USAID announces shift in gender programming, organizational structure
2 MAY 2011 — USAID has announced a strengthening of its gender programming and organizational structure to meet the objectives of its new policy on gender equality and women's empowerment and created an Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. Administrator Rajiv Shah announced last week that the agency has transformed its Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade (EGAT) Women in Development Office into the new Office of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment that will focus on building partnerships that can deliver results.
"Strengthening human rights and fueling sustainable economic growth in developing countries both depend on empowering women and working toward gender equality. Eliminating hunger, mitigating the effects of global climate change, and drastically reducing maternal mortality relies on bolstering the role women play in their societies," Shah said, adding, "Taken together, these steps will reaffirm our commitment to gender equality and help harness the power, creativity, and energy of women and girls to deliver meaningful results for the developing world."
In May 2009 President Barack Obama released a global health initiative designed to help reshape foreign assistance and better coordinate the nation’s global health aid. According to USAID’s Global Health Initiative (GHI) website, the program works to save lives, promote security and maximize results, with a particular focus on improving the health of women, newborns and children through a commitment to strengthening health systems and gender equality.