By Dipnote Bloggers
March 8 marks International Women's Day and an opportunity to recommit ourselves to advancing the rights and opportunities of women and girls worldwide. Around the world, 62 million girls are not in school. Globally, 1 in 3 women will experience gender-based violence in her lifetime. In the developing world, 1 in 7 girls is married before her 15th birthday, with some child brides as young as 8 or 9. Each year more than 287,000 women die from pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications. Far too many women and girls around the world still face violence each and every day.
"No country can get ahead if it leaves half of its people behind," Secretary of State John Kerry said. "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 advancing U.S. foreign policy."
This year, as the world approaches the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals, we have a unique opportunity to elevate the advancement of women's rights. The United States supports mainstreaming of gender into all relevant Sustainable Development Goals, as gender inequalities continue to contribute to slow and uneven development progress globally.
What steps should the international community take to promote gender equality and empower women and girls?