Celebrating Women Every March

Every March the U.S. commemorates Women’s History Month. Globally, March 8 is celebrated as International Women’s Day.   The commemoration in the U.S. started in 1981 when Congress passed a resolution which asked the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7 as Women’s History Week.”  Following a petition by the National Women’s History Project in 1987 Congress designated the month of March that year as Women’s History Month.  Several resolutions later it has come to stay.

The month provides an opportunity to focus on women's issues, their achievements and challenges and is normally celebrated worldwide by U.S. Embassies and consulates.   In honor of this year's celebrations the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, First Lady Michelle Obama and Ambassador-at-large for Global Women‘s Issues Melanne Verveer hosted the International Women of Courage Awards, honoring remarkable women from around the world.  Those honored are advocates of women's issues and many have done so at great personal risk.  For example Honorable Maryam Durani, a member of the Kandahar Provincial Council in Afghanistan who has spoken out for the rights of Afghan women and girls in a province considered the most conservative and dangerous in Afghanistan.  She has survived multiple attacks on her life including a suicide attack that resulted in serious injury.

All about the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-national Commission

Recently a journalist asked me about the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-national Commission. He wanted to know how long it had existed and why it was set-up. Well, I thought if a journalist knows very little about this important part of the U.S.-Nigeria relationship how much more would the general public So I’ve put together some basic facts about the Bi-national Commission.

The U.S.-Nigeria Bi-national Commission was inaugurated on April 6, 2010 by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Yayale Ahmed in Washington, DC It’s a strategic dialogue designed to expand mutual cooperation across a broad range of shared interests.  It’s also a collaborative forum to build partnerships for tangible and measurable progress on issues critical to the U.S. and Nigeria.  In the words of Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson "we expect that the United States and Nigeria will engage in serious, high level talks on issues of mutual interest."
Now what are those issues of mutual interest?