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Office of the Senior Adviser to the Secretary of State for Women's Empowerment (S/WE)

Our Mission

The mission of the Office of the Senior Adviser to the Secretary of State for Women's Empowerment (S/WE),  is to advise the Secretary of State on strategies the Department of State should implement to help empower women worldwide. S/WE also administers the Women Leaders' Working Group, a network chaired by comprised of key women Ministers and Heads of State, which meets periodically to address the critical challenges to women's empowerment.

S/WE implements its mission by working closely with senior U.S. officials, foreign governments, and civil society to highlight women's empowerment as a bilateral and multilateral priority on the U.S. foreign policy agenda. S/WE also launches cost-effective and high-impact model programs that showcase the impact and importance of creating greater political, economic, education, and legal access for women wide.

The Secretary of State’s 2009 International Women of Courage Awards
In celebration of International Women’s Day, the Department of State announces the recipients of the third annual Secretary of State’s Award for International Women of Courage.  Full Text

Date: 01/27/2009 Description: Official photo of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton State Dept PhotoSecretary Clinton Recognizes International Women's Day
(Mar. 8): "On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2009, I am proud to honor women around the world who are blazing trails and surmounting obstacles in pursuit of equality and opportunity. Although you may not know their names or recognize their faces, these women advocates are hard at work in every country and on every continent, seeking to fulfill their right to participate fully in the political, economic and cultural lives of their societies. Often working against great odds and at great personal sacrifice, they are a key to global progress in this new century and deserve our admiration and support." Full Text | Read Blog Posts on Women Causes/Advancements