Women, Faith, and Development Alliance, Breakthrough Summit, 2008
In 2008, Mahnaz Afkhami attended and spoke at Breakthrough: The Women, Faith and Development Summit to End Global Poverty which took place at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.. Also in attendance was Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland, Madeleine Albright, the first female United States secretary of state, Kim Campbell, the first female prime minister of Canada, and Thoraya Obaid, executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the first Saudi Arabian to head a United Nations agency.
The summit was created to bring together governments, women's organizations, faith-based organizations, the UNFPA, and others to raise funds and promote dialogue on the advancement of peace. At the summit, Obaid, on behalf of the UNFPA, and Afkhami on behalf of women's NGOs, spoke at the first event. Robinson and Campbell would later speak on the role that religious organizations can play in promoting gender equality.
The event was highly successful, raising $3 billion in commitments for the cause, and was unique in its philosophy that interfaith connections were critical in the advancement of women's rights.
