This week’s SoroptiVoice is from Heather
Brotsos, a member in Washington DC and the Soroptimist International
representative at the 2011 World Bank Civil Society Policy Forum. Heather reports back from the largest ever Civil Society Policy Forum where over 600 CSO representatives met with World Bank and International Monetary Fund representatives.

When I saw the email come through my inbox
asking for a member in the region to represent Soroptimist International at the
upcoming World Bank Civil Society Policy Forum, I jumped at the
opportunity.  After a little more
research on the events of the conference and what SI was hoping to achieve there,
I was even more excited to attend and learn as much as possible. 

I arrived at the World Bank bright and early
on the first day of the conference.
During the welcome breakfast, one of the first people I stumbled upon
was another Soroptimist!  Yemisi
Ransome-Kuti came all the way from Nigeria to participate in the
conference on behalf of her work and to take part in the discussion on gender
equality.

The World Bank is housed in a very striking
and stately building in downtown Washington DC, which is a feat in and of
itself considering its neighbours!  In
conjunction with the broader conference, a campaign for gender equality (#thinkEQUAL) was promoted throughout and around the
building.  I walked around and snapped as
many pictures as I could before the primary panel discussion kicked off.

I arrived early in order to secure a seat at
the live CNN taping of the Open Forum on Gender. I was
able to sneak in and take a few pictures while they were still setting up.

Hala Gorani, of CNN International hosted the
event.  The first segment kicked off with
World Bank President Robert Zoellick, Maria Eitel, President and CEO of the
Nike Foundation and Kakenya Ntaiya, Founder of the Academy for Girls in Kenya.

Gorani led the conversation with these panelists, who discussed why gender equality is not only important for women’s
empowerment, but also economically smart. 
The conversation was captivating, with lots of startling statistics and
great quotes from all the panelists.  Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank noted, “Women make up 50%
of the global population, 40% of the global workforce, yet women own only 1% of
the world’s wealth.”  Maria Eitel,
President and CEO of the Nike Foundation, referenced The
Girl Effect, a campaign that highlights how an investment in a girl
pays dividends that have the ability to impact entire economies. 

Overall, the conversation was both
inspirational and energizing.  For a full
recap of the discussion check out the Open Forum on Gender. 
If you look closely, at about five and half minutes, you can see me when
the camera pans out to the audience!

The rest of the forum included a wide range
of discussions ranging from climate change to disaster relief to the role of
civil service in the global community. 
It was an incredible experience and I met a lot of interesting people,
all working to make the world a better place. 
I am so happy for the opportunity to have participated in this
inspirational event. Thanks Soroptimist International!