Women\'s forum for the economy and society

The 2013 Women\'s Forum Global Meeting opened on Wednesday afternoon in Deauville in Northwestern France, under the theme of \"The open world: Compete, Cooperate and Create.\" Founded in 2005 by French psychologist Aude Zieseniss de Thuin, the Women\'s Forum for the Economy and Society is the first independent forum in the world to promote women\'s status in the economy and society, and to look at major social and economic issues from women\'s perspectives. It promotes the empowerment of women worldwide, develops entrepreneurship and education for women, and aims to reinforces women\'s leadership in the 21st century in corporations and the media, as well as the networks of collaboration that enable women\'s voices to be heard. Over the past eight years, the non-governmental organization has committed itself to advancing women\'s empowerment in close cooperation with its global partners through a slate of initiatives, such as Cartier Women\'s Initiative Awards, Rising Talents, Women For Education, CEO Champions and Women in Media. During the upcoming ninth edition of the global meeting, a new initiative, the Women for Change award, is set to be launched. The Women\'s Forum Global Meeting has been held in Deauville each year in October, with its first edition convening in October 2005 under the theme of \"The new dimensions of power and influence.\" In 2008, the organizer chose Shanghai to hold its first Women\'s Forum Asia edition, attracting more than 700 participants to discuss \"Growth and Sustainability: How women are making a difference.\" The last edition of the Women\'s Forum global meeting was held in October 2012, which grouped about 1,300 participants from across the world, with a focus on economic growth. The Women\'s Forum, now seen as women\'s Davos forum, ranked among the top five influential forums worldwide by the Financial Times on January 24, 2007.