"Empowering Women in Asia: The Urgent Need for Higher Education"-A Panel Discussion at Asia Society on Nov. 20

Women represent half of Asias burgeoning population. Yet particularly in South, Southeast, and West Asia, women have traditionally been caught in a cycle of disadvantage and little is invested in developing their individual talents and potential. Studies indicate that when women are educated and participate in important decisions about their own lives and the lives of their families, quality of life improves. The Asia Society is hosting a panel discussion to discuss the establishment of the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh, and the urgency for making higher education more accessible for women in the 21st century.

New York City, NY (PRWEB) November 16, 2003 --The Asia Society is hosting a Citigroup sponsored panel discussion on Nov. 20, titled, Empowering Women in Asia: The Urgent Need for Higher Education" to discuss the establishment of the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh, and the critical need for making higher education more accessible to women in Asia.

Women represent half of Asias burgeoning population. Yet throughout much of Asia, and South, Southeast and West Asia in particular, girls and women have traditionally been caught in a cycle of disadvantage. They are valued less as members of their communities and little is invested in developing their individual talents and potential. Nevertheless, study after study irrefutably indicates that when women are educated and participate in important decisions about their own lives and the lives of their families, quality of life improves. In basic ways, womens contributions affect national prosperity.

Economic development is a critical issue in Asia today, for the well-being of its citizens, as equal partners in an increasingly interdependent global economy, and to assure social progress and peace in the region and the world.

Panelists will focus on the role that higher education plays in improving prospects for women and, by extension, social and economic equity in the region. They will discuss the experiences of womens universities in Asia, the urgency for making higher education more accessible for women in the 21st century, and the prospects and challenges for establishing the new Asian University for Women.

The panelists include: Hanna Holborn Gray, President Emeritus, University of Chicago; Sang Chang, President Emeritus, Ewha Womans University, South Korea, and former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea; Patricia Licuanan, President, Miriam College, Philippines and Chair of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing); and Stephen J. Friedman, Chairman, Asian University for Women Support Foundation. The moderator Vishakha Desai is Senior Vice President, and Director of the Museum and Cultural Programs, Asia Society.

Stephen J. Friedman, Chairman of the Asian University for Women Support Foundation stated, Given our current global situation, it is so important to raise awareness in the United States about the transformative economic and social effects investing in womens education and leadership capacities can have at the local and national levels. We are immensely pleased with the enthusiastic international support we have for establishing the Asian University for Women."

For more information:
http://www.asian-university.org
Contact: kdasgupta@asian-university.org
Phone: (212) 493-3996

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About the Asian University for Women
Slated to open in 2006 in Bangladesh, aims to be a world-class institution of higher education dedicated to preparing highly professional women leaders across Asia. It will offer a five-year program leading to a combined Bachelors and Masters degree, drawing on the best international and regional models of teaching and learning and a faculty recruited from throughout the region and the world. The University will serve as a model of excellence that will raise regional expectations for access to, and quality of, higher education for women.

About Asia Society
Americas leading nonprofit, nonpartisan public education organization to broaden understanding of Asia and of U.S.-Asia relations. The Society presents a wide variety of educational programs on Asian contemporary affairs and cultures for professional audiences, including business executives, foreign affairs specialists, the media and the general public. The Citigroup Series is part of the Asian Social Issues Program (ASIP) at the Asia Society. ASIP is a timely initiative that focuses on critical social issues in Asia of increasing global significance. Asia Society is headquartered in New York, with regional centers in Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Melbourne, Australia, and representative offices in San Francisco, Manila and Shanghai.
Visit http://www.asiasociety.org for more information.