MP Mu Sochua, to attend Global Ambassador’s Program in Haiti

photograph by Cattleya Jaruthavee

On February 28 to March 1, 2012 Cambodian Member of Parliament Mu Sochua will act as a Global Ambassador for the launch of the Vital Voices and Bank of America global mentoring program “The Global Ambassador’s Program” in Pétion-Ville, Haiti. The program seeks to resolve the women’s leadership gap by connecting the expertise of the world’s top women from business, media, government and civil society to outstanding emerging local women leaders. The 2012 program’s Global Ambassadors include: American actress and activist Maria Bello; Minister of Agriculture in the Republic of Liberia, Dr. Florence Chenoweth; a Marketing Executive at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch; and Constance Morella, the former United States Government Ambassador to the OECD.

Haitian women’s voices are barely present in the country’s social and economic decision making processes. Currently, women make up less than 3% of Haiti’s Parliament. As a result, throughout the course of the past few months, Haitian women’s organizations have hosted 308 focus groups for women across the country to identify and develop policy platforms regarding key issues affecting Haitian women. The Global Ambassador’s Program will provide a space for local leaders to meet, consult, and develop their policy platforms under the mentorship of the Global Ambassadors.

During the program, Haitian women leaders will draft a set of policy priorities based on the issues identified by Haitian women across the country. Each Global Ambassador, including MP Mu Sochua, will mentor two extraordinary Haitian women leaders as they lead this consultative process to produce a National Women’s Platform. On March 1, the National Women’s Platform will be presented to President Michel Martelly to ensure the acknowledged policy priorities are accounted for in the next legislative cycle.