When many of the world's 850 million girls go to sleep tonight, they’ll dream about futures that sadly, because of extreme or backward thinking in the countries where they live, are nearly impossible for them to achieve. In too many countries, girls’ contributions simply aren't valued, their well-being isn’t protected, and their aspirations aren’t taken seriously. As the father of two daughters, I know deep down that is unacceptable.
I believe with all my heart that supporting the rights of girls is the moral and just thing to do, and as someone who sits today the same chair where extraordinary women like Hillary Rodham Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, and Madeline Albright sat before me, I know that it’s also the smart thing to do.
Investing in girls is a critical part of our duty to promote prosper prosperity, security, and peace around the world. Common sense tells us that empowered girls grow up to be empowered women. They grew up to be empowered mothers, leaders, and innovators. They grew up to make the world a better place.
Thanks to a number of global partnerships and programs led by the State Department, like Tech-Girls, and Next Scholars, and great USAID programs like Safe Schools, we have made important progress. Today more and more girls are enrolling in school in Afghanistan, and fewer and fewer girls are victims of female genital mutilation in Africa, but our work is far from over.
Every year, the International Day of the Girl is a chance for us to reaffirm our commitment to girls’ rights, to celebrate their value to society, and to address the unique challenges that they still face. It's a call to action for everyone to build on the progress we've made on global women's rights, and if we heed that call, the dreams of our daughters will one day be just as valued and just as viable, as the dreams of our sons.
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