Nov 16, 2007 3:42 pm US/Eastern
Women Leaders Gather For Global Security Summit
NEW YORK (AP) ―
Global security depends on solving economic and environmental problems, not just relying on "missiles, guns and bombs," former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told a gathering of women leaders from around the world Friday.
"To most people, in most places, the perils that are most threatening are not clear and present dangers but chronic absences like a lack of food, not enough water, no access to health care, the loss of land, denial of legal rights and the inability to make their voices heard," she said.
Albright and 75 other women leaders met in New York for a three-day summit to address global threats in addition to terrorism, including climate change, economic insecurity and crimes against humanity.
Albright noted that security is seen as a "hard issue" while such concerns as maternal health and environmental protection are dismissed as "soft."
She said women leaders must work to change the ideas of those who aren't interested "unless missiles, guns and bombs are somehow involved."
Former Irish president Mary Robinson agreed. "The focus is often far too narrow on what we mean by security. Security has to have a human face."
The other aim of the summit was to raise the profile of women in power.
While 50 percent of the world's population is female, only 15 percent are in office or are members of any legislature, according to Shirin Tahir-Kheli, senior adviser to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
"We have the option to push open the door," Tahir-Kheli said.
"Countries have finally begun to understand that they will be judged on how they treat their women."
Participants said women lead differently -- they tend to be more inclusive in their leadership style and believe government should be more transparent. They're also more likely to raise issues that affect families and children.
"We have to get people to start thinking about women as a diplomacy force," said Marie Wilson, president of the nonprofit White House Project, a women's advocacy group.
She said women should take the lead on the so-called soft issues like health care, poverty and the enviroment because "we understand them, we know how to work at them."
Laura Liswood of the Council of Women World Leaders, a sponsor of the summit, said it's important to show that women can lead successfully so more women will run for office.
"Men are historically the only group in power, but that is slowly changing," she said.
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