Inaugural Meeting of the Women's Initiative Policy Advisory Committee

On June 22, 2011, the Women’s Initiative Policy Advisory Council (WIPAC) participated in their inaugural meeting to discuss the work of the initiative and provide guidance to ensure its success. President and Mrs. Bush hosted the Council and imparted their vision for the Women’s Initiative – to transform the lives of women around the world. The role of WIPAC is to advise the Women’s Initiative leadership at the Bush Institute on strategic direction, helping to ensure excellence in programming and achievement of measurable results. Building on her work as First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush chairs the Women’s Initiative and promotes the Institute’s efforts to advance women’s rights around the world and develop programs that empower women to transform their communities, with the initial emphasis on the Middle East. Recently, the Women’s Initiative at the Bush Institute played a key role in highlighting the importance of women’s freedoms and economic empowerment in Afghanistan at the Afghan Women’s Conference. In the next year, the Women’s Initiative, with the assistance of the WIPAC, will begin building a network of women leaders in the Middle East through the inaugural class of the Laura Bush Fellowship Program. The Women’s Initiative Policy Advisory Council at the Bush Institute is comprised of a prominent group of women with vast expertise and experience in promoting women’s empowerment throughout the globe.