Category: Panel 4

H.E. Lakshmi Puri

H.E. Lakshmi Puri


PANEL 4: The Way Forward

		H.E. Lakshmi Puri
		*First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone*
		H.E LAKASHMI PURI, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, emphasized in her speech UN Women’s full support of the agreement made by member States on “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.” H.E. Puri said that UN Women has been constantly engaged in the process of ensuring a stand-alone goal on gender equality and women’s empowerment. According to H.E. Puri, succeeding in delivering all 17 SDGs to women and girls will allow them to “live their lives free of discrimination and violence, and with equal rights and access to economic and other resources.”

H.E LAKASHMI PURI, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, emphasized in her speech UN Women’s full support of the agreement made by member States on “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.” H.E. Puri said that UN Women has been constantly engaged in the process of ensuring a stand-alone goal on gender equality and women’s empowerment. According to H.E. Puri, succeeding in delivering all 17 SDGs to women and girls will allow them to “live their lives free of discrimination and violence, and with equal rights and access to economic and other resources.” Furthermore, H.E. Puri asserted that civil society organizations play an important and central role in monitoring progress and holding governments and other actors to their commitments regarding the implementation of gender equality. She also stated that the private sector can significantly increase investments to diminish the gender gap in the workforce and generate positive impact on the lives of women and girls, especially those who are marginalized and economically disadvantaged. In another remark, H.E. Puri stressed the significance of a partnership between the public and private sectors, which contributes to innovation, expertise and increased vital resources. H.E. Puri added that companies, investor, foundations and governments can collaborate and align their practices with the SDGs by implementing Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), which call for a multi-stakeholder approach to gender equality. She said that the UN Women principles highlight the important role of business in “creating formal and decent work opportunities for women, ensuring equal pay for work of equal value, promoting knowledge, education and skill-building for women and girls, supporting and investing in women entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses, and lastly, combating violence against women.” In concluding her speech, H.E. Puri highlighted the benefits of the implementation of gender equality for businesses, economies, and sustainable development. She said the full incorporation of women’s capacities into the economy and labor market increases national growth rates and makes the private sector a credible partner post 2015.

H.E. Fatou Lamin Faye

H.E. Fatou Lamin Faye


PANEL 4: The Way Forward

		H.E. Fatou Lamin Faye
		*First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone*
		H.E FATOU LAMIN FAYE, Minister of Basic and Secondary Education of The Gambia, delivered her speech representing the First Lady of the Republic of the Gambia. She gave remarks on women empowerment in the Gambia and the participation of the private sector and social organizations in this matter. The issue of women empowerment, she said, requires the collaboration of all members of the national and international communities in order to achieve poverty reduction, food security, good health, and quality education.

H.E FATOU LAMIN FAYE, Minister of Basic and Secondary Education of The Gambia, delivered her speech representing the First Lady of the Republic of the Gambia. She gave remarks on women empowerment in the Gambia and the participation of the private sector and social organizations in this matter. The issue of women empowerment, she said, requires the collaboration of all members of the national and international communities in order to achieve poverty reduction, food security, good health, and quality education. She added that the Gambia has made significant strikes in the social and productive success of the economy. An example is the advancement in attaining food self-sufficiency that is manifested through the hard work and dedication of Gambian women in providing for their families as well as the award that His Excellency The President of The Republic had been granted by the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organization (UNFAO). Because Gambian women constitute 70% of the agricultural labor force in the country, Faye emphasized the need to increase “women’s participation in landscape commercial agriculture.” According to her, efforts to do so are “indeed a laudable policy direction towards achieving the country’s vision 2016 on food self-sufficiency development agenda and beyond”. Moreover, Faye said that efforts of the health sector in addressing deadly diseases such as HIV, AIDS as well as cervical and breast cancer in women and children are crucial. She also addressed the issue of early marriage that she believes has several health implications and negative effects on the allocation of young girls; thereby restricting their potential for a professional career. In addition, Faye discussed the fundamental right of women to have access to education in the Gambia and the remarkable advancements that have taken place in this field. Lastly, she ensured the government of the Gambia’s will to mobilize the participation of the private sector, civil society organizations, and other development partners in achieving the 20130 SDG’s. In her conclusion, Faye stated that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires peace and security, and the mobilization of resources, both domestically and from partners. She said that the uncertainty of accessing resource left a lot of countries behind in attaining their goals in improving health, education, agriculture, and others.

