325. Action Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (Maynes) to Secretary of State Vance1
Personal Message from the Secretary of State to all Chiefs of Mission on Worldwide Status and Rights of Women
Issues for Decision
As we approach the mid-points of the United Nations Decade for Women and the International Year of the Child, and the onset of the Third Development Decade (1981–1990), and the UN Mid-Decade for Women’s Conference scheduled to be held in Copenhagen in July 1980, it is essential that we and other nations intensify our efforts toward promoting the status, rights and well-being of women throughout the world. Even though women and girls represent over half of humanity, they are the most frequent victims of discrimination and deprivation.
While most of the nations of the world are committed through various UN and other instruments to uphold the rights of women and to improve their conditions, there may be a tendency on the part of these nations to regard their agreement to those resolutions as disposing of the problem. Therefore, a considered effort is needed to fulfill the letter and spirit of international obligations.
What we do at home to advance the status and well-being of women has a material bearing on our ability to influence other nations. Internationally, our Ambassadors and their staffs have a particularly important role since they are aware of conditions in the countries where they serve, can judge what can be effectively done, and are in a position diplomatically to further our policy through discussions with leaders and other influential persons in those countries. Oftentimes, this can best be done on an informal basis.
Recommendations:
Since the State Department and its overseas missions have a leading responsibility in our worldwide efforts to advance the status of women, it is recommended that:
[Page 1085]1. You send a message (Attachment 1) to all our Chiefs of Mission, stressing the importance which you attach to this issue and enlisting their assistance in promoting accelerated progress toward goals widely approved by governments.2
2. Shortly thereafter, you send a second message (Attachment 2) to all Chiefs of Mission of certain key developing countries asking for their views on and attention to these issues on the part of the host government, and (b) how we could be most supportive of individuals and private organizations working in this field in the host country.3
3. A Departmental Notice on this subject (Attachment 3) be distributed to all employees in the foreign affairs agencies.4
4. Responsibility for follow-up action in this field be assigned to the Ad Hoc Working Group, comprising representatives of interested bureaus of State, AID, ICA and Peace Corps which prepared this memorandum and its attachments. The Ad Hoc Group, which would be co-chaired by Ambassador Marshall Green and me, in coordinating and articulating U.S. policy in this field, will be guided by the advice of our Ambassadors and other authorities and will remain in close touch with Committees already established by our Government which have related responsibilities. Within this general frame of reference, the Working Group will draw up its own terms of reference and devise its own method of approach, all of which are subject to your final approval; it will also prepare the information brochure referred to in the cable.5
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P790085–0875. Unclassified. Drafted by Good, Baer, and Green on May 8; concurred in by Dalley, Bleakley, Goott, Montgomery, Vogelgesang, Graham, Cheshes, Schwebel, Jennone Walker, Fleisher, Schuker, Lee, Barbara Thompson, Lollis, Hanley, Arvonne Fraser, Becker, Reinhardt, and Mary King. Dalley initialed his concurrence; Good initialed for the other clearing officials. Tarnoff also initialed the memorandum.↩
- Vance wrote “ok” at the end of the paragraph. Attached but not printed is a draft of the telegram, prepared by Good, Baer, and Green on May 25. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P790085–0878) A handwritten notation on the telegram reads, “Cable sent 5/30/79,” although the Department did not send a final version until May 31. The telegram, as sent, is printed as Document 327.↩
- Vance wrote “ok” at the end of the paragraph. Attached but not printed is the draft telegram, prepared by Good, Baer, and Green on May 8. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P790085–0880) A handwritten notation on the telegram reads, “Cable sent 5/30/79,” although the Department did not send the final version until May 31. In telegram 138589, May 31, to Bangkok, Cairo, Dakar, Dar es Salam, Islamabad, Jakarta, Jidda, Kingston, Lagos, Lima, Manila, Mexico City, New Delhi, Seoul, and Ouagadougou, the Department requested that the posts comment on “innovative measures and/or successful projects” undertaken in host countries that could serve as examples for other countries. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790246–0830)↩
- The undated Department Notice, attached but not printed, summarizes the contents of the joint State/AID/ICA/Peace Corps message and was attached to the May 8 draft telegram to certain diplomatic posts, referenced in footnote 3 above. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P790085–0880)↩
- Wisner approved and initialed the recommendations for Vance on May 30.↩