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11 October 2007
WELCOME ADRESS WOMEN’S FORUM FOR THE ECONOMY AND SOCIETY 11-13 OCTOBER 2007
Aude Zieseniss de Thuin Founder and CEO, Women’s Forum
Thank you Vera Tsu, from the Beijing Philharmonic, for harmoniously opening the Third Women's Forum for the Economy and Society.
Ladies and Gentlemen, dear friends,
I am happy to see many of you again today in Deauville, and welcome to the newcomers, for the third Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society. This is an important moment, one of great emotion, and if I said it in French, I would probably be more emotional than in English. But once more, I have decided to speak to you in English. I hope you will notice an improvement. Thank you for your indulgence for my French accent. And thank you for being here. Thank you very much. I would love for you to be able to introduce yourselves but with our one thousand participants, it’s impossible. But promise me that during these three days, you will introduce yourselves to each other. Because you will meet incredible and exceptional women and create important and lasting human and professional relationships. That’s one of the specificities of the Women’s Forum.
A few figures Deauville third edition : we are more than one thousand people from seventy countries. We have one hundred fifty speakers, participating in sixty sessions. More than 100 journalists will be among us during these three days. And this year, our guest country is China. We have fifty Chinese women. And we have men, fifteen percent. Fifteen percent is fifty percent of my objective, because you remember since the first forum, my objective is to have thirty percent of men. As we advance in the construction of the Women’s Forum, we know that complementarity between men and women is vital for a more balanced world. Complementarity for me, as you can see, is about thirty percent of men!
First, let me now thank our partners for their confidence. Their names are behind me. They have enabled me not only to change the business model after just two years but most of all to launch concrete projects together. Women need and demand concrete and long-term action. This is why we developed the new business model - to create long-term projects. The first of these is Force Femmes, an association created after the first Women's Forum. It accompanies women who are over forty-five in their job search. Two years ago we were in the forefront and already supporting these women now called “seniors”.
This year, we are launching five more concrete projects. One. Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards Cartier and the Women’s Forum are going to award an annual international prize for women creators of original and innovative companies. The award will be announced tomorrow evening during the gala dinner. Two. Rising Talents: A new program of identification and recognition of young enterprising women. The focus is on tomorrow’s leaders, young women who will take their rightful place. Three. Women for Education: This project supports education and training for girls on the five continents. “To give money and support for education is to invest in the future”. Four. Women Action for Leading Change This project will enable outstanding women to publicize their actions that were able to change the world around them. Five. And lastly, Sci Tech Girls: With the support of Deauville, a project to encourage girls in science. The “Deauville Declaration" will announce a commitment to girls’ scientific education. Tomorrow one hundred high school girls will come to Deauville to meet exemplary women who studied science and are making a difference today. Because the world needs this generation and particularly these girls in science for the future.
THREE DAYS TO BUILD TRUST IN OUR SOCIETIES. That’s very short! But we are not afraid. Our ambition is great. Our need for challenges has never stopped us. As you know, we want to create debate and raise awareness in order to help change the world. What does this mean? Trust is the very backbone of our societies. Without trust, our institutions crumble, our companies lose their footing, our social fabric is torn apart, and our media lose credibility. Without trust, scientific and technological progress becomes suspect. Without trust, violence, poverty and ecological damage only worsens. In wealthy as in poverty-stricken societies, women now play a major role. Their ideas on these issues are worth defending, their views are worth confronting and their proposals must be heard. On all these issues their voice is legitimate and indispensable. The world cannot progress without trust, and the world cannot progress without women. Thus, the dominant thread this year is: - Can we have confidence in politics? - Confidence in business? - Confidence in the media? - In the civil society? - In the environment? - Can we have confidence in social cohesion? One of the responsibilities of the Women’s Forum is transmission, transmission of the older generations' experiences and backgrounds to the younger ones, transmission of cultures from women of other countries and other religions. Transmission and change, thinking outside of the box. The Women's Forum wants you to advance, to move forward.
I take advantage of this opportunity to say to the young generation, many of whom are our guests here today: have confidence in yourselves. We need your contribution to the world of tomorrow. Our role, the older generation, is to help you by giving a strong message to business. You will attract young women if you are ready for them. Ready to change your style of management, ready to change your organization, ready to change your business culture. You will understand better when we see the results of the reports.
As for these reports, three studies will be presented at the forum. One called "Women Matter" suggesting "that the companies where women are most strongly represented at board or top-management level are also the companies that perform best." Another study says women's contribution to the world's gross domestic product is greater than either new technology or the emerging economies of China and India. And one on corruption, so topical, makes the point that if there were more women in top management, there would be less corruption. These three extremely significant studies should change your point of view on the entire structure of social and economic decision-making.
I started my speech with the idea of harmony. Harmony is very important in our lives, as you know. Everyone, every woman and every man, has to balance between their professional and personal areas. The creation of the Discovery Program fosters this balance. Artists, writers, scientists and experts animate and lead sessions on trust in this incredibly successful program "off". The newcomers will discover … the Discovery Program. I am proud to say this is the French touch. This year there are seven corners in the "off" program: Education Environment Health Travel Design the Writers' corner And of course "I want to feel good", Fashion and Beauty And as we love men, and we consider complementarity as a new force for business, we decided this year to create a very special space, a “Men’s Corner” for men only, designed as a men’s club. But the real goal of the “Men’s Corner” is serious: to get the Forum’s male participants actively involved in improving gender diversity in business. CHINA In conclusion, I would like to take you to Asia, and specifically to China. The fifty Chinese women here are representative of the economic and social role women desire to play in China. They are participating in the plans for our first forum in Asia, to be held in Shanghai, May 2008 (two thousand eight). You can meet with them in the Welcome Space, Level 0. We will be in Asia now, every year. And we – our board, the global council and some of you here today – have decided to remain in Deauville for the next five years of the forum. So Asia and Deauville are firmly on the agenda for the next five years. Thank you for being here and enjoy the forum in all its diversity and for all it offers Take advantage of every minute. I told you about the Chinese delegation. Well, it is a great honor for me to introduce … Given the anguishing situation in Burma, and the support we have always shown her, the Board of the Women's Forum solemnly dedicates this forum to Aung San Suu Kuy. and I declare THE THIRD EDITION OF THE WOMEN’S FORUM….. OPEN |
