United States President announced his intent to nominate Indian American Dr Geeta as ambassador at large for global women’s issues at the US Department of State last Friday.
If Gupta's nomination is approved, she will lead this crucial position to advance gender equity. She is a proven and experienced champion for enhancing access to health care and gender equality.
Gupta is a senior fellow at the United Nations Foundation and a senior adviser to Co-impact, a worldwide collaborative philanthropy focused on systems transformation. Gupta established and served as executive director of the UN Foundation's 3D initiative for girls and women. She presently heads the worldwide advisory board of WomenLift Health, a new programme to encourage women's leadership in global health, and is a member of the board of the UBS Optimus Foundation and the advisory board of Merck for Mothers. She is also a commissioner on the Lancet-SIGHT commission on health, gender equality, and peace.
Gupta was formerly a visiting researcher at Stanford University and co-chair of the World Bank's gender-based violence task force. She has previously held high-profile positions such as UNICEF's deputy executive director for programmes, senior fellow at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and president of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW). Gupta has also served on the boards of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, and the MAC AIDS Fund, to mention a few..
She has received multiple accolades, including the Julia Taft Award for Outstanding Leadership from InterAction, the Anne Roe Award from Harvard University, and the Women Who Mean Business Award from the Washington Business Journal. Gupta holds a doctorate in psychology from Bangalore University, as well as master's degrees in philosophy and arts from the University of Delhi.
Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, welcomed President Biden's intention to nominate Gupta, said, “planned Parenthood welcomes the important nomination of Dr Geeta Rao Gupta as United States ambassador-at-large for global women's issues. We are excited for Dr. Gupta to play a key role in delivering on the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to gender equity and equality, which includes efforts to expand access to sexual and reproductive health and rights across US foreign policies. We look forward to working together to achieve this goal.”
The organisation is the dominant provider of sex education in the United States, as well as the leading provider and supporter of high-quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health care for all people.
As part of the Department of State, the Office of Global Women's Issues seeks to incorporate women's empowerment into US policy, diplomacy, partnerships, and programmes.
She has substantial expertise in global health and gender equality, having worked for both international institutions and non-profit organisations across the world. She is known for her expertise in health, gender-based violence, and women's leadership, as well as her commitment to achieve gender equality.
