Showing posts with label Daily Beast. Show all posts

Sunday, March 11, 2012

WIW12 Wrap Up

Women in the World Summit gathers heavy hitters like Angelina Jolie, Chelsea Clinton to honor activists

Young women are looking beyond Snooki and Kim Kardashian at the real world - and solving its problems

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Sunday, March 11, 2012, 6:42 PM

Angelina Jolie at the Women in the World Summit.

Here's hope.

Young women are looking beyond Snooki and Kim Kardashian and their own shoe closets out at the real world and its problems — and solving them. That was the high-energy conclusion of the Women in the World Summit at Lincoln Center Saturday, organized by Newsweek/Daily Beast Editor-in-Chief Tina Brown with a list of guests she alone could gather.

From Angelina Jolie, who opened the three-day event, to U.S. Secretary of State Clinton, who closed, 2,000 attendees met speakers like International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Israeli opposition leader Tsipi Livni, Meryl Streep, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Madeleine Albright, Gael Garcia Bernal, Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga, Diane von Furstenberg, Christy (Every Mother Counts) Turlington, Chelsea Clinton, Jenna and Barbara Bush (Global Health Corps) and their cousin, Lauren Bush Lauren (FEED). But it was the courage of women and girl activists from all over the world who blew even these top leaders and philanthropists away.

Women such as Zin Mar Aung, jailed in solitary confinement in Burma for 11 years just for carrying political flyers about Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi — then, the minute she got out, she started organizing again. And Suma, who was sold in Nepal by her parents at 6 into indentured servitude for six years until an organization called Room to Read helped liberated her. Now, she helps liberate the 20,000 other girls who remain enslaved.

Or Dalia Ziada, who like other Egyptian women walked first into Tahrir Square in front of the men because they thought soldiers wouldn’t touch them — only to be blocked by men from winning office now. She told the room, "There is no spring without flowers; there is no Arab spring without women."

And other activists fighting forced marriage in Pakistan and India, sex slavery in Mexico and even the right to drive in Saudi Arabia. Six months ago, Brown set up the Women in the World Foundation to connect and fund nonprofits helping girls and women around the globe. "What's exciting about this event is that these women come here and get energized by the freedoms that we have here," said Brown, who became a U.S. citizen in 2005. "I think that by showing these women that we care about them, that we support them, either financially or with time, it fortifies them in their struggle."

What these girls are doing could energize a nation. Look at 17-year-old Talia Leman, who is linking companies with kids to raise money for their favorite causes, after raising $10 million for Katrina relief at her website RandomKid.com.

Jessica Matthews and fellow 23-year-old Julia Silverman invented Soccett, a soccer ball which, when kicked, recharges a battery inside to provide two hours of electricity for use in Third World places where there is none.

Lauren Bush Lauren sells bags at her FEED nonprofit that each feed two children in Kenya for a year. Columbia student Julie Zeilinger, 18, raises feminist consciousness on her blog at thefbomb.org. And anti-bullying activist Emily-Anne Rigal, 18, was praised by Lady Gaga for her WeStopHate.org site.

There's Chelsea Clinton, who has helped stop the passage of the HIV virus to newborns in partnership with Mothers2Mothers.org. And another First Daughter, Barbara Bush, whose Global Health Corps sends volunteers to clinics around the world based on the Teach for America model. "Our friends don't care what Kim Kardashian tweets," Jenna Bush, who co-founded Global Health Partners with her sister Barbara, told the Daily News.

"It's a choice," brilliant comedian Tracey Ullman told The News. "You can watch reality shows, or not. I mean, have fun. I heard all the women over there at the charity boutique shopping and saying, 'Aren’t these African bracelets gorgeous?' We love to shop. As Diane von Furstenberg said yesterday, 'Girls will be girls.' Have fun. But then get serious."

jmolloy@nydailynews.com

Loop 21 Covers Women in the World Summit 2012

By Keli Goff
Angelina Jolie, Actress, Director & Goodwill Ambassador, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Loop 21: If there was one piece of advice you could give to everyone here on what they can do to make the world a better place for women, what would it be?
Angelina Jolie: To listen to the women, because the women have a very strong voice and a very clear voice and women, like the women that were speaking tonight—not myself—but the women who were speaking about their personal experiences…If you listen to them…if you listen to the women in the communities…if you talk to the grandmothers, the teachers, and the daughters…they’ll tell you what they need. They’ll tell you what their children need. They’ll tell you what their communities need and if you listen and do what they ask, the world would be a much better place.

