The Biden administration’s focus on human rights as a foreign policy priority is a promising first step. And Biden’s chapter on gender equality in his foreign policy strategy sparks hope after a series of troubling trends in U.S. leadership.

But Biden must go beyond his campaign promises and prioritize the inclusion of adolescent girls in U.S. foreign policy decision making. Such actions could redress power imbalances that have perpetuated harmful gender norms, negatively impacting the lives of adolescent girls globally and undermining our democratic values.

1. Announce a global adolescent girls initiative in the first 100 days. The Biden administration should bring a high-level delegation to upcoming global moments including the 65th Commission on the Status of Womenin March, which will focus on women’s political participation, as well as at the Generation Equality Forum and announce an initiative on adolescent girls. This will pave the way to the Summit for Democracy later in the year.

2. Support US legislation on adolescent girls’ civic and political participation. The U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development should support funding for girls’ civic and political participation, including through bipartisan legislation already introduced to Congress.

3. Create an interagency working group on gender equality. A necessary step toward challenging discrimination and advancing gender equality lies in the inclusion and participation of adolescent girls and girl-led groups from around the world in U.S. policymaking.

Read the full article about going beyond campaign promises on gender equality by Leslie Archambeault, Erin Kennedy, and Christina Kwauk at Brookings.