TED Women: A Good Start to Talk About Women’s Ideas in 2010

There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help women says Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in 8th December 2010 in TED women Conference at International Trade Center (ITC) in Washington DC. World Pulse Voices of Our Future correspondents Sunita Basnet (myself), Jacqueline Patiño, and Malayapinas attended the TED women conference which was co-hosted by Pat Mitchelle , the founder of Palley Media center.

First time in my life, I became a first audience and a speaker from Nepal in TED Women conference, which was organized by TED on 7th and 8th December 2010. It was also a first Women Conference organized from TED where women from various professions come to exchange their ideas, inspired each other and transform. About 700 people mostly women gathered in Washington DC in a remarkable journey of TED. TED Women conference was an idea of Pat Michelle because she believes that it is very powerful to hear from others or others ideas especially women’s ideas.

The conference was divided into six speaking sessions, community lunch, break and social spaces, which cost $2,200 to hear 70 powerful speakers around the world. Our talks were schedule at the first day of the conference in Welcome Dinner session. The attendees and speakers were from about 30 different countries.

As speakers, we were also invited in speaker’s reception on December 6th 2010 at National Museums of Women in the Arts. After the reception, we were taken to the theater of the museum to watch a movie Women are Heroes, the winner of TED movie that was directed by JR. Hair and make up session was kindly organized for speakers by the organizer. The speakers contains House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, Donna Karan, TED rock star Hans Rosling, first lady of Malawi and Sierra Leone and many more.

The co-host Pat and June welcome the attendees of the conference by accepting the fact that one conference cannot captured the full issues but TED Women conference is an attempt to address all the existing problems. Today is a historic day because some remarkable men and women are going to take a stage. We know that one conference can’t capture full issues but we try, says the co-host Pat Michelle. Although the conference was name after women, it also acknowledges men. Hamna Rosin, a writer and a mother said, If we don’t acknowledge men, it will be painful… given the fact that most of the top job and position now in USA has been occupied by women.

Every woman at the conference was talking about social, political and economic transformation. I do not believe in hope that can bring change rather I believe in people’s actions that brings change says Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams. Every woman was trying to inspire each other to take a further step in order to bring the change. “If you are feeling helpless, help someone,” says Morley, a singer and a song writer. There are many courageous women who were making differences around the world.

As Michelle says, it was very powerful and encouraging to hear from others. Kiran Bedi who is a corrections pioneer and a first woman police inspector from New Delhi, took courageous step and became the first police to give a parking ticket to prime minister in the history of India. She is tough, innovative and committed to social change. Kiran thinks, Each day of the right kind of work was making a difference in the lives of thousands. The conference attendees were entertained by beautiful songs from Angelique Kidjo, Morley, Avant-garde marching band, Bernice, Toshi, Ahn Trio and Piano Trio.

The conference was also webcast in India, Tokyo, Kuwait, Singapore and many individual TEDx group. The program finished after the closing celebration in United States Institute of Peace for hotel. If every speaker does as they committed to take a further step for change, it will not take longer to bring the equalities in the world. The conference is a good start to start a fight on talking about women’s ideas but it should not end here. We look forward for the next step.

P.s. I am sorry, I was unable to attached any photoes because photoes were not allowed. I will upload some photoes as soon as I received from the organizer