Over 40 heads of major U.S. businesses are urging Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Rex Wayne TillersonGary Cohn: 'I haven't made up my mind' on vote for president in November Kushner says 'Alice in Wonderland' describes Trump presidency: Woodward book Conspicuous by their absence from the Republican Convention MORE and other members of the Trump administration to appoint an "ambassador-at-large for global women’s issues."

“We strongly urge you to quickly select qualified and experienced candidates for key leadership positions that focus on empowering women and girls globally,” reads their letter, which was obtained by McClatchy.

“The swift nomination (and confirmation) of the Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the U.S. Department of State and the ongoing support for the USAID leadership focused on the empowerment of women and girls will help harness untapped potential as the U.S. seeks to achieve its foreign policy goals."

ADVERTISEMENT

The companies involved in the letter include Johnson & Johnson, Macy's, Godiva, Xerox, Accenture and Aetna.

The letter was also addressed to first daughter Ivanka Trump, deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Mark Green and deputy national security adviser Dina Powell.

The letter will reportedly be sent to Tillerson next week.

News of the letter comes as the Trump administration receives backlash for a change seen as weakening equal-pay transparency.

First daughter Ivanka Trump voiced her support on Wednesday for the White House's plan to roll back an Obama-era rule that would have required businesses to disclose how much they pay employees of different genders, races and ethnicities.