Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I am pleased to be joined by my friend and colleague from Maryland, Senator Cardin, to introduce the Girls Leadership, Engagement, and Advocacy in Development, or Girls LEAD, Act. Our legislation would support and expand civic engagement and political leadership of adolescent girls around the world. Despite comprising over 50 percent of the world's population, women are underrepresented at all levels of public sector decision-making. Recently, Congress has taken steps to combat this issue with new laws, including the Women, Peace, and Security Act and the Women's Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act. The Girls LEAD Act will complement these efforts by specifically addressing the civic involvement and leadership of adolescent girls, an area where there is currently a gap in U.S. foreign assistance programing. The United States can help foster a pipeline of adolescent girls who will aspire to assume leadership roles in their communities. Adolescence is a pivotal time in a girl's life that brings about significant physical, emotional, and social changes. Yet, according to UNESCO, 132 million adolescent girls between the age of 6 and 17 are not enrolled in school. As reported by UNICEF, more than 150 million girls will marry as children by 2030.…”