The economic restructuring of countries around the world has been the issue of the past quarter century. And the reaction to that restructuring and all the problems that it has brought about is going to be the issue of the first quarter of the 21st century. People have been mobilizing around the world to bring about greater justice. What we are going to talk about today is economic justice, and we should not apologize for that. What we have seen in the world is a new revolution, in part a technological revolution, but like all revolutions there are winners and losers and there have been far too many losers.
Women carry the burden of the disintegration of economies and social structures.
We had hoped that he would help the World Bank change course because we thought he saw the problems of growing inequality and growing poverty. And so we went to Wolfensohn and we proposed that, before he took over the World Bank, or as he takes over, that he take a look with us at what was really happening on the ground with the policies that the World Bank and the IMF had been promoting, and, more than that, to listen to the people who are living under those policies and to bring them into the process. We are here because we see a real opening. To give the World Bank and particularly Jim Wolfensohn credit, they opened the doors and asked for a proposal. If we are going to move forward, I think we have to move forward in partnership.