Global Conference for Social Change
Turn Social Responsibility Into Business Opportunity
featuring
Women & Girls Education Summit
Driving Economic Progress for Gender Equality
______________________________________________________
October 5-6, 2011 | UN Plaza Hotel | New York
New York, August 8, 2011—The Foundation for Social Change (FSC) and the United Nations Office for
Partnerships (UNOP) will host the annual Global Conference for Social Change: Turn Social Responsibility
Into Business Opportunity and the Women & Girls Education Summit: Driving Economic Progress for
Gender Equality on October 5-6 in New York.
In a climate of economic and environmental uncertainty, the Leaders of Change Award exemplifies how
corporations can have a financial impact to their bottom line by addressing social and environmental problems.
These Leaders demonstrate that “doing good is good for business.” With a special emphasis on gender equality,
the Global Conference this year focuses on the economic drivers of educating women and girls throughout the
world.
The Global Conference for Social Change honors the 2011 Leaders of Change – those visionary, inspirational
leaders, who through their actions exemplify how leadership, creativity and innovation can engage in initiatives that
solve social problems.
The 2011 Leaders of Change awardees include: Billabong, Carbon Disclosure Project, Domini Social
Investment Fund, DSM, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Marks & Spencer, NatureWorks, Philips Lighting,
Seventh Generation, and Unilever.
The Women & Girls Education Summit focuses of the financial impact around the world by educating young
women and girls in poverty. There will be powerful presentations made by leading NGOs about how educational
empowerment is the key to economic development. NGOs are from Venezuela (Wayuu Taya), Colombia
(Fundacion Pies Descalzos), Kenya (HURU Foundation), Ghana (IDP Foundation), India (Pratham) and Brazil
(Consulador da Mulher/Whirlpool), Puerto Rico (Ricky Martin Foundation) and Rwanda (SameSky).
Highlights of this year’s Conference & Summit:
Guest Speakers include: Cherie Blair of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and Lakshmi Puri,
Assistant Secretary General of UN Women, Amir Dossal, Chairman, Global Partnerships Forum, and
John Paul DeJoria, Co-Founder, Paul Mitchell, Patron Spirits, JPSelects.com
Presentation Moderators include: Jane Bornemeier, The New York Times; Amy Resnick, Thomson
Reuters; Heidi Moore, Marketplace, American Public Media; Mia Haugen, TheStreet.com; Femi Oke,
New York Public Radio; Diane Brady, Bloomberg Business Week and David Ushery of WNBC-TV
Channel News 4 New York.
Over 200 attendees from across the range of organizations involved in solving social problems:
Prudential Foundation, Citicorp, General Electric, UNIFEM, UNDP, Millennium Challenge Corporation,
PriceWatershouseCoopers, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Ambassadors from Egypt, Rwanda and Norway,
Johnson & Johnson, NYU Stern School of Business, Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation (Kingdom of Saudia
Arabia Foundation) and many others.
• Highlights from the most inspiring examples of corporations solving social problems throughout the world
and in the United States.
• Special honoree for Leader of Change Award is Ricky Martin of the Ricky Martin Foundation
“This year’s Leaders of Change honorees are an exemplary group of individuals and organizations who
represent the strong leadership role needed to address social issues,” said Roland Rich, Officer-In-Charge
of UNOP. “Corporate engagement is essential to the international community’s efforts to alleviate poverty,
ensure clean water, and help underserved populations realize healthy living. We want to recognize the creativity,
technology and resources that the private sector brings to our collective efforts in solving social problems.”
A committee consisting of representatives from UNOP, NYU Stern School of Business, and the Foundation for
Social Change chose the Leaders of Change awardees.
Sponsors:
• Abbott Labs
• Intel
• GenConnect
• NewsCertified
Strategic Partners
• UN Office for Partnerships
• UN Women
• NYU Stern School of Business
• Cherie Blair Foundation for Women
• mWomen / GSM Association
• GenConnect
• World Computer Exchange
• Global Partnerships Forum
• Purpose Campaign
• 10x10 Women
For further information, and to arrange interviews, please contact:
Louise M. Guido | CEO | Foundation for Social Change
lguido@foundationchange.org
Tel: 212.203.2122
To register: http://globalconference.eventbrite.com
About the Foundation for Social Change
The Foundation works with corporations and NGOs around the world to create programs that define how doing
good is good for business. It is not charity. It is not philanthropy. It is not impact investing. It is just doing the right
thing. We prove that there is a bottom-line financial impact to solving problems. One example of this is through our
eLife – Economic Opportunity for Women & Girls education program teaching life and business skills.
About the United Nations Office for Partnerships
The United Nations Office for Partnerships serves as a gateway for collaboration between the private sector
and foundations, and the United Nations family. It promotes new partnerships and alliances in furtherance of the
Millennium Development Goals and provides support to new initiatives of the Secretary-General.
Global Conference for Social Change and Women & Girls Education Summit
October 5-6, 2011
One United Nations Plaza | 1st Avenue at 44th Street | Millennium UN Plaza Hotel | New York, NY 10017
2010 Leaders of Change: Anvil Knitwear, Calvert Investments, Ceres, Coca-Cola, Danone, Dow Chemical, Interface,
Nike, Reebok, Santander Bank Brazil, Stonyfield Farm. Special Honorees: Sir Richard Branson, Shakira
