Senior Official to the Secretary of State in the Office of Global Women's Issues Kat Fotovat will visit Bangladesh from January 20-23. In Chittagong on January 21-22, Senior Official Fotovat will participate in the 10th Commencement Ceremony of the Asian University for Women (AUW), where she will deliver remarks and meet with students and faculty.
Since 2017, the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues (S/GWI) has supported scholarships for young women from conflict zones in Asia and the Middle East to attend university at AUW. With S/GWI support, AUW aims to produce the next generation of women leaders for Asia and the Middle East by providing a high-quality education to women of great potential who would otherwise have few opportunities. Programming includes opportunities for training in leadership, human rights, and organizational and financial management, as well as with practical internship experiences.
Recently, through the Gender Equity and Equality Action Fund (GEEA) Fund, S/GWI and the Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor have provided additional resources for an AUW scholarship program for 104 young Afghan women who otherwise would not be able to pursue higher education due to the Taliban's edicts closing secondary schools and universities to women. In support of the recently launched U.S. Strategy on Global Women's Economic Security, the GEEA fund, managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Hub and implemented by USAID and the Department of State, advances economic security for women and girls by increasing their access to resources, services, and leadership opportunities and by addressing the barriers that limit their ability to participate fully in the economy.
In Dhaka on January 23, Acting Ambassador Fotovat will engage with members of government and civil society to discuss Women, Peace, and Security issues in Bangladesh and the region. She will participate in an inauguration event for the Reducing Child Marriage- Skills Training for Advancing Resources project, a partnership between the U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), also funded through the GEEA Fund. This program will provide vocational training for 14-18-year-old girls and young women - especially those most at risk of child, early, and forced marriage - from the most climate-vulnerable localities of Bangladesh.
