19
November
2018
|
15:45
Europe/London
The Rt Hon Helen Clark at the Global Development Institute Annual lecture
Former New Zealand Prime Minister the Rt Hon Helen Clark spoke on “Women – Equality – Power” to a public audience at The University of Manchester. She spoke on the importance of having women in decision-making positions to increase the prospects of achieving inclusive development.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister the Rt Hon Helen Clark spoke on “Women – Equality – Power” to a public audience at The University of Manchester. She spoke on the importance of having women in decision-making positions to increase the prospects of achieving inclusive development.
“If more women are to rise to the ranks of leadership across all areas of economics, societies and politics, there is a wide range of structural factor to be addressed,” Clark said. “This is as relevant to women rising to political leadership as it is to women rising to be top leaders in major public, private and non-governmental organisations. The signals from such [women in top] appointments to all girls and women are that someone may be looking out for them and their interests and needs, and that no positions are barred to women. We need many more such signals.”
Helen Clark was speaking at the Global Development Institute Annual lecture which provides space for leading development thinkers to discuss their latest ideas.
As part of her visit to the University Helen met with a select group of female academics to provide encouragement on their journeys in academic and research around the world. She also featured in a GDI podcast with Professor Uma Kothari in an intimate discussion about her time leading one of the world’s most egalitarian countries, heading up the UNDP and her unsuccessful bid for UN Secretary General.
Helen Clark has been a political leader for more than 40 years; she was the Prime Minister of New Zealand for nine years and the first female Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme.
A key focus of her career has been the empowerment of women and leadership at all levels. A book with the same name as her lecture has recently been released with some of the key speeches from her time in politics.