US President Barack Obama announced Friday the creation of a new foreign policy position designed to tackle global women's issues.Obama named Melanne Verveer, an aide in former president Bill Clinton's administration, as ambassador-at-large for international women's issues. She will serve at the State Department under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The appointment, which has to be approved by the Senate, "is unprecedented and reflects the elevated importance of global women?s issues to the president and his entire administration," the White House said in a statement.
Clinton has put efforts to improve the lot of women at the heart of boosting international development, which she says must be an "equal partner" with diplomacy and defense in US foreign policy.
I am feeling this, it is working for me. Thoughts?
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YES! I don't know what else to say. This is exciting and fantastic.
Yes!
This news couldn't make me happier! And it sets a wonderful example for other governments to follow worldwide. And, where governments DO appoint women's issues posts but leave them without resources, women can find international support.
I think recognizing a need and creating the post is fantastic, even while I'm a little wary of how it might be handled. Only a little though, given the focus on diplomacy, logically it'll focus on rights and resources rather than ham-handedly exporting Western standards.
This news couldn't make me happier! And it sets a wonderful example for other governments to follow worldwide. And, where governments DO appoint women's issues posts but leave them without resources, women can find international support.
I wonder, what other governments have already long had positions like this? Are we taking the lead in this, in step, or behind?
The first woman in the France which have publicly supported the equation of women and men in the rights during the French revolution was - Olympe de Gouge. She has written "the Rights of the woman and the citizen", leaning on "the Declaration of human rights and the citizen". She demanded for women of the suffrage, on a level with men because they on a level with men pay taxes and on a level with men rise on a scaffold...
And the suffrage of the woman in France have received only on April, 21st, 1944, at the very end of the Second World War.
At present at us in Grenoble, the rights of women are a little restrained in difference from man's, but we work over that them became more...
Sweet! Another do-nothing bureaucrat added to the public teat. Probably needs a nice big staff (natch), cars, offices, and gold-plated benefits.
Even in these times, the .gov is always a growth industry. Little wonder why the ring of 'burbs surrounding DC is now the richest area in the country.
I'm not so sure about that. Even if Ms. Verveer does nothing all day (which I doubt would happen), simply by creating this post President Obama has made it clear that the U.S. is taking seriously the fact that women around the globe are suffering at the hands of corrupt governments, greedy multi-national corporations, and power-hungry dictators. Simply by making this issue a part of his first 100 days in office, he has shown us that humankind is not low on his list of priorities. I am ecstatic that our president cares about these issues because even though we in the developed world may not know the half of it, there are millions upon millions of women on this planet who need help now.
I like this a lot. And even on a strictly pragmatic basis, it makes sense. It's well known now that countries in which women have full civil rights and are better educated do better economically. Keeping women oppressed and poor is not just bad for women. It's bad for everyone.
Pretty cool. There has been an Office for International Women's Issues since '93, but the head was just a Senior Coordinator, and it was under the Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs. I wonder how this new post will affect the structure of State?
Not only do I love this, but I love how positive the reaction is and will be.
News should please. I hope, that it is not simple big words, and the valid civic stand. The former president too loved similar declarations, here only words of business and came to an end. Miss Obama makes impression of the reasonable woman and I think, that will not be servilely subordinated to the husband...