INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WOMEN CLOSES WITH ADDRESS FROM UNITED NATIONS WOMEN AND POPULATION OFFICIAL
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 2, 1998 -- The Second International Conference on Women in Agriculture closed its program today with an address from Sissel Ekaas, Director of Women and Population at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and a number of sessions with experts on rural agriculture, economic and community issues.
The conference, which ran from June 28-July 2 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., drew 1000 women from 50 countries and focused on learning from experts and other conference delegates in order to help women become better businesswomen and policy makers. The program featured a number of prominent speakers, including Tipper Gore, wife of U.S. Vice President Al Gore; U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman; First Lady of El Salvador Elizabeth Aguirre de Calderon; Special Assistant on Poverty Alleviation Princess Irene Ndagire, Uganda; Senator Beatriz Paredes, Mexico; Under Secretary of Women's Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Relations Teresa Sola, Argentina; and U.S. House of Representatives members Eva Clayton (North Carolina) and Marcy Kaptur (Ohio).
"As we leave this Second International Conference on Women in Agriculture, I have some challenges for you," said Jill Long Thompson, U.S. Agriculture Secretary for Rural Development and conference chair. "If you are from a country that holds elections, get involved in a campaign, or better yet, run for office yourself. Begin a working relationship with one woman you met here from your country, and one woman from another country. Let us begin working together to build an even larger and stronger third International Conference on Women in Agriculture."
The conference continued the work of the first International Conference on Women in Agriculture, held in Melbourne, Australia in 1994, and was sponsored by President Clinton's Interagency Council on Women. Organizers have posted a website on the conference and will distribute a newsletter for the next year. The next International Conference on Women is expected to be held in four years in Spain.
In conclusion, Under Secretary Long Thompson commented, "As a woman committed to our cause, I will do all I can to make our globe a better place for us and our daughters to come together to feed the world."
Additional information about the conference is available at the ICWA site or by calling (202) 720-4581.
Contact:
Jim Brownlee,
(202) 720-2091