Establishment of the White House Gender Policy Council, 13797-13801 [2021-05183]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 46 (Thursday, March 11, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 13797-13801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05183]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 46 / Thursday, March 11, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 13797]]

                Executive Order 14020 of March 8, 2021

                
Establishment of the White House Gender Policy 
                Council

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. Advancing gender equity and equality 
                is a matter of human rights, justice, and fairness. It 
                is also a strategic imperative that reduces poverty and 
                promotes economic growth, increases access to 
                education, improves health outcomes, advances political 
                stability, and fosters democracy. The full 
                participation of all people--including women and 
                girls--across all aspects of our society is essential 
                to the economic well-being, health, and security of our 
                Nation and of the world.

                It is therefore the policy of my Administration to 
                establish and pursue a comprehensive approach to ensure 
                that the Federal Government is working to advance equal 
                rights and opportunities, regardless of gender or 
                gender identity, in advancing domestic and foreign 
                policy--including by promoting workplace diversity, 
                fairness, and inclusion across the Federal workforce 
                and military. This order is intended to advance gender 
                equity and equality, with sensitivity to the 
                experiences of those who suffer discrimination based on 
                multiple factors, including membership in an 
                underserved community.

                Sec. 2. The White House Gender Policy Council. (a) 
                There is established a White House Gender Policy 
                Council (Council) within the Executive Office of the 
                President.

                    (b) The Council shall coordinate Federal Government 
                efforts to advance gender equity and equality, 
                including policies and programs to:

(i) combat systemic biases and discrimination, including sexual harassment, 
and to support women's human rights;

(ii) increase economic security and opportunity by addressing the 
structural barriers to women's participation in the labor force and by 
decreasing wage and wealth gaps;

(iii) address the caregiving needs of American families and support the 
care-workers they depend upon;

(iv) support gender equity and combat gender stereotypes in education, 
including promoting participation in science, technology, engineering, and 
math (STEM) fields;

(v) promote gender equity in leadership;

(vi) increase access to comprehensive health care, address health 
disparities, and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights;

(vii) empower girls;

(viii) prevent and respond to all forms of gender-based violence;

(ix) address responses to the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 
(COVID-19) on women and girls, especially those related to health, gender-
based violence, educational access and attainment, and economic status;

(x) advance gender equality globally through diplomacy, development, trade, 
and defense;

(xi) implement United States Government commitments to women's involvement 
in peace and security efforts; and

[[Page 13798]]

(xii) recognize the needs and contributions of women and girls in 
humanitarian crises and in development assistance.

                    (c) The Council shall work across executive 
                departments and agencies (agencies) to advance gender 
                equity and equality and provide a coordinated Federal 
                response on issues that have a distinct impact on 
                gender equity and equality. The Council shall also work 
                with each agency to ensure that agency operations are 
                conducted in a manner that promotes gender equity and 
                equality, to the extent permitted by law.
                    (d) The Council shall provide legislative and 
                policy recommendations to the President, evaluate other 
                proposed policies and legislation for their potential 
                impact on issues of gender equity and equality, propose 
                improvement in the collection of data related to gender 
                and gender identity, and suggest changes to Federal 
                programs or policies to address issues of significance 
                to women and girls.
                    (e) The Council shall, consistent with applicable 
                law, conduct outreach with, and consider ways to 
                increase coordination, communication, and engagement 
                with, representatives of a diverse range of nonprofit 
                and community-based organizations, civil society 
                groups, and faith-based organizations; State, local, 
                Tribal and territorial government officials; labor 
                unions and worker organizations; private sector 
                representatives; foreign government officials; 
                multilateral organizations; and other interested 
                persons who can inform the Council's work.
                    (f) The Council shall be led by two Co-Chairs 
                designated by the President, one of whom shall also 
                serve as the Executive Director of the Council 
                (Executive Director). The Council staff shall also 
                include a Special Assistant to the President and Senior 
                Advisor on Gender-Based Violence and other sufficient 
                staff as may be necessary to carry out the provisions 
                of this order.
                    (g) In addition to the Co-Chairs, the Council shall 
                consist of the following members:

(i) the Secretary of State;

(ii) the Secretary of the Treasury;

(iii) the Secretary of Defense;

(iv) the Attorney General;

(v) the Secretary of the Interior;

(vi) the Secretary of Agriculture;

(vii) the Secretary of Commerce;

(viii) the Secretary of Labor;

(ix) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;

(x) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;

(xi) the Secretary of Transportation;

(xii) the Secretary of Energy;

(xiii) the Secretary of Education;

(xiv) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;

(xv) the Secretary of Homeland Security;

(xvi) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;

(xvii) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;

(xviii) the United States Trade Representative;

(xix) the Administrator of the Small Business Administration;

(xx) the Director of National Intelligence;

(xxi) the Representative of the United States of America to the United 
Nations;

[[Page 13799]]

(xxii) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy;

(xxiii) the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs;

(xxiv) the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy;

(xxv) the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy;

(xxvi) the Assistant to the President on National Climate;

(xxvii) the Assistant to the President on COVID-19 Response;

(xxviii) the Chief of Staff to the Vice President;

(xxix) the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers;

(xxx) the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality;

(xxxi) the Director of the National Science Foundation;

(xxxii) the Administrator of General Services;

(xxxiii) the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration;

(xxxiv) the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission;

(xxxv) the Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development;

(xxxvi) the Director of the Office of Personnel Management; and

(xxxvii) the heads of such other agencies and offices as the Co-Chairs may 
from time to time invite to participate.

