Members from around the world join together in BPW International with one common purpose - to make a difference to the lives of women. With members in almost 100 countries, action in BPW International tends to have a broader perspective. Issues of concern focus on women's role in the world and the impact of world events on the lives of women. The respect the international organisation enjoys is reflected in its Category 1 Consultative Status at the United Nations and its representation on other bodies including UNICEF, ILO, UNESCO and the WHO.European and International Congresses are held triennially and contacts are maintained through e-mail, newsletters the twinning of clubs and personal contact.

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The International Federation of Business and Professional Women
Members from around the world join together in BPW International with one common purpose - to make a difference to the lives of women. With members in almost 100 countries, action in BPW International tends to have a broader perspective. Issues of concern focus on women's role in the world and the impact of world events on the lives of women. The respect the international organisation enjoys is reflected in its Category 1 Consultative Status at the United Nations and its representation on other bodies including UNICEF, ILO, UNESCO and the WHO.
BPW was founded by Dr. Lena Madesin Phillips in 1930. From its beginnings in America, it has grown into an influential international network of business and professional women with affiliates in 80 countries in five continents.

BPW UK members are automatically members of BPW International and BPW Europe when they pay their annual subscription to BPW UK. There is no additional fee.

Years ago BPW lobbied for the formation of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). Today, BPW continues its representation at UN Headquarters in New York, Vienna and Geneva. It sends representatives to meetings such as the International Labour Organisation in Geneva.
Common issues facing working men and working women around the world form the basis of the 10 day conference. Like other countries, Britain sends about 20 people, split between trade unionists, government officers and business people. Their expenses are paid by U.K. taxpayers.
The ILO’s latest report discussed the role of women in the labour market across the world. BPW aims to improve the conditions of the 1.2 billion working women around the world- just under half of the total or workers around the world. However more women than ever are unemployed – 81.8 million, or stuck in low productivity jobs in agriculture or services and receive less money for doing the same jobs as men. Will the Credit Crunch mean more women being made redundant rather than male counterparts?

More women out of the total number of women at work are in paid employment (48%) than 10 years ago. But in the last “Global Employment Trends for Women-2004” it was estimated that women made up at least 60 % of the world’s working poor- people who work but don’t earn enough to lift themselves and their families above the US one dollar a day line. According to this year’s report, “there is no reason to believe that this situation has changed considerably.”

Women in 6 occupations studied still earn 90% or less of what their male co-workers earn. Even in typically female occupations such as nursing and teaching, gender wage equality is lacking. And most chilling of all for the future of women, 60% of school dropouts are girls.
Delegates listen as attendees describe the conditions for working women in their countries and the role of government. In some parts of South America business people are threatened if they dare question their governments, whilst in other parts of South America such as Columbia working women are threatened if they dare to associate. And we are talking serious threats here. Threats of violence and death. Threats that are so real that one delegate asked for an armed escort back to their hotel and I have missed out the name of the country. Sitting in a flag lined hall it is difficult to underestimate the bravery of those willing to tell fellow world citizens of what is going on in their countries.

	International Labour Organisation Conference in U.N. H.Q. Geneva

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Mexico Congress – Power to Make a difference
Every 3 years an international congress is held – the last in Mexico City, the next in Finland and the 2014 in Korea.
Sylvia Perry receives inaugural Lena Madesin Phillips Award

BPW UK member, Sylvia Perry was very honoured to be presented with a prestigious new award named after the founder president of BPW International, the Lena Madesin Phillips Award in Mexico City on Friday 24 October 2008.

The aim of this award is: to recognise an individual BPW member who makes a significant contribution to the development of BPW at international level and/or to improve the status of women with the leadership and dedication inspired by Dr Lena Madesin Phillips, the founder of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International)

Sylvia, a former UK national president (989 – 91) and international president (1996 –1999) was nominated by BPW UK and was selected from among the eight nominees to be one of the first three awardees, together with her colleagues, Dr Yvette Swan of Hamilton, Bermuda and Dr Livia Ricci of Verona, Italy.

Sylvia started working in the international arena in 1980, when she attended her first international congress in Montreux, the Golden Jubilee of the International Federation, which by coincidence by chaired by the last UK woman before Sylvia to be the international president, Ms Mildred Head. Taking on her first responsibility internationally, she became the chair of the public relations standing committee and organised the extensive range of workshops held at international events in Nagoya, Japan, Venice, Italy and Southampton, UK.

She went on to be the regional coordinator for Europe (1993 – 1996) liaising with and leading 28 European country affiliates and was elected international president at the congress in Venice in July 1996. In her three years of her presidency, she visited over 40 countries, taking part in their activities and meeting heads of state, government officials, high profile business and institutional leaders and being interviewed by various media, making them aware of the advocacy and project work of BPW International.

Sylvia also worked extensively in the United Nations field, participating for a number of years in the Commission of Status of Women and representing BPW International at the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing in 1995. Also at various times, she participated in many conferences /summits of UN agencies such as UNESCO, FAO, UNCTAD and UNIFEM and was the representative on the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE). She continued her work for UNIFEM, running the UK NGO supporting that organisation for 6 years. In her own part of the world, she was involved with the European Women’s Lobby.

During her presidency, she worked on a plan for modernising BPW International which, was presented at the 1999 international congress that she chaired in Vancouver; launched a campaign for the BPW members internationally to work on the elimination of violence against women and co –wrote a book with her predecessor as international president, Dr Livia Ricci, on the life and work of a BPW International icon and UN activitist, Esther Wanner Hymer which was entitled ‘Bus to 42nd Street’

Cooperation with a number of international organisations was also a major interest, particularly with the four other major women’s international organisations involved with BPW International in the ‘Project Five 0’ group. Sylvia cemented that relationship by writing ‘Empowering Women Worldwide’ the 25 years history of the work of Project Five 0, and their shared fundraising and management of projects in developing countries.
Sylvia followed up her international presidency by chairing the organisation’s Twinning and UNIFEM task forces and for the last three years has been a Trustee of BPW International.

Her international experience was built on the development she gained within BPW UK where she took on a wide range of responsibilities over the years and is still a great supporter and active worker in her local club BPW Bristol. But it has also been a motivation for her international work in other organisations and for the last eight years she has taken the role as a Founder Board Member and the Finance Director of Arab International Women’s Forum, with major involvement in conferences in London, Cairo, Brussels, Dubai and Washington DC.

The citation was made and the award presented by Dr Chonchanok Viravan, the 2005 – 2008 international president who had initiated the award and whom Sylvia had appointed in her presidency to her first UN representative’s post. In accepting the award, Sylvia recalled the joy of being a BPW member, being part of its leadership, what it had meant to her and the friendships it had brought and she said “there is a very strong connection with Lena Madesin Phillips who was on her way to present the first ever report on Arab women, in which Arab women had participated, when she died in Marseilles and the fact that I now work extensively in helping Arab women achieve their potential is a special link. This is a very special moment and one I will treasure for ever”

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BPW Europe
The BPW European co-ordinator is Amelie Leclercq from France. This year’s European Congress was held in Munich. European presidents voted to make BPW Europe a not for profit organisation with its own bank account regulated under Belgian law. Presidents are keen to support the Equal Pay Day initiative - reflecting on concerns that there is still a pay gap across Europe.