Working for Women Worldwide - Embassy of the United States

As the section on economic empowerment shows,
the United States offers many programs to help countries
develop market-based economies that create a climate
in which men and women can go as far and as fast
as energy and talent can take them. Particularly in
developing countries, the United States is an advocate
for women’s property and inheritance rights, as well as
equal access to credit and business opportunities. But
the United States also backs up its advocacy with a
major commitment to providing microfinance and
other entrepreneurial opportunities.
U.S. support for microenterprise development
has exceeded $150 million each year for the past five
years. A large proportion of
this assistance supports microcredit
programs in developing
countries, for which 70 percent
of the clients are women.
Through such programs, millions
of women have the means
to better their own lives and
contribute to the economic
revitalization of their communities
and their countries.
USAID provides grants
for women’s agriculture cooperatives,
and the U.S. Department
of State’s International
Visitor Program provides study tours for women
entrepreneurs. The State Department’s Middle East
Partnership Initiative supports a program that equips
young Arab women business representatives with substantive
experience and tools to participate in their
countries’ reform process.
The 2002 Helsinki Women’s Business Summit
was the largest ever public-private outreach program
between the United States and countries in the Baltic
region. We hope this will become a model for other
regions to promote trade, commerce, and women’s
economic empowerment.
Experience shows that nothing is more effective
in building entrepreneurship than person-to-person
assistance. The U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council is
based on this principle. Since 2002, U.S. and Afghan
women have partnered to enable the Afghan women to
take on political and economic leadership roles in their
country. The council places top priority on education
and microfinance. For example, Connie Duckworth, a
member of the council, has established a microenterprise
cooperative for Afghan women to make and
export rugs. The company, Arzu, placed its first order
for carpets on International Women’s Day in 2004.
Finally, the United States has created a new program
to award additional aid to countries that govern
justly, invest in their people, and encourage economic
freedom. The requirements of the Millennium
Challenge Account include education for women and
girls, respect for their human rights, and other performance
indicators that benefit women’s economic
advancement in developing countries.
Government and Civil Society:
Empowering Women Leaders
Empowering women economically
goes hand in hand with
empowering them politically.
True democracy does not exist
where half the population is
excluded from policymaking,
political processes, and power
structures. Without their political
voice, women cannot share
their perspective, or draw
attention to their hardships, or
recommend preventive actions
or means of redress.
As the stories on political
empowerment demonstrate, the United States believes
women’s political participation is essential to promoting
freedom, democracy, development, and peace and
to strengthening civil society.
In 2003, I was proud to lead successful negotiations
at the United Nations on a resolution advancing
women’s political participation. The United States
helped craft a blueprint of steps governments and civil
society can take to advance women’s political participation.
One hundred and 10 countries joined us as cosponsors
of this resolution. Already I have heard that
some countries are using these guidelines to design
legislation and programs that encourage women to
become more politically active. It is a good first step,
but like so many other efforts, there must be the political
will to implement change for the long term.
Above, Parool Mia, a rice farmer’s wife in Maria Village,
Bangladesh, feeding her cow. Facing page, Iraqi women paste
up election posters on a wall in central Baghdad.
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