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

As we commemorate International Human Rights Day today, December 10, I can’t help but recall the moment 17 years ago in Beijing when then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton proclaimed, “Women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights.”

Today, for many of us, these 11 words may seem obvious, even instinctive. But in 1995, they were a revelation. I remember being among the delegates at the Fourth World Conference on Women, and feeling a current of excitement wash across the room. It was perhaps one of the first times the world had heard a person of global stature assert at a global forum in such unequivocal terms that women’s rights and human rights were one and the same.

Today, in my official travels, I still meet women all over the world who tell me how those eleven words nearly two decades ago changed their lives. They helped raise the… more »

In a recent opinion piece for The Daily Beast, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer and Ambassador Peter Westmacott, the U.K.’s Ambassador to the United States, addressed the use of sexual assault as a weapon. The text of their opinion piece, which appeared on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, appears below.

“Nearly 40,000 people have died already in Syria’s civil war, and close to 100 are still being killed each day. Homes, hospitals, water infrastructure, and sanitation systems have been destroyed. But one element of this ongoing brutality has been largely overlooked in the media: the appalling sexual violence being visited on the Syrian people by government and militia forces. Such use of sexual violence as a tactic…more »

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
November 27, 2012

In recognition of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and World AIDS Day, Ambassador-at-large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer announced today $3 million in small grants awarded to dozens of grassroots organizations working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV) around the world, with a link to HIV prevention, treatment and care.

These grants are part of a joint initiative between the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to address the link between HIV infection and GBV, and will support the work of 35 organizations in 28 countries. These countries include: Barbados, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Indonesia, Malawi, Mexico, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, St. Lucia, Swaziland, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Grants of up to $100,000 per organization will fund innovative programs that link to HIV prevention, treatment and care platforms, including those programs that work to engage community leaders in the fight against GBV and AIDS, strengthen legal and judicial systems to ensure the full enforcement of anti-GBV laws, enhance prevention and response efforts, and work to reduce stigma and harmful practices.

One in three women worldwide will experience GBV in their lifetime, and in some countries, 70 percent of female populations are affected. Gender-based violence increases women and girls’ overall vulnerability to HIV, with country studies indicating an up to three-fold risk of HIV infection among women who experience violence. Addressing gender inequities and norms is essential to reducing the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV infection. Through this initiative, grassroots organizations will receive support to address the structural drivers of both violence and HIV, contributing to a longer-term effort to create an AIDS-free generation and societies free of violence.

For more information, please contact SGWI_PA@state.gov.

Notice to the Press
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
November 23, 2012

On Tuesday, November 27^th, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will host the second meeting of the International Council on Women’s Business Leadership at the State Department in Washington, D.C. The meeting can be viewed via live webcast on the Internet by clicking here.

The Council serves the United States government in an advisory capacity on major issues in international business and economic policy, including the effective integration of business interests and women’s economic empowerment into overall foreign policy; the role and limits of international economic institutions from a gender-specific perspective; and the Department of State’s role in advancing and promoting the role of women in a competitive global economy. Cherie Blair, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women (United Kingdom) and Indra Nooyi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo, Inc. (USA) are Council Vice Chairs.

The meeting will be held in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the U.S. Department of State from 2:00-3:00 p.m. and will be open for press coverage. MORE

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

From the first time I visited with then-First Lady Hillary Clinton in 1998, Guatemala’s natural beauty and the warmth of its people, particularly the strength of its women despite many hardships, have left me with a special affinity for this Central American country. However, it has also long been a place rife with challenges. Even after the 1996 peace accords were signed to end the 36-year internal conflict, Guatemala has continued to struggle with malnutrition, poverty, corruption, organized crime, and high rates of violence against women.

Despite these challenges, my recent visit to the country has convinced me that Guatemala is beginning to address them, particularly gender-based violence (GBV) and other crimes. A big part of this change… more »

About the Author: Joshua R. Downes serves in the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

With today’s challenges, UN peacekeepers continue to play an essential role in furthering global peace and stability. Supporting these efforts is the United States’ Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI). GPOI has worked tirelessly to build the peacekeeping capacity of countries currently contributing or preparing to contribute forces to global peacekeeping operations.

Recently, in response to a growing demand for female involvement at all levels of international peacekeeping, Peru developed an all-female peacekeeping unit with members from all of its military branches, trained them in international peacekeeping, and deployed elements of the unit to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in January 2011. GPOI facilitated the unit’s participation in the… more »

About the Author: Hannah Johnson serves as an Assistant Editor for DipNote.

Our “Photo of the Week” shows Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Colombian Vice Foreign Minister Patti Londono signing a memorandum of understanding on the Small Business Network of the Americas in Cali, Colombia, October 23, 2012.

Deputy Secretary Burns and Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere AffairsRoberta Jacobson traveled to Cali for the fifth Pathways to Prosperity in the Americas ministerial. The government of Colombia hosted the event, attended by high-level government officials, policy makers, business leaders, academics, and representatives from international organizations throughout the… more »

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 »