Originally published on the CGS blog on August 10, 2015.
As Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) points out,
The ultimate goals of peace and security are more attainable when women are represented at the tables of power.
Enter Wendy Sherman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, a paramount figure in getting the Iran deal across the finish line and in turn averting a catastrophic military conflict.
Far away, a young Afghan woman, educated at a PA university, is now one of four female Directors working under Afghan President M. Ashraf Ghani. She majored in Women and Gender Studies. Will this make a difference for the women of Afghanistan? Will she affect the President’s policies?
These two women illustrate how important it is that we ensure the promotion of women’s inclusion and participation in foreign policy and government agencies.
The U.S. has taken two recent strides toward this goal. Senators Barbara Boxer, Mark Kirk, and Jeanne Shaheen have introduced the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Act of 2015 to insure women are included in mediation and negotiation processes in order to prevent, mitigate, or resolve violent conflict.
President Obama also has taken steps to promote women in U.S. foreign policy through his National Action Plan (NAP). This plan is to “mainstream” gender issues and perspectives within government. Much progress already has been made through executive order, but many areas aren’t improving quickly enough. We need Congress to codify the improvements made and ensure the full implementation of the NAP—now and in the coming years.
Before we lose this progress, act now: tell your Members of Congress to support the WPS Act.
