A speech by Her Majesty The Queen at a Reception to celebrate the 15th anniversary of WOW (Women of the World)

Many ladies and several gentlemen, as your proud President, it’s a huge pleasure to welcome you all to Buckingham Palace today to mark the 15th anniversary of WOW.

A few months before the first Festival, in 2010, I hosted my first WOW meeting, for the six members of the steering committee, at Clarence House. Looking back at my notes from that day, I see that the attendees described their plans for “a pioneering and groundbreaking platform that will present the very best of recognized and emerging talent from women around the world in the fields of cultural, environmental, education, political and economic leadership”. In a simplified form, I should have noted, “a pioneering and groundbreaking platform for women who refuse to take ‘no’ for an answer”. Five years later, I was delighted to become President of WOW. 

Since then, it has been a very special fixture in my diary to host all of you each March, on or around International Women’s Day. I have also been lucky enough to be present at WOW events across the globe, including in Jordan, Gambia, Ghana, the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Rwanda. Without fail, wherever WOW gathers, I have met the most extraordinary and impressive women who have, quite simply, refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. 

Some of them have a significant public profile. Others can’t be named because the work that they do would put their lives, or the lives of those whom they support, in danger. All of them have faced obstacles that could easily have intimidated them into a silent resignation to the status quo. Women such as Yalda Hakim, who has done so much to raise awareness of the plight of women in Afghanistan through her fearless journalism; Paris Thompson, who has advocated so effectively for the deaf community; Penny Lancaster, who volunteers as a Special Constable; and Laura Bates, campaigner, writer and founder of Everyday Sexism and many, many others. 

Of course, any list of women who won’t accept a negative response must include the indomitable Jude Kelly, who had the foresight to found WOW 15 years ago. Since then, the organization has gone from strength to strength, holding 150 events and festivals in 71 places across the world. Just in the last year, WOW has reached over 1.2 million people. Jude’s strength, ingenuity and passionate determination are an inspiration to us all and woe betide anyone who tries to say ‘no’ to this powerhouse! 

As we look forward to the next 15 years, the task of forging a gender-equal world is a daunting one. At the current rate, globally, it will take an estimated 286 years to remove discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to hold half the positions of leadership in the workplace and 47 years to be represented equally in national parliaments. But by following in the footsteps of these amazing women and girls who will not take ‘no’ for an answer, we members of the WOW family fervently hope that this will be achieved in a much shorter time. Seeing you all here, I am filled with confidence that, together, we can make sure this happens! Thank you.