And within the IDB itself in this year of the Beijing conference, the President has asked for new actions to increase the participation of women in our own management ranks. Eight percent of our sector are now managed by women, compared to 2 percent 10 years ago. We know we cannot be a truly effective development institution until we have more women in our own senior decision-making positions. Together with the Pan American Health Organization, we are designing a regional program to treat and prevent violence against women through legal reform to punish offenders, training of medical personnel, public education campaigns, and programs to assist victims to rebuild their lives. Development is About Our Children I want to end on a personal note.
Development is about the future, and thus about our children and our young people.
Today's youth are the ones who will determine what the tomorrow of the 21st century will look like. With that in mind, the IDB has sponsored a youth delegation to this world conference on women, made up of one young woman from each of our borrowing member countries. Over the last few days, I have had the chance to interact with these remarkable young people and to take inspiration from their energy, creativity and commitment. They have reminded me that I am not only a development banker and a woman. I am also a mother, deeply concerned with the future of my own children, and the shape of the future world in which they live most of their lives.