Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will launch the 2023 U.S. Strategy and National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) on Tuesday, October 31 at 1:00 p.m. ET at the U.S. Department of State. Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Gender Policy Council Jennifer Klein, U.S. Agency for International Development Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman, and U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Geeta Rao Gupta will also deliver remarks at the event.
The remarks portion of the event will be followed by an interagency panel discussion featuring senior officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Department of Defense, moderated by President of the South Sudan Women's Empowerment Network Lilian Riziq.
The 2023 U.S. Strategy and National Action Plan on WPS, the first WPS Strategy issued under the Biden-Harris Administration, builds on prior U.S. commitments to advance women's participation in peace, political, and security-related processes. The 2023 Strategy provides the framework and guidance for leveraging the WPS agenda as a foreign policy and national security priority to advance gender equity and equality, which is a critical element in achieving and sustaining peace and security around the world.
The launch event is open for press coverage.
Preset time for video cameras is at 12:15 p.m. from the 23rd Street Entrance. Final access for writers and still photographers is at 12:45 p.m. from the 23rd Street Entrance.
The event's opening remarks will also be streamed live on the State Department homepage and Youtube channel beginning at 1:00 p.m.
Media representatives may attend the launch event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) a U.S. government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, or Foreign Press Center); (2) a media-issued photo identification card; or (3) a letter from the requester's employer on letterhead verifying his/her employment status as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification (driver's license or passport). Those who do not have a State Department building pass should allow adequate time for visitor security processing at the 23rd Street entrance.
