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USAID Employee Wins Award for Advancing the Role of Women in Foreign Policy Development

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 9, 2007
Press Office: 202-712-4320
Public Information: 202-712-4810
www.usaid.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The 2007 Swanee Hunt Award for Advancing Women's Role in Policy Formulation was presented to Salwa Sarhi, Team Leader for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Yemen Democracy and Governance Strategic Objective Team. The Swanee Hunt Award is presented by the U.S. Department of State and recognizes outstanding achievement in the area of promoting women as participants in the political and economic processes or as policy shapers.

Throughout her career, Sarhi has worked in Yemen to expand women's political participation, advance women's leadership in the public arena, strengthen the advocacy power of women at the grassroots level, mobilize activists around policy initiatives of concern to women, promote women as peace builders, and increase economic opportunities for women.

As USAID/Yemen's Democracy and Governance Team Leader, Sarhi oversees several projects that help expand the role and status of women in that country, including the United Nations Development Program's Decentralization and Local Development Program, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency's Conflict Mitigation project, the National Democratic Institute's Support for Reform-Oriented Parliamentarians and Political Parties in Yemen project, and a 2009 parliamentary elections program. Sarhi is also the first to serve as a USAID/Yemen Gender Officer, a position that helps ensure gender issues are addressed in all USAID programs.

In addition, Sarhi served as USAID's representative to the Middle East Partnership Initiative Committee, whose mission is to promote political, economic and educational reform and women's empowerment in the Middle East. She also assisted several non-governmental organizations in developing projects to help eradicate illiteracy among women and provide them with the necessary skills to learn about their rights and become full citizens of society.

For more information on USAID, its programs in Yemen and its programs focused on women in the developing world, please visit: www.usaid.gov.

The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.

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