The Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues is located within the United States Department of State.[1] In 2009, Melanne Verveer was appointed to be the first Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. From September 2013 to May, 2017, Catherine M. Russell was appointed to this position. From May 2017 through December 2019, there was no ambassador for this office. Kelley Currie, a political appointee, joined the Global Women's Issues Office as U.S. Ambassador-at-Large in January 2020. Geeta Rao Gupta is the current Ambassador-at-Large for the office as of May 18, 2023.
The Office of Global Women's Issues (S/GWI) works to ensure that the rights of women and girls are fully integrated into the formulation and conduct of United States foreign policy. Working with the White House, USAID, the Department of Defense, and other agencies, as well as with civil society and the private sector, the Department of State has launched multiple and wide-ranging global initiatives to promote women's social and economic development, integrate women into peace and security building, address and prevent gender-based violence, and ensure women's full participation in civic and political life.
The Obama Administration made advancing the status of women and girls a central element of U.S. foreign policy, as articulated in the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review and the Department of State's Policy Guidance on Promoting Gender Equality to Achieve Our National Security and Foreign Policy Objectives. Further, on January 30, 2013, President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum on gender equality, ensuring that an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues will continue to play a leading role in U.S. efforts to advance women's rights around the world. And in March 2016, the Obama Administration launched the U.S. Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls, to protect the rights of this age group via international legal and policy frameworks.[2]
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated in connection with the Office of Global Women's Issues, "When the Security Council passed Resolution 1325, we tried to make a very clear statement, that women are still largely shut out of the negotiations that seek to end conflicts, even though women and children are the primary victims of 21st century conflict."[1]
Secretary of State John Kerry said, "No country can get ahead if it leaves half of its people behind. 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 U.S. foreign policy."[3]
Women's issues are also a major focus of the United Nations Organization.