License to Thrive

Council of Women World Leaders

The Council of Women World Leaders is a network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers. Currently, there are 35 members who represent nearly all of the world’s current and former women world leaders. Mary Robinson, President of Ireland from 1990-97, is Chair of the Council and Madeleine Albright, who served as U.S. Secretary of State from 1997-2001 under President Bill Clinton, is Chair of the Council’s Women’s Ministerial Initiative

The Council's Ministerial Initiative is dedicated to advancing democracy, gender equality and excellence in governance throughout the world by facilitating dialogue, discussion and idea exchange about global issues among women ministers. The Council convenes meeting for the ministers to interact across a variety of topics such as health, education, environment, finance, economy and development, women's affairs and culture. The initiative also fosters and develops cross-ministerial solutions to issues, providing a platform for women world leaders to increase their visibility both nationally and internationally and to identify and address the unique challenges facing women in ministerial leadership positions.

In addition to the Ministerial Initiative, the Council of World Women Leaders also has a Girls Education Initiative, a series of roundtable discussions on various global topics and issues and a graduate student fellows program.

Current members of the Council of World Women Leaders are:

Corazon Aquino President, The Philippines, 1986-92

Michelle Bachelet President, Chile, 2006-present

Benazir Bhutto Prime Minister, Pakistan, 1988-90, 1993-97

Gro Harlem Brundtland Prime Minister, Norway, 1981, 1986-89, and 1990-96

Micheline Calmy-Rey President, Switzerland, 2006-present

Kim Campbell Prime Minister, Canada, 1993

Violeta B. de Chamorro President, Nicaragua, 1990-96

Tansu Çiller Prime Minister, Turkey, 1993-96

Helen Clark Prime Minister, New Zealand, 1999-present

Edith Cresson Prime Minister, France, 1991-92

Luísa Dias Diogo Prime Minister, Mozambique, 2004-present

Ruth Dreifuss President, Switzerland, 1998-99

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir President, Iceland, 1980-96

Pamela Gordon Premier, Bermuda, 1997-98

Tarja Halonen President, Finland, 2000 - present

Sheikh Hasina Prime Minister, Bangladesh, 1996–2001

Janet Jagan President, Guyana, 1997-1999

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf President, Liberia, 2006-present

Chandrika Kumaratunga President, Sri Lanka, 1994-present

Maria Liberia-Peters Prime Minister, Netherlands Antilles, 1984-86, 1988-94

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo President, The Philippines, 2001-present

Mary McAleese President, Ireland, 1997–present

Beatriz Merino Prime Minister, Peru, 2003

Angela Merkel Chancellor, Germany, 2005-present

Mireya Moscoso President, Panama, 1999-2003

Maria Das Neves Prime Minster, Sao Tome and Principe, 2002-present

Kazimiera Prunskiene Prime Minister, Lithuania, 1990-91

Mary Robinson President, Ireland, 1990-97

Suzanne Camelia-Romer Prime Minister, Netherlands Antilles, 1993, 1998-1999

Jenny Shipley Prime Minister, New Zealand, 1997-99

Portia Simpson Miller Prime Minister, Jamaica 2006-present

Jennifer Smith Premier, Bermuda, 1998-2003

Hanna Suchocka Prime Minister, Poland, 1992-93

Vaira Vike-Freiberga President, Latvia, 1999-present

Begum Khaleda Zia Prime Minister, Bangladesh, 1991-96