WASHINGTON, D.C., February 12, 2020 – Millennium Challenge Corporation CEO Sean Cairncross released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative:
“W-GDP is a testament to the Trump Administration’s commitment to empowering women economically around the world, and MCC is a proud partner in this mission. In just one year, W-GDP has made a direct and immediate impact on women’s lives in our partner countries. Together, W-GDP and MCC worked with the Government of Morocco to codify and implement legal changes that secure land rights for women across Morocco, and also joined the Government of Côte d’Ivoire to launch a new gender unit within the Ministry of National Education, which aims to improve training and education for girls and women in the workforce. And, MCC will formally add women’s economic empowerment to our investment criteria, which guide the design of our compact and threshold programs. We will continue to work with our partner countries to eliminate financial, legal, institutional, and societal barriers that keep women from fully engaging in their countries’ economies.
“Thank you to Advisor Trump for her tireless leadership in spearheading W-GDP. MCC looks forward to continuing to work with Ambassador Kelley Currie and her team to deliver on our shared goal to change the lives of millions of women around the world.”
Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump also released the following statement:
“Within one year, the Trump Administration’s Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) initiative has reached an astounding 12 million women, making progress towards our goal of economically empowering 50 million women by 2025. W-GDP strives to remove foundational legal barriers that prevent women from fully and freely participating in their local economies. Without unleashing the potential of women, countries that receive US foreign assistance will never realize the desired goal of becoming a self-sustaining trading partner. Along with our colleagues at the State Department, I look forward to continuing to spearhead these life-impacting programs to advance women’s economic empowerment for our collective economic prosperity and global stability.”
###