Women for Women International welcomes the U.S. Senate confirmation of Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta as the new U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues.
The Ambassador-at-Large is the highest-ranking official dedicated to advancing gender equity in the U.S. and globally. The Ambassador-at-Large leads the State Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI), which was established in 2009 to ensure that the rights of women and girls are integrated into U.S. foreign policy.
At a time when global conflicts and crises are on the rise and human rights -and especially women’s and girls’ rights – are being rolled back within the U.S. and across the globe, this role is more necessary than ever and we welcome Dr. Gupta’s leadership and expertise as she takes it on. Her track record in promoting gender equality and human rights globally will be critical in leading the U.S. Government’s efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, increase women’s economic empowerment and security, implement the women, peace, and security agenda, and ultimately advance gender equality and equity at the national and global level. Women for Women International looks forward to working with Ambassador Gupta and her team on these issues, which are core to our own mission of ensuring that women survivors of war are able to realize their rights, their potential, and their true power.
Women for Women International also recognizes and expresses gratitude for the accomplishments of the GWI Office under the leadership of Kat Fotovat, the Senior Official who has acted in the role of Ambassador since 2021. We have appreciated her and her team’s commitment to consultation from civil society in development of U.S. strategies on gender equality and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with her and with the team on our shared goals.