Melanne Verveer: Unleashing the Power

By Lucy Rose Davidoff on 03/31/2011 @ 04:34 PM

Did you know? Melanne Verveer, the first Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, has spent the past month traveling the world, discussing the progress that has been made in women’s rights, as well as highlighting the work still to be done. In her remarks at the 2011 CARE Conference, Ambassador Verveer focused on three main issues - women’s access to quality education, access to financial inclusion, and access to technology - and the work that the U.S. State Department has done to further these goals.

“We know that education is the single most effective development investment that can be made, and a key driver of economic growth and social progress—yielding the positive consequences for the future in terms of delayed marriages and childbirth, healthier pregnancies and families,” explained Ambassador Verveer. In order to increase the quality and rate of girl’s education, the State Department has worked to incentivize girls’ education, “whether through a bag of flour, can of oil, free tuition, etc.”

Microcredit has lifted up tens of millions of poor women and their families out of poverty. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been a longtime champion of microfinance, and financial inclusion has consistently been a top priority for the U.S. government. Verveer recalled a trip she took with Secretary Clinton to Gujaret, India. They visited a group of women who had participated in microloan programs. One woman explained the effect microloans had made on her life, “I am no longer afraid,” she said.

In the last year the State Department has launched two major initiatives to increase women’s access to technology. The first dealt with the use of mobile technology, which can be a lifesaving tool for impoverished women. Ambassador Verveer explained, “Cell phones can be used to provide critical health information, to economically empower women who use the cell phone to get invaluable information from the weather to the best markets for their products, to protecting women and girls from violence, to teaching literacy and providing access to financial services.” To address these issues, Secretary Clinton launched the mWomen Initiative in partnership with the GSM Association, which represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry.

The second initiative focuses on one of the least discussed and most potent killers of women and children worldwide: dirty and inefficient cookstoves. The hours of inhaled toxic smoke and air lead to nearly two million deaths a year from pneumonia (the number one killer worldwide), heart disease, and low birth weight. This smoke also contributes to climate change and global warming. Last September, Secretary Clinton announced the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves with the goal of distributing clean and effective stoves to 100 million homes by 2020.

Ambassador Verveer recently spoke at another event, the Sea Service Leadership Association’s 24th Annual Women’s Leadership Symposium. Speaking to a crowd of women in uniform, the Ambassador emphasized the importance of women in the armed forces and in peacekeeping efforts. At this moment, women constitute more than 14 percent of the active-duty force and 17.5 percent of the National Guard and Reserves. They serve in more than 90 percent of career fields and constitute 20 percent of new recruits. Many times women engage in activities that are not possible for male troops, such as reaching out to and communicating with rural women in Afghanistan.

Empowered by international documents that recognize the importance of women in conflict areas and in peacekeeping efforts, and that condemn crimes of sexual violence, such as UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1888, President Obama and Secretary Clinton are encouraging the empowerment of women and girls, not only as beneficiaries of development, but as agents of transformation. This standpoint is reflected in the newly created QDDReview, which examines all facets of the Department of State’s mission, and has as one of its core premises the fact that “women are at the center of our diplomacy and development efforts–not simply as beneficiaries, but also as agents of peace, reconciliation, development, growth and stability.”

It gives us great pleasure to end our contribution to women’s history month with the work and words of the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer. Her appointment alone reflects the importance of investment in women and girls as a fundamental tool of a smart foreign policy.

Click below to view Ambassador Verveer at the opening of the first rehabilitation center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for victims of sexual violence.

The No Limits Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, which means we cannot post material that is political or partisan. Comments or postings reflect the opinions of the author only, and in no way reflect the position of No Limits. No Limits does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of any posting. If you send a blog post to No Limits and we publish it on the site, we will note you as the author but we cannot pay for any submissions. Because of space considerations, not all posts submitted may be published. We are not responsible for the content of or for third party rights in material posted by you. For more information, please visit our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.