2006 press releases
Lebanese Businesswomen Participate in MEPI-Supported Summit for Economic Opportunity, Empowerment, and Health of Women in the Middle East
October 27, 2006Twenty-three Lebanese businesswomen will join U.S. Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes and 14 women leaders and executives from the United States at the 2006 Middle East and North Africa Businesswomen’s Summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, October 30-November 1, 2006. More than 250 businesswomen from 17 Middle Eastern countries and territories will participate in the event aimed at strengthening entrepreneurship on the part of Arab women in the region. The Businesswomen’s Summit will help participants expand their networks, discuss real-world experiences and build management and leadership skills.
Summit speakers will include Under Secretary Hughes, Delta Private Equity Partners CEO Patricia Cloherty, and Raja Easa Al Gurg, number four on the Forbes 50 most influential women in the Arab world list. While in the UAE, Under Secretary Hughes and Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation founder Nancy Brinker will launch the U.S.-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research on October 31. This unique partnership will share America’s experience in the fight against breast cancer with the women of the region in an effort to raise awareness, increase medical research — and save lives. Partners include the Komen Foundation; Johns Hopkins Medicine International; and businesswomen, physicians, and governmental, social and medical organizations in the Middle East.
The businesswomen’s summit is made possible by the State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), which has devoted nearly $300 million in four years to people in the region working to spread democracy, enhance education, expand economic opportunity, and empower women. The breast cancer partnership is supported by the State Department’s Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and MEPI. The government of the UAE also has provided significant support for both initiatives.