for ; Fri, 14 Mar 1997 09:43:44 -0500 (EST) Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 09:51:50 -0500 To: ppn@csf.colorado.edu From: Richard Cincotta Subject: 1997-03-12 First Lady Remarks for International Womens Day >> THE WHITE HOUSE >> >> Office of the Press Secretary >> >>________________________________________________________________________ >>For Immediate Release March 12, 1997 >> >> >> REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY >> INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY >> >> Dean Acheson Auditorium >> The State Department >> >> >> >> MRS. CLINTON: We are gathered today to celebrate >>International Women's Day in the heart of the State Department. And we >>do, as Americans, have much to celebrate, starting with a Secretary of >>State who, yes, broke a barrier by virtue of her own gender, but who much >>more importantly is committed to defending the rights not just of >>Americans but of citizens around the world regardless of gender. >> >> Not only has Madeleine Albright broken many a glass ceiling, >>she has brokered many a peace. Not only has she opened many doors, she >>has opened many minds. And since she mentioned it, I would say that in >>my last conversation with Mrs. Roosevelt -- (laughter) -- she told me how >>pleased she was that her husband had appointed the first woman to the >>Cabinet in United States history, and how pleased she was that my husband >>had appointed the first woman Secretary of State. (Applause.) >> >> I thank Secretary Albright for her leadership, her courage >>and, on a personal note, her friendship. And I am delighted that she has >>agreed to serve as the new chair for the President's Interagency Council >>on Women, ably assisted on the issues by Teresa Loar and Tim Wirth and >>others of you here. >> >> We all know that countless responsibilities face our new >>Secretary of State and all of us. Our foreign policy does not lack for >>challenges. We must continue to reduce weapons of mass destruction. We >>must realize the century's dream of a wholly united, democratic and >>peaceful Europe. We must work to capture new opportunities in Asia, to >>seize opportunities for peace in the Middle East and other areas that are >>strategic not only to the United States but to the entire globe. We must >>work with our partners in Latin America, Africa, and elsewhere to build >>an inclusive and expanding global economy. We must safeguard our people >>from the threats of terrorism, extremism, international crime, drugs, and >>environmental degradation. >> >> While all of these require our attention and commitment, >>today I have come to advance a simple idea. That is the seamless >>inclusion of girls' and women's needs in American foreign policy. >>Despite the work they do, the families they raise, the communities they >>hold together, too many of the world's women, particularly in developing >>nations, live on the outskirts of opportunity and equality. But let me >>be clear: This challenge is not confined to the developing world. We >>still have plenty of work to do here in the United States and in other >>advanced economies of the world to ensure that women have a full stake in >>democracy. One goal in every country should be to see that all citizens, >>regardless of race or gender or ethnicity or religion, have a full place >>at their society's table. >> >> If you'll forgive just a slight diversion -- yesterday I was >>in Arkansas. I visited people who had been hit by a terrible tornado in >>the morning. Even before that disaster struck, these were people already >>working overtime to build good lives, to reach their aspirations. The >>full benefits of American society were still a long way away for them. >>After this tornado, all that they had worked for, all they had hoped for >>seems lost. >> >> Later that day I spoke at an event that helps raise funds to >>send single parents, primarily women, to college or vocational school. I >>heard stories from five women who told us what it had meant that their >>society, in the form of those who had raised these funds, reached out and >>told them that they could make something of their own lives, they could >>go to college, they could support themselves and their children. They >>had heard the message that is even still too often conveyed in America: >>that they weren't worth very much, that nobody really cared too much >>about them. >> >> As one young woman said, five years ago I was in a battered >>women's shelter in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I had nothing. I not only >>didn't have a car, I didn't have a driver's license, and my face looked >>as though it had been run over by a truck. All of a sudden there were >>people there who convinced me that I could make something of myself and >>care for my nine-month-old son. I thought to myself, how can these >>people believe in me, that I could go to college, that I could support >>myself? How could these people care about me when my own husband didn't >>care about me? >> >> Those stories, as I heard them, reminded me of stories that >>I have heard around the world. As women in Bangladesh or India or >>Nicaragua or Chile stood up and told me what it meant to them to have >>someone believe that they, too, could make a living for their family; >>that the skills they had would be valued in the marketplace; that their >>children, especially their daughters, could have a better life. The >>women last night were helped to return to school. And today