Isobel Coleman
Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative; Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program
Expertise
Democratization, economic development, civil society, gender, Middle East
Programs
Women and Foreign Policy, Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, U.S. Foreign Policy Program
CFR Events
Roundtable Meeting
Realizing Democracy: Lessons from Thailand and Indonesia
Speaker:
Joshua Kurlantzick, Fellow for Southeast Asia, Council on Foreign RelationsPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Director, Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
Realizing Democracy: Lessons from South Africa and Nigeria
Speaker:
John Campbell, Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies, Council on Foreign RelationsPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Director, Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
Realizing Democracy: Lessons from Poland
Speakers:
Grzegorz Ekiert, Professor of Government, Harvard University, George Soroka, Lecturer on Government, Harvard UniversityPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy InitiativeThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
Women's Rights and the New Arab Constitutions
Speakers:
Fatemah Khafagy, Ombudsperson of Gender Equality, Egypt, Zahra Langhi, Cofounder, Libyan Women's Platform for Peace, LibyaPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director, Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
Afghanistan Post-2014
Speaker:
Fawzia Koofi, Member of Parliament and Presidential Candidate, AfghanistanPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Director, Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy InitiativeThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
Diversifying Global Supply Chains
Speakers:
Astrid Pregel, Special Advisor; Founder, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada; Feminomics, Inc., Anabella Ruiz de Freeman, Coordinator of Small and Medium Supplier Development, Walmart, Elizabeth Vazquez, President, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, WEConnect InternationalPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director, Women and Foreign Policy Program, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
Journey Through Transition: Women Leading Change in The Middle East and North Africa
Speakers:
Marianne Nagui Hanna Ibrahim, Co-founder and Executive Manager, Al-Gisr Center for Development and Dialogue, Souad Slaoui, Professor of Linguistics, Université Sidi Mohamed Ben AbdellahPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director, Women and Foreign Policy Program, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
Supporting Entrepreneurship: What Works in Developing Economies?
Speakers:
Mayra Buvinic, Senior Fellow, United Nations Foundation, Markus Goldstein, Africa Region Gender Practice Leader, World Bank, Agnes Quisumbing, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research InstitutePresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director, Women and Foreign Policy Program, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
ICT for Development: Combating Corruption and Increasing Government Accountability
Speaker:
Boris Weber, Team Leader, ICT4Gov and Voices Against Corruption, World Bank InstitutePresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy and Director, Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
mDevelopment: Harnessing Mobile Technology for Global Economic Growth
Introductory Speaker:
Cherie Blair, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for WomenSpeakers:
Ann Mei Chang, Senior Adviser for Women and Technology, Office of Global Women's Issues, U.S. Department of State, Alex Counts, President and Chief Executive Officer, Grameen Foundation, Scott Ratzan, Vice President, Global Health, Johnson & JohnsonPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative; Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
ListenWatch
Speaker:
Hernando de Soto, President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy, which advises heads of state and governments worldwide; Author, The Other Path: The Invisible Revolution in the Third World and The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere ElsePresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations
1:00-2:00 p.m. - Meeting
This meeting is on the record.
ListenWatch
Speaker:
Hernando de Soto, President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy, which advises heads of state and governments worldwide; Author, The Other Path: The Invisible Revolution in the Third World and The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere ElsePresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations
1:00-2:00 p.m. - Meeting
This meeting is on the record.
ListenWatch
Roundtable Meeting
Why Nations Fail
Speaker:
Daron Acemoglu, Coauthor, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty; Elizabeth and James Killian Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative; Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Symposium
Session Three: Islam and Politics
Speakers:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations; Author, Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women Are Transforming the Middle East, Ed Husain, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, Michael Willis, Director, Middle East Centre and H.M. King Mohammed VI Fellow in Moroccan and Mediterranean Studies, St. Antony's College, University of OxfordPresider:
Deborah S. Amos, Foreign Correspondent, National Public Radio
This meeting is on the record.
