17.18 NOVEMBER 2015 222, Marylebone Road, London, NW1 6JQ 17.18 NOVEMBER 2015 222, Marylebone Road, London, NW1 6JQ WELCOME Dear Delegates, MONIQUE VILLA On behalf of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, I would like to personally welcome CEO, Thomson Reuters Foundation you to Trust Women. Throughout the next two days, you will be in the company of some truly remarkable individuals who are at the forefront of the fight against human trafficking, and who are working at many levels to empower women to know and to defend their rights. Together, we’ll be taking action. We’ll be looking at innovative solutions to keep girls in school in countries as diverse as Kenya, Afghanistan and India, assessing some of the challenges encountered, and identifying ideas that could be successfully replicated elsewhere. We’ll also explore how corporations from different sectors are stepping up efforts to nurture female leadership as part of their strategic objectives. Companies are increasingly eager to foster female talent. But it’s not as easy as it might seem. At the same time, a recent study from McKinsey Global Institute indicates that closing the gap in gender participation at work could boost the global economy by $12 trillion over the next 10 years. We will also have a unique insight into how the extremist rule of Islamic State is affecting the lives of thousands of women. We’ll hear the plight of the Yazidis community where so many women and girls have been enslaved by force. We will also hear the exceptional testimony of a very courageous female doctor who worked at a local hospital in Raqqah, Syria, under IS rule and witnessed first hand the brutalities conducted by the extremist organisation. We will also try to understand the dynamics that lead young educated girls from many parts of the world to willingly submit themselves to IS’s barbaric rule, which is in clear contradiction to the peaceful principles of Islam. As you might know, Trust Women is also committed to identifying effective solutions to combat slavery and human trafficking. This year, we’ll have a particular focus on the importance of data to help the fight against forced labour. We will ask all key trustwomenconf.com 17.18 NOVEMBER 2015 players – NGOs, government and businesses – to share the data in their possession and agree on a common approach to statistics. We need data to show the depth of the issue and to be able to show progress – when it happens. Slavery is organised crime at its best and we fight it in a totally disorganised manner. During our second day, we’ll also, as every year, look at how slave labor enters the production chain of many consumer goods, assessing the role played by labor brokers, and seeing how global manufacturers that are starting to successfully adopt measures to improve the accountability of their supply chains. You’ll also hear inspiring personal first hand accounts from those who managed to regain their freedom, leaving the horrors of slavery behind. This year we are also taking a brand new approach to the Trust Women actions. During the course of the conference we will be presenting to you 8 initiatives that have already received the backing and support of very authoritative partners. We believe this new approach would maximize productive participation and ensure that the commitments taken here at Trust Women will translate into tangible initiatives that can make a difference around the world. We have also introduced a new prize, the Trust Women Anti-Trafficking Award, which honors an exceptional individual who has made significant progress in the fight against human trafficking. As Trust Women continues to grow, I am delighted to let you know that this year more than 230 organizations are attending the conference, and as this booklet goes to print 600 delegates have already registered from 60 countries. Thousands are expected to follow the event on live-stream. This is truly exciting. I am very grateful to the continuous generosity of Humanity United and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the trust demonstrated towards Trust Women. My team and I are tremendously appreciative of your support and the one offered by all the other partners of Trust Women. Get ready for two days full of action, connections and emotion. Let’s harness together this powerful desire for change to make a real difference for women, and for those trapped into the nightmare of slavery. Together, we can. Monique Villa 3 YOUR ESSENTIAL The Financial Times is proud to be the headline media partner of the DAILY READ LIONEL BARBER Trust Women conference. Editor, Financial Times Our award-winning journalists keep you informed of the latest global news, ensuring that you are up-to-date with the world’s most critical issues. As a growing number of women rise to the highest levels of companies and governments, the Financial Times reports on the powerful impact these female leaders have on the world. And yet, far from the offices of Washington, Brussels and the board rooms of London and New York, the FT also reports on women whose everyday lives remain a struggle. Telling their stories to a wider audience is a powerful means to combat continued inequality, poverty and slavery that know no international borders. The Financial Times provides a forum for promoting women's empowerment and equality around the world with independent news and commentary at FT.com/ women. We wish all participants at this year's conference a meaningful discussion, and we look forward to joining the debate. Lionel Barber trustwomenconf.com 17.18 NOVEMBER 2015 YOUR ESSENTIAL DAILY READ Our award-winning journalists keep you informed of the latest global news, ensuring that you are up-to-date with the world’s most critical issues. 5 Established in 2005, Humanity United is a U.S.-based foundation dedicated to building peace and advancing human freedom. At home and in the corners of the globe where these ideals are challenged most, we lead, support, and collaborate with a broad network of efforts, ideas, and organizations that share our vision of a world free of conflict and injustice. Humanity United is part of the Omidyar Group, which represents the philanthropic, personal, and professional interests of Pierre and Pam Omidyar. Migration touches almost every Nepali: officially, more than two million Nepali citizens currently work abroad, and remittances made up almost 29% of Nepal’s economy in 2013. Despite the prevalence of Nepalis working abroad, the migration industry still leaves many workers deeply indebted and vulnerable to poor working and living conditions, unpaid wages, and even forced labor and human trafficking. At Humanity United, we need to be as flexible, adaptive, and creative as the dynamics that impact our work. One way is through technology. Right now, we are working with local and international technology experts, businesses, Socially & entrepreneurs, civil society groups, and governments to create technology solutions to serve migrants and aspiring mirgrants at home and where they work. environmentally Find out more at: humanityunited.org responsible We are proud to work with TrustLaw and to support the Trust Women Conference. Our global presence gives us not only an opportunity but also a responsibility to provide legal counsel and assistance to the communities in which we do business. Through our social responsibility initiative, we look for ways to apply our experience to the challenges faced by the global community. srreview.whitecase.com trustwomenconf.com Technology developers, designers, and Nepali entrepreneurs learn more about migration in advance of TechCamp Nepal, on a five-day migration learning tour hosted by Humanity United. Photo by Sam Lee / Humanity United 17.18 NOVEMBER 2015 Socially & environmentally responsible We are proud to work with TrustLaw and to support the Trust Women Conference. Our global presence gives us not only an opportunity but also a responsibility to provide legal counsel and assistance to the communities in which we do business. Through our social responsibility initiative, we look for ways to apply our experience to the challenges faced by the global community. srreview.whitecase.com 7 COMMITTED to action At Trust Women, delegates take action and forge tangible commitments to empower women and to fight modern-day slavery worldwide. Throughout the conference, inspiring thought leaders will propose innovative solutions to address crucial social challenges. You can get involved. Listen to their ideas, and tell us how you would like to contribute to an action using the postcard included at the end of your delegate book. A full list of all actions to be proposed at the conference is available on the Trust Women website. Every idea and contribution counts. Don’t be shy! For more information, visit trustwomenconf.com/actions trustwomenconf.com 17.18 NOVEMBER 2015 presents: Everyday Sexism, Everyday Voices Trust Women, in partnership with Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, is hosting a special evening event to raise awareness of sexual harassment and gender inequality. To date, the Everyday Sexism Project has received more than 80,000 personal accounts from women around the world who have experienced sexism on a day to day basis. Based on these real stories, Laura Bates has written a series of short fictional monologues that will be read by some of the Trust Women delegates together with leading personalities. The readings aim to put the spotlight on some of the different forms of harassment faced by women and the impact of gender inequality on their lives. 9 17.18 NOVEMBER 2015 SWAROVSKIGROUP.COM Our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility has been embedded in the way we do business since our company was founded by Daniel Swarovski in 1895.