Memorandum on Coordination of Policies and Programs To Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women and Girls Globally

Ensuring that women and girls, including those most marginalized, participate fully in public life, are free from violence, and have equal access to education, economic opportunity, and healthcare is essential for broader economic prosperity, political stability, and security. During the Obama Administration, the United States made promoting gender equality and advancing the status of women and girls a central element of foreign policy. Executive Order 13506 established the White House Council on Women and Girls to coordinate Federal policy on issues impacting women and girls. This commitment to promoting gender equality is also reflected in the National Security Strategy of the United States, the Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development, and the 2010 U.S. Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. To elevate and integrate this strategic focus on promoting gender equality, executive departments and agencies have issued policy and operational guidance. For example, the Secretary of State issued Policy Guidance on Promoting Gender Equality to Achieve National Security and Foreign Policy Objectives, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator released Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy. The Millennium Challenge Corporation issued Gender Integration Guidelines to ensure its existing gender policy is fully realized. The Obama Administration developed a National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security to strengthen conflict resolution and peace processes through the inclusion of women, and a Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence Globally to combat gender-based violence around the world. Improving interagency coordination and information sharing, and strengthening agency capacity and accountability will help ensure the effective implementation of these and other Government efforts to promote gender equality and advance the status of women and girls globally. To further strengthen the capacity of the Federal Government to promote gender equality and advance the status of women and girls worldwide, the President directed the following: The Secretary of State shall designate a coordinator, who will also be appointed as an Ambassador at Large, to lead the Office of Global Women's Issues at the Department of State and provide advice and assistance on issues related to promoting gender equality and advancing the status of women and girls internationally. The Ambassador at Large shall provide guidance and coordination with respect to global policies and programs for women and girls, and shall lead efforts to promote an international focus on gender equality more broadly.