Geeta Rao Gupta sworn-in as envoy for global women’s issues

Vice President Kamala Harris administers oath of office to Mumbai-born global leader on gender equity

Dr Geeta Rao Gupta, an Indian-born global leader on gender equity and women’s economic security, has been sworn as the Ambassador-at-Large for the Office of Global Women’s Issues in the State Department.

Gupta, the first woman of color to hold the position, was administered the oath of office by Indian American Vice President Kamala Harris on July 10.

READ: Geeta Rao Gupta confirmed as US envoy for global women’s issues (May 13, 2023)

After the US Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s pick for the role by 51 to 47 votes in May, the State Department tweeted it “looks forward to her efforts to promote women and girls’ rights through US foreign policy.”

Mumbai-born Gupta previously worked closely with many UN agencies and programs. She was the former Executive Director of the 3D Program for Girls and Women at the UN Foundation.

Gupta also co-convened an international initiative commissioned by UNAIDS to plan the global response to HIV/AIDS over the next 25 years, and was appointed by the Secretary-General to the role of Deputy Executive Director of Unicef.

According to Gupta, there are many inequities and indignities that women suffer around the world, which hold them back from participating fully in the economy. They are subject to threats to their safety and have a fear of violence even on a daily basis, and that determines their mobility.

“In situations of conflict and emergencies and humanitarian crises they are particularly vulnerable, both in terms of their safety, but also in terms of their being able to look after their families and feed their families,” she said during her confirmation hearing last year.

READ: Geeta Gupta vows to integrate gender equality in US foreign policy (June 20, 2022)

With over a decade of experience on gender and development, Gupta has also served on an oversight committee for the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program, and co-chaired the World Banks’s Global Gender-based Violence Task Force.

In addition, she has served as the President of the International Center for Research on Women, and has numerous awards to her credit, including Harvard University’s 2006 Anne Roe Award and the 2007 Washington Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business” Award.

She earned a PhD in Social Psychology from the Bangalore University and an MPhil and MA from the University of Delhi in India.

Read: Biden to name Geeta Rao Gupta as envoy for global women’s issues (November 15, 2021)