USA: Actress Angelina Jolie attends the third annual Women in the World summit in New York City

Record ID: 860414

  • Title: USA: Actress Angelina Jolie attends the third annual Women in the World summit in New York City
  • Date: 10th March 2012
  • Summary: SLATE INFORMATION
  • Embargoed: 25th March 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa, Usa
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Politics,People
  • Reuters ID: LVA46GYAVAPQAKNSDDYPZ0KZTPI5
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  • Story Text: After three years and just 200 attendees, magazine editor Tina Brown has turned her Women in the World summit into an event that now attracts thousands.
    Brown founded the summit in 2010 after being inspired by Vital Voices, an organization that works with female leaders in business, politics and human rights.
    "We started small and it just grew in its own organic way because the women we brought to tell their stories were so incredibly moving and powerful and inspiring that the people who attended kept saying 'how do we get to know more,'" said Brown, whose mission is to help women and girls succeed through experience and problem solving.
    After having success with the summits Brown created the Women in the World Foundation, which is an avenue for all to learn more about the issues facing women and girls around the world.
    Actress Angelina Jolie is making her inaugural visit to the summit and spoke during the opening night program. On the red carpet before the event Jolie said helping others is what life it about.
    "I think what are we in this world if we can't give back to others in some, it really does - it's a happier life. I had a wonderful mother I learned a lot about women through her, I have great daughters who teach me a lot about the strength of women and little girls. And I've meet amazing people around the world who have inspired me and taught me to be better," Jolie told Reuters.
    From the famous to the nameless, the mother of six said her life has been touched by people from all walks of life.
    "The woman I'm speaking on tonight, Dr. Hawa Abdi, Jane Goodall is a friend and somebody I think is wonderful. And many people who are only identified to me by their first names because they are women I've met around the world and some of them who cannot be mentioned because of security reasons who are just fighting against the odds and nobody talks about them, the millions of millions of them who daily are either stateless or internally displaced or who are refuges and just fighting just for the basic survival of their family and for their children - and these women who just give up everything," said Jolie.
    Actress Debra Messing, said she was honored to have been invited to the event, and is very aware of the work that still needs to be done for women all around the world.
    "I have the same concerns and worries about my family, about my child and the education he is going to get, about my ability to keep him safe and the privileges that my nieces will get - that she gets everything that my son gets," Messing told Reuters.
    The summit will run from March 8-March 10 and will include appearances by actress Meryl Streep and designer Diane von Furstenberg.
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