Women and Girls are Key to Security – Ann Lewis and Susan Molinar
“Women and Girls are Key to Security”
By Ann Lewis & Susan Molinar
Politico: March 8, 2010
What do women fishing, school building and better farming skills have to do with U.S. national security? A lot — and that’s a bipartisan consensus. Democrats and Republicans agree there’s a connection between America’s security and smart, effective development. Encouraging education, economic opportunity and good governance helps to build a more secure and safer world — and that includes investing in women and girls. This is worth noting on International Women’s Day.
To see what we mean, check out the International Affairs budget — the 1.4 percent of the federal budget that funds the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and various other agencies like the Peace Corps. While small in monetary terms, it has a big impact around the world.
