Promoting Gender Equality and Advancing the Status of Women and Girls “The United States believes gender equality is critical to our shared goals of prosperity, stability, and peace, and … investing in women and girls worldwide is critical to advancing U.S. foreign policy.” Secretary of State John Kerry Globally, women and girls are disproportionately affected by ... Read More»

The congressionally mandated Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV) makes available up to 55,000 diversity visas each year, drawn from random selection among all entries to persons who meet strict eligibility requirements from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.   DVs are apportioned among six geographic regions using regional limits determined by United ... Read More»

The full text of the State Department’s 2013  International Religious Freedom Report  is available on the State Department website.   On July 28, 2014, Secretary Kerry submitted the 2013 International Religious Freedom Report to the United States Congress. The reports, now in their 16th edition, are available on  State.gov  and  HumanRights.gov . Mandated by Congress, the International Religious Freedom Reports help inform U.S. ... Read More»

Today, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah announced over $4.8 million this year to fund programs in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Tanzania, and Yemen to end child, early, and forced marriage. Congressional leaders have also recognized the importance of these efforts, and USAID will work alongside lawmakers to increase the ... Read More»