It is an enormous pleasure to welcome you to Asia Pacific Breakthrough on behalf of IWDA and the collaborative steering group of fellow agencies, government, philanthropists and colleagues from the international development field, from women’s organisations and from faith organisations. Asia Pacific Breakthrough is a bold vision to ensure we commit to finding new ways of working together to improve outcomes on the ground for the support of women and girls and their families who face poverty and extreme challenges in their everyday lives.

We took our inspiration from the challenge of meeting and monitoring the Millennium Development Goals and from learning about the Breakthrough event held by our USA friends at the Washington Cathedral in 2008 and determined that we too here in Australia could make a stand and encourage renewed and new investment and commitment to collaborative projects that will help women and girls. This includes women and girls from Asia Pacific countries as well as our Indigenous sisters and our new refugees. We wanted to build new partnerships, to deeply understand our colleagues who work in different organisations who share the same goals and values and to ensure our relationship building leads to improved programs that are truly self-determining and responsive to local community needs.

As we have all worked together through these last 15 months it has become apparent as it always does that it is the women and girls in the countries we are privileged to serve in who know what really works and we have been delighted that our colleagues, philanthropists, business people, our regular donors and new and unexpected gifts have allowed us to bring 40 women from 20 countries to work with us for the two days of Breakthrough. By doing so, they are bringing their local knowledge and wisdom to be present in the development of plans, ideas, and solutions that are different, vibrant and that will work over the long haul.
We are confident that these two days in December will inspire you as you hear the new commitments that will be made. Here you will learn from local women, from leaders in the fields of development, women’s organisations and faith organisations and from young people who stand ready to take up the torch and ensure that the Millennium Development Goals will be monitored, reviewed and met. Together we will continue to strive with ebullient hope for our own organisational and personal goals.

Our beautiful world holds immense challenges for each of us and the planet is crying for new respectful ways of living together -women and girls are suffering, many starving and hurting, as they try to work with men and boys to make a wholistic future and live a joyful, decent life free from poverty and violence. We seek to stand alongside these women, girls and their families and we know we need new ways of working, new ways of listening, new ways of sharing. It is my deep hope and firm belief that these two days will inspire each of us to take up the torch in 2010 with new vigour to achieve the commitments we have made and the new learnings gained from each other.

Enjoy your time at Asia Pacific Breakthrough and please ensure you meet and talk freely with speakers and participants -it is in our dialogue we will strengthen and grow.

Sincerely

Coleen Clare Chair, Asia Pacific Breakthrough
Jane Sloane Executive Director, IWDA