Program History

For the past three years, the Council—in conjunction with the Aspen Institute—has sponsored a series of roundtable discussions focusing on the progress that women have achieved worldwide and the challenges that lie ahead in key areas of leadership. At each roundtable, internationally acclaimed experts discuss the progress toward equality for women and their challenges. The roundtables suggest future actions required for change to occur more rapidly in specific policy and issue arenas. In the fall of 2007, the series was named The Madeleine K. Albright Women’s Voices at the Aspen Institute Series, in honor of the first female U.S. Secretary of State and founding chair of the Council’s Ministerial Initiative and an Aspen Institute Trustee.

The Albright Women's Voices Series

Bolstered by the success and reach of its roundtable program, Women’s Voices, the Council decided to expand the series.  Given the work of US Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright (1997-2001) to amplify the voices of women internationally and to support the Council and the Aspen Institute, the Council renamed Women's Voices to honor her legacy. The Albright Women’s Voices Series  held its inaugural event on October 3, 2008.