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2024 Women’s Global Leadership Forum


Tuesday, May 7, 2024 – Thursday, May 9, 2024
May 7 – Washington, DC (in-person) | May 8-9 – Virtual Conference

Poverty, disease, climate change, economic inequality, and social injustice are just some of the immense challenges that world leaders are tackling every day, and each of these challenges has a disproportionate effect on women. 

Hosted by the Women Innovators & Leaders Development (WILD) Network, the 2024 Women’s Global Leadership Forum brings together people from the global development sector from over 500 organizations and 125 countries to foster the exchange of ideas, tools, insights, and perspectives to build strong and inclusive leaders who can help solve the world’s challenges, faster. The focus of this year’s conference is “Lead at every level, everywhere.” 

Join leaders from Abt for discussions on several timely and important topics.  

Virtual Panel Presentation: DEIA in International Development: Staying the Course     
May 9, 2024 | 10:00 AM ET – 10:45 AM ET     
Moderator: Roslyn Brock, Chief Global Equity Officer, Abt Global 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) has been around for decades but reached momentum in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd. Many organizations, including those in the international development sector, formulated DEIA strategic plans, hired Chief DEIA Officers and staff, and set targets. Several years in, DEIA is now facing a backlash as opponents to equity gain ground. Corporate DEIA budgets are being slashed, and DEIA initiatives are being attacked at many levels. Global development organizations that strive to work in an inclusive, participatory way understand that meaningfully embedding DEIA at an institutional level takes time and commitment. What should our sector do to stay the DEIA course, build on gains, and achieve long-lasting institutional change and improved development results? This panel will dive into the current climate, best practices, emerging standards, and how we can collectively push back and sustain our work in this area.

Virtual Networking Room: Empowering Global Teams  
May 8, 2024 | 2:15 PM ET – 2:45 PM ET  
Abt Speaker: Deborah Hutchison, VP of International Development, USAID Global Delivery

Virtual Workshop Session: Women with Disabilities Leading Change  
May 8, 2024 | 10:30 PM ET – 11:00 PM ET  
Abt Speaker: Ipul Powaseu, Senior Program Manager of Disability Inclusion, Papua New Guinea (PNG) Women Lead Program, Abt Global

Virtual Community Conversation     
Unlocking Employee Networking Group (ENG) Potential: Maximizing Their Value     
May 9, 2024 | 6:00 AM ET – 6:45 AM ET     
Connections Leader: Tamika Davis, Global EDIA Specialist, Abt Global 

May 7 – Washington, DC (in-person) | May 8-9 – Virtual Conference