(NewsNation) — The United States Agency for International Development announced the creation of the first LGBTQ+ policy office.
The office will help the agency and local partners promote LGBTQ+-inclusive development programs and help guide USAID’s response to emergencies affecting the LGBTQ+ community.
Created in 1961, USAID provides development assistance and humanitarian aid abroad in an effort to further America’s foreign policy goals.
In a press release, the agency said the office “advances USAID’s commitment to supporting protection, inclusion, and human rights for all so that LGBTQI+ individuals are able to live with dignity and free from all forms of violence, discrimination, stigma, and criminalization.”