Dr. Shea Garrison, CWA’s Vice President of International Affairs, was recently invited to Hungary to present at the Budapest Demographic Summit III, September 5-6. Hosted by the Hungarian government, the conference brought together leaders from all over the world to share their ideas and experiences in strengthening families and promoting effective family policies.
Among those presenting were Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Minister of State for Family and Youth Affairs Katalin Novak, as well as other senior officials from Serbia, Australia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Brazil. Religious representatives included leaders from both Christian and Jewish congregations.
Dr. Garrison spoke about CWA’s commitment to both family and life and how research and practice demonstrate that women’s full and “meaningful” participation in other areas of society—such as within the economy and in peace and security processes—greatly contributes to stable societies, sustainable economic growth, and family development. She was quoted as saying, “We believe the best way to preserve the family is to defend the sanctity of life, particularly the life of an unborn child. In addition, we value motherhood and strong, cohesive families. Women have a unique role in building strong societies that goes beyond the care and nurturing of a family.”
Dr. Garrison discussed two U.S. strategies–the Women’s Global and Development Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP) and the U.S. Women, Peace, and Security Strategy (WPS)–as examples for how governments and civil organizations can support stronger families and communities by taking significant steps to ensure women’s full participation in all areas of society.
Other U.S. representatives included Valerie Huber, Senior Policy Advisor for the Office of Global Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Emilie Kao, Director of the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society, the Heritage Foundation.
Additional Photos of Dr. Garrison’s visit to Hungary:
