Speaking engagements provide a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of and win support for the work of Caritas.

The Secretary General has given speeches around the world to both Catholic and secular audiences, including the 2008 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering inWashington DC, the Social Mission Conference in Singapore, the National Press Club of Australia, the European Development Days Conference in 2010, and the Global Humanitarian Forum in 2008 and 2009. She has also participated in panel discussions at annual meetings of theWorld Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2008, 2009 and 2010, speaking on subjects such as faith and values, leadership, and poverty. She also contributed a Catholic perspective on ethics in the post-crisis economy for a World Economic Forum publication on Leadership, Faith and Values.

In March 2010, the Secretary General was the guest of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of their 21st Century Partnership in Development programme. This provided the opportunity to visit Caritas Japan and meet with the Apostolic Nuncio, Japanese bishops and representatives of the Japanese government. Despite being one of the smaller Caritas organisations, Caritas Japan is engaged at all levels of society and is highly respected for its humanitarian work within Japan, as well as being a regular and generous donor to international development projects and emergency appeals. The visit provided an insight into the challenges of operating as a Caritas organisation in a country where Christians make up only less than one per cent of the population, where national poverty is on the increase. Valuable linkages were made at an interfaith level with the International Buddhist Federation with whom CI collaborates. The visit was facilitated by the Japanese Ambassador to the Holy See.

The Secretary General was a speaker and panellist representing CI at an international seminar on Partnership and Alliance Building for Civil Society Organisations in a Multi-PolarWorld held at the Berlin Civil Society Centre in April 2010 and on the Changing Faces of Poverty in 2011.

CI staff have represented the confederation at a wide range of international seminars, conferences and other events, providing valuable input, strengthening the expertise of the General Secretariat and helping to raise the Caritas profile.