Ritu Sharma Fox, Women Thrive's President and Co-founder with her Excellency Mary Robinson, former President, Republic of Ireland | For more than a year Women Thrive Worldwide has been working with three other organizations (Washington National Cathedral’s Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation, InterAction’s Commission on the Advancement of Women, and World Conference of Religions for Peace) to co-convene the Women, Faith, and Development Alliance (WFDA), a historic partnership of faith, women's, and development organizations overcoming differences and combining efforts to put women at the center of global poverty efforts (read more). On April 13, 2008 the WFDA was formally launched at Breakthrough: The Women, Faith, and Development Summit to End Global Poverty at the National Cathedral. Former US Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, actress Ashley Judd, President William Jefferson Clinton, former President, United States of America, and her Excellency Mary Robinson, former President, Republic of Ireland joined leaders from the women's, faith, international development, public policy,
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and business communities to announce new commitments worth over US $1.4 billion in new programs to invest in women and girls.
The Summit also served as a launching platform for the Women, Faith, and Development Alliance's (WFDA) multi-year advocacy and action campaign to increase investments in women's and girl's empowerment worldwide. The WFDA could not have have come at a more critical time. 1.2 billion people around the world subsist on only $1 a day and an estimated 7 out of 10 of the world's hungry are women and girls.
As Honorary Breakthrough Co-Chair Archbishop Desmond Tutu highlighted in his remarks before the summit:
"We have come together as the new WFDA because new solutions and energy are needed to empower women and end poverty. Despite its global leadership on human rights and humanitarian aid, the faith community has failed to champion gender justice...[and interfaith leaders] must join with leaders of other sectors to press for more resources...and address the deep injustice of extreme poverty borne so heavily by women." For Archbishop Desmond Tutu's Remarks click here.
Tangible Progress: Over $1.4 Billion in New Commitments
Over 90 organizations announced new commitments to programs for women and girls at the Breakthrough Summit, with an estimated impact on over 1 billion women in dozens of countries. The commitments offer a unique look at the diversity of women's needs:
- Multi-issue: United Nations Population Fund will address maternal mortality, gender violence, female genital mutilation, and empowering adolescent girls in a broad campaign covering 50 countries. Value: $500 million.
- Gender Equity: International Rescue Committee will address global issues like gender violence and women's education. Value: $500 million.
- Women's Community Support: The Sister Fund and Women's Funding Network will significantly expand the "Women Moving Millions" campaign to increase the collective assets of foundations/NGOs serving global women. Value: $150 million.
- Preparing Women for Success: Islamic Relief will help over 1 million women and girls by launching new programs on education, entrepreneurship, access to clean water, support for orphans, and basic health. Value: $43 million.
- Women's Advocacy: United Way will expand its network by bringing Women's Leadership Councils, which help women advocate for their own needs, to 46 countries. Value: $30 million.
- Women's Leadership: Women's Learning Partnership and twenty other organizations will work in 20 countries to train 100,000 women to be leaders in their households, communities, and beyond. Value: $5 million.
- Gender Violence: Religious leaders from around the world will campaign to end gender-based violence and forward the directives expressed in the Millennium Development Goals.
- Others: Nearly 70 other organizations are committing to programs on independence and literacy, economic empowerment, environmental sustainability, access to justice, and other issues. Value: $100 million
Ahead of the launch, Founding WFDA Chair and Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright underscored the importance of showcasing tangible progress:
"Women and girls in poverty are not asking for new rhetoric or promises. They want action that will mean something in their daily lives and have a ripple effect with governments, multilateral institutions, and other organizations. WFDA, with its reach, resources, and expertise, will deliver that to them starting with today's more than $1 billion in new commitments to empowerment programs."
For a full list of commitments, click here.
Historic Collaboration: High Level Leadership
Tutu and Albright were joined in their support of the WFDA by some of the world's most influential leaders, including their fellow Breakthrough Co-Chairs:
- Her Excellency Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President, Republic of Liberia (Honorary)
- Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Chair, King Hussein Foundation (Honorary)
- President William Jefferson Clinton, former President, United States of America (Honorary)
- Her Excellency Mary Robinson, Former President, Republic of Ireland; Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
- The Right Honourable Kim Campbell, Former Prime Minister, Canada
- Sheikh Shaban Mubaje, Grand Mufti, Uganda Muslim Supreme Council, Co-Chair of the Religions for Peace African Council of Religious Leaders
- The Reverend Dr. Ishmael Noko, General Secretary, Lutheran World Federation
The WFDA's influential Leadership Council brings together executives from the women's, faith, and development communities as well from UN agencies and private corporations.
- Ann M. Veneman, Executive Director, UNICEF
- Kemal Dervis, Administrator, United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
- Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund
- Kathy Calvin, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, UN Foundation
- Reverend Canon John L. Peterson, Director, Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation, Washington National Cathedral*
- Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, General Secretary, World YWCA
- Ritu Sharma Fox, Co-Founder and President, Women Thrive Worldwide*
- Faye Wattleton, Center for Women's Advancement
- Ken Hackett, President, Catholic Relief Services
- William Vendley, Secretary General, Religions for Peace*
- Sam Worthington, President, InterAction*
- Mehrezia Labidi-Maiza, Muslim Women's Conference, France
- Ruth Messinger, President, American Jewish World Service
Background on the WFDA
The first meeting of the WFDA took place in June 2006 when 30 representatives from interfaith and development organizations gathered at Washington National Cathedral to begin an inquiry into the unique impact that combining the faith, development and women's communities could make on global poverty and gender equality. Since then, over 120 organizations have joined WFDA. For a complete list of member organizations, click here.
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What's New 
