WPL Summit programme
WPL Summit 2023 programme of events
Representation Matters is the theme for our 2023 WPL Summit. Below you will find our programme of events available over the two days and two locations.
Subject to change.
Arrival and badge pickup
Venue: Station Europe,European Parliament
Opening of WPL Summit
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Welcome words by:
- Stephanie D’Hose, President of the Senate of Belgium
- Silvana Koch-Mehrin, President & Founder, Women Political Leaders (WPL)
- Obiageli Ezekwesili, Chair of the WPL Board
Panel 1: Lead like a woman: peace and security
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Speakers:
- Irene Fellin, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security
- Sahar Albazar, Member of Parliament & Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee ; WPL Country Ambassador, Egypt
- Rozália-Ibolya Biro, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Chairperson of the Committee for Foreign Affairs, Chamber of Deputies of Romania
- Evelyn Regner, Vice-President & Member of the European Parliament (S&D)
- Lindiwe Dlamini, President of the Senate of Eswatini
- Moderator: Jaume Duch Guillot, Spokesperson of the European Parliament and the Director-General of Communication
Guiding Questions
- What role does the Women, Peace & Security (WPS) agenda play in current geopolitics?
- How can we counter the rollback of the WPS agenda?
- Which concrete steps can we take to strengthen women’s participation?
- Is there sufficient momentum for feminist foreign policy?
Keynote speech: Sahle-Work Zewde, President of Ethiopia
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Panel 2: War, oppression and strongmen
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Speakers:
- Assita Kanko, Member of the European Parliament (Vice-Chair, ECR)
- Princess Esméralda of Belgium, Journalist, author and activist
- Martha Martin Dar, Member of the National Legislative Assembly; WPL Country Ambassador, South Sudan
- Katalin Cseh, Member of the European Parliament (Vice-Chair, Renew)
- Moderator: Dan Michaels, Brussels Bureau Chief, The Wall Street Journal
Guiding Questions
- Prioritising peace – illusion or ambition?
- How to get the allure of strongman out of politics?
- Is feminism a remedy against dictatorships?
- What is the narrative of feminism in the 21st Century?
- What kind of international responses are effective in opposing strongmen politicians?
Keynote speech: Marlène Schiappa, Secretary of State for Social & Solidarity Economy & Associative Life of France
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Keynote speech
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Fireside Chat: Katarina Barley, Vice-President & Member of the European Parliament and Samuelu Teo, Speaker of the Parliament of Tuvalu, Moderator: Shirin Wheeler, Principal Advisor International communications, European Investment Bank
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Moderator: Shirin Wheeler, Principal Advisor International communications, European Investment Bank
Lunch
Venue: TBC
Panel 3: The truth is what you make it? Navigating alternative facts, disinformation and conspiracy theories
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Speakers:
- Frances Fitzgerald, Member of the European Parliament; WPL Country Ambassador (Alternate), (EPP)
- Marina Kaljurand, Member of the European Parliament (S&D)
- Domani Doré, Deputy, National Assembly of the Republic of Guinea
- Gisela Marziotta, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Argentina
- Kira Rudik, Member of Parliament, Leader of the Golos Party, Ukraine; Vice-President of the ALDE party
Moderator: Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck, Founder & CEO, Lie Detectors
Guiding Questions
- What steps should democratic countries take to be more successful in shaping narratives?
- What can social media platforms and legislators do to prevent the spread of disinformation?
- How can disinformation and conspiracy theories be exposed?
- How can we future-proof education in this regard?
Keynote speech: Natalia Gavrilița, Prime Minister of Moldova (2021-2023)
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Panel 4: Can we keep the UN Charter alive?
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Speakers:
- Şafak Pavey, Senior Advisor, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees; Member of the WPL Board
- Maria Rachel J. Arenas, Member of the House of Representatives, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee; WPL Country Ambassador, The Philippines
- Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA)
- Abla Amawi, Senator, Senate of Jordan
- Olha Vasylevska-Smahliuk, Member of Parliament, Ukraine
Moderator: Maithreyi Seetharaman, Founder, Facultas Media
Guiding Questions
- How does Russia’s war against Ukraine impact the rules-based international order?
- Can global partnerships still be built?
- How can we defend a rules-based international order?
- Do we need to revise the rules?
