[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 201 (Monday, October 19, 2015)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 63073-63074]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26585]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 201 / Monday, October 19, 2015 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 63073]]


                Proclamation 9346 of October 9, 2015

                
International Day of the Girl, 2015

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                America has long stood as a beacon of equality and 
                liberty for all. Safeguarding our founding ideals means 
                ensuring we all have the opportunity to contribute to 
                our shared progress and forge brighter futures. On 
                International Day of the Girl, we are reminded that 
                without the presence and participation of women and 
                girls in our classrooms, workplaces, and communities, 
                our Nation can never realize its full potential. As we 
                observe this day, let us renew our commitment to 
                building a world where all feel valued, safe, and 
                empowered to pursue a future of equal promise.

                In too many places, the stories of women and girls are 
                not always told, and they are limited by laws and norms 
                and subject to forces that lessen their range of 
                possibility and the scope of their aspirations. The 
                United States and our partners around the globe have 
                made significant strides in advancing opportunities for 
                women and girls and promoting full gender equality. My 
                Administration remains dedicated to working with our 
                international allies to protect the rights of all women 
                and girls. We are working to expand access to quality 
                education and are investing in programs to combat 
                gender-based violence. Building on my challenge to the 
                United Nations in September 2011, we established the 
                Equal Futures Partnership, a multilateral effort that 
                encourages countries to make commitments to women's 
                political and economic empowerment.

                Right now, more than 62 million girls around the 
                world--half of whom are adolescent--are not in school 
                and are therefore more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, early or 
                forced marriages, and violence. My Administration is 
                responding with the utmost urgency, and that is why we 
                launched the Let Girls Learn initiative, which brings 
                together the Department of State, the United States 
                Agency for International Development, the Peace Corps, 
                and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, as well as 
                other agencies and programs, like the President's 
                Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), to address the 
                range of challenges preventing adolescent girls from 
                attending and completing school, and from realizing 
                their potential as adults.

                As we work to advance justice and equality abroad, we 
                are also making it a priority to combat gender 
                disparities here at home. Thanks to the Affordable Care 
                Act, health insurers are now prohibited from charging 
                women higher premiums than men simply because they are 
                female, helping to make quality, affordable health care 
                accessible for all our people. We are attracting and 
                supporting girls in careers and educational pursuits 
                related to sciences, technology, engineering, and 
                mathematics--helping to build a highly-skilled, 
                competitive workforce that draws on the talents of all 
                Americans to drive our country's greatest innovations. 
                We are also supporting women-owned businesses and 
                entrepreneurs through over 100 Women's Business Centers 
                across our country, and we are continuing the fight to 
                ensure all women are paid equally and fairly for their 
                work.

                Women and girls cannot be fully free to pursue their 
                highest potential until they are safe from hateful 
                violence and assault. Twenty percent of American women 
                have been sexually assaulted while in college. That is 
                why, under the leadership of Vice President Joe Biden, 
                we launched the

[[Page 63074]]

                1is2many initiative to raise awareness of dating 
                violence and sexual assault among young people. And we 
                established the White House Task Force to Protect 
                Students from Sexual Assault, as well as ``It's On 
                Us,'' a campaign designed to combat sexual assault on 
                college campuses so every student in America is able to 
                pursue an education free from the fear of intimidation 
                or violence.

                This work must encompass all women and girls--
                regardless of who they are or what they look like. I am 
                committed to lifting up the lives of women and girls of 
                color, an intersectionality that is disproportionately 
                represented in the foster care and juvenile justice 
                systems, who are at greater risks of violence and are 
                often more susceptible to becoming victim to commercial 
                sex trafficking. We must continue to improve the odds 
                for at-risk girls and ensure they are visible, valued, 
                and have every opportunity to succeed.

                Our society must also value all who identify as female. 
                Too many transgender women and girls face 
                discrimination, violence, and abuse. My Administration 
                will continue working to break down barriers that hold 
                transgender girls back, including school bullying, 
                youth homelessness, and health inequality--because 
                America is a place where all our girls should be free 
                to live honest and open lives.

                Every person deserves the opportunity to reach for his 
                or her dreams, regardless of their sex or gender. This 
                is an ideal that has carried our Nation forward for 
                centuries, and we have an obligation to do everything 
                in our power to address the injustices that remain 
                throughout society. Today, we reaffirm our commitment 
                to building a world where all girls are safe and 
                empowered to pursue a future of limitless possibility.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim October 11, 2015, as 
                International Day of the Girl. I call upon the people 
                of the United States to observe this day with programs, 
                ceremonies, and activities that advance equality and 
                opportunity for girls everywhere.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2015-26585
Filed 10-16-15; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P