International Women’s Day was this past Monday, but many observances were held throughout the week.  Monday began with an opinion editorial from USGLC advisors Ann Lewis and Susan Molinari in Politico and a video message from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  Last night was the Ninth Annual Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards, where Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, received the 2010 Vital Voice Award for her humanitarian work, much of which can be seen in the Foundation’s Living Proof Project.

In her remarks introducing Mrs. Gates, Secretary Clinton said:

No one ordered her to go to AIDS clinics or orphanages, to sit with patients and children, to listen to their stories and bring them the promise of better healthcare, of education, of a brighter tomorrow . . . She could have had a quiet and enjoyable life on the shores of Lake Washington. But that’s not who she is and that is not who she was raised to be.

Ambassador-at-large for women’s issues Melanne Verveer is profiled in the Daily Beast today.  Discussing how important funding women and girls education and micro-finance projects are around the world, she says, “It’s a simple fact no country can get ahead if it leaves half of its population behind. Women’s full participation is crucial. We have so much new data showing that investing in women pays off. It’s not just the right, but the smart thing to do.”

Secretary Clinton is due later today to speak on the 15th Anniversary of the UN World Conference on Women in Beijing, at the United Nations.