| Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC October 26, 2006 Under Secretary Karen Hughes and U.S. Businesswomen Traveling to the UAEU.S. Supporting the Aspirations of Women in the Middle East and North Africa Video of Secretary Hughes Remarks Following her Trip Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes and 14 women leaders and executives from the United States will join more than 250 businesswomen from 17 Middle Eastern countries and territories October 30-November 1 to strengthen entrepreneurship on the part of Arab women in the region. The 2006 Middle East and North Africa Businesswomen’s Summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, will help participants expand their networks, discuss real-world experiences and build management and leadership skills. Summit speakers will include Under Secretary Hughes, Delta Private Equity Partners CEO Patricia Cloherty, and Raja Easa Al Gurg, number four on the Forbes 50 most influential women in the Arab world list. While in the UAE, Under Secretary Hughes and Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation founder Nancy Brinker will launch the U.S.-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Researchon October 31. This unique partnership will share America’s experience in the fight against breast cancer with the women of the region in an effort to raise awareness, increase medical research — and save lives. Partners include the Komen Foundation; Johns Hopkins Medicine International; and businesswomen, physicians, and governmental, social and medical organizations in the Middle East. The businesswomen’s summit is made possible by the State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), which has devoted nearly $300 million in four years to people in the region working to spread democracy, enhance education, expand economic opportunity, and empower women. The breast cancer partnership is supported by the State Department’s Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and MEPI. -More- Media Opportunities Remarks by Under Secretary Hughes |
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