Intervention by April Hahn, United States Agency
for International Development (USAID)
on the Summit of the Americas mandate "Women"
XVII Summit Implementation Review Group, November 19, 1999
- USAID allocates nearly US $275 million to institutional development and policy reform projects that specially incorporate women's interests or needs. An estimated 14.5 million women benefit from these activities.
- USAID's microenterprise projects, for example, reach more than 500,000 women, providing approximately $25 million worth of credit annually.
- USAID places special emphasis on women's political participation so that they can advocate and be heard on the issues that are important to them. For example, USAID has sponsored workshops for Colombian and Mexican female political candidates in organizing effective political campaigns and for Central American civic leaders in advocacy techniques.
- In addition, USAID has provided support to the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights (IIDH) to train women attorneys to better utilize the Inter-American System of Human Rights and to promote the adoption of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). In response, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Peru and Venezuela have signed an Interpretive Declaration affirming their commitment to improve the status of women and eliminating all forms of discrimination.
- USAID also supports a number of initiatives that target violence against women. Access to justice, including providing legal aid and establishing alternative dispute mechanisms, form the core of these activities.
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