Council of Women World Leaders
The Council of Women World Leaders is a network of current and former women prime ministers and presidents established in 1996 by Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland (1980-1996) and first woman in the world to be democratically elected president, and Laura Liswood, Secretary General. The Council's mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women. Through its networks, summits and partnerships, the Council promotes good governance and gender equality, and enhances the experience of democracy globally by increasing the number, effectiveness, and visibility of women who lead their countries. Tarja Halonen, President of Finland (2000-present), serves as Chair of the Council. The Council is a policy program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
As part of its goal to convene women at the highest levels of leadership, the Council increased its activities in 1998 to include women cabinet ministers. The Honorable Margot Wallström, United Nations Special Representative to the Secretary General on Sexual Violence and Conflict, is the Chair of the Ministerial Initiative. The Ministerial Initiative seeks to promote ministerial-level exchange on global issues, to identify and address the particular challenges facing women in ministerial leadership positions, and to increase their visibility both nationally and internationally. To have the greatest impact, women ministers within the Ministerial Initiative are organized into different portfolios by ministry. The Council has convened numerous high-level meetings of women ministers of the environment, finance and development, health, justice, culture and women’s affairs. These meetings have created a unique space for ministers to share best practices from developing and developed country experiences and to form a powerful and united force for policy change, with a gender perspective.
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[edit] Members
[edit] Current
- Michelle Bachelet President, Chile, 2006–2010
- Gro Harlem Brundtland Prime Minister, Norway, 1981, 1986–89, and 1990–96
- Micheline Calmy-Rey President, Switzerland, 2007,2011
- Suzanne Camelia-Romer Prime Minister, Netherlands Antilles, 1993, 1998–99
- Kim Campbell Prime Minister, Canada, 1993
- Violeta B. de Chamorro President, Nicaragua, 1990–96
- Laura Chinchilla Miranda President, Costa Rica, 2010-present
- Tansu Çiller Prime Minister, Turkey, 1993–96
- Helen Clark Prime Minister, New Zealand, 1999-08
- Edith Cresson Prime Minister, France, 1991–92
- Luísa Dias Diogo Prime Minister, Mozambique, 2004–10
- Ruth Dreifuss President, Switzerland, 1999
- Vigdís Finnbogadóttir President, Iceland, 1980–96
- Julia Gillard Prime Minister, Australia, 2010-present
- Pamela F. Gordon Premier, Bermuda, 1997–98
- Dalia Grybauskaite President, Republic of Lithuania, 2009
- Tarja Halonen President, Finland, 2000–present
- Sheikh Hasina Prime Minister, Bangladesh, 1996–01 and 2009–present
- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf President, Liberia, 2005–present
- Emily de Jongh-Elhage Prime Minister, Netherlands Antilles, 2006–2010
- Cristina Fernández de Kirchner President, Argentina, 2007-present
- Mari Kiviniemi Prime Minister, Finland, 2010-2011
- Jadranka Kosor Prime Minister, Croatia, 2009-present
- Chandrika Kumaratunga President, Sri Lanka, 1994-05
- Doris Leuthard President, Federal Council of Switzerland, 2010-present
- Maria Liberia-Peters Prime Minister, Netherlands Antilles, 1984–86, 1988–94
- Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo President, Philippines, 2001–2010
- Mary McAleese President, Ireland, 1997–2011
- Beatriz Merino Prime Minister, Peru, 2003
- Angela Merkel Chancellor, Germany, 2005–present
- Mireya Moscoso President, Panama, 1999-04
- Maria das Neves Prime Minister, São Tomé and Príncipe, 2002–04
- Kamla Persad-Bissessar Prime Minister, Trinidad and Tobago, 2010-present
- Michèle Pierre-Louis Prime Minister, Haiti, 2008-09
- Kazimira Prunskienė Prime Minister, Lithuania, 1990–91
- Iveta Radičová Prime Minister, Slovakia, 2010-present
- Mary Robinson President, Ireland, 1990–97
- Dilma Rousseff President, Brazil, 2011–present
- Jenny Shipley Prime Minister, New Zealand, 1997–99
- Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir Prime Minister, Iceland, 2009-present
- Portia Simpson Miller Prime Minister, Jamaica 2006-07, 2011-present
- Jennifer Meredith Smith Premier, Bermuda, 1998-03
- Hanna Suchocka Prime Minister, Poland, 1992–93
- Yulia Tymoshenko Prime Minister, Ukraine, 2005, 2007–2010
- Vaira Vike-Freiberga President, Latvia, 1999-07
- Begum Khaleda Zia Prime Minister, Bangladesh, 1991–96 and 2001–06
[edit] Deceased
- Corazon Aquino President, Philippines, 1986-92 d. 2009
- Benazir Bhutto Prime Minister, Pakistan, 1988–90, 1993–96 d.2007
- Sirimavo Bandaranaike Prime Minister, Sri Lanka 1960-65, 1970–77, 1994–2000, d.2000
- Dame Eugenia Charles Prime Minister, Dominica, 1980–95, d.2005
- Janet Jagan President, Guyana, 1997–99, d.2009
- Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo Prime Minister, Portugal, 1979–80, d.2004
[edit] Not members
Prominent eligible women who are/were not members of the Council
- Yingluck Shinawatra Prime Minister, Thailand, 2011-
- Megawati Sukarnoputri President, Indonesia, 2001-2004
- Margaret Thatcher Prime Minister, United Kingdom, 1979-1990
- Helle Thorning-Schmidt Prime Minister, Denmark, 2011-
