Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 124.djvu/4701

124 STAT. 4675 PROCLAMATION 8549—AUG. 27, 2010 Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first bill I signed as President, restored basic protections against pay discrimination for women, and to build upon that law, I support passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act. I have also established the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force to en- sure equal pay laws are vigorously enforced throughout the country. Workplace flexibility is also important to women and families, and we will continue coordinating with Federal agencies to make quality child care more affordable, promote work policies that improve work-family balance, and advance the economic development and security of all women. Fifteen years after the world gathered in Beijing for the Fourth World Conference on Women, far too many women around the world still lack access to basic education and economic opportunity, face gender- based violence, and cannot participate fully and equally in their soci- eties. To help address this, I appointed the first-ever Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues to elevate the importance of women’s empowerment in all aspects of our foreign policy. From Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United States will continue its commitment to the rights of women around the world. Women’s rights are ultimately human rights, and the march for equal- ity will not end until full parity and equal opportunity are attained in every State and workplace across our Nation. It remains our responsi- bility to ensure that the principles of justice and equality apply to all Americans, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, dis- ability, or socioeconomic status. If we stay true to our founding ideals and the example of those who insisted upon nothing less than full equality, we can and will perpetuate the line of progress that runs throughout our Nation’s history for generations to come. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Con- stitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 26, 2010, as Women’s Equality Day. I call upon the people of the United States to celebrate the achievements of women and recommit themselves to the goal of true gender equality in this country. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty- sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth. BARACK OBAMA Proclamation 8549 of August 27, 2010 National Preparedness Month, 2010 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation During National Preparedness Month, we stress the importance of strengthening the security and resiliency of our Nation through system- atic preparation for the full range of hazards threatening the United States in the 21st century, including natural disasters, cyber attacks,