                    (h) Members of the Council shall designate, within 
                30 days of the date of this order, a senior official 
                within their respective agency or office who shall 
                coordinate with the Council and who shall be 
                responsible for overseeing the agency's or office's 
                efforts to advance gender equity and equality. The 
                Director of National Intelligence shall designate a 
                National Intelligence Officer for Gender Equality, who 
                shall coordinate intelligence support for the Council's 
                work on issues implicating national security. The Co-
                Chairs may coordinate subgroups consisting exclusively 
                of Council members or their designees under this 
                section, as appropriate.
                    (i) Each agency shall bear its own expenses for 
                participating in the Council.

                Sec. 3. Government-Wide Strategy to Advance Gender 
                Equity and Equality. (a) Within 200 days of the date of 
                this order, the Council, after coordination by the Co-
                Chairs, shall develop and submit to the President a 
                Government-wide strategy for advancing gender equity 
                and equality in the United States and, when applicable, 
                around the world (the ``Strategy''). The Strategy 
                should include recommendations on policies, programs, 
                and initiatives that should be proposed, passed, or 
                implemented to advance gender equity and equality in 
                the United States and around the world.

                    (b) Recognizing the gender and racial disparities 
                that COVID-19 has both magnified and exacerbated, in 
                formulating its recommendations to address the effects 
                of the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic 
                disruption on women and girls, the Council shall 
                coordinate with the White House Office of the COVID-19 
                Response and the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, 
                established by section 2 of Executive Order 13995 of 
                January 21, 2021 (Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic 
                Response and Recovery).
                    (c) In developing the Strategy, the Council shall 
                consider the unique experiences and needs of women and 
                girls who are also members of other underserved 
                communities. In implementing this approach, the Council 
                shall work closely with the Domestic Policy Council, 
                which coordinates the interagency, whole-of-government 
                strategy for advancing equity, as set forth in 
                Executive Order 13985 of January 20, 2021 (Advancing 
                Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities 
                Through the Federal Government).

                Sec. 4. Implementation. (a) After the Strategy has been 
                submitted to the President, the heads of agencies, or 
                their designees, shall, in consultation with the 
                Council and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 
                select

[[Page 13800]]

                certain of their respective agency's programs and 
                policies for review for consistency with the Strategy. 
                As appropriate and consistent with law, the heads of 
                agencies shall suspend, revise, or rescind, or publish 
                for notice and comment proposed rules suspending, 
                revising, or rescinding, any directives, orders, 
                regulations, policies, or guidance inconsistent with 
                the Strategy. As appropriate, the heads of agencies 
                shall consult with the Attorney General to the extent 
                that any proposed actions require consultation or 
                review under Executive Order 12250 of November 2, 1980 
                (Leadership and Coordination of Nondiscrimination 
                Laws). As part of its review, the Administrator of the 
                United States Agency for International Development 
                shall, as appropriate and consistent with law, review 
                the 2020 Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Policy 
                and revise or rescind it as appropriate.

                    (b) The Council shall coordinate a comprehensive, 
                interagency response to gender-based violence at home 
                and abroad, including intervention, prevention, and 
                public health strategies to reduce incidence and 
                impacts. The Special Assistant to the President and 
                Senior Advisor on Gender-Based Violence, working with 
                the Executive Director, shall create a National Action 
                Plan to End Gender-Based Violence that establishes a 
                Government-wide approach to preventing and addressing 
                gender-based violence in the United States and shall 
                work, in conjunction with the Assistant to the 
                President for National Security Affairs, to lead a 
                comprehensive, interagency review and update of the 
                2016 United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to 
                Gender-Based Violence Globally, as appropriate and 
                consistent with law.
                    (c) Following the submission of the Strategy 
                developed pursuant to section 3 of this order, the 
                heads of agencies shall report to the Council semi-
                annually, and the Council shall prepare an annual 
                report for submission to the President--a version of 
                which shall be made public--on progress made in 
                implementing the Strategy.
                    (d) The Council shall coordinate with the Domestic 
                Policy Council, OMB, and other agencies and offices to 
                advance my Administration's efforts to achieve greater 
                equity as set forth in Executive Order 13985. In 
                particular, among other things, the Council shall 
                coordinate with the Interagency Working Group on 
                Equitable Data, established in section 9 of Executive 
                Order 13985.
                    (e) The Council shall coordinate with the National 
                Security Council on all issues related to gender 
                equality globally, including women's economic 
                participation, health, and involvement in peace and 
                security efforts.
                    (f) Consistent with section 6 of Executive Order 
                13985, the Director of OMB shall identify opportunities 
                to promote gender equity and equality in the budget 
                that the President submits to the Congress.
                    (g) The heads of agencies, interagency working 
                groups, and task forces shall assist and provide 
                information to the Council, as appropriate and 
                consistent with applicable law, as may be helpful to 
                carry out the functions of the Council.

                Sec. 5. Termination. The Working Group created by 
                section 2 of the Presidential Memorandum of February 7, 
                2019 (Promoting Women's Global Development and 
                Prosperity) (NSPM-16), is terminated. NSPM-16 is 
                amended by substituting, in section 3(e), ``the 
                Council'' for ``the Working Group''.

                Sec. 6. Definitions. (a) The term ``equity'' means the 
                consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial 
                treatment of all individuals, including individuals who 
                belong to underserved communities that have been denied 
                such treatment, such as women and girls; Black, Latino, 
                and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian 
                Americans and Pacific Islanders, and other persons of 
                color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, 
                bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; 
                persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural 
                areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by 
                persistent poverty or inequality.

                    (b) The term ``underserved communities'' refers to 
                populations sharing a particular characteristic, as 
                well as geographic communities, that have

[[Page 13801]]

                been systematically denied a full opportunity to 
                participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic 
                life, as exemplified by the list in the preceding 
                definition of ``equity.''

                Sec. 7. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.
                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    March 8, 2021.

[FR Doc. 2021-05183
Filed 3-10-21; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P