Haifa Declaration (International Women Leaders Conference)

The Haifa Declaration is a document that encapsulates the main resolutions reached at the International Conferences for Women Leaders, held biennially by MASHAV – Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation – at the Golda Meir MASHAV Carmel Training Center (MCTC) in Haifa since 1961, when the Center was founded by Ms. Golda Meir, then Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

These conferences deal with development themes of current interest for women in both developing and industrialized countries on topics declared by the United Nations to be of international concern. Participants in these conferences are key players in the political, economic, and social arenas from around the world. The conference aimed to create an international network of women committed to advancing the leadership of the future. It was the occasion for leading women worldwide to jointly come up with practical recommendations for the way forward to a more equitable and inclusive global society

The declaration, written and published in four languages (English, French, Spanish, and Russian), contains the stances adopted by the participants regarding UN resolutions and policies, these stances forming the basis for what is a call to action to governments and international organizations.

The Declaration lays out the steps that need to be taken in order to achieve the vision of these international leaders. The Draft Declaration is handed to the President of the State of Israel at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem at the end of the Conference.

The 29th International Conference for Women Leaders will take place in October 2015.