I ATTENDED the Global Summit of Women in Madrid, Spain from May 9 to 11. The conference was in its 26th year, led by the Fil-Am dynamo Irene Natividad and her high-powered group of international women leaders. The Philippine delegation was led by former foreign affairs secretary Delia Albert and Aurora Geotina Garcia of the Philippine Women's Economic Network (she headed the Financial Planning and Investment Strategies for Women Forum at the event).

Government leaders, business personalities and women from all the continents were present, bringing their own interests and experiences, as well as readiness to learn, collaborate and innovate within the current climate primarily of business and economics but expanding toward women's issues and current geopolitical issues. The summit theme was 'Women: Energizing Economics of the Future.' More than 1,000 women were in attendance. From Asia, the Vietnamese delegation was the biggest, followed closely by China and Kazakhstan, with Cambodia, Malaysia and Japan in attendance. Africa was present with a substantial group from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among others. Europe, of course, had the major countries represented, including Iceland and Romania, as well as delegates from South and Central America.