Join us in Armenia! Anna Hakobyan, Chair of the Board of Trustees of My Step Charitable Foundation, Spouse of the Prime Minister of Armenia
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Coffee Break
Venue: TBC
WPL Peace Awards Ceremony
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Keynote Speech: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, National Leader of Belarus & Head of the United Transitional Cabinet
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Keynote speech: Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Closing of Day 1 of the WPL Summit
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
Family photo
Venue: European Parliament, Room 3C50
She Will Be Heard: Film soirée & Reception
Venue: Jan2Q, European Parliament
Hosted by ALDE Party and The Alliance Of Her with introductory remarks by Kira Rudik, Vice-President of the ALDE party
ARRIVAL AND REGISTRATION OF DELEGATES
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
Entrance: Rue de Louvain 13, 1000, Brussels
OPENING
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
Welcome words by:
- Stephanie D’Hose, President of the Senate of Belgium
- Éliane Tillieux, President of the House of Representatives of Belgium
- Silvana Koch-Mehrin, President & Founder, Women Political Leaders (WPL)
Keynote speech: Éliane Tillieux, President of the House of Representatives of Belgium
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
Panel 1: Representation matters
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
Speakers:
- Espérance Nyirasafari, Vice-President of the Senate of Rwanda
- Amalia Dolores García Medina, Deputy, Chamber of Deputies, Mexico; Governor of Zacatecas (2004 – 2010)
- Irene Charalambides, Member & Chairwoman of the Standing Committee on Human Rights and on Equal Opportunities between Men and Women, House of Representatives of Cyprus
- Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, Chair & Co-Founder, The Reykjavik Global Forum; Senior Advisor, UN Women
- Moderator: Lucia Kleštincová, Co-President, Volt Slovakia
Guiding Questions:
- How do politics change with more women in power?
- How do policies change with more women in power?
- What can political parties do to have more women politicians?
Keynote speech: Helena Dalli, EU Commissioner for Equality
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
Panel 2: Violence against women in politics
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
Speakers:
- Mabel Memory Chinomona, President of the Senate of Zimbabwe, President of the African Parliamentary Union (APU); WPL Country Ambassador
- Carlien Scheele, Director of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)
- Ann Marie Vaz, Member of Parliament, Jamaica
- Martha Martin Dar, Member of the National Legislative
- Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Member of the European Parliament (Renew)
Guiding Questions:
More than 80% of women politicians experience online violence, more than 10% physical violence.
- How can violence against women in politics be recognised as a systemic threat?
- What societal changes are necessary?
- Is legislation an answer?
Keynote speech: Stephanie D’Hose, President of the Senate of Belgium
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
Preceded by film “Be a lady, they said”
Panel 3: Sexism in Politics
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
Speakers:
- Joyce Grant, President, National Alliance Party of Papua New Guinea
- Terry Reintke, Member of the European Parliament, Co-President Greens/EFA
- Camila Crescimbeni, Deputy, National Assembly of Argentina
- Karen Melchior, Member of the European Parliament (Renew)
Moderator: Sarah Wheaton, Chief Policy Correspondent, POLITICO
Guiding Questions:
- How can individuals or organisations expose sexism in politics?
- Which measures work?
- What responsibility does media carry?
- When is the time for #MeToo in politics?
Presentation of manifesto against sexism in politics /WPL
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
Family photo
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
Lunch hosted by the Federal Parliament of Belgium
Venue: TBC
Keynote speech: Mary Robinson, Chair; Adjunct Professor for Climate Justice, Trinity College Dublin; President of Ireland (1990-1997)
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
WPL Trailblazer Awards – facilitated by: Sara Beysolow Nyanti
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
The WPL Trailblazer Award is presented to incumbent and former women Presidents and Prime Ministers for breaking political glass ceilings and reaching the highest echelon of political leadership. The WPL Trailblazer Awards are presented by Obiageli Ezekwesili, Chair of the Women Political Leaders (WPL) Board and Silvana Koch-Mehrin, President & Founder of WPL.
Awardees for 2023:
- Sahle-Work Zewde, President of Ethiopia
- Sanna Marin, Prime Minister of Finland
- Natalia Gavrilița, Prime Minister of Moldova (2021-2023)
- Mary Robinson, Chair; Adjunct Professor for Climate Justice, Trinity College Dublin; President of Ireland (1990-1997)
National delegation statements on “Increasing the number and influence of women in politics – what works”.
Venue: The Hemicycle of the Senate of Belgium
- What barriers keep women out of politics?
- Why are more than 90% of the world’s Heads of State or Government men?
- How can we get to parity in political leadership?
- How can political parties and organisations better recruit and champion women candidates?
Closing of WPL Summit
