Save the Children Celebrates Biden Administration Commitment to Global Gender Equality and Girls' Rights

Today, on International Women’s Day, President Biden announced his FY 2023 budget will request $2.6 billion to promote gender equality worldwide.

Washington, D.C. (March 8, 2022) – Save the Children applauds President Biden for his historic announcement today – that he will request $2.6 billion to achieve gender equality and promote girls’ and women’s rights globally. Today’s announcement comes on International Women’s Day.

“We applaud President Biden for his administration’s continued commitment to global gender equality and girls’ rights. Today’s funding request is unprecedented and, if approved, offers hope of a more equitable future to girls and women around the world,” said Christy Gleason, Vice President of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at Save the Children. “We are seeing significant setbacks in global gender equality and girls’ rights, made worse by COVID-19, conflict and climate change. This funding request couldn’t come at a better time. The futures of millions of girls worldwide are at stake.”

Globally, gender and age continue to act as barriers to opportunities, resources, and decision-making spaces. This puts adolescent girls at increased risk of human rights abuses, which adversely impacts their health and education, while also putting them at risk of gender-based violence. For example:

• Pregnancy and childbirth related complications remain the leading cause of death for adolescent girls 15-19 years of age.
• Due to the impacts of COVID-19, experts project that, for the first time in 30 years, adolescent girls are more at risk of child marriage. 110 million more girls are projected to marry as children by 2030.
• Worldwide, a reported 129 million girls are out of school, with girls living in conflict settings or who have been forcibly displaced at particularly high risk of having their education disrupted and never returning.  

“While today’s funding request is an essential step in ensuring the first-ever U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality is executed, we still have a long way to go before the promise and dream of more equal world is realized for all children,” continued Gleason. “It’s imperative we continue this important conversation past International Women’s Day. One day a year isn’t enough to shed light on – and discuss solutions for – the gender inequality and gender-based violence plaguing our world’s children.”

Save the Children – together with its political advocacy arm, Save the Children Action Network – will continue to work with the Biden administration to ensure gender equality and girls’ rights are prioritized, and advocate for Congress to approve this historic $2.6 billion funding request. 

Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Since our founding more than 100 years ago, we've been advocating for the rights of children worldwide. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming the future we share. Our results, financial statements and charity ratings reaffirm that Save the Children is a charity you can trust. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.