AU President Neil Kerwin will serve as a co-chair on the newly-founded U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council with Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer.
The U.S. State Department and AU co-founded the council on Sept. 24, according to a press release by the State Department.
School of International Service Dean James Goldgeier will serve as a representative on the Council alongside Kerwin.
The council’s goal is to connect businesses, universities and individual donors to both the United States and Pakistan, Goldgeier said.
The State Department said the council will be housed in SIS because of its D.C. location and its well-known international service program, according to Goldgeier.
The office of the council’s executive director will be in SIS as well. The director will give lectures and host events to educate students on women’s issues in Pakistan.
However, an executive director has not yet been chosen, Goldgeier said. The person who fills this role will be chosen from within the State Department.
The State Department did not respond to multiple requests for comment before publication.
Goldgeier said the State Department contacted AU last year about housing the U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council.
“[The State Department] came to us and said that they were thinking about starting a U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council, like the U.S.-Afghanistan Women’s Council at Georgetown, and they thought SIS would be a great place to host this endeavor,” he said.
Georgetown University has hosted the U.S.-Afghanistan Women’s Council since its creation in 2002. This council works to create scholarships for women, promote Afghan female entrepreneurs and building schools in Afghanistan, according to its website.
The council will educate the AU community and the greater public about the issues women in Pakistan face.
“For us to be able to partner with the State Department is a big deal for us,” Goldgeier said.
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