ListenWatch
Roundtable Meeting
Saudi Arabia on the Edge
Speaker:
Thomas W. Lippman, Middle East InstitutePresider:
Isobel Coleman, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
The Unfinished Revolution: The Global Fight for Women’s Rights
Speakers:
Mark P. Lagon, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Human Rights, Council on Foreign Relations, Minky Worden, Director of Global Initiatives, Human Rights Watch, Hibaaq Osman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, KaramaPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
Women's Economic Empowerment: The Progress of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Initiative and the Value of Investing in Female Entrepreneurs
Speakers:
Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-large, Global Women's Issues, U.S. Department of State, Dina Habib Powell, President, Goldman Sachs Foundation, Sarah Kambou, President, International Center for Research on Women, Divya Keshav, 10,000 Women Graduate, Delhi, and Owner, Krishna PrinternationalPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director, Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
Women and Mobile: A Global Opportunity
Speakers:
Cherie Blair, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, Maura O'Neill, Senior Counselor to the Administrator and Chief Innovation Officer, USAID, Trina DasGupta, mWomen Program Director, GSMAPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy and Director, Women and Foreign Policy Program, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
ListenWatch
Roundtable Meeting
Measuring Success and Overcoming Challenges
Speakers:
Mary Ellen Stanton, USAID, Susan Brock, USAID AfghanistanPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
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Roundtable Meeting
The National Midwifery Education Program in Afghanistan: Training Women and Saving Lives
Speaker:
Linda Bartlett, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
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Roundtable Meeting
Innovations and Innovators: Using Agricultural Technologies to Empower Women
Speakers:
Martin Fisher, KickStart International, Pedro Sanchez, Earth Institute, Columbia UniversityPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
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Roundtable Meeting
Community-Based Interventions: Improving Maternal Health in Afghanistan
Speaker:
Denise Byrd, JhpiegoPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
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Roundtable Meeting
Women and Development: A Conversation with Anne-Marie Slaughter
Speaker:
Anne-Marie Slaughter, Princeton UniversityPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
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Roundtable Meeting
Women and Technology: The Opportunities of Mobile Banking
Speakers:
Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President and Chief Executive Officer, Women’s World Banking, Tamara Cook, Program Officer, Financial Services for the Poor, Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director, Civil Society, Markets and Democracy Initiative, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
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Academic Conference Call
The Role of Women in Economic and Political Development
Speaker:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Director of the Program on Markets and Democracy, and Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program, Council on Foreign Relations; Author, Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle EastPresider:
Irina A. Faskianos, Vice President, National Program and Outreach, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
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Conference Panel Session
A Discussion with Innovators
Panelists:
Mark Bent, CEO and President, SunNight Solar, Lauren Taylor, Director of Communications, Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF)Presider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
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Conference Panel Session
Understanding and Expanding Distribution Networks
Panelists:
Katherine Lucey, Founder and Executive Director, Solar Sister, Carolyn Makinson, Executive Director, Women's Refugee Commission, International Rescue Committee, Toshihiro Nakamura, Co-Founder, KopernikPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
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Conference Panel Session
Setting the Context: Challenges and Opportunities
Panelists:
Leslie Cordes, Director of Partnership Development, Energy and Climate, United Nations Foundation, Gail Karlsson, Adviser, United Nations Development Programme and ENERGIA, Richenda Van Leeuwen, Renewable Energy Access Advisor and Former Senior Advisor, Good Energies, Inc.Presider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
ListenWatch
Roundtable Meeting
The Future Of Foreign Assistance Amid Global Economic and Financial Crisis: Advancing Global Health In The U.S. Development Agenda
Speakers:
Seth Berkley, President and CEO, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy and Director, Women and Foreign Policy Progra, Council on Foreign Relations, Nils Daulaire, President and CEO, Global Health Council, Helene D. Gayle, President and CEO, CARE, Nita M. Lowey, U.S. Representative (D-NY), U.S. House of Representatives, Princeton N. Lyman, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, Stewart M. Patrick, Senior Fellow and Director, Program on International Institutions and Global Governance, Council on Foreign RelationsPresider:
Laurie Garrett, Senior Fellow for Global Health, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is not for attribution.
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Symposium ⁄ New York
Maternal Health and Foreign Policy Symposium, Session 3
Moderator:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Symposium
CFR Symposium: Rethinking Maternal Health - Session 3
June 12, 2008
12:15-2:00 p.m.
This meeting is on the record.
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Speaker:
Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General, United NationsPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations
3:30-4:30 p.m. - Meeting
This meeting is not for attribution.
ListenWatch
Speaker:
Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General, United NationsPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations
3:30-4:30 p.m. - Meeting
This meeting is not for attribution.
ListenWatch
Speaker:
Muhammad Yunus, Founder and Managing Director, Grameen Bank; 2006 Nobel Peace Prize LaureatePresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Symposium ⁄ New York
Maternal Health and Foreign Policy Symposium, Session 1: Framing the Issue
Speakers:
Lynn Freedman, Associate Professor of Clinical Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, Geeta Rao Gupta, Executive Director, International Center for Research on WomenPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
ListenWatch
Speaker:
Karen P. Hughes, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public AffairsPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Roundtable Meeting
Women and Foreign Policy Symposium: Human Trafficking - An Overview
Speakers:
Ann Jordan, Director, Initiative Against Trafficking in Persons, Global Rights, Neha Misra, Global Coordinator, Counter Trafficking Programs & Program Officer, Africa Region, American Center for International Labor Solidarity (Solidarity Center), AFL-CIO, Jyoti Sanghera, Advisor on Trafficking, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human RightsPresider:
Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign RelationsThis meeting is on the record.
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Contact/Media Information
Location
58 East 68th Street
New York, New York 10065
Media Bio
CFR Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy and author of Paradise Beneath Her Feet.
Email
icoleman@cfr.org
Phone
+1.212.434.9771
Downloads
Research Associate
Featured Press
How Women are Transforming the Middle East 
A transformation is taking place behind the headlines in the Middle East as women are earning more college degrees, having fewer children, and are entering the workforce in unprecedented numbers. Isobel Coleman talks with Rocky Mountain PBS about these trends and their new relevance after the Arab uprisings.
Egypt's Economy on the Edge
On DEFCON3 with KT McFarland, Isobel Coleman speaks about the economic crisis that Egypt faces, including dwindling foreign currency reserves, strikes in Port Said, and a plague of locusts.
Violence Against Women in India
On "The Lang and O'Leary Exchange," Isobel Coleman comments on the culture of complicity that surrounds violence against women in India and about how women's economic rights relate to gender inequality.
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