Angelina Jolie, Hillary Clinton and More Women in the World

by The Daily Beast Video Mar 10, 2012 8:41 PM EST

From Nancy Pelosi's chastising Limbaugh to Meryl Streep’s tribute to Hillary Clinton to the Secretary of State herself, watch the best moments from the Women in the World summit.

Angelina Jolie Takes the Stage
Cue the standing ovation: the Hollywood star turned U.N. ambassador read the account of Dr. Hawa Abdi, a 2011 Women in the World delegate who was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Abdi has housed thousands of displaced people in her clinic in Somalia since 1983.

Christine Lagarde: If Lehman Brothers Had Been ‘Lehman Sisters’
Maybe she was kidding, maybe she wasn’t. Responding to Niall Ferguson’s question about whether there would have been a financial crisis had more women been in senior positions, Christine Lagarde got the laugh of the first night when she (jokingly?) said “Lehman Sisters” might have avoided default.

Madeleine Albright on Shattering the Glass Ceiling

There’s only one reason there are so few women in power, according to Madeleine Albright: “Men,” she said in one of Thursday evening’s lighter moments.

Nancy Pelosi: Limbaugh Should Be ‘Advertiseless’
What happens now that the talk-radio host is shedding advertisers for his comments over reproductive rights? In the wake of Sandra Fluke’s showdown, the first female majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives said women shouldn’t have to continue to fight for reproductive rights in this day and age.

Meryl Streep Hails Hillary Clinton
She’s won Oscars and played world leaders, but now she can cross hugging the Secretary of State off her list. Meryl Streep paid tribute to Clinton, praising the Secretary for her tireless work on behalf of women. Bonus: Streep’s latest Oscar hardware made a cameo.

Hillary Clinton: Women Should Be Able to Make Their Own Choices
Why do extremists—in every country—want to control women? The Secretary of State said the U.S. needs to live its own values because “America needs to set an example for the entire world.” Watch Clinton’s rousing call for change.

The Tiger Mother’s Guide to Life
Firebrand Amy Chua has one piece of advice for Chinese parents—and if you’ve read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, it might come as a surprise. The controversial author told the audience that she encourages Asian parents to let their children have sleepovers.

Taking on extremists both abroad and at home who would marginalize women, the secretary of State called for an “audacious” fight at the Women in the World Summit. By Eleanor Clift

“So how do you like my jacket?” Hillary Clinton asked, as she did a star turn on the stage to show off her green, white, and black jacket with sparkles threaded throughout. It was probably the least likely opening line for Clinton, who is known more for her policy prowess than for any kind of fashion displays. But Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep had just introduced her, and Streep had twirled around to reveal the back of her red jacket, which was decorated with what looked like pink bow ties.

“I cannot believe what just happened,” Clinton exclaimed, saying she had no idea what Streep would do by way of introduction. Anticipating perhaps a reprise of the actress’s various roles, Clinton pronounced herself relieved that Streep hadn’t made “The Devil Wears Pantsuits,” a reference to Clinton’s tribute to the pantsuits that got her through the presidential race.

Acknowledging that her friends are right when they say she needs more sleep, Clinton stressed that for her what she does is “not so much work as a mission.” She talked about the various brave women she has met over the last 20 years, and when her energy flags, she thinks of all the obstacles they face. She spoke of the relationships she built with women in China, in Belarus, in Ireland, and in Pakistan, and asked, “What does it mean to be a woman in the world?”

“It means never giving up,” she said. “It means getting up, working hard and putting a country, or a community on your back.” She noted how “exquisitely appropriate” she found the picture on the front page of The New York Times that morning of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and IMF managing director Christine Lagarde. “I know both of them, and I think they are worthy of our gratitude and admiration because, boy, do they have hard jobs. Chancellor Merkel is carrying Europe on her shoulders trying to navigate through this economic crisis,” she said.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Kony & the Campaign & "slacktivists"

