Women - now here's a subject I know something about!!

Last night in Doha before boarding a miserably long flight home tomorrow at the crack of dawn. A bit sad that the conference is over but miss my family so much (not to mention my dog!) and am longing to be home. Yesterday, I finished my report on the panel called "Women, Global Corporations, Corporate Responsibility." There were four panelists -- two from multinational corporations and two from NGOs. It was certainly interesting, but I think it lacked a certain critical edge. It was a bit of a "rah-rah" session, aren't we women great, without recognizing that the Middle East and elsewhere have a long way to go before women have equal rights and equal opportunity. Anyway, here it is... Homeward bound!

ENRICHING THE MIDDLE EAST’S ECONOMIC FUTURE V CONFERENCE

“WOMEN, GLOBAL CORPORATIONS, CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY”

JUNE 2, 2010

Participants:
• Judith Barnett, President, The Barnett Group (Moderator)
• Pam Darwin, Vice President, Geoscience; Management sponsor for ExxonMobil’s Science Ambassador Program, and Member of Advisory Board for ExxonMobil Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative
• Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, Founder and Chair, Women’s Campaign International
• Nancy Owens, Vice President of Human Resources, General Motors International Operations
• Soraya Salti, Senior Vice President of the MENA Junior Achievement, INJAZ Al Arab

The panel focused on the advancement that women have made both in the Middle East and worldwide and the role that corporations and the NGO sector have played to facilitate this progress. The gender gap in higher education in the ME region has been closed. However, the challenge is that educated Arab women are still not entering the workforce.

The first panelist, Pam Darwin, opened by stating that there is a strong business case for investing in women because they have a multiplier effect (they give back to their communities). Citing a McKinsey report, she claimed that a gender diverse workforce helps financial performance and that such workplaces have operating margins that are twice as high as those that are less diverse. Corporations can increase their number of professional level employees by offering flexible work plans (for pregnant women, mothers and fathers), professional women’s networks, and leadership and mentorship programs. She discussed the importance of encouraging girls to study math and science so that they can become leaders of Fortune 500 companies, which are often led by engineers. She mentioned the MENA Business Women’s Network, which is soon to become an independent regional NGO that is focused on advocacy campaigns to change public policy and raise awareness about women in the workplace.

The next panelist, Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, began by stating the importance for women to be at the table in both business and politics, because when women are empowered, they empower their own communities. She described her NGO, Women’s Campaign International (WCI), which helps women all over the world by providing training for grassroots organizing, fundraising, entrepreneurship, and conflict resolution. However, she acknowledged the difficulty of establishing metrics for success in the short term, because the success stories for the women they support are more anecdotal than quantitative. Quantitative measures for success can be obtained in the longer term. WCI’s newest effort is to develop global programs for adolescent outreach.

Nancy Owens, the third panelist, discussed the ways that General Motors (GM) helps women around the world by providing programs that focus on: 1. Training and development; 2. Employment generation; 3. Environmental awareness; 4. Health and wellness; 5. Educational scholarships, and 6. Community development projects. She gave examples of successful programs in Egypt, Colombia and Brazil, and emphasized that GM feels a commitment to the countries where they have a corporate presence.
Soraya Salti, the final panelist, began by saying that the women’s revolution has at last hit the Arab World. Arab women are now more likely to be educated than Arab men. Female labor participation across the ME has gone up to 30%. Women and girls are demonstrating resilience and determination to be agents of change, even in places like Yemen where resources are very limited. She stated that one of the challenges is that Arab women have typically relied on government jobs because there tends to be much more discrimination in the private sector, but the economic crisis has greatly reduced the number of government job opportunities.

Bullet point summary:
• The existing antidiscrimination laws to protect women in the workplace need to be enforced.
• NGOs working on these issues in the ME need help connecting to financial resources outside of the region.
• ME women need support and training to become activists in their home countries.
• Ministries in the region should explore economic incentives for women owned businesses.
• Young women and girls in the ME need encouragement, via mentorship, to study math, science and entrepreneurship.
• Educating ME women is not enough; we need to find ways to bring them into the workforce in greater numbers.

