Meet the Delegate, Sarah Degnan Kambou

Sarah Degnan Kambou, President of the ICRW, talks to us about why she is attending Trust Women this year and explains why Priya Nanada, Group Director of Reproductive Health and Development, will be speaking on a session at this years event.  

Why are you attending Trust Women 2014?

It’s a great opportunity to interact with others who are passionate about protecting women’s rights, to take action and forge commitments that empower women around the world.  More specifically, I value the power of a well-branded, carefully managed media platform that can amplify issues impacting women and girls while ensuring that news content is carefully researched, contextualized and that findings are distilled to their essence. 

What sessions on this year’s agenda are you most looking forward to?

I am looking forward to all the sessions – hearing from keynote speakers to the panel discussions and action groups on Women and the Cities; Women and Land; and Women and Finance.  All of these topics are interconnected – life is a spaghetti junction.  We have to reflect on the complexity of issues in order to find viable pathways forward.  In particular, it is important that we examine the barriers women face that prevent them from reaching their full potential. No woman can reach her full potential if her basic right to a healthy and safe life is not honored. That is why ICRW’s Priya Nanda, Group Director of Reproductive Health and Development, will be presenting on ICRW’s Safe Cities Survey, looking at violence against women in Delhi’s public spaces, and Gap Inc.’s P.A.C.E. program, which empowers female garment workers. When women are safe, they are better able to participate in the job market, care for their families and take part in the political life of their communities. In the end, we all benefit.

I look forward to being part of an event that serves as a platform for industry professionals to share experience and learning, and foster collaboration for innovative solutions that empower women globally. 

Trust Women is geared to action. Where would you like to see action being taken in 2014?

We know that investing in the world’s women and girls is not only the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do. Around the globe, women are the backbone of their communities. They represent half of the world’s population – but their incredible potential remains untapped.

What we need is to increase our investment in applied research, honing a research agenda to find program and policy to improve the lives of women and girls worldwide. Conducting research to analyze causes, consequences and solutions to the most pressing challenges facing women and girls is critical in designing effective programs that truly drive positive change for women, girls and all global citizens.

We value data in our sector.  We want decision-making at all levels to be evidence-driven.  We are still not investing adequately in research and evaluation.  That’s the next hurdle in the women and girls space!