Hand in Hand International CEO speaks at Global Parliamentary Conference

14 Apr 2016

By Jessica Schneider

Washington, DC — Hand in Hand CEO Josefine Lindänge hosted a workshop this week at the Global Parliamentary Conference, the second annual meeting of MPs from more than 100 countries held ahead of the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings.

Titled ‘Educating for the right job – building human capital’, the workshop spanned subjects including different approaches to job creation, the importance of the informal sector and strategies for thinking differently about jobs growth in both the developed and developing world. It was co-hosted by Barry Gardiner MP (UK) and Olfa Soukri Cherif MP (Tunisia).

“Hand in Hand has a model that works. We need to share it as widely as possible,” said Lindänge after the conference. “Explaining our work to a room full of MPs – people in a position to make a real difference – couldn’t be more important, particularly as Hand in Hand continues to grow and search for new partners. Judging by MPs’ reactions, there’s a real appetite for our message.”

The three-day conference featured Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the IMF, and Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group, as keynote speakers. Sustainable job creation and women’s empowerment – Hand in Hand’s key areas of expertise – were recurring themes.

“We need to focus on women, education and jobs,” said Kim.

Stephen O’Brien, UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, agreed. “We need to make sure that aid is for the long term, and not just immediate needs…especially for women,” he said.

Hand in Hand also featured in a ‘Youth Job Creation Policy Primer’ produced by Peace Child International and conference organisers The Parliamentary Network. The primer was distributed to the conference’s 250-odd MP guests by Parliamentary Network Chair Jeremy Lefroy MP (UK).

Youth Job Creation: A Policy Primer

Hand in Hand’s work with students and young entrepreneurs featured in a ‘Youth Job Creation Policy Primer’ distributed to conference attendees.

Read the booklet here