Mar 10, 2012 7:30am

Angelina Jolie Hates Joseph Kony

By Lauren Effron

Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie, who serves as Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, thinks Ugandan warload Joseph Kony is a vile person and said she felt inspired by so many young people “rising up” to demand his capture.
“I don’t know anyone who doesn’t hate Kony,” Jolie told the U.K.’s The Telegraph at the Third Annual Women In The World Summit, an event to mark International Womens’ Day, in New York City Thursday.
“He’s an extraordinarily horrible human being who, you know…his time has come,” she added.
Invisible Children, Inc., a San Diego-based nonprofit, launched a 30-minute documentary and campaign Monday to raise support for the arrest of Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, a militia group that terrorized northern Uganda with torture, killings and kidnappings. In the past, he forced thousands of children to fight in his army.
The video, “Kony 2012,” went viral within two days, catapulted by a social media-savvy younger audience, and now has almost 60 million views on YouTube. The film’s wide and rapid international attention baffled diplomats and foreign affairs experts who have been working to raise awareness about the region for years, but “Kony 2012″ has also drawn numerous criticisms surrounding Invisible Children’s agenda.
This isn’t the first time Jolie has been outspokenly angry against Kony.
Jolie sat down for an interview with “Nightline” anchor Cynthia McFadden in March 2010 to promote her film, “Salt,” and talk about her humanitarian efforts.
In “Salt,” Jolie stars as a CIA operative who is on the run from the agency after a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Jolie’s character is forced to fend for herself, and to sort out who she can trust and who is evil.
At the time, Jolie told McFadden that there were a “few bad people,” in real life, that “if I was left, you know, alone in a room with, I’d be tempted” to take down.
“Joseph Kony,” she said. “I hate him.”
Her anger even then towards Kony was a visceral reminder of just how tough the actress can be when she’s fighting for a cause — Since 2001, Jolie has conducted humanitarian field missions in more than 20 countries, launched a foundation to help combat extreme poverty and protect natural resources, and adopted sons Maddox, 10, from Cambodia, and Pax, 8, from Vietnam, as well as daughter Zahara, 6, from Ethiopia.
“When I have to protect something in my life or when I’ve decided there’s something I have to accomplish, I do, I do kind of push to the end and I don’t take ‘no’ very well,” Jolie told McFadden. “If it came down to something I had to do, I would believe in what I’m fighting for and I’m not afraid.”

What’s Behind StopKony? Critics Question Video Producer’s Finances

Mar 8, 2012 11:10 PM EST

The social-media sensation brought African horrors to 30 million viewers. But the controversial NGO that made the heart-wrenching video has some critics questioning its finances.

SPOILER ALERT: What you are about to read may not be easily summarized in a tweet.

Therein lies the problem with that superviral Kony2012 campaign that launched Monday with the release of a 30-minute documentary juxtaposing a cute blond kid in Southern California with a bunch of terrified ones in Africa; a video that by Thursday had already reached 38 million views; a hashtag of #stopkony that is still trending on Twitter, along with #Uganda and #Africa and a Facebook page with more than 400,000 “likes” and celebrity weigh-ins from Lady Gaga to Justin Bieber.

“Stop Kony” is a simple, powerful slogan, a message bolstered by a beautifully shot, powerful video, along with a logo, social-media campaign, winsome founders, and young people all over the world convinced that if they themselves can’t drop everything and sign up for this cause, they can at least re-tweet it. Even if they have no idea what’s really going on in Uganda.

First, here’s what’s going on in Uganda, according to this post four months ago from Foreign Affairs’s Mareike Schomerus, Tim Allen, and Koen Vlassenroot: during three decades of brutal war, Joseph Kony led the violent central African rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army, comprised largely of kidnapped children, to all sorts of horrifying acts against their own people. Now, the LRA’s ranks are depleted and Kony is on the run. His forces no longer operate in the country, at least not as the LRA, though he remains at the top of the International Criminal Court’s Most Wanted List, indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

So, one of many problems with the heart-rending film so many “slacktivists” are now posting on their Facebook pages with urgent messages to #stopkony is that he’s pretty much stopped, even though he has yet to be brought to justice for many years of war crimes. The video brushes past this fact, after 10 minutes of a self-indulgent backstory about some hipster dude from Southern California named Jason “Radical” Russell, who was shocked—shocked, I tell you—that people in Africa were slaughtering each other; noting, astutely, that “If this happened in America, it would be on the cover of Newsweek.”

Well, obvi. But then the video moves into a call for action, using Russell’s son, “Gavin Danger Russell,” as the way to remind other white people that it could just as easily be their children being kidnapped and mutilated, even though that’s not really true. By the end of 2012, Russell insists, Kony must be stopped, because the video will “expire” at that point.

