Blogging for Change #UNWeekDML

This week, I spent three information-filled days at the UN Week Digital Media Lounge, a place for bloggers to get an inside look into the events of the UN Summit through in-person interviews and discussions with UN officials and other experts on global issues.  For me, there were several highlights, including a discussion of the global strategy for women and children’s health with Dr. Abhay Bang, Director of SEARCH, a conversation with Raj Shah, USDA Administrator, on Obama’s plan for U.S. development, and a session addressing girls’ use of social media to promote worldwide movements.   Women and children were central in the week’s discussion, as educating women in order to achieve gender equality is vital in reaching the UNDP’s Millennium Development Goals. 

Among the speakers featured and the projects highlighted, I was particularly inspired by Zainab Salbi, an Iraqi woman whose father served as Saddam Hussein’s personal pilot.  After experiencing an abusive arranged marriage in the U.S., Zainab turned her life in a different direction and founded Women for Women International, which places female victims of war and conflict in a one-year program that provides participants rights awareness, leadership education and vocational and technical skills training.  In Iraq, several initiatives are underway to foster increased knowledge and earning potential of women, including a program for the creation of handcrafted candles to be sold in the global marketplace.  After many stimulating discussions highlighting influential projects such as this, the week closed with statements identifying social media as an inexpensive and effective way to promote social change.  So, keep on blogging, everyone!