The U.S. has just launched the Strategy on Global Women’s Economic Security. The document shows what the world stands to gain from prioritising women’s economic security. Acting Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Kat Fotovat speaks on the policy and what its implementation will mean for women’s economy. Excerpts:
Prioritising women
Women’s economic security is something that is prioritized throughout the world. As Secretary Blinken said this morning, we’re putting forward – this has been a heart – simple vision: to create a world in which all women and girls can contribute to and benefit from economic growth and global prosperity. Advancing this agenda is not just the morally upstanding thing to do; it’s the rising tide that lifts all of our boats.
The strategy was assiduously developed and will be just as diligently implemented by no less than 12 U.S. Government agencies and departments. It’s a truly whole-of-government approach. The Department of State for our part will focus on our diplomatic engagement with the G20, G7, OECD, APEC, as well as in other multilateral and bilateral engagements, advancing our policies and programmatic priorities.
As host to APEC this year, we intend on placing a heavy emphasis on women’s economic security as a catalyst and ensure that for economic growth and strength and prosperity worldwide that women and girls will be included.
Engaging G7
We are looking forward to engaging with Japan as they chair the G7, and India as they host the G20, ensuring that elements of this strategy are integrated throughout 2023 all of our policy and planning priorities.
Bilaterally, we continue to work with counterparts from other governments, encouraging them to adopt our recommendations as they develop their own domestic and global strategies for women’s economic empowerment and security.
Finally and most importantly, we will continue to engage the private sector, civil society, academia, and women on the ground to work hand in hand with us, inform us of our activities, and help us as we develop our State Department action plan, and to implement this historic strategy.
As I always say, nothing about them without them.
The work that we are doing globally
Actually, we just launched a program called WE-Champs. What we’re seeking to do in a program such as WE-Champs is really connect women globally in terms of women’s chambers of commerce, women’s networks, making sure to look at the global digital divide, finding ways to increase markets for women. So certainly in Europe and in Eastern Europe, specifically where we’re starting the pilot work that we’re doing there, we’re looking at opportunities to make sure that the women entrepreneurs in specific countries have the ability to connect not only within their own countries but regionally and globally.
So we’re looking for mentorship opportunities, training opportunities, and creating platforms for them to be able to have those markets, which we know that the global internet structure really is a way to help market some of their products and be able to sell services. So finding ways to connect those various integrated networks is really what that program is about. And so we’re looking at that, including in Africa and including in Asia, so really having that regional approach and then expanding that globally as well.
