FCEM mission to Washington, DC, September 7 to 11, 2008, Secretary General Etta Carignani headed up the FCEM mission to the capital of the US, Washington, DC, composed of Desma Reid-Coleman FCEM Vice President, Maria Elena Mendoza FCEM Commissioner, Sara Elena Perez-Caballero member of AMMJE, Mexico and Tereza Hagerstrom-Danan FCEM Director.

Meetings with international institutions to present FCEM and the FCEM projects WE-Win capacity building, WE-Study, the WEE-Win Portal were held with the World Bank Poverty reduction and Economic Management Network (PREM) Gender and Development Senior Director Mayra Buvinic and other managers and directors concerned with women promoting women owned businesses; the International Finance Corporation (IFC) GEM Team; the team of directors and program managers from the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) whose mission is to reinforce associative management capacity; and the InterAmerican Development Bank (ADB) regional development bank for Latin America.

The visit provided the opportunity for FCEM to reinforce the activity and membership of the national association NAWBO and to see Carol Koc past NAWBO president, to meet the new dynamic NAWBO president Cynthia McClain Hill, to visit with Terry Neese and to get to know about her organisation IEEW (Institute for the Economic Empowerment of Women) and to experience lobbying American style through WIPP (Women Impacting Public Policy). FCEM mission participants were also invited to lunch on Capitol Hill at the House restaurant with Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers.