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Highlights of State Department Activities
To Promote the Advancement of Women

Fact sheet prepared by the Office of the Senior Coordinator for International
Women's Issues

"We cannot advance our ideals and interests unless we focus more attention on the fundamental human rights and basic needs of women and girls. . . . If women can live and work as full and equal partners in any society, then families will flourish. And when they do, communities and nations will thrive. . . .We are putting our efforts to protect and advance women's rights where they belong--in the mainstream of American foreign policy."

"Advancing the status of women is not only a moral imperative; it is being actively integrated into the foreign policy of the United States. It is our mission. It is the right thing to do, and, frankly, it is the smart thing to do.

--Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
March 12, 1997

Promoting the advancement of women is an important element of U.S. foreign policy which complements the broader strategic, diplomatic, and economic interests of the United States. The State Department, in partnership with the community of non-governmental organizations, supports the efforts of the global community to protect and promote women's human rights and improve the lives of women and girls.

Integration into the Foreign
Policy Process

Senior Coordinator for International Women's Issues. The position of Senior Coordinator for International Women's Issues was created by Congress to promote the human rights of women within American foreign policy. Under the auspices of the Office of the Under Secretary for Global Affairs, the Senior Coordinator's mandate is to integrate issues affecting the lives of women--from violence against women and trafficking of women and girls to women's participation in democracy-building and sustainable economic development--into the everyday work of the State Department's bureaus and embassies and into the fabric of foreign policymaking.

Human Rights Report. The State Department's annual country report on human rights practices around the world now chronicles, documents and integrates issues of women's human rights. Through descriptions of issues ranging from the treatment of women in the judicial process to women's access to the economic and political levers of their societies, these human rights reports offer the most comprehensive guide to violations of the human rights of women worldwide.

Progress Reports. The State Department publishes a monthly report on the progress made since the 1995 UN World Conference on Women held in Beijing. This report highlights the numerous positive activities of both government and non-governmental organizations in the promotion and advancement of women.

Multilateral Efforts. The United States has taken the lead in the UN Commission on Human Rights and in the UN Commission on the Status of Women to integrate the human rights and advancement of women into the mainstream of UN activities. The United States has seen that gender-specific language is included in a broad range of resolutions of the Commissions.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The State Department strongly supports the ratification of this women's rights treaty and is working with Congress for ratification.

NGO-State Department Collaboration. Throughout the policymaking process--from embassies to Foreign Service officers to high-level State Department diplomats--the United States continuously engages in a dialogue with non-governmental organizations committed to improving the lives of women and girls.

Afghanistan. When the Taliban took over the capital, Kabul, in the fall of 1996, they instituted strict policies restricting women's employment and girls' education. The State Department denounced these actions in several public statements and in contacts with Taliban representatives. Today, the Department continues to take the lead in raising these issues in international fora, such as in UN meetings and conferences, and also directly with the Taliban.

Embassy Support
For Grassroots Efforts

The on-the-ground work of U.S. embassies overseas provides a vital bridge between policymakers and the world's women. The United States supports efforts to promote the advancement of women through various embassy activities. A combination of funding and information exchange form the foundation of a process which elevates women's issues by expressing U.S. support for programs geared to the empowerment of women.

Encouraging Dialogue on the Issues. Embassies are raising key women's rights issues with host governments, women's groups, and non-governmental organizations and are devising means to energize U.S. Government efforts around the world to promote the empowerment of women.

Funding Grassroots Projects. Many embassies use discretionary funds to support grassroots efforts for the advancement of women. For example, in 1996, the U.S. Embassy in Namibia devoted its 1996 democracy and human rights discretionary funds to promote women's issues, funding six community-based programs on sexual violence against women and girls.

Political Participation
And Empowerment

The promotion of democracy is a U.S. foreign policy goal. The full participation and representation of women in the political lives of their countries builds a foundation for sustainable democracy. The State Department is supporting programs aimed at politically empowering women to become involved in all aspects of political life, including voting, running for office, and advocating for political change. For example, the State Department recently provided funding to a non-governmental organization which provides women in Asia with the training and skills to run for political office.

Coordinating Humanitarian
Assistance

The United States has been a leading advocate for focusing attention on the special needs of refugee women. The State Department is increasingly gearing its humanitarian assistance programs to provide women with needed services, provisions, and skills and coordinates these programs with both non-governmental and international institutions.

Funding Programs. The State Department funded $6 million for women's initiatives in Bosnia and Rwanda in order to facilitate the rebuilding of democracy and civil society in these two countries. Furthermore, the State Department funds non-governmental programs designed to provide women refugees with services, including reproductive health services. The Bureau of Population, Migration, and Refugees supported education programs to target Afghan girls in Pakistan who otherwise would not have had equal access to education with boys.

Coordination With the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The United States has worked closely with the UNHCR to establish policies and guidelines for protection and assistance to refugee women to meet their special needs--protection against sexual and physical abuse, exploitation, and discrimination in the delivery of humanitarian supplies and services. The State Department has funded and provided a reproductive health coordinator at the UNHCR's headquarters who manages the field testing of newly established guidelines for addressing reproductive health considerations of refugees. Additionally, the United States participates in the UNHCR Inter-Agency Working Group on Reproductive Health for refugees, which is an important coordinating mechanism.

Violence Against Women

Violence against women, in all its forms, is the most widespread and entrenched violation of women's fundamental human rights. Violence imposes high societal costs which impedes the true and sustainable development of democratic societies throughout the world. The State Department is taking an active role, in collaboration with communities and governments, in promoting the eradication of violence against women worldwide through the following type of activities.

Legal Guarantees. The United States has provided model legislation to countries overseas to help them draft comprehensive laws on violence against women, including domestic violence. Based on such model legislation, governments are instituting concrete legal protection for women.

Funding Programs. The State Department and its overseas embassies fund a variety of non-governmental and community programs on violence against women. These programs range from the establishment of shelters and hotlines to assist women victims of violence to training for police to public education efforts.

Rape as a War Crime. The United States is working with the Chief Prosecutor of the War Crimes Tribunal for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia to encourage the vigorous prosecution of rape as a war crime. The United States is providing funding for programs to train Tribunal prosecutors and investigators on issues of sexual violence.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). U.S. policy is to work in collaboration with community organizations and governments that are committed to eradicating this harmful practice. The State Department chairs an intergovernmental agency working group on female genital mutilation. This group meets regularly to discuss strategy and policy. The group includes representatives from the Departments of the Treasury and Health and Human Services, USAID, and USIA who are addressing U.S. legislation on FGM. The State Department develops country profiles on the practice of FGM for asylum adjudicators and also funds non-governmental activity aimed at alleviating the health complications that arise from the practice.

UN Special Rapporteur. The United States strongly supported the creation of a UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women. The United States is working at the current session of the UN Commission on Human Rights to renew the rapporteur's mandate.

Trafficking in Women and Girls. The State Department--including the bureaus of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement; Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; and Population Refugees, and Migration--is working to combat the illegal trafficking of women and girls. The United States is currently involved in numerous bilateral, regional, and multilateral initiatives to protect the rights of all migrants and to help deter trafficking in human beings. For instance, in the areas of migration and enforcement, as part of an ongoing anti-crime training and technical assistance program, the State Department is hosting a joint U.S.-Russia seminar on the criminal justice issues involved in the commercial sexual exploitation of women and children.

President's Interagency
Council on Women

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is chair of the President's Interagency Council on Women. The First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton is Honorary Chair of the Council, and the Senior Coordinator for International Women's Issues serves as Director. The President's Council is the intergovernmental body charged with U.S. implementation of the Platform for Action adopted at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, including the U.S. commitments announced at the Conference. The Council also develops related initiatives to further women's progress and engages in outreach and public education to support implementation of the Conference agreements. The Council includes high-level representatives from executive branch agencies.

For more information, contact Theresa Loar, Senior Coordinator for International Women's Issues at 202-647-5440; fax 202-647-5337.

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Updated May 8, 1997