Which means what, exactly? That’s not so clear. Russell notes—quickly—that “Uganda is relatively safe” now, but insists that “Kony is still out there, and he had to be stopped.” This is urgent, Russell says, because President Obama sent in 100 armed advisers to Northern Uganda last fall, on the pretense that they would help the Ugandan government track Kony down—even though he’s not there anymore. Without major public awareness (and stacks of donated cash) lawmakers could pull the plug on the whole operation, Russell claims—even though no one is threatening to do so now.

And at that, with some gut-wrenching imagery, the glossing over of a few facts, a movement was born on Monday—or reborn, as the case may be. Russell’s nongovernmental organization, Invisible Children, has actually been around for nine years now, and it’s a full-fledged $13 million operation, not a fledgling movement.

Which may explain why Invisible Children is so determined to keep this cause alive, even as Kony’s cause is all but dead. Russell and his two cofounders earn nearly $90,000 apiece in salary, and of the $13 million they brought in last year, only 32 percent of it made it back to Uganda, according to financial statements posted on its website. The highly regarded watchdog Charity Navigator gives the NGO a ranking of three out of four stars, downgrading it largely because there is no outside, independent board auditing its books—a problem, say critics, because of the flood of hard-to-document cash donations the charity receives.

So as quickly as the Kony2012 movement went viral this week, so have the NGO’s many and loud critics piped up, accusing the founders of exaggerating an outdated cause in order to line their own pockets. “Invisible Children Inc. directors are collecting financial donations and laughing all the way to the bank with your money,” proclaims the website, which is home to a collection of myriad Invisible Children criticisms.

An email inquiry from The Daily Beast on Thursday prompted an auto-reply that explained the NGO has been swamped since the video came out. But Invisible Children has heard enough of these complaints to warrant an official statement on its website. It’s “in the process of interviewing board members,” for one, and even though the LRA left northern Uganda in 2006, it remains active in Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan, writes communications director Noelle Jouglet. “Invisible Children’s mission is to stop Joseph Kony and the LRA wherever they are and help rehabilitate LRA-affected communities,” she said.
So as quickly as the Kony2012 movement went viral this week, so have the NGO’s many and loud critics piped up, accusing the founders of exaggerating an outdated cause in order to line their own pockets. “Invisible Children Inc. directors are collecting financial donations and laughing all the way to the bank with your money,” proclaims the website, which is home to a collection of myriad Invisible Children criticisms.

Why Kony 2012 Went Viral

By Joe Coscarelli

On Monday the advocacy group Invisible Children launched an affecting video, Kony 2012, to raise awareness about child soldiers in Africa and advance the group's goal of ultimately killing or capturing Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony. The response has been staggering: The 30-minute clip has tallied more than 32 million views on YouTube, dominated Facebook news feeds, spawned numerous trending topics on Twitter, and garnering media attention from foreign policy publications to tech blogs. Inevitably it has also spurred a backlash.
But why now? There has been an International Criminal Court warrant out for Kony's arrest since 2005. Invisible Children has released eleven of these films over the years. The ever-growing importance of social media is obviously a factor, but Invisible Children's real innovation was to virtually guilt-trip an influential list of A-List celebrities.

First came an effective product: Invisible Children has a multimillion-dollar marketing budget, which helped to pay for a polished, professional video that combines a jarring, visceral subject with high production values and a flashy soundtrack, including Nine Inch Nails and Mumford and Sons.

But the real pipeline to big numbers was the Kony 2012 website, which features "The Culturemakers," a slick, visual chart of twenty celebrities, including Oprah, Justin Bieber, Jay-Z, Angelina Jolie, Bill Gates, Bono, and more. "When they speak, the world listens," the website says. And to encourage them to speak, clicking on any of the celebs' photos automatically crafts a tweet directed at the Culturemaker, complete with the Kony 2012 web address and two related hashtags. The interface is easy, it's quick — messaging all twenty celebs would take less than two minutes — and most importantly, it allows anyone to feel like they're making a difference.

Between Tuesday and Wednesday, Oprah, Ryan Seacrest, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, and Bono's ONE organization have all written about Kony. They have about 45 million followers combined.

