This is from my trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on behalf of the Club of Madrid for a Regional Workshop on Women’s Leadership for Peace and Security in the Greater Horn of Africa in the fall of 2009.

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To learn more, read Don Steinberg’s testimony before the US Foreign Relations Committee.

Do you think the role of women in peace and security is well understood?

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While I was there, I met an extraordinary group of women.  You see in Macedonia, they have a quota that dictates that 40 out of the 120 parliamentarians must be women and they have subsequently formed a club.  The night I arrived in Skopje, I got the chance to meet members of this Macedonian Women Parliamentarians Club.  I was interested to learn that they are the only body that is currently working across party lines, and even though they may have serious disagreements, they are determined to continue to work together.  Because of their efforts,  a committee regarding equal opportunity for men and women has been formed, and it has begun to deal with issues like domestic violence and child welfare.  They’ve also had a huge impact on the culture of the parliament… how men feel about these issues.  They’ve accomplished a great deal and are a model for working across party lines, which I think is absolutely necessary for the success of democracy in this country.  These women really inspired me!

Many people lament the lack women running for and in political office.  Have you ever thought of your country enacting a quota?  What would you think about it?

Image via CrunchBase

Recently, the Mark News hosted an interesting conversation about the direction of Canada, what it should look like at 150, and how to get there. One theme that emerged was the need for strong leadership at this particular moment in Canada’s history.

Challenges include defining a role for Canada in the rapidly changing global context and reengaging a public that seems increasingly disinterested in the political process. This will require bold leadership. But what does that look like?

The Mark News asked me to further the conversation by identifying one political leader, either past or present, who could serve as a role model for Canadian politicians and what could be learned from that leader today. I suggested that Canadian leaders look to Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald for inspiration.

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In this clip from Gretchen Kelbaugh’s independent film, Menocracy, Former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell talks about why women should “Go for it.”

Here’s a challenge for you:  If you have been inspired by an extraordinary woman, do something about it!  It could be something as simple as thanking them and letting them know how they’ve influenced you, or perhaps there’s some way that you can pass it on by supporting or inspiring someone else.

Let us know who inspired you and what you’re doing about it.

-Sheila

An important point: there are certain countries in the world that enjoy a “trifecta” of disadvantage in dealing with the effects of global warming – they are poor, their geographical position renders them  especially vulnerable to the negative effects of global warming and they are weak or failed states. Failed states lack the capacity to govern themselves effectively and are often places where warlords, gangs or organized crime usurp the usual prerogatives of government in the use of force and social organization. Watching the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake these past few weeks has brought home just what it means to be a “failed state”. Haiti was a very weak state before the earthquake, but that natural disaster had the devastating effect of destroying much of its governing capacity as it hit while the majority of politicians and government officials were at their offices in buildings that collapsed. Even weeks after the disaster, much of the international aid still cannot reach the people who need it. The physical destruction of buildings and infrastructure is compounded by the social and organizational destruction wrought by the tragic level of death. There is simply no capacity to organize and rebuild.

Haiti is what can happen if we don’t address the issues of climate change- not just the mitigation of climate change through reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide, but also working to build governing capacity in the poorest most vulnerable countries so that they can adapt. Even in the face of disaster people have often shown remarkable resilience, strength and forbearance. Nonetheless, societies need governance to manage the distribution of public goods, organize the delivery of assistance in times of disaster and keep order. The question in Haiti is whether some sort of order can be established or whether gangs will occupy the power vacuum. Haiti today is a preview of what could be in much of the third world if we don’t act.

The government of Canada has made the rebuilding of government capacity in Haiti the cornerstone of its very generous response to the earthquake. This will be fundamental to the long term rebuilding of Haiti’s economy and society. We should learn as much as we can from this experience and understand that addressing the challenge of “capacity building” is as key in foreign assistance as the provision of food, shelter and economic aid. Countries that are especially vulnerable to climate change will meet the challenges best if they have the strength to respond themselves.

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