H.E. Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma

H.E. Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma


PANEL 4: The Way Forward

		H.E. Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma
		*First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone*
		Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma is the wife of Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, 4th democratically elected President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. She has directed her efforts to work towards reducing infant and maternal mortality in Sierra Leone, supporting the Government’s target to reduce these statistics by 30% of the 2005 figures by 2010. Her main aim for her tenure of office is to ensure that she makes a difference to poor people’s lives by doing the sort of things that will set an imprint on the sands of time. Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma’s vision is to see the Children of Sierra Leone benefiting from a caring and supportive environment, enabling them to fullfil their life’s ambitions in a society free from violence and war. She is also committed to enhancing the welfare of women, working towards a fair and equitable society where women are allowed to achieve high public and private office in accordance with their qualification and desire to serve the nation. She has spent a considerable amount of her time since assuming the position of First Lady to promote her vision and at the same time use her profile to support Government and policy makers in reaching timely decisions that enhances the standard of life for women and Children.

H.E Sheya Naima Koroma, the First Lady of Sierra Leone, addressed the issues of education and women’s empowerment in her country. H.E. Mrs. Koroma highlighted the importance of equal education to young girls and women in establishing gender equality, eliminating gender-based abuse, and empowering women. She stressed the need for education and good health services for women in order for them to make good choices in their lives and, therefore, empower the whole society. H.E. Mrs. Koroma tackled the issue of traditional norms and its detrimental role in preventing women in Sierra Leone’s societies from achieving their full potential. She mentioned several accomplishments that the Sierra Leone government and its President have had in improving the laws found in the 1991 constitutions that are restricting women from attaining high positions in the private and public sectors by undermining their abilities. With young girls and women being the major victims of sexual abuse and health problems, H.E. Mrs. Koroma talked about her role as the First Lady in making an initiative that calls for the protection and the empowerment of these victims. Lastly, the First Lady of Sierra Leone discussed her plan in developing the education system in the country by improving the curriculum and providing scholarships since education to her “is the key to success.”

Laurence Kemball

Laurence Kemball


PANEL 4: The Way Forward

		Laurence Kemball
		*CEO & Founder, Pavegen (United Kingdom)*
		Laurence is the founder and CEO of Pavegen – an innovative clean-tech company that has pioneered a flooring technology, generating electricity from the kinetic energy of footfall. Having graduated with a 1st class honours in Industrial Design and Technology from Loughborough University, Laurence then went on to found the award-winning company, Pavegen Systems, in 2009. Laurence was the youngest CEO of a delegation of leading British companies, joining the Prime Minister, David Cameron, on a state visit to China. He was also invited as a delegate to the Prime Minister on a trade mission to Milan’s World Expo.

Steve Killelea

Steve Killelea


PANEL 4: The Way Forward

		Steve Killelea
		*President & Founder, Institute for Economics and Peace (Australia)*
		Mr. Killelea is an accomplished entrepreneur in high technology business development and at the forefront of philanthropic activities focused on sustainable development and peace. Steve has always had a strong passion for sustainable development, and in 2000, he established The Charitable Foundation (TCF), which specialises in working with the poorest communities of the world. In 2007 Steve founded the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), an international think tank dedicated to building a greater understanding of the interconnection between business, peace and economics with particular emphasis on the economic benefits of peace. IEP’s ground-breaking research includes the Global Peace Index, the world’s leading measure of peacefulness. Steve’s founding of IEP was recognized as one of the 50 most impactful philanthropic gifts in Australia’s history. In 2013 Steve was nominated one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in Armed Violence Reduction” by the UK group Action on Armed Violence.