Economics?? I can barely figure out a restaurant tip!

I'm not known for my math skills. So I was a bit worried when I was assigned to cover the session on "Leaders of the New World Economic Order." Didn't they realize I was a humanities major for a reason??Fortunately, I'm a fast typist so I was able to take notes and boil them down into a somewhat comprehensible one page document. For those of you with an interest in such things, the report is below...

There are some seriously smart and articulate people here. My head is spinning!

ENRICHING THE MIDDLE EAST’S ECONOMIC FUTURE V CONFERENCE

PANEL - LEADERS OF THE NEW WORLD ECONOMIC ORDER

JUNE 1, 2010

Participants:
• Hani Findakly, Chairman of Potomac Capital (Moderator)
• Dr. Ben Simpendorfer, Chief Asia Economist, Royal Bank of Scotland, Hong Kong
• Brad Bourland, Chief Economist and Managing Director, JADWA
• Michael Sarris, Former Minister of Finance, Republic of Cyprus

The main focus of this session was how the world economic order will rebalance itself in response to the recent economic crisis. The group agreed that it is impossible to discuss ME economic restructuring without also focusing on China’s position as a leader of the new economic world order. It is China’s long term development prospects that will have the biggest impact on the ME. However, the US economy will remain extremely important to the world and to the ME region.

Findakly opened with a couple of questions that he asked the panel to address: 1. To what extent has the recent financial crisis impacted or accelerated the trend of the global economic shift (from west to east)? 2. Will Europe be able to handle its debt and currency challenges and will the current financial crisis lead to further economic integration of Europe or a disintegration of the EU? 3. Will the large fiscal deficits around the world lead to major inflation over the coming five to ten years, or will the challenges of over-investment, unemployment and excess capacity lead to deflation and lower growth? 4. How will the ME region deploy its considerable resources to build a sustainable economic infrastructure that will provide jobs and become integrated with the rest of the world?

The first panelist, Ben Simpendorfer began by stating that we are witnessing a historical rebalancing of the global economy. The rise of the east will have much faster growth rates than the west. China has overtaken the US as the world’s largest exporter to the ME. As a result, goods have become more affordable for some, but at the same time, there are already factory closings and job losses in the ME region as the ME no longer produces these goods themselves. Putting local youth to work is going to be harder if the ME is importing a majority of its products from China. It’s not all bad, however. As China is rebalancing, its interior provinces will need more oil, and not just the coastal cities. China’s production costs are rising and they are looking to manufacture goods in the ME in countries that make it easy to do so. This depends on the possibility of free trade agreements between China and other nations (i.e., Egypt). As the ME region thinks about economic restructuring, they need to continually think about capturing the Chinese trade, particularly vis-à-vis low cost manufacturing (as manufacturers have done in Doha and Dubai), and can therefore become the intermediary trade partner in China’s rise to economic power.

The second panelist, Brad Bourland, noted that global GDP growth is occurring at vastly different rates for different countries. China will have high growth rates for the next couple of decades and its GDP may possibly catch up to the US in the next 100 years. The ME region as a whole is not currently a large global economy. What will keep the ME important is its role in hydrocarbons. Natural gas and petro chemicals will also be important, but hydrocarbons will be particularly so. Capital that flows into the ME region will increasingly flow towards China.

The third and final panelist, Michael Sarris, noted that before the economic crisis, the world was experiencing unprecedented prosperity. With the liberalization of international trade, the role of government regulation was not taken seriously and there were a number of imbalances. The most visible imbalance was that China was amassing huge surpluses and the corresponding deficit was mostly in the US. Markets then forced a correction to the imbalances and policymakers had to step in. Markets also began to distinguish between sovereign debts that were likely to be repaid and those that were not (i.e., Greece). The EU’s social model will need to be rethought. The US and China will need to find ways to work together. Countries will need to increase their competitiveness and need to reform their labor markets. Overall, the ME has handled its wealth quite well, but questions remain as to whether the region is making sustainable investments that will contribute to a global economic balance.

