Government supports some programs for women's ownership and licensing of media outlets. Despite appointment of the first female EPA director, neither the Administration nor Congress has effectively pursued sustainable development policies. The Federal Interagency Working Group on Women's Health and the Environment could coordinate such efforts. Whether there are sufficient numbers of women employed in agencies responsible for environmental policy is unknown because that data is not available. Although women and girls are disproportionately affected by environmental hazards, studies on pesticides, toxins, and genetically engineered or irradiated food products have not reported gender-disaggregated data, and their impact on the female life cycle.
Environmental racism continues to require policy development and implementation.
The US has failed to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Although some government initiatives strive to meet girls' needs, these efforts are severely inadequate. While the President's Interagency Council on Women recently appointed a girls' issues coordinator, girls still are not integrated into federal policies. Government funding of NGO programs for girls is insufficient. USWC is a nonprofit organization that developed after the UN Fourth World Conference on Women out of a series of consultations with representatives of over 100 women's organizations across the country.