Tackling Inequality Through Effective Leadership

When looking out for leaders, the focus should not be on looks but on demonstrated abilities, attributes and track records like collaboration and engagement with others, understanding of peculiar needs of given contexts, sense of values and moral compass, willingness to challenge authority, communication skills and experience of working in multicultural and multifaceted settings.

Presented by: Laura Liswood, Secretary General, Council of Women World Leaders

Effective leadership

International cooperation has helped reduce conflicts and poverty through peacekeeping and development aid, and generally encourages international development through collaboration for education (particularly of girls and women), food production and improved livelihoods, clean water provision, malaria eradication, growth in the rule of international law through holding war criminals accountable, amongst others. Nationalism on the other hand, limits international development, as can be seen with leaders in countries like Russia (food and energy crisis as a result of the Russia invasion in Ukraine), China and North Korea. International development issues like climate change, migration, pandemics, terrorism and conflicts can only be solved through international cooperation, which is why leaders must incorporate it into their development agenda.

Presented by: Rt. Hon. Andrew Mitchell, MP for Sutton Coldfield, UK

Leadership and International Cooperation

Men and women traditionally have development issues that appeal more to them in some settings. For instance, women in low-income countries are more inclined towards solving child mortalitiy and maternal health issues, and economic empowement and education for women, which is their lived reality. As such including women in leadership in these climes can increase the chance of having a holistic approach to solving development problems.

Presented by: Shabnum Sarfraz, Member Social Sector and Devolution, Ministry of Planning, Government of Pakistan

Women in Leadership

To tackle global food crises, the World Food Programme provides meals to students in schools. In addition to providing nutrition, this approach strategically adopted the provision of an incentive for girls to come to school in societies where girl child education is discouraged, tackling the global threat to access to education. Countries use school meal programmes to buffer the rise in food prices for households and families. To achieve this, various ministries, like Agriculture, Education and Health must work together in driving such development programmes, and the right incentives for this cooperation must be provided.

Presented by: Carmen Burbano, Director of School Feeding Division, World Food Programme

School meals Strategy 

This can be done through international organisations, donor organisations and NGOs collaborating with higher education institutions to provide leadership training through action research, master's programmes, and specialised courses and modules. These programmes can help create an awareness in emerging leaders on systemic ways of solving complex global challenges like food insecurity and health issues.

Presented by: Carmen Burbano, Director of School Feeding Division, World Food Programme