Bullet point summary:
• China’s long term development prospects will have the biggest impact on ME
• ME countries should focus on capturing Chinese trade markets, particularly by offering low cost manufacturing
• Hydrocarbons will continue to play a big role in the ME’s economy
• Capital that flows into ME region will increasingly flow towards China
• EU social policies need to be rethought; early retirement, welfare, long vacation periods are not sustainable
• China and the US need to find new ways of working together economically
• The ME will need at least 100 million new jobs over the next 10 years
• Higher end service jobs are better candidates for job growth in ME than oil production (i.e., banking, investment, tourism)
• China’s role in Africa will continue to grow

Reflections on the region and visions for tomorrow

I was asked to write a report on the conference's opening panel, entitled "Reflections on the region and visions for tomorrow." My report is pasted below, in case anyone is interested.

Meanwhile, there are such conflicting interpretations of the flotilla incident in Gaza. The Arabs insist that the boats were filled with peacekeepers intent on delivering food and aid to the people of Gaza. The Israelis insist that a small, lighly armed Israeli commando team boarded one of the vessels and were beaten with iron bars, at which point they had no choice but to open fire. Not sure what the truth is, but I know it's very bad for Israel and the peace process in general. Sigh...

ENRICHING THE MIDDLE EAST’S ECONOMIC FUTURE V CONFERENCE

OPENING PANEL – REFLECTIONS ON THE REGION AND VISIONS FOR TOMORROW

MAY 31, 2010

Participants: Steven L. Spiegel (Opening Remarks), Steve Clemons (Moderator), H.E. Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi, Former President of Lebanon Amin Gemayel, Former PM of the Netherlands Wim Kok, Former US Senator Mel Martinez, Amb. (Ret) Daniel Kurtzer, Bisher H. Al Khasawneh, Congressman Brian Baird.

Summary: The panel was asked to address their recommendations for moving the economic future of the Middle East forward. Most of the panelists felt compelled to comment on the situation that took place today on the flotillas in the Gaza strip. But the overarching theme of the evening was that the peace process should not be derailed by the tragic events of any given day, including today. Steve Spiegel, citing Obama’s campaign slogan of “Yes we can,” challenged conference participants to figure out “how we can” (enrich the economic future of the Middle East). Spiegel suggested that we need concrete recommendations for moving the region forward economically, politically and developmentally, since it is now, more than ever, fundamentally interconnected to and interdependent with the global community. The group mostly agreed that they want peace and they want it now, and that the world must work together to make this happen if the Middle East economy is to grow to its fullest potential.

Clemons asked all panelists to spend five minutes addressing the question of “how we can” that Spiegel posed. Senator Martinez began by saying that as the world recovers from the economic crisis, that he is optimistic about the Middle East, particularly because of the efforts of Senator George Mitchell on the Israeli/Palestinian crisis, and reiterated that Mitchell’s bottom up (civil society, rule of law) and top down (political process) approach cannot be derailed. President Gemayel said that it is very difficult to discuss development without addressing the injustices and violence of the day, because stability in the ME region must be based on equality and justice. Wim Kok said that the U.S and Europe have more in common with the Middle East than we sometimes think, and that it should be our central focus to figure out how we can work together on issues such as economic growth, governance, climate change, sustainability, regional, national and international security. Amb. Al-Khasawneh said that the question of “how we can” is inextricably linked to the need for sustainable peace and that without a two-state solution in Israel/Palestine, we cannot successfully move forward in growing and diversifying the Middle East’s economic future. Congressman Baird emphasized the need to create opportunities for the young men and women in the Middle East, particularly in Gaza, via education and science exchange programs and indicated that there is a shift away from simply making money and towards public service, such as the desire to become educators. Amb. Kurtzer summarized four cluster areas of how we can build the Middle East’s economic future: 1. The need for peace: we are all frustrated by the lack of peace and we need to send strong messages to our leaders that we have had enough of the conflict and that peace must be established now; 2. Institution building: we need to build institutions that will help us solve the dilemmas of the 21st century in the same way we did after the second world war (the GCC and the Arab League are examples but they need to go further to address our global interdependence); 3. Rethinking aid and development assistance: instead of using old paradigms that presume an absence of capital, we now need to focus on building infrastructures (scientific and technology transfer, education, managerial training, sustainable investment) that will create jobs; and 4. Focus on Arab based recommendations: if the Arab world determines that the recommendations defined in the five Arab Human Development reports are worth doing, then the global community needs to start making those recommendations a reality. Finally, Mohammed Al Rumaihi claimed that there is too much government involved in Middle East business affairs and that the role of the governance should be reduced.

