this conference, we made a goal to have one in five of our attendees be young people, and we surpassed that target– 24% were under 30 years of age! And, the reach of the conference goes way beyond the three days. More than 50,000 people have watched sessions on our and partners’ websites. Journalists returned home more knowledgeable why issues affecting girls and women belong on the business and front pages. PBS aired a documentary on the conference in late July and eventually the documentary will reach 1.5 million viewers. Seed grants for advocacy projects were given to young people, and our social enterprise winners will test their new ideas and report back to us within the year. The conference reminded us that there is no silver bullet that is going to solve the problems facing girls and women. It will take many efforts, ideas, research, and trial and error to achieve our goals. Women Deliver 2013 provided a platform to showcase ideas and findings, to learn from our successes and failures, to make and strengthen partnerships, and to be re-inspired and re-invigorated in our work. As we look to 2015 and beyond, we know that there is much left to do. Over the next three years, there will be progress, new goals, new reports, and more people joining us in our efforts. We welcome your thoughts on how to make Women Deliver 2016 even better.
