[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 127, 113th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 9039--OCT. 10, 2013

Proclamation 9039 of October 10, 2013

International Day of the Girl, 2013
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
From Asia to Europe, from Africa to the Americas, nations that have
embraced the ideals of equality and inclusion have emerged more stable,
peaceful, and prosperous. When countries empower girls to pursue their
dreams, they not only fulfill a basic moral obligation, they also
realize more fully their social and economic potential. Over the past
few decades, the global community has made great progress in increasing
opportunity and equality for women and girls, but far too many girls
face futures limited by violence, social norms, educational barriers,
and even national law. On International Day of the Girl, we stand firm
in the belief that all men and women are created equal, and we advance
the vision of a world where girls and boys look to the future with the
same sense of promise and possibility.
My Administration is committed to expanding opportunity for girls on the
world stage. We are promoting gender equality in education, cracking
down on human trafficking, and working to empower women and girls to
contribute in the workplace and in public life. Building on my challenge
to the United Nations in September 2011, a broad coalition of countries
and organizations has joined the United States in forming the Equal
Futures Partnership, an international effort to break down barriers to
the economic and political empowerment of women and girls. We are
working to break the cycle of poverty by educating and empowering girls,
including through a new global outreach and engagement campaign. We are
funding programs to encourage girls around the world to pursue careers
in science and technology. And because child marriage is a threat to
fundamental human rights, my Ad-


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ministration has strengthened reporting
and launched several initiatives to prevent child marriage.
At home, we are leading by example. We are encouraging girls to pursue
degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics--fields that will allow them to drive innovation while
working in the high-paying jobs of the future. We are funding evidence-
based strategies to reduce teen pregnancy in the United States, and we
are also motivating girls to become leaders--from hosting the first-ever
White House conference on girls' leadership and civic engagement to
sponsoring an app challenge to spur new ways to inspire girls to become
leaders in government.
As we observe this day, there is a girl in an unknown country who will
grow to spark the next great scientific revolution, but only if she gets
a shot at a higher education. Across the globe there are girls who will
one day lead nations, if only we afford them the chance to choose their
own destinies. And on every continent, there are girls who will go on to
change the world in ways we can only imagine, if only we allow them the
freedom to dream.
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, 2013, as
International Day of the Girl. I call upon all Americans 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 tenth day of
October, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
eighth.
BARACK OBAMA