they are >>citizens of the United States in the fullest sense of that word. >> >> Whatever disparities of wealth exist in our country and >>around the world means that people are left by the side of the road, >>detoured off the Information Highway, unable to take advantage of >>democracy's opportunities. What America must do for its own sake, as >>well as for the sake of its leadership in the world we are in today and >>that we are entering tomorrow, is to promote democracy and civil society >>in every nation, so that all citizens -- every man, woman, and child -- >>can live up to their God-given potential. >> >> But one may ask, well, it's fine for me to care about the >>women of Arkansas, but why should I or any American care about women in >>developing countries and around the world? Why should women, as >>Secretary Albright just eloquently explained, be a concern of ours and >>our foreign policy here in the United States? Well, what the Secretary >>said and what this administration believes is that if half of the world's >>citizens are undervalued, underpaid, undereducated, underrepresented, fed >>less, fed worse, not heard, put down, we cannot sustain the democratic >>values and the way of life we have come to cherish. >> >> If as a nation Americans care about opening foreign markets >>for American goods and services, if we care about making our country >>secure in the face of new threats, if we care about widening the circle >>of peace and prosperity, then we must address the conditions and >>circumstances of the world's women. >> >> You in this room know better than anyone else that our world >>is in a time of great transformation, heralding ever more democracies, >>leading, we hope, to ever more peace. But the great promise of this time >>is not without its challenges. Global competition, the information >>revolution, the rapid pace of change all create pressures on every >>society, from governments down to families. And these pressures pose >>unavoidable questions for us as we approach the 21st century. How do we >>figure out ways to balance individual and community rights and >>responsibilities? How do parents raise children in the face of the >>influences of the mass media and consumer culture? What do we make of >>what seems to be a conflict in many instances between personal identity >>and the work available in an age of globalization and high technology? >>What about the roles of women in society? How will people preserve their >>ethnic pride and value their national citizenship? And how will nations >>protect their sovereignty while cooperating regionally and globally with >>others? >> >> Thinking about these questions and how a free nation like >>ours will respond to them, we may need to be reminded that democracy is >>not just about legally protected rights, elections, or free market >>economies. It is about the internalization of democratic values in >>people's hearts and minds. It is about how, in the absence of either hot >>or cold wars, democracy is rooted in people's everyday lives. >> >> Given the changes that are going on around us, we can no >>longer gauge our interests around the world solely through power blocs >>and vast arsenals. Across the globe, here at home, at the end of the >>Cold War, we have been free to focus on issues that edge right up to our >>own front doors. How do we educate our children? How do we ensure that >>families have proper health care? How do we ensure that democracies and >>free markets produce citizens, not just consumers? >> >> I have said before that at this time of challenge around the >>globe, we know we will continue to cope with what is often thought of as >>the traditional balance of power among countries. But I would also argue >>that we must now add to that balance of power equation, often called >>realpolitik, the idea that real-life politik may be just as intimately >>connected with whether or not democracies survive and flourish. >> >> These issues that we speak of today should not be considered >>women's issues. But certainly it is fair to say that women often, by >>necessity, become the world's experts on the hazards and vicissitudes of >>life. And they, therefore, often understand and appreciate more clearly >>that they have a vested interest in ensuring that their societies and >>governments address these real-life challenges. >> >> I have seen for myself on continent after continent the >>solutions that women are forging -- new mothers in JogJakarta, Indonesia, >>who gather every week to learn about family planning and better nutrition >>for their children; doctors and nurses in Belarus and Ukraine who are >>caring for the children of Chernobyl; women from Santiago to San Diego >>who are working on issues as diverse as education, crime, and the >>environment. These issues are central to our global democratic >>interests. For what distinguishes democracy is fair and genuine >>participation in every aspect of life. >> >> It should be too obvious to point out, but unfortunately it >>isn't, that giving women a stronger voice and fuller say over their >>futures is intimately related to the health of democracies because women >>are the majority in most countries and the world over. >> >> America's credo should ring clearly: A democracy without >>the full participation of women is a contradiction in terms. To reach >>its full potential, it must include all of its citizens. Clearly, >>whether we succeed in strengthening democratic values around the world is >>of special