To mark the 100^th Anniversary of International Women’s Day, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs launched “Empowering Women & Girls through International Exchanges,” a year-long series of events bringing “100 Women” leaders from 92 countries to the United States. This effort will feature International Visitor Leadership Program’s exchanges that highlight key foreign policy issues that directly impact on women and girls worldwide.

 

The 100 Women Initiative builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of “smart power diplomacy,” which embraces the use of a full range of diplomatic tools - in this case international exchanges - to bring people together and foster greater understanding among people and cultures.  

 

These 100 Women hail from every region of the globe and are leaders in academia, business, civil society, government, law enforcement, media, and the private sector. They have displayed a long-term commitment to empowering members of their communities, including women and girls.

 

For three weeks, the 100 Women will participate in a host of activities from meetings with senior leaders of the United States government to engaging with local community leaders who work on similar issues in small and large cities across the United States.