Bill Text: VA HR416 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Geeta Rao Gupta.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-08 - Bill text as passed House (HR416ER) [HR416 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HR416-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, on July 11, 2023, Geeta Rao Gupta was sworn in as the fourth Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues at the U.S. Department of State; and
WHEREAS, Geeta Rao Gupta holds degrees from Bangalore University and the University of Delhi and has dedicated her career to promoting leadership and empowerment among women and girls around the world; and
WHEREAS, Geeta Rao Gupta became a world-renowned expert on cases of HIV among women and AIDS prevention after heading a groundbreaking, 15-country research program in the 1990s that identified the social and economic roots of women's vulnerability to HIV infection; and
WHEREAS, Geeta Rao Gupta has demonstrated a deep commitment to advancing equity and promoting issues that are front and center for women and girls worldwide; she has spent more than 40 years focused on women's issues, from her Women's Studies Program at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences to her role as a Senior Fellow for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Deputy Executive Director at UNICEF, as well as her more recent role of Executive Director of the United Nations Foundation's 3D Program for Girls and Women; and
WHEREAS, Geeta Rao Gupta has also chaired numerous boards and commissions, including the global advisory board of WomenLift Health, the World Health Organization's independent oversight and advisory committee for health emergencies, the board of the UBS Optimus Foundation, and the advisory board of Merck for Mothers, among many others; and
WHEREAS, Geeta Rao Gupta is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Julia Vadala Taft Outstanding Leadership Award from InterAction, the Anne Roe Award from Harvard University, and the Women Who Mean Business Award from the Washington Business Journal; and
WHEREAS, over the course of her career, Geeta Rao Gupta has demonstrated a deep commitment to become a leading global authority on women's role in economic development and a passionate advocate for women's empowerment and the protection and fulfillment of women's rights; and
WHEREAS, Geeta Rao Gupta co-founded Progressives for Equality and Compassion for Everyone (PEACE), a grassroots organization, to engage Asian American women in advocacy on reproductive rights, criminal justice reform, voting rights, and immigrant rights; and
WHEREAS, Geeta Rao Gupta voluntarily helps resettle newly arrived Afghan refugees in Northern Virginia, providing invaluable support and stability during a time of transition by connecting them to resources as they establish new homes and seek education, language assistance, and work opportunities; and
WHEREAS, Geeta Rao Gupta was nominated for the post of Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues by President Joseph Biden in November 2021 and confirmed by the United States Senate on May 10, 2023; she is the first woman of color to hold the position; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Geeta Rao Gupta hereby be commended on her selection as Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues at the U.S. Department of State; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Geeta Rao Gupta as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for her work to empower women and girls around the world.