consequence to women, who in our country and elsewhere are >>still striving to attain, and even define their rightful place in >>government, the economy, and civil society, and to claim their rightful >>share of personal, political, economic and civic power. >> >> Raising the status of women and girls and investing in their >>potential means insuring that they have the tools of opportunity >>available to them. Education, health care, credit and jobs, legal >>protections and the right to participate fully in the political life of >>their countries. And that is why the United States must continue its >>bipartisan tradition of supporting initiatives that move our world closer >>to these goals. >> >> Today, more than 600 million women worldwide are denied the >>opportunity of an education. Women make up two-thirds of those who can >>neither read nor write. Yet the single most important investment any >>developing nation can make is in the education of girls and women. We >>are discovering that in country after country the benefits of educating >>women go far beyond the classroom and the schoolhouse. They go to >>stronger families, better health, nutrition, wages, and levels of >>political participation. >> >> I have seen how the support of the United States for the >>education of women and girls worldwide is paying off. I have seen how >>similar social investments, also many supported by the United States, can >>make a difference in countries as diverse as Brazil, the Philippines, >>Nepal, and Pakistan. >> >> Certainly, as I travel around the world and as many of you >>do likewise, we have seen with our own eyes that investing in girls and >>women helps to transform communities which in turn can transform >>societies. Women will not flourish and neither will democracy if they >>continue to be undervalued inside and outside the home. >> >> I have had many experts in economic development around the >>world say to me that women's work is not part of the economies of >>countries, that women do not participate in the economic markets of >>countries. And yet I have seen with my own eyes as I've traveled through >>urban areas and remote rural ones that women are bearing often the bulk >>of the load of the work that must be done -- to plant crops, to harvest >>them, to make it possible for small enterprises to flourish in market >>stalls. So I know that women are working. Their contributions may not >>be counted in the gross domestic product of their societies, but they are >>of value. If all the women in the world tomorrow said they would not >>work outside the home, the economies of every country would collapse. >>And it is time -- (applause) -- it is time that we honored and counted >>the contributions that women make, both in the home and outside. >> >> Investing in women also means investing in their health and, >>in turn, in the health of their families. I am especially pleased that >>the United States has provided assistance through the United States >>Agency for International Development to assure that women, children, and >>families have access to a full spectrum of low-cost, high-yield health >>care services -- from safe birthing kits for expectant mothers, to basic >>immunizations for infants, to oral rehydration therapy to treat children >>suffering from diarrhea. >> >> I want to say a special word about family planning and its >>importance in this larger effort. Family planning is fundamental to >>letting women take responsibility for themselves and their children. >>Right now, however, roughly 100 million women worldwide cannot get or are >>not using family planning services because they are poor, uneducated, or >>do not have access to care. Some 20 million women will seek unsafe >>abortions. Of these women, some may become disabled for life, some will >>have other health problems, but fundamentally, the rate of unsafe >>abortions is in itself a tragedy. High abortion rates do not represent >>women's equality; they represent a failure on all our parts to help women >>prevent unwanted pregnancies in the first place. If we really care about >>reducing abortions and fostering strong families, we must not back away >>from America's commitment to family planning efforts overseas. >>(Applause.) >> >> If we really care about making women equal partners in >>societies the world over, we must do everything in our power to fight >>violence against women, whether it is a hidden crime of domestic abuse or >>a blatant tactic of war. >> >> No single social investment is a panacea for women or for >>developing countries. Nor should every just cause of the world be >>America's to embrace. >> >> But I do believe that as long as discrimination and >>inequities persist in a broad-scale way against women, a stable, >>prosperous world will be far from a reality. >> >> Taken together, our investments in social development are >>vital to strengthening free market interests, spreading our democratic >>ideal and enhancing our security. >> >> Over time, America has learned that our ideals and interests >>cannot be divorced from the political, economic and social cross-currents >>swirling around us. I hope we have also learned that engagement with the >>world represents opportunities at home as well as obligations abroad. >> >> Let me just give you one modest example. I spoke recently >>at a conference sponsored by USAID called Lessons Without Borders. At >>the conference, Baltimore's Mayor, Kurt Schmoke, told how government >>leaders from his city had