There are still 225 million women globally who don’t want to get pregnant but don’t have access to contraceptives. Behind that statistic are 225 million individuals just like you or me—each with her own story, her own hopes and dreams for herself and her family, her own ideas about how she wants to spend her life and contribute to her community. These women know that having the ability to decide whether and when to get pregnant will give them a better chance to live healthier, happier lives. And from the bottom of my heart, I believe we have a responsibility to do everything we can to give them that chance.

For me, this issue is personal. My family, my career, and my life as I know it are the direct result of contraceptives. So when I started meeting women in the world’s poorest places who told me that their ability to live their best lives and reach their full potential depends on gaining access to contraceptives, I vowed to do everything I could to amplify their voices and keep this vital issue on the global agenda. I'm thinking of them today.

The best way to celebrate women around the world is by investing in their tomorrows. With this forward-looking investment, Canada is making a promise that will continue far beyond today. #IWD

I’m a political scientist, so forgive me one paragraph of political analysis before I speak on a more personal note. Who will succeed in the 21st century? Which nations? Which companies? Which individuals? In a world of complexity, these are easy questions. For all three, the winner will be the one who uses the greatest share of its talent, ingenuity, strength and wisdom. Any country or company that denies itself the talent, drive, and leadership that women offer will fall far behind those that can unleash all of the above. And an individual denied the chance to apply these gifts won’t realize her human potential. There’s no better definition of injustice.

Those who know me know that I’m a child of strong women. My mother, my grandmother and other women in my family played a larger role than anyone else in my growth from child to adult. At an age when most boys looked to women mainly for inspiration, I saw them as models for emulation. But then comes the day when you look across the table at your collaborators, partners and leaders, and you realize you have a blind spot. There’s no good reason that there aren’t enough women in the room, and you know it. There are many solutions to this problem, and the consequences of failure are rising in real time. For all of us.

My first reaction to World Without Women Day was to think of the past, of all the faces I’ve encountered along the way. Professors, employers, politicians, business leaders, decision-makers of all kinds. That’s a lot of male faces, and I know I’m the poorer for it. Better to think about the future, particularly because as president of Eurasia Group, there are things I can do about it. In our firm, we value intelligence, initiative, dynamism, and leadership. The women of Eurasia Group provide all these things, but more women—and more women in positions of leadership—can provide us with much more. That’s a win for our firm, for women, for men, for our clients, and for me.

I want others to see what I see, and if it takes a day without women to sharpen the minds of men, let’s do it. I’m in with both feet, and my message to all those women—at Eurasia Group, across America, and around the world—is a simple one: Thank you. For what you bring, for what you do, for what you’ve shown us. Thank you very, very much.

And please come back on Thursday, because we can’t go anywhere without you.

#InternationalWomensDay #shemeansbusiness #worldwithoutwomen