U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton highlights women’s financial inclusion during her remarks after meeting with Peruvian President Ollanta Humala at the Palacio de Gobierno in Lima, Peru, October 15, 2012. [Go to http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2012/10/199177.htm for a text transcript.]

About the Author: Melanne Verveer serves as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues.

2012 has been a remarkable year for Burma. Under President Thein Sein’s leadership, we have seen electoral reforms, the release of hundreds of political prisoners, the formalizing of diplomatic relations between our two countries, and Aung San Suu Kyi’s historic visit to the United States, all of which have brought immense hope and a sense of possibility to the people of Burma and all of us who care deeply about their future. Earlier this year, with colleagues from the State Department and private sector foundation leaders, we visited Burma to shine a spotlight on issues relating to women and girls at this crucial moment in history.

We have no illusions about the future. From a dearth of basic infrastructure, to the many political prisoners still languishing in jail, to the ongoing ethnic violence and continuing human rights violations against women, the road toward… more »

“If half of the world’s population remains vulnerable to economic, political, legal and social marginalization, our hope of advancing democracy and prosperity is in serious jeopardy. The United States must be an unequivocal and unwavering voice in support of women’s rights in every country, on every continent.” — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

About the Author: Sophie Coremans serves in the Public Affairs Office at the U.S. Mission to the European Union.

As a recent graduate entering the workforce, the issue of women’s political and economic equality is a major concern for me. After graduation, I joined the U.S. Mission to the European Union’s Public Affairs Office, and have been privileged to help advance this core value shared by both the… more »

Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
September 15, 2012

Melanne Verveer, Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues, will travel to Belgium on September 17 - 18, 2012, to discuss progress in integrating women into peace and security efforts through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). She will travel with William Lietzau, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Rule of Law and Detainee Policy, who serves as the Department of Defense’s lead implementer of the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security. Verveer and Lietzau will meet with NATO International and International Military Staff, representatives of NATO Allied and Partner nation delegations, and with the newly appointed NATO Special Representative on Women, Peace, and Security, Marie Skaare.

In addition, Verveer and Lietzau will brief the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, a 50-nation forum for dialogue on political and security-related matters, on progress in implementing the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security. While in Brussels, Ambassador Verveer will also meet with partners at the European Union, including Vice President and Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding, and Mara Marinaki, Managing Director for Global and Multilateral Issues in the European External Action Service, to discuss opportunities to promote gender equality.

For further information, please contact the Office of Global Women’s Issues at SGWI_PA@state.gov .

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers remarks with Adi Tafuna’i, Women in Business Development, Inc., and Pacific Island Forum Secretariat Deputy Secretary for Economic Governance and Security Andie Fong Toy at the Rarotonga Dialogue on Gender Equality in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, August 31, 2012. You can read Secretary Clinton’s remarks here. [State Department photo by Ola Thorsen/ Public Domain]

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
September 1, 2012

On the occasion of the 43rd Pacific Islands Forum, gender equality leaders from the Pacific region held the Rarotonga Dialogue on Gender Equality in Cook Islands on August 31st. Dialogue Participants affirmed that the economic, social, and political progress of the region can only be achieved with consistent and collaborative efforts to advance gender equality and the status of women and girls, and to promote and protect their human rights. MORE

About the Author: Melanne Verveer serves as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues.

During my first trip to Afghanistan as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, I was struck by something one woman said to me during a meeting with a group of female civil society actors in Kabul. She said, “Stop looking at us as victims, but rather as the leaders that we are.”

That thought always comes to mind when I meet other Afghan women — as I often do — who have defied the odds, made sacrifices, and have emerged as leaders, activists and advocates in so many areas, working to advance not just the rights of women and girls, but the future of their country. This week, I once again had the privilege of speaking with a group of dynamic and dedicated Afghan women, this time from Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan, via a video teleconference arranged by U.S. diplomats and military, including members of the U.S. Army’s Female Engagement Teams, serving… more »

About the Author: Donald K. Steinberg serves as Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Less than a year ago, President Obama announced a National Action Plan (NAP) to implement commitments on Women, Peace and Security. It was a historic moment and the product of a tremendous collaboration between the White House, USAID, the Departments of State and Defense, other agencies, and civil society groups at home and abroad. It was also the first step.

Immediately following this announcement, the real work began as each agency began creating an implementation plan, a roadmap to how we would make these commitments real.… more »

About the Author: Anna Mussman serves as a Public Diplomacy Officer with Task Force Mountain Warrior in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

It is no secret that when women and girls have the opportunity to pursue an education, they directly improve their communities and help entire societies grow. And sometimes, the goodwill and dedication of individual Americans, connected virtually through sites like Facebook, help girls in a rural district of Afghanistan realize their dreams of education and a better future.

As DipNote reported a few months ago, U.S. Embassy Kabul supports the “Teen Teach” program, where Afghan teenagers are trained and then have the chance to teach in classrooms of younger students.

In Chaparhar, a city in Nangarhar district, about 23 kilometers south of Jalalabad close to the eastern border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Shulani School participated in the “Teen Teach”… more »

About the Author: Melanne Verveer serves as the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the U.S. Department of State.

There’s been a lot of talk about how the London Olympics will best be remembered as the Women’s Olympics. Not only because of the individual performances of gymnast Gabby Douglas, or swimmer Missy Franklin, or heptathlete Jessica Ennis, but because of the collective achievements of women who participated in these London Games.

The statistics are amazing: Two thirds of the gold medals, and more than half of all medals won by Team USA, were won by American women. And this was despite the fact that women were eligible for 30 fewer medals than the men! The American women did not stand alone in leading their countries to the top of the medal tables. Women from China and Russia (#2 and #3 behind the U.S. in the total medal count), also took home more medals than their male counterparts.

Forty-four percent of all athletes at the games were women, and with the… more »