gone to Africa to learn about simple, low-cost >>strategies used on that continent to encourage parents to immunize their >>children. Now similar programs are in place in Baltimore, with community >>clinics, a vaccination van, door-to-door visits and the resulting higher >>immunizations rates for children under three. >> >> We can learn from our neighbors around the world. And many >>of the lesson we can learn, we will find, are lessons that have been >>helped to be taught by our own foreign policy engagement -- less than one >>percent of our budget, yet countless lives can be improved and we can >>improve lives here at home. >> >> Before I close, I want to say a word about my forthcoming >>trip to Africa. I was very honored to be asked to make this trip because >>I think that America's engagement in the world must include an engagement >>with sub-Saharan Africa. Contemporary history is a story that citizens >>and countries are writing. And there is a new story that must be told. >>Every region is contributing its own chapter. >> >> Africa has a remarkable story if we will only pay attention >>to it. It is moving toward democracy. In the last six years, the number >>of democracies have jumped from five to 23. Africa is growing >>economically, moving from suffocating state-controlled economies to open >>markets that can give full life and scope to human endeavor. >> >> Last year, 30 countries reported positive economic growth. >>Africa is beginning to forge a new relationship with the United States -- >>one based not just on aid but on shared ideals, mutual responsibilities, >>integration into the world economy, and partnerships designed to resolve >>conflicts and to meet common challenges. To be sure, many of the African >>democracies are new and therefore fragile. Hope remains tenuous. Too >>much of the continent continues to be riven by disease, malnutrition, >>poverty, injustice, corruption, perilous conflicts and their terrible >>aftermath, refugee crises that trap women and children especially in >>lives that go from bad to worse. >> >> And yet -- and yet, in spite of these challenges, for the >>first time, we can say that, at this moment in history, there are in >>Africa grounds for far more hope than despair. And with the support of >>the United States, we can solidify that hope. >> >> I will be privileged to visit Senegal, South Africa, >>Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Uganda and Eritrea. And I am pleased that so many of >>the ambassadors from those countries and other countries in Africa are >>with us today. >> >> I hope to witness first hand and to highlight each country's >>efforts to build democracy and a strong civil society. I will focus >>particularly on grassroots initiatives and on efforts that affect women >>and children. >> >> I hope this trip will give the American people a renewed >>sense of the importance of our commitment to Africa. I hope it will lay >>out exactly why we must do our utmost to support democracy and social >>investment in Africa and to strengthen Africa's place in the community of >>nations. >> >> And I hope it will show that American engagement must be >>measured not just in aid dollars or humanitarian efforts in the wake of >>tragedy and crisis, but in the democratic values we reinforce, in the >>human rights we defend, and in the conflicts we help resolve >>preventively. >> >> There are, to be sure, issues of America's national security >>at stake. Instability in Africa, whether it is rooted in war, in >>terrorism, in organized crime, in disease, in environmental degradation >>or poverty, it touches us too. >> >> There are also economic issues at stake. Right now, the >>United States holds only 7 percent of the African market of 600 million >>people. By forging stronger economic ties with Africa, we will do much >>to secure the prosperity of our own people as well. >> >> But finally, our greatest reasons for engagement with Africa >>are built on a positive foundation. Africa is on the move, with a new >>generation of leaders, the fresh air of political reform, and thriving >>multi-ethnic societies. >> >> As we look at the future for America's engagement around the >>world, we can see that wherever we help to seed the ground for democracy, >>wherever we reach out to people out of mutual respect to help them help >>themselves, wherever we understand clearly that in this time of >>interdependence and interconnection that we all have a stake in the >>success of the other, we will make progress together. Whether it comes >>to assisting and working with our friends in the new democracies in >>Africa, or understanding the importance of our commitment to women and >>girls, America's interests are at stake. >> >> But far more importantly, America's values are at stake. If >>we act upon those values, we will help to lead the world into the kind of >>new future we envision as possible for our children and all the children >>around the globe. >> >> Thank you very much. (Applause.) >> >> END >> >> >> >> > > ************************************************* Richard P. Cincotta, Ph.D. Population Action International 1120 19th St., NW Suite 550 Washington, DC 20036 USA (202)659-1833 x168 (202)293-1795 (fax) cincotta@popact.org See "Why Population Matters" on the Web: http://www.interaction.org/mb/pop.html See "Press release on saving U.S. programs in International Family Planning" http://www.interaction.org/pressrel/savefp.html *****************************************************