Tag Archives: National Action Plan

White House Press Office

Fact Sheet: The Obama Administration’s Comprehensive Efforts to Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women and Girls Worldwide

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By The White House

“When women succeed, nations are more safe, more secure, and more prosperous. Over the last year, we’ve seen women and girls inspiring communities and entire countries to stand up for freedom and justice, and I’m proud of my Administration’s efforts to promote gender equality worldwide.” –President Barack Obama, March 8, 2013

President Obama has made promoting gender equality and advancing the status of women and girls central to our national security strategy and foreign policy, including by leading through example at home. The Administration will continue to prioritize these efforts in the coming years, in collaboration with stakeholders throughout the world, recognizing that our journey is far from complete and that securing equal rights and opportunity for women and girls is not only the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do.

Highlights of the Obama Administration’s record to empower women and girls worldwide include:

Building Capacity and Enhancing Coordination and Accountability across the U.S. Government

Strengthening our leadership and coordination to enhance our impact abroad: On January 30, 2013, President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum directing that the Secretary of State designate a Coordinator at the Ambassador at Large level, reporting directly to the Secretary of State, to lead the Office of Global Women’s Issues and to provide advice and assistance on issues related to promoting gender equality and advancing the status of women and girls internationally. In this Memorandum, President Obama also recognized the accomplishments and leadership of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, and established an interagency working group led by the White House National Security Staff.

Bolstering agency policies, staffing, and training: Agencies have issued policy and operational guidance, including at the Department of State, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and USAID, to ensure a comprehensive approach on gender equality and women’s empowerment. From the Department of Justice to the Department of Defense, the Administration has expanded training and created new positions, including on the National Security Staff, to advance these policies.

Holding ourselves accountable and monitoring our progress: The MCC and its partners in compact countries have made significant progress in integrating gender equality into projects that support poverty reduction through growth. In March 2011, the MCC released guidelines for gender integration that make MCC’s Gender Policy fully operational, and MCC will continue to work to improve both global policy and practice. The Department of State and USAID are also launching new efforts to strengthen the evidence base on the importance of promoting gender equality, including by improving data collection and strengthening metrics.

Increasing Women’s Roles in Conflict Prevention and Security Decision-making

Empowering women as equal partners in preventing conflict and building peace: On December 19, 2011, the Obama Administration released Executive Order 13595 and the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security to support women’s voices and perspectives in decision-making in countries threatened and affected by

From: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/04/19/fact-sheet-obama-administration-s-comprehensive-efforts-promote-gender-e

News, Politics, Government

Open Government: A Time for Self-Assessment

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By Lisa Ellman and Todd Park

“The role of citizens in our democracy does not end with your vote. America’s never been about what can be done for us. It’s about what can be done by us together through the hard and frustrating, but necessary work of self-government.” — President Barack Obama, November 7, 2012

Since the first day of the Obama Administration, the Federal government has worked to make government more efficient, effective, and responsive to citizens’ needs. The Administration has harnessed new technology to engage the public, worked to disclose information more quickly, and given citizens a greater voice in decision-making.

In September 2011, the Administration’s work was launched on the world stage when President Obama and other world leaders endorsed the principles of the global Open Government Partnership (OGP). As part of our commitment to OGP, the United States launched the National Action Plan, a set of twenty-six concrete commitments that help increase public integrity, promote public participation, manage public resources more effectively, and improve public services. Praised by civil society organizations and the public, the Plan stands as a great example of what we can do as a country when government, civil society, and the public collaborate together. As the President has said, “Put simply, our countries are stronger when we engage citizens beyond the halls of government.”

Today, we are proud to report that the United States has fulfilled twenty-four of those commitments. You can read more about the implementation of our National Action Plan here. Some highlights include:

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House

News, Politics, Government

Fulfilling our Commitment to Open Government: We Hear You

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By Lisa Ellman

We announced last week that we are doing a self-assessment of the U.S. National Action Plan on Open Government and were looking for your feedback about our implementation. We are meeting with civil society groups to solicit their feedback in person, and we set up ways for you to share your own feedback online through a dedicated Q&A site Quora, or through a web form on WhiteHouse.gov. And we take your feedback seriously.

Here’s proof: We heard from you that it would be helpful if we published the text of the President's directive extending whistleblower protections to the intelligence and national security communities for the first time. We decided you were right. Click here to find the directive.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House

News, Politics, Government

Fulfilling our Commitment to Open Government

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By Lisa Ellman and Nick Sinai

Since taking office, President Obama has made clear that his Administration is committed to Open Government—that the Nation is made stronger by making the Federal Government accountable to citizens and by giving those citizens opportunities to participate in their government.

That’s why, in September 2011, President Obama, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, and the leaders of six other governments launched the global Open Government Partnership – a global effort to encourage transparent, effective, and accountable governance driven by citizens and civil society around the world. Demonstrating the Nation’s domestic commitment to the Partnership, President Obama launched the U.S. National Action Plan on Open Government that same day, saying:

“We pledge to be more transparent at every level — because more information on government activity should be open, timely, and freely available to the people. We pledge to engage more of our citizens in decision-making — because it makes government more effective and responsive. We pledge to implement the highest standards of integrity — because those in power must serve the people, not themselves. And we pledge to increase access to technology — because in this digital century, access to information is a right that is universal.”

In just over a year, the Administration has made significant progress toward implementing the National Action Plan, working closely and in partnership with American citizens and organizations.

For example, with the launch of the White House's “We the People” petition platform, citizens now have a more powerful voice in government. With the passage of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, and President Obama’s landmark directive extending whistleblower protections to the intelligence and national security communities for the first time, Federal workers who expose waste, fraud, and abuse of authority in government will receive the protection they deserve. And, through innovative, accessible platforms like data.gov, the government is unleashing more information than ever before to fuel innovation and entrepreneurship. But we’re not stopping there.

As part of our ongoing commitment to Open Government, the United States Government will publish a Self-Assessment Report this spring, that outlines our significant progress to date and highlights areas where there is more work to be done. And, in the true spirit of Open Government—we want you to participate in the process.

Many of the best ideas that helped shape the National Action Plan on Open Government were suggested from citizens and outside groups. Starting today, for the next two weeks, we want to hear from you, as we work to develop our Open Government self-assessment report.

Here’s how: You can share your ideas and feedback through Q&A site Quora, or through a web form on WhiteHouse.gov. Specifically, we’d like to hear from you about:

  • What Open Government commitments need the most additional work in the near term?
  • How can we be more responsive to your feedback?
  • How can we work more closely with the public to enhance the Government’s effectiveness?

Your feedback will inform our upcoming Self-Assessment Report on Open Government and ensure that your voice is heard as …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House