Beneath the celebrities section of the Kony 2012 site is the same setup for policymakers, including George W. Bush, Condoleeza Rice, Mitt Romney, Bill Clinton, and others. While politicians have been slower to respond, they also command less influence on social media, and their follower accounts are dwarfed by Lady Gaga and her ilk.

Reddit was also an early advocate of the video, with a post that shared the video appearing on the influential front page two days ago. The subsequent discussion of the campaign's validity was fervent, and hundreds of posts debating the topic now exist. The Kony meme, serious as it is, has even combined with nerds' favorite bits of Internet humor, giving the story even longer legs.

Then there's the everyday person — your aunt, your high school best friend, your boss — clearly moved by the subject matter, curious about the buzz, or inspired by the conversation. "I, for one, can't remember the last time so many of my Facebook friends shared the same link," wrote one Mashable writer. The Kony 2012 Facebook group has around 400,000 likes, and dozens and dozens of copycat groups. It's awe-inspiring, regardless of one's opinion of intervention in Africa or non-profits.

After years and years of abuses, the online mobilization of millions doesn't make solutions for Uganda feel any closer, but if awareness — however fleeting — is a goal for Invisible Children, then they're inarguably having a hell of a week.

Kony 2012: Angelina Jolie calls for Ugandan warlord's arrest

Actor, who is also a Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations, says Joseph Kony is an 'extraordinarily horrible human being'

Ben Child
guardian.co.uk, Monday 12 March 2012 11.15 EDT
Article history

'I don't know anyone who doesn’t hate Joseph Kony' … Angelina Jolie. Photograph: Marc Bryan-Brown/WireImage

Angelina Jolie has joined those calling for the arrest of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, following a controversial viral web video that has now been viewed by more than 70 million people.
The 30-minute film posted on YouTube by the charity Invisible Children calls for the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army militia to be arrested and asks for more intervention by the US government. It has won praise from millions of viewers but also criticism from human rights activists and Ugandan journalists.
At an event to mark International Womens' Day in New York, Jolie said she didn't "know anyone who doesn't hate Kony".
The Oscar-winning actor, who is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations, added: "I've been to Uganda and Congo and been to the International criminal court myself … he's the one we all want to see in jail, so I think it's great that more people are talking about it.
"He's an extraordinarily horrible human being who, you know … his time has come and it's lovely to see that young people are raising up as well."
Jolie was targeted by the people behind Kony 2012 as one of 20 "culturemakers" they hoped would call for the warlord's arrest. Her image appears towards the end of the documentary along with other famous figures, such as Bill Gates and Justin Bieber, who Invisible Children hoped viewers might pressure to condemn Kony.
The group raised $5m (£3.2m) in just 48 hours after uploading the film, which makes an explicit call for contributions. What will happen to those funds is unclear: financial statements for Invisible Children show that only 32% of the $8.6m it raised last year went to services in northern Uganda.
It's not the first time Jolie has spoken out against Kony, who is accused of kidnapping and enlisting thousands of children into his militia. She told ABC news anchor Cynthia McFadden in 2010 she would be tempted to "take down" certain people if she were left alone in a room with them. "Joseph Kony. I hate him," she said.

Angelina Jolie Calls for Joseph Kony's Arrest

5:40 PM PST 3/10/2012 by Aaron Couch

Angelina Jolie SAG Awards Red Carpet - P 2012

Getty Images

Actress said the Ugandan warlord was an “extraordinarily horrible human being."

