First Ladies Summit
The First Ladies Summit was officially established in 2010, with Malaysia playing the inaugural host for this biennial event. It aims to gather First Ladies around the world to support a global initiative to ensure a safe and sustainable future for the next generation. The theme of the summit is "A Child Today, A Leader Tomorrow". Despite relatively lukewarm response, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon praised the inaugural First Ladies Summit for its efforts in securing the welfare of the children.
Meetings
The meetings have been held in:
- First Ladies Summit 1: October 11–13, 2010,
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Participation
15 first ladies, six representatives of First Ladies and 21 ministers turned up for the event. List of First Ladies who attended the Inaugural First Ladies Summit are listed as follows. The following list is conjured to be illustrative and not comprehensive.
- Teuta Topi (Republic of Albania)
- Salomea Neves Aim Gomes (Guinea Bissau)
- Ernestina Naadu Mills (Ghana)
- Meme Tong (Kiribati)
- Lorna Golding (Jamaica)
- Keosaychay Sayasone (Laos People's Democratic Republic)
- Sarojini Jugnauth (Mauritius)
- Maria De Luz Guebuza (Mozambique)
- Patience Jonathan (Nigeria)
- Mercedes Lugo De Maidana (Paraguay)
- Natalie Brigitte Nadage Michel (Seychelles)
- Sia Nyama Koroma (Sierra Leone)
- Shiranthi Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka)
- Thandiwe Banda (Zambia)
Controversies
The summit sparked public outcry for its perceived poor attendance. 15 first ladies and 20 ministers attended the event. Zuraida Kamaruddin, Member of Parliament for Ampang, criticized the perceived wastage of public funds amounting to 24 million ringgit which she claimed could be put to better use. In addition, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor title as First Lady of Malaysia drew ire from certain public quarters, for such a status is not official in Malaysia.[1][2]