New Obama directive to address global gender equality

In the document, Obama acknowledged the capacity of a more empowered global female population to increase “broader economic prosperity, as well as political stability and security.”

 

Incoming Secretary of State John Kerry, who was confirmed on Tuesday, echoed the President’s sentiments, saying that “societies that empower the talents of their entire populations are more stable and more prosperous.”

 

 

According to UN statistics, one third of all women will be raped or beaten in their lifetime. In recent weeks, global public attention has turned to the issue of women’s rights, following the brutal gang rape and murder of a young woman on a Delhi bus in India in December 2012.

 

Existing steps taken by the Obama administration to promote gender equality include a strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in 2011 released policy guidelines for government-wide integration of gender issues.

 

 

The Presidential Memorandum sets out a number of new measures to advance the status of women and girls.

 

Secretary of State Kerry will appoint an Ambassador at Large to lead the Office of Global Women’s Issues. Reporting directly to the State Department, the Ambassador is tasked with supporting policy efforts on gender equality, making use of diplomatic channels as well as partnerships with NGOs and the private sector.

 

The Memorandum also establishes an interagency working group chaired by the National Security Advisor that will examine policy implementation and promote agency coordination.