The filmmakers behind Kony 2012 were apparently preaching to the choir when they targeted Angelina Jolie as one of 20 “culturemakers” they hoped would call for the arrest of Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony.
Jolie told The Telegraph Thursday that Kony was “extraordinarily horrible human being." The comments were made at the Third Annual Women In The World Summit in New York, reports ABC News.
Jolie’s image appeared near the end of the 30-minute documentary Kony 2012, which went viral earlier this week. Viewers were urged to contact Jolie and public figures ranging from Bill Gates to Justin Bieber, and ask them to call for Kony's arrest.
STORY: Hollywood-Supported 'Stop Kony' Viral Video Sparks Backlash From Activists and Journalists
After the documentary went viral Tuesday night, Twitter lit up with Kony-related tweets to Jolie and other targeted celebrities. Kony 2012, created by the San Diego non-profit Invisible Children, Inc., has received more than 50 million views since its release, and has garnered both praise for its effective promotion of the cause and criticism of its methods.
After her comments to The Telegraph, Jolie appeared on Extra to praise the number of "young people rising up" to demand Kony’s arrest.
Jolie had previously spoken out against Kony in a March 2010 interview on ABC's Nightline, when she was doing press for her action-thriller Salt. Jolie told anchor Cynthia McFadden she would be tempted “take down” certain terrible people if she were left alone in a room with them.
"Joseph Kony," Jolie said. "I hate him."
The filmmakers likely knew Jolie, an avowed humanitarian, was a strong candidate to join its cause. Others targeted by the group range in their political views and level of human rights involvement.
PHOTOS: George Clooney: Career in Pictures
An excerpt of an interview with George Clooney, one of the celebrities targeted by Invisible Children, appears in the documentary. In the clip, Clooney calls for human rights abusers to be as famous as he is, so it would be harder for them to hide. Rush Limbaugh, also targeted by Invisible Children, last year questioned the U.S. decision to send 100 military advisers to assist Uganda in capturing Kony. Limbaugh later said he would need to examine the issue further.
Kony, leader of a military group called the Lord's Resistance Army, has carried out a number of documented atrocities in Uganda, including the kidnapping and enlistment of thousands of children into his militia.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Women in the World Program

The Countdown Begins! Women in the World 2012 Summit

Feb 22, 2012 12:57 AM EST

Next month, inspiring leaders and activists from around the globe—including Nobel winner Leymah Gbowee, Angelina Jolie, IMF chief Christine Lagarde and many more—will gather in New York City to kick off Newsweek & The Daily Beast’s third-annual Women in the World Summit. Buy tickets to the March 8 – 10 event.

We’re doing it again!

In less than a month, inspiring women leaders and activists from around the globe will descend on New York City to address the most urgent challenges facing women and girls. From brave dissidents who fueled the Arab Spring to outspoken advocates fighting domestic slavery; from CEOs to artists to political influencers, our third annual Women in the World Summit—now expanded to Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater—uses vivid journalistic storytelling to showcase women who are battling the status quo, picking up the pieces in the aftermath of war and shattering glass ceilings.

Hosted by Newsweek & The Daily Beast, Tina Brown will join with co-hosts Leymah Gbowee, Sheryl Sandberg, Meryl Streep, Diane von Furstenberg, Jane Harman, Lauren Bush, Nizan Guanaes, Maya Harris, Mellody Hobson and Judith Rodin for the three-day event. Charlie Rose will interview former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Angelina Jolie and a young Congolese genocide survivor about war’s harrowing impact on women. IMF chief Christine Lagarde will share her insight into the global economy’s next act. Israeli Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni will talk to historian Simon Schama about Israel on the brink. Mexican congresswoman Rosi Orozco will recount her battle against sex trafficking. We’ll also welcome as moderators Barbara Walters, Christiane Amanpour, Andrea Mitchell, Lesley Stahl, Robin Roberts, Cynthia McFadden, Martha Raddatz and Juju Chang.

While not yet household names, many of this year’s participants will again be making headlines as we reveal their role in today’s most riveting news stories:

The joint head of the U.K.'s Forced Marriage Unit will describe the dramatic rescue of a British bride from Islamabad, where she was forced by her family to marry against her will—illuminating a disturbing trend in which Western parents abduct their daughters and send them abroad to wed.

Soap opera creators who are transforming sexist societies with storylines that tackle rape and domestic abuse—and visionaries who used television to topple tradition before them—will share their stories on stage with Andrew Sullivan.

As Africa undergoes enormous political, economic and social changes, women are poised to become powerful leaders. Cameroon’s former presidential candidate Kah Walla will offer insight into female politicians’ meteoric rise.

Valerie Jarrett, chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls, will discuss what the latest research reveals about the role and promise of women in the economic recovery.

Domestic workers make up a global economy worth billions of dollars—yet tens of thousands are trapped in appalling conditions. We’ll hear from one woman who escaped oppressive employers and now fights for “the help.”

With Burma’s elections weeks away, we may soon see a dramatic turning point for women in the homeland of Nobel winner and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Tina Brown will interview Melanne Verveer, U.S. ambassador-at-large for Global Women’s Issues, about what’s at stake.

A respected Afghani council member who’s broken into male-dominated politics by dressing as a man will reveal how she’s advancing attitudes about women.

Fussy Eye