Vital Voices Global Partnership and VV Ukrainian Chapter is a partner of WORLD WOMAN CLUB

Vital Voices Global Partnership (VVGP) is an American international, non-profit, non-governmental organization that works with women leaders in the areas of economic empowerment, women's political participation, and human rights. The organization is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Founders: Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, Melann Verveer.

The nonprofit Vital Voices Global Partnership grew out of the U.S. government's Vital Voices Democracy Initiative. The Vital Voices Democracy Initiative was established in 1997 by First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, following the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing to promote the advancement of women as a U.S. foreign policy goal. The first Vital Voices Democracy Initiative conference was held in 1997 in Vienna, and hosted by U.S. Ambassador to Austria Swanee Hunt.

The Vital Voices Democracy Initiative led to the creation of Vital Voices Global Partnership as a nonprofit non-governmental organization (NGO) in March 1999.

Former Hillary Clinton aide and chief of staff Melanne Verveer is co-founder of the global partnership and its board chair emeritus.

Melanne Verveer has ukrainian roots, she is co-founder of VVGP, the executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security at Georgetown University, a founding partner of Seneca Point Global, a global women strategy firm, and a co-founder of Seneca Women. She is also the co-author with Kim Azzarelli of the book Fast Forward: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose.

Most recently, she served as the first United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, nominated by President Barack Obama in February and confirmed by the United States Senate in April 2009. In that role, she directed the Office of Global Women's Issues.

Previously, Verveer served as the Chair and Co-CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, which she co-founded with Hillary Clinton in 2001. Vital Voices is a global NGO that supports emerging women leaders who are advancing economic, political and social progress in their societies.

During the Clinton Administration, Verveer served as Assistant to President Bill Clinton and Chief of Staff to the First Lady Hillary Clinton. Among her duties was overseeing Hillary Clinton's global initiatives on women's rights as human rights.

She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission and the World Bank Advisory Council on Gender and Development. She served as the 2013 Humanitas visiting professor at Cambridge University. In 2008, the President of Ukraine awarded her the Order of Queen Olga. She holds several honorary degrees and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the U.S. Secretary's Distinguished Service Award.

Other co-founders of VVGP were Alyse Nelson (current President of Vital Voices Global Partnership), Donna McLarty, Mary Yerrick, and Theresa Loar.

Besides Clinton, honorary chairs include current and former U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Nancy Kassebaum Baker.

Funding has come from a variety of sources, including individual donations; corporate sponsors such as ExxonMobil, Standard Chartered Bank, and Bank of America; foundations such as the Avon Foundation for Women and Humanity United.

In 2002 Vital Voices was asked by First Lady Laura Bush to drive the effort to supply school uniforms to the many girls returning to school for the first time following the U.S. led overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

In May 2022, Vital Voices opened its new global headquarters at 1509 16th Street, NW, in Washington, D.C.

Mission and programs

Vital Voices' website states that its mission is "to identify, invest in and bring visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities."



Vital Voices works in Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East and North Africa, focusing on the business, political and civil society sectors. The organization regularly hosts international forums, capacity-building workshops, and training seminars for women.

Vital Voices’ Human Rights program currently focuses on combating human trafficking and other forms of violence against women and girls.

Global Leadership Awards

Vital Voices hosts the annual Global Leadership Awards, honoring women leaders working in the areas of human rights, economic empowerment, or political reform. 

VV Ukrainian Chapter goes to https://2022globalleadershipawards.splashthat.com/