Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 7 February 2019

Ivanka Trump unveils White House global women initiative

By CATHERINE LUCEY eficiaries of this type of aid.
Associated Press The initiative builds on pre-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ivan- vious White House efforts to
ka Trump is unveiling an help women international-
effort aimed at helping 50 ly. The Obama administra-
million women in the de- tion established an Office
veloping world get ahead of Global Women’s Issues
economically over the next at the State Department
six years. and established an ambas-
On Thursday, the White sador-at-large for global
House will officially launch women’s Issues.
the Women’s Global De- That position has been va-
velopment and Prosperity cant since Trump took of-
Initiative, a government- fice — drawing criticism
wide project led by the se- from some advocates —
nior adviser and daughter but the White House said it
to President Donald Trump. now has a candidate lined
The initiative will involve the up for the job.
State Department, the Na- Since she joined the admin-
tional Security Council and istration in early 2017, Ivan-
other agencies. ka Trump has focused on
It aims to coordinate cur- women’s economic issues.
rent programs and develop She previously led an ef-
new ones to assist women fort to launch a World Bank
in areas such as job train- fund to help drive women’s
ing, financial support, and entrepreneurship.
legal or regulatory reforms. And she recently advocat-
The president previewed ed for the Women’s Entre-
the launch during his State preneurship and Economic
of the Union address Tues- Empowerment Act, which
day night, describing it as bolsters efforts focused on
“part of our commitment Ivanka Trump, left, and Lara Trump arrive to hear President Donald Trump deliver his State of the women by USAID.
to improving opportunity Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. Ivanka Trump said her hope
for women everywhere.” Tiffany Trump is at bottom right. is that this effort has staying
He will sign a national se- Associated Press power beyond the current
curity memorandum to The effort will draw on pub- “America first” foreign pol- ress. administration.
officially launch the initia- lic and private resources, icy has sought to limit the Among those she has con- Past global initiatives she
tive Thursday, framing it as with the U.S. Agency for United States’ role as an in- sulted for the project is for- has studied include the
a way to promote stability International Development ternational leader. mer Secretary of State Hen- U.S. President’s Emergency
around the world. initially setting up a $50 mil- But his daughter said this ry Kissinger. Plan for AIDS Relief, started
Ivanka Trump, who will at- lion fund, using already- effort was in keeping with The White House launch under President George W.
tend the Munich Secu- budgeted dollars. administration goals, argu- Thursday will feature a Bush in 2003.
rity Conference next week As part of the launch, ing it was a strategic invest- roundtable discussion and “This is not an initiative that
to promote the project, USAID and Pepsi Co. will ment that promoted secu- presidential signing cer- we think should stop at the
stressed that she sees this as announce a partnership rity. emony. culmination of the adminis-
a national security priority. aimed at women in India, “We’re proud of our legacy Attendees were to include tration,” she said.
“We think women are ar- and USAID and UPS will sign of being a generous na- Secretary of State Mike “We think it’s something
guably the most under- an agreement designed to tion, looking to uplift others Pompeo, national security that should sustain itself
tapped resource in the de- help female entrepreneurs around the world. adviser John Bolton, offi- over time, and we’re go-
veloping world for accel- export goods. But we want to do so in a cials from USAID and UNI- ing to work really hard to
erating economic growth Trump has twice tried un- fiscally responsible way,” CEF, elected officials and show that this is a great use
and prosperity,” she told successfully to slash USAID’s she said, promising “rigor- business leaders, as well as of foreign development
The Associated Press. budget by a third, and his ous” efforts to track prog- women who are the ben- assistance.”q