The U.S. launch earlier this month of its global strategy to support women's economic equality is a "milestone" in the nation's foreign policy, according to U.S. Sec. of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken spoke at the Jan. 4 launch of the U.S. Global Women’s Economic Security Strategy, the government's action plan for promoting gender equality and equity in the global economy.
"The strategy that we’re putting forward has at its heart a simple vision: creating a world in which all women and girls everywhere can contribute to and benefit from economic growth and global prosperity," Blinken said in his remarks. "That’s a world in which we will all be better off."
He said the policy’s strategy works to break down barriers in the way of women having full economic participation.
The U.S. Strategy on Global Women’s Economic Security’s core concept is to make sure that women can participate and benefit from economic growth and global prosperity, according to a State Department report. It aims to promote economic competitiveness through quality, well-paying jobs, entrepreneurship, and financial and digital inclusion in trade and investment. The strategy calls for dismantling the systemic barriers to women’s participation.
The U.S. Strategy on Global Women’s Economic Security will guide the U.S. Government to advance women's economic security worldwide, according to the report.
Blinken said programs like WE-Champ will train members of women-owned small businesses in 18 countries across Europe, the release reported It also will strengthen access to childcare through programs like the World Bank’s Invest in Childcare initiative. Another program he described was the U.S.-India Alliance for Women's Economic Empowerment, which connects the private sector and civil society to provide women with technical skills and networking opportunities.
“There’s a huge amount of work to be done to make this real, to take the strategy that we’ve now put in place and to implement it,” he said, according to the release.
“Today’s release of the Women’s Economic Security Strategy marks a milestone for our nation’s foreign policy. We are committed to seeing to it that women and girls in all their diversity can equally contribute to and benefit from economic growth,” Blinken said in a tweet.
