Washington, DC – The International Republican Institute’s Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) hosted its fifth annual International Women’s Day conference in Washington, DC from March 8-10. This year’s program included an exceptional delegation of 20 women members of parliament, political leaders and civil society activists from more than 13 countries around the world. During an intensive program focused on “Women Leaders and Communication in the 21st Century,” conference participants attended skills-building workshops, met with policy makers on Capitol Hill and at the State Department and applied lessons learned in new media applications.

A highlight of the conference was the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Award (JKA) dinner. Now in its third year, the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Award recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of women in politics and civil society. This year’s award was presented to the Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) and the Iraqi Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI). Upon receiving the award, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the first Hispanic woman and the first Cuban-American elected to Congress stated, “time has validated our trust in democracy as countless have been freed from the shackles of tyranny and opportunities exist where only despair and hopelessness reigned before. This is especially true for women.”

Keynote speakers throughout the three-day conference included: Deb Sofield, executive speech coach from Greenville, South Carolina who provided training on speech preparation and public speaking skills; Mary Pieschek, WDN country chapter consultant who discussed fundraising best practices for WDN country chapters; Liz Mair, vice president for Hynes Communications, who discussed how organizations and governments use new digital media to enhance communication strategies and reach constituencies; Lori Weberg, account manager for Tusk Mobile, who talked about her experience in using mobile campaigns with corporate, political and non-profit clients; and, Terry Neese, the founder and CEO of the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women http://www.ieew.org/, who highlighted her Peace Through Business, entrepreneurship and business training school for Afghan and Rwandan women.

During an afternoon on Capitol Hill, the delegation had the opportunity to share insight and exchange experiences with Communications Director for Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) Tara Setmayer and professional staffer for the Rules Committee for Congressman David Drier (R-CA) Stephanie Blanton. The visit to Capitol Hill concluded with moving remarks from IRI Board Member and 2009 JKA recipient Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX).

The delegation was also honored to meet with Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero to openly share the political challenges women face across the world. Under Secretary Otero re-enforced her and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s commitment to women’s issues and commended the WDN for the work they do to build connections and support systems for politically active women in their home countries.