LAUNCHING OF VITAL VOICES EL SALVADOR

UNCLAS SAN SALVADOR 000880 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AMBASSADOR MELANNE VERVEER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KWMN KPAO PGOV ECON ES SUBJECT: LAUNCHING OF VITAL VOICES EL SALVADOR ¶1. Summary: On September 17, Salvadorans launched their Vital Voices Global Network Affiliate Chapter, with the goal of identifying, mentoring and developing the next generation of women leaders in business, politics, civic society and the media. The president and vice president of the Salvadoran chapter are businesswomen Carmen Irene Alas and Maria Eugenia Brizuela, former Minister of Foreign Affairs. They participated in the Secretary's meeting with Salvadoran women entrepreneurs on May 31, here in San Salvador, and will take part in follow-on activities in Washington next month. End Summary. ¶2. The newest chapter of the Vital Voices (VV) Global Network, launched in El Salvador on September 17, will be led by a diverse group of women from different political affiliations, professional associations, businesses and institutions. They have united to identify, mentor and develop the next generation of Salvadoran women leaders in the fields of business, politics, civic society and the media. The chapter aims to empower women through training, networking and regular symposia, while also increasing their impact on Salvadoran society by offering them the support of a global platform. The Salvadoran chapter is the sixth in Latin America and the Caribbean, joining chapters in Brazil, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama and Venezuela. Vital Voices San Salvador identifies itself as part of the United States Vital Voices Democracy Initiative, established in 1997 by then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright after the United Nations Fourth World Conference for Women in Beijing. ¶3. The primary focus of the Salvadoran VV Chapter will be to organize specialized training courses for some 160 women a year in coordination with the Business Foundation for Educational Development (FEPADE). These courses aim to develop female leadership and establish alliances that will allow Salvadoran women to actively participate in all aspects of public life. The newly elected president of Vital Voices El Salvador, Carmen Irene Alas, publisher of regional business magazine, "Estrategia y Negocios," emphasized the inclusive and participative nature of the Salvadoran chapter, its national scope, and its vision of public-private partnership. She stated that the chapter's aim is to be "an agent of change and integration, a creator of opportunities and a promoter of local programs for leadership, self-esteem and empowerment of women in El Salvador." ¶4. The chapter initiated its work with an inaugural forum: "Vital Voices: the New Role of Women", which attracted an audience of 200 women, and provided, as examples, the life experiences of four Central American businesswomen who have been recognized as among the most admired in the region. Attendees to the launch included Vital Voices Global Partnership President and CEO Alyse Nelson and VV,s Senior Program Officer for Latin America and the Caribbean, Eugenia Podesta, as well as former Salvadoran First Lady Elizabeth de Calderon Sol. The latter had hosted Secretary Clinton when both were first ladies in 1998, to inaugurate programs that combat violence against women in El Salvador. ¶5. Comment: Several founding members of Vital Voices El Salvador participated in activities associated with the Pathways to Prosperity Ministerial in San Salvador in May, in which Secretary Clinton underscored the importance of social inclusion to ensure that marginalized groups benefit fully from the business opportunities created by free trade. Several members of the VV El Salvador, including Maria Eugenia Brizuela and Elena de Alfaro, will participate in the Department,s Pathways to Prosperity Women Entrepreneurship conference in early October. Post will look for ways in which Vital Voices can serve as a partner in organizing follow-up activities to expand Salvadoran women,s access to business opportunities. BLAU