One of my first meetings as Secretary of State was with a group of courageous women from Burma. Two were former political prisoners, and although they had all endured incredible hardship in their lives, each of them was committed to moving forward — providing education and training for girls, finding jobs for the unemployed and advocating greater women’s participation in civil society. I have no doubt that they will continue to be powerful agents of change, bringing progress to their communities and their country in the years to come.
Opportunities to engage with such remarkable and inspirational individuals reinforce why it is so vital that the United States continues to work with governments, organisations and individuals around the world to protect and advance the rights of women and girls. After all, just like in our own countries, the most pressing economic, social and political problems cannot be solved without the full participation of women.
According to the World Economic Forum, countries where men and women are closer to enjoying equal rights are far more economically competitive than those where the gender gap has left women and girls with limited or no access to medical care, education, elected office, and the marketplace.
Similarly, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that if women farmers had the same access to seeds, fertilizer, and technology as men, it would reduce the number of undernourished people in the world by 100 million.
Yet in too many societies and too many homes, women and girls are still undervalued, denied opportunities and forced to marry as children. Too many lives have been lost or altered for ever by gender-based violence. As the father of two daughters, I cannot imagine the pain suffered by the parents of the young woman known as “Nirbhaya”, the 23-year-old medical student murdered on a New Delhi bus simply for being a woman, or the anguish felt by the parents of Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl shot by extremists as she too rode on a bus, simply for wanting to go to school.
The outstanding treatment and care Malala has received at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham is a powerful symbol that people across the world stand united against those who want to silence women and girls through intimidation and violence.
I am inspired by Malala’s undaunted commitment to her cause, by Nirbhaya’s determination, while dying, to bring her assailants to justice, and by their fathers’ courage in speaking out on behalf of their daughters and women everywhere.
No country can get ahead if it leaves half of its people behind. So it is in the interests of boys and men to do everything in their power to unleash the potential of girls and women and to champion their rights, because without their contribution we are all the poorer. This is why the United States believes gender equality is critical to our shared goals of prosperity, stability, and peace, and why investing in women and girls worldwide is critical to advancing US foreign policy.
We are investing in the training and mentoring of women entrepreneurs so they cannot only lift up their own families, but also help their countries’ economies grow. We are investing in girls’ education so they can escape forced early marriage, break the cycle of poverty and develop into community leaders and engaged citizens. Increasing girls’ and women’s education and their access to resources also improves the health and education of the next generation.
We are working with partners around the world to boost maternal health, strengthen female farmers, and prevent and address gender-based violence because all societies benefit when women are healthy, safe, and can contribute their labour, leadership and creativity to the global economy. US diplomats are working to integrate women fully into peace negotiations and security efforts because bringing women’s experiences and insights to the table can help prevent future conflict.
My predecessor, Hillary Clinton, elevated the empowerment of women and girls as a foreign policy issue, and I’m determined to keep it a cornerstone of US foreign policy during my time in office. The truth is that when women thrive, we all thrive, and our global commitment to that cause will not diminish.
Today, International Women’s Day, is a day of celebration. It is also a day when each of us must recommit to ending the inequality that prevents progress in every corner of the globe. We can and we must commit to this so that each of our daughters can ride a bus without fear, all of our sisters can fulfill their tremendous potential, and we can tap the talents of every single woman and girl.
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