White House releases Presidential Memorandum on promotion of gender equality, empowerment of women and girls globally

The White House on Wednesday released a Presidential Memorandum on the "coordination of policies and programs to promote gender equality and empower women and girls globally." "Promoting gender equality and advancing the status of all women and girls around the world remains one of the greatest unmet challenges of our time, and one that is vital to achieving our overall foreign policy objectives," President Obama states in the memorandum, adding, "Ensuring that women and girls, including those most marginalized, are able to participate fully in public life, are free from violence, and have equal access to education, economic opportunity, and health care increases broader economic prosperity, as well as political stability and security." He continues, "To elevate and integrate this strategic focus on the promotion of gender equality and the advancement of women and girls around the world, executive departments and agencies have issued policy and operational guidance." President Obama provides examples of these policies and outlines a number of directives for moving forward (1/30).

Additional information regarding the Presidential Memorandum and summaries of other Administration actions related to women and girls are available on the Kaiser Family Foundation's Policy Tracker.