Best-selling author Cokie Roberts on the change in women's
leadership roles, U.S State Department's Director of Policy Planning
Dr. David Gordon, and Arab-Israeli community activist Amal Elsana
Alh'jooj address award-winning scholars from 22 countries at annual
week-long event
Business Editors
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 21, 2008--The Goldman Sachs
Foundation and the Institute for International Education gathered 75
outstanding college students selected from five continents for a
remarkable week of high-level lectures, networking and leadership
workshops.
Since its inception in 2000, the Goldman Sachs Global Leaders
Program was designed to identify and cultivate the next generation of
world leaders through its annual Global Leadership Institute (GLI).
The program provides life and leadership lessons from leading
political, philanthropic and business figures to the outstanding
sophomore students that the program gathers from across the globe. The
theme of this year's event was globalization.
Stephanie Bell-Rose, Managing Director and President of the
Goldman Sachs Foundation said,"The Global Leaders Program is a vital
one, we are proud to support initiatives like this and are hopeful the
overall result will be nothing short of a more peaceful and prosperous
world."
Dina Powell, Managing Director and Global Head of the Office of
Corporate Engagement at Goldman Sachs, and Dr. Allan Goodman,
President of the Institute of International Education, opened the
Institute on Monday, July 14, welcoming the 2008 global leaders who
hail from 22 countries.
"It is our responsibility as a global community to foster these
young minds," said Dina Powell. "By investing in the leadership
potential of exceptional young people around the world, Goldman Sachs
also hopes to invest in the well-being of many people whose lives will
be touched by their vision, skills and compassion."
Dr. Allan Goodman spoke of the remarkable journeys ahead of these
students and reminded them that, as global citizens, they can learn a
great deal from the global community and from the wide network of
Goldman Sachs Global Leaders alumni worldwide.
The Ecuadorian Ambassador to the U.S., Luis Gallegos, was the
opening speaker of this year's event. A passionate advocate for Human
Rights, the Ambassador was instrumental in the formation of the UN
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Ambassador
Gallegos shared with the Institute how he has, over the course of his
diplomatic career, evolved from being an idealist into a realist. The
week progressed with remarks by journalist and author Cokie Roberts,
who shared insights about her career and the challenges women still
face in the workplace, and Jean-Marc Coicaud, Head of the United
Nations University, who spoke about education and leadership at the
United Nations.
Goldman Sachs arranged an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the
United Nations during which the GLI honorees lunched alongside UN
Ambassadors and were addressed by Ann Veneman, Director of UNICEF, who
spoke on a range of topics including how the world must first
acknowledge its problems, like the AIDS crisis, in order to fully
address them. This was followed by a timely discussion on the state of
'New China' by the renowned author and Washington Post contributing
editor John Pomfret, who spoke about China's likely impact on the
future of every country represented by the Global Leaders.
Several alumni of the program attended this year's event and
shared their personal stories of success. Their panel provoked dynamic
discussions about the program's long-running Social Entrepreneurship
Fund which gives participants the opportunity to collaborate and apply
for further funding from the Goldman Sachs Foundation. American Andrew
Cunningham (class of 2006), Delhi-born Anurag Gupta (2004) and South
African Kopano Matlwa (2005) all have established remarkable projects
which leveraged the Goldman Sachs investments to produce broad social
benefits for orphans of AIDs victims in Thailand, literacy programs in
Burma, and community medical clinics in South Africa. The session
proved to be an inspirational opportunity highlighting how social
entrepreneurship can use modest investments of capital to produce
global and local change, if administered with imagination and
perseverance.
The director of Policy Planning for the U.S. State Department, Dr.
David Gordon discussed effects of a rapidly globalizing world and
reminded the students that "individuals have the power to shape
solutions to some of the world's most daunting challenges."
This year's GLI was hailed as "a celebration of talent, a
celebration of hard work, and a celebration of what it means to lead"
by Stephanie Bell-Rose, who introduced the week's keynote, Amal Elsana
Alh'jooj.
Ms. Elsana Alh'jooj is herself a remarkable example of the
leadership ideals that form the founding principles of the Goldman
Sachs Global Leaders Institute. She is one of the key shapers of
public opinion in the Arab community in Israel. She began her career
as a community organizer at age 14, and at the age of 17 established
the first Arab Bedouin woman's organization. She used the leadership
template that forms the framework of this initiative to speak on the
issues faced by minorities in Israel saying that in order to succeed
we need not to be the victims of circumstance and that the key to
moving forward was building the self-esteem of the community-at-large.
Speaking to the 22 nations represented at this year's Global Leaders
Institute, the Arab-Israeli encouraged those present to "believe in
themselves, be part of the solution, work hard to promote change and
always ask questions."
About the Goldman Sachs Global Leaders Program
Nine hundred students from around the world have been named as
Goldman Sachs Global Leaders since the program began in 2000. The
Global Leaders have built an extensive alumni network and, with modest
seed funding from the program's Social Entrepreneurship Fund, have
joined forces to launch innovative social ventures. Funded projects to
date have assisted with the creation of a community school in India,
stopping the spread of malaria in Africa, and providing scholarships
for children orphaned by AIDS in Thailand.
About The Goldman Sachs Foundation
The Goldman Sachs Foundation is a global philanthropic
organization that was funded in 1999 with a $200 million donation from
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The Foundation's mission is to promote
excellence and innovation in education worldwide. The Foundation is an
important extension of the tradition of philanthropy and public
leadership at Goldman Sachs. Grants have been awarded in excess of
$114 million since its inception, providing opportunities for young
people in more than 20 countries. The Foundation awarded a $5 million
grant to the Institute of International Education in 2007 to continue
to build the program. Visit the Foundation's website at
www.gs.com/foundation
About the Institute of International Education
The Institute of International Education administers the Goldman
Sachs Global Leaders Program in partnership with The Goldman Sachs
Foundation. IIE is a leading nonprofit organization specializing in
the international exchange of people and ideas. Its expertise enables
institutions and individuals to build capacity in their home countries
and regions. IIE designs and implements over 200 programs of study and
training for students, educators, young professionals, and trainees
from all sectors with funding from government and private sources.
These programs include the Fulbright Student and Scholar programs and
the Humphrey Fellowships, administered on behalf of the U.S.
Department of State, as well as corporate- and foundation-funded
scholarships and training programs. IIE also conducts policy research
and provides advice and counseling on international educational
opportunities. The Institute of International Education has a network
of 20 offices worldwide, over 900 college and university members, and
more than 5,000 volunteers. www.iie.org
CONTACT: Press:
Brown Lloyd James
Andrew Kirk, 212-486-7070 / 646-250-1114
AndrewK@brownlloydjames.com
or
Goldman Sachs
Gia Moron, 212-902-4307
gia.moron@gs.com
or
IIE
Mary McBride, 718-813-1373
212-984-5462
MMcBride@iie.org