Concluding remarks:

Gemayel underscored the importance for the Arab world to have a mechanism for moving forward economically. Kok suggested that while the G20 may have some imperfections, particularly that some of the countries are not yet anchored in global institutions, it is nonetheless the best we have and a significant step forward and we should use it to the best of our ability. Martinez, Baird and Kurtzer agreed that it is important for the U.S. to gain the world’s trust back regarding its financial reliability. Baird also claimed that the U.S. is going to need the help of the global community to grow its own economy. Nonetheless, as Kurtzer pointed out, the U.S. has two arenas where they can still be proud: social change and innovation (i.e., the ipad).

Bullet Point Summary
• The peace process must not be derailed
• We should all send strong messages to our leaders that we want peace now
• ME regional development must be addressed in conjunction with issues of equality and justice
• The young men and women in the region need educational and science exchange opportunities
• The ME countries should work together with partners in Europe, the U.S. and Asia
• Need new global institutions to address the challenges of the 21st century
• Development and foreign aid should focus on ME infrastructures that will create jobs via education, science and technology transfer, managerial training and sustainable investments
• The ME needs less government involvement in business
• The global community needs to work within the framework of international law
• The U.S. is still the best hope for establishing peace in the Middle East

Recommendations for next year’s conference:
• Amb Kurtzer suggested that before conference participants are invited back, the conference hosts should ask them what they have done in their own societies to advance any part of this agenda?
• Gemayel suggested that an item on next year’s agenda could be the question of how to establish economic integration between countries such as Syria, Iraq, Libya and Palestine.

Opening Day!

What a day! Woke up totally bleary eyed and had to get right to work. As soon as we walked into the opening session, we learned about the situation with the aid boat in Gaza. Discussion of this tragedy colored the presentations for the entire day. But surprisingly, even though we are in an Arab country with primarily Arab participants, many advised that the peace process cannot be derailed. Many panelists said that they are sick of talking about the "peace process" and want to finally see peace.

To my satisfaction, the President of Finland spoke adamantly about the need to include women in the plans about enriching the Middle East's economic future. Several others spoke of the future as being one that will embrace a "bottom up" approach. More reinforcement that the School of Peace Studies is on the right track with its focus on community and civil society.

Queen Rania of Jordan attended the opening session. Far be it from me to be totally superficial, but she is GORGEOUS! Check out below:

Okay, I barely know my name. Off to bed...

Arrived!

Here I am in Doha! It feels like a week later, but it's only a couple of days since I left San Diego. That was one long, miserable flight! Crammed in like a sardine and hardly slept. Now, thankfully, I am in a deliciously comfortable bed and ready to pass out for awhile. It's exciting though, because in conjunction with the conference I am attending, the Doha Economic Forum is taking place at the same hotel! More tomorrow. Night -night...

Bags are packed and I'm ready to go

Passport? Check! Appropriate clothing that comes up to my neck and at least below my knees? Check! Bill Clinton's phone number in case I need to call him to come rescue me? Still working on it.

Fun facts about Qatar

In preparation for my trip, I have discovered a couple of relatively useless but nonetheless entertaining facts about Qatar:

1. The national carrier Qatar Airways allows you to buy liquor on its planes but does not allow you to bring it into the country so you end up drunk even before you set foot.

2. It's probably a good thing that I haven't yet been fortunate enough to visit Israel, because if I had an Israeli stamp in my passport, I would not be allowed to enter Qatar.

3. Under a section called, "Annoyances" on a website about Qatar, it reads: "There are really very little annoyances in Qatar besides the heat in the summer, which many people enjoy."


Good to know!