Dipnote Comments - You are Following Comments for http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/index/ en U.S. Department of State 2012-02-11T15:54:03+00:00 Anna has posted a new comment
Thank you for your efforts and your message. Beautifully said: "Equality for girls and women isn't only the right thing to do -- it's also the smart thing -- for no country can get ahead if half its citizens are left behind."

That's the very reason protecting women and children needs to be central to U.S. foreign policy. Humanity will never progress if half its citizens are left behind.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/womens_empowerment/ Thu Oct 08, 2009 Karen has posted a new comment
Hello, I am becoming heavily involved in innovative approaches to these issues and thank you for making this avenue of information available. I look forward to helping.]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/womens_empowerment/ Thu Oct 08, 2009 Victoria has posted a new comment
I agree. Now is the time for women to raise their voices and to be heard. We have much heart that can help heal the world!]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/womens_empowerment/ Fri Oct 02, 2009 Jack has posted a new comment
Ambassador Verveer,

Thanks very much for your post. As a student of foreign policy and someone who has been watching the Department closely for a number of years now, I would like to ask a favor of you: please institutionalize this focus on women within the Department of State.

I am thrilled that Secretary Clinton has made women a foreign policy priority, but the United States' effort to empower women in the developing world cannot rest solely on the star-power of one Secretary of State (or, in your case, one political appointee) alone. While Secretary Clinton can and should be our strongest advocate on the world stage, don't ignore the thousands of Foreign Service Officers (many who are women) who are the institutional wisdom of the State Department. From my vantage point, the rank and file of the State Department are deeply committed to working on these issues (reading some of the blogs here in DipNote, it seems they are already focusing on these issues). You need only involve and utilize their talents.

Institutionalize your efforts, bring in the rank and file, and you will make real progress in your endeavors. Secretaries of State and Ambassadors-at-Large come and go, and so do their causes.

The only way to make it count is to institutionalize it.

Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Best,

Jack]]> http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/entires/womens_empowerment/ Thu Oct 01, 2009