Colloquium 2002 Policy Day Roundtable Discussions
Civil Society and Government Partnership

The Policy Day roundtable discussion on civil society and government partnership was characterized by concrete exchanges of information, as well as broad theorizing about the ways civil society must hold governments accountable. Mark Blackden, Regional Gender Coordinator of the Africa Region of the World Bank, and Tony Ghorayeb, Head of the Lavant Diaspora at the HSBC Investment Bank in London, provided insightful direction to the conversation. Mr. Blackden stated that ministers of finance must realize and understand that "gender equality equals growth."

Martha Segura, Executive Director of the Colombian Confederation of Non-Governmental Organizations, and Amina Rasul-Bernardo, a former member of the Philippine Cabinet, voiced concerns about unequal economic development for men and women. Ms. Rasul-Bernardo advised the group that although education and training is important for women, they also need a source of livelihood and skills sets to manage their own finances. Martha Segura reminded participants that more partnerships and coalitions must be developed with the government, religious organizations, and civil society.

Facilitator Jane Mansbridge, Faculty Chair of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, encouraged the discussants to come up with practical suggestions. Both Mark Blackden and Tony Ghorayeb agreed that training women in economic literacy is extremely important in today's world. Participants brainstormed a number of methods for implementing this idea, including the Internet, training for women by private banks, and the radio. The radio was the most popular for three reasons: 1) it does not require literacy to be a listener, 2) radio is relatively inexpensive, and 3) stations can be community owned and operated, rather than being directed from another country.

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