Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Rao Gupta Travels to Romania

U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta will travel to Bucharest, Romania from November 6-9 to represent the U.S. Government at the Women, Peace and Security Focal Points Network (WPS-FPN) Meeting, co-hosted by the United States and Romania. Ambassador Rao Gupta will be joined by U.S. Ambassador to Romania Kathleen Kavalec, and the U.S. WPS-FPN National Focal Point, Principal Deputy for the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues Kat Fotovat.

Launched in 2016, the WPS-FPN is a cross-regional forum coordinated by UN Women to share best practices and experiences related to advancing the global WPS agenda. The United States is honored to serve alongside Romania as the 2023 WPS-FPN co-chair, a testament to our commitment to driving forward the WPS agenda worldwide. Ambassador Rao Gupta’s participation in this closing event of the U.S.-Romania co-chairship year follows high-profile engagements including the 5th Capital-level Meeting held in Washington, D.C. in June and the UN General Assembly high-level week WPS-FPN ministerial held in New York in September, featuring remarks by Secretary Blinken.

In addition to addressing the WPS-FPN Meeting, the Ambassador will hold bilateral meetings with Romanian partners and experts, civil society organizations, and women leaders working on WPS in the region. These meetings will include engagements with women members of parliament. Ambassador Rao Gupta will also meet with Roma women and girls to discuss opportunities to address persistent social, economic, and political barriers to their wellbeing and full enjoyment of rights. The Ambassador’s engagements during this visit support U.S. efforts to enhance the protection of women and girls, in all their diversity, in areas of conflict and crises, and their meaningful participation at all levels in peace, political, and security processes, as essential to achieving sustainable global peace and security. For media inquiries, please contact stategwi@state.gov.