Remarks by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton
to
the Central Asian Conference on Women in Politics
Almaty,
Kazakhstan
November 12, 1997
Thank you very much, Mrs. Nazarbayev, distinguished guests. I am
delighted to be here at this important conference. I would like to thank LIANA
[an international women's organization] for organizing this conference and
bringing together women who are leading the way toward a free, prosperous, and
democratic Central Asia. When I look at LIANA's logo,[the liana, a tropical
plant] I am reminded what happens when women cultivate the soil and nurture the
roots of democracy. We find that our work yields fruit for all citizens: for
women, for children, for men, for communities, for countriesfor all citizens.
I have come to Kazakhstan and Central Asia to strengthen the bonds
among our countries, to see firsthand the progress you are making, and to talk
about the role that women must play in building and sustaining democracy from
the ground up. I also want to bring a message of hope and solidarity from the
American people, especially American women, who are standing with you as you
remake your world.
Though we practice different religions, come from different places, and
have different histories, we speak that same mother tonguethe language of hope.
Women have always found common ground to stand on together. It usually happens
when we're sitting around a kitchen table, when we're at the market, when we're
waiting for the bus, or watching our children play outside. In the formal and
informal interactions that make up our daily lives, women are talking to each
other about the challenges we face. We want to know how to raise our children
and make ends meet. We want to know how to make time to protect, or even think
about, our own health. We want to know how to make our religious and ethnic
diversity a source of pride, not division. We want to advance the cause of
democracy, and advance the cause of women, and make it clear that we cannot
have one without the other.
When we talk about democracy, we often talk about our highest ideals:
freedom of religion, freedom of speech and press, and freedom to participate
fully in the civic and political life of one's country. Democracy also depends
in large measure on seeing to it that individuals have access to what I call
the tools of opportunity: education, health care, jobs, and credit.
What we have learned over the years is that our most cherished beliefs
can be made real only through the everyday efforts of ordinary citizens. Our
laws and institutions are absolutely critical, but democracy is nurtured and
sustained by what we in America call "the habits of the heart," in the way
people live their lives and in the lessons they teach their children as they
tuck them into bed at night.
Because this conference is about women and politics, I want to speak
with you about how politics can help us bring about this new world. I want to
discuss politics in a very specific way. When I say politics I don't just mean
electing women to every level of governmentalthough that is vitally important.
I'm talking about the most important role of politics in a democracy, that is,
our role as citizensthe contributions we make to civil society. After all,
politics at its most basic is what we do when we come together to accomplish
common goals. Whether we gather in non-governmental organizations [NGO's],
voluntary organizations, or in each other's homes, we make it clear that the
most important person in a democracy is the citizen.
Like many of you, I have spent much of my life, not running for or
serving in elected office, but working in and with non-governmental
organizations. Even starting as a young girl, I was in associations in my
school, in Girl Scouts, and in my church. As I grew older and was in college
and law school, I was in legal and business groups. I recall very clearly that
the person who taught me that I had a role to play and a responsibility to my
community was my mother. That is why I am so impressed by what you are doing
here today. You are pioneers. You are building a civil society that values the
contributions of women, and you are doing so without the benefit of an older
generation to guide you. You are launching a new tradition that can and must be
passed down from mother to daughter, from father to son, and down through the
generations.
Since I arrived yesterday, I have already seen firsthand what women and
young people are doing to transform this country. Last night, I talked with
young people from the Kazakhstan Association of Young Leaders who are teaching
each other about civic participation in a democracy. I remember one young man
in particular, who told me that a few years back he thought he could never make
a difference. Now, after learning the skills of democracy and working with
other young people, he says, "I can see how much I can do."
Earlier this morning, I participated in a ribbon-cutting at the new
Almaty Women's Wellness Center. This is one of the 13 centers in the New
Independent States that the United States government is working with to offer a
full spectrum of health care to women. This center will provide prenatal care
as well as screening for cervical and breast cancer. It will help women to
protect themselves from dangers like tobacco and alcohol. It will include
family planning services which are vital if we are going to decrease the number
of abortions, as Kazakhstan has begun to do. The benefits of a center like this
spread far beyond its doors. Better health for women translates into better
health for their children, their families, their communities, and their
country.
Later today, I will travel to Kyrgyzstan. The first thing I will do
when I get off the plane will be to pay tribute to the important role that
non-governmental organizations are playing in that country by promoting health
care and humanitarian assistance. I will then go visit women who are getting
access to credit to create businesses that foster economic security for their
families, and economic independence for themselves. Clearly, the women of
Central Asia are teaching each other lessons about democracy in action.
Women are teaching lessons about democracy in Uzbekistan, where parents
have launched an initiative to fight for the rights of disabled children. They
are teaching lessons about democracy in Turkmenistan, where women are actively
engaged in civic education through a non-governmental group called "Dialogue."
Women are also teaching lessons of democracy in Kyrgyzstan, where 70
new NGOs have registered with the government; where the Society of Women
Builders is teaching women on pensions about their legal rights; and where
several NGOs have started a newspaper that is teaching about democracy. Women
are also teaching lessons of democracy in Tajikistan, where women leaders agree
that "any country that is not interested in its women has no future." Yes, here
in this room and throughout Kazakhstan, women are teaching lessons of
democracy, by bringing women together to protect the environment, to foster a
free press, and to support conferences like this.
These efforts in Central Asia are part of a groundswell of civic
participation by women around the world. Earlier this month, women from all
over Asia gathered in Mongolia to learn about their legal rights and
responsibilities as citizens. Last summer, women from Eastern and Central
Europe came together at a conference in Vienna to share ideas, to renew and
strengthen their faith in democratic values and freedoms, and to address
challenges as diverse as the trafficking of women and the need for better
health care.
We will all remember how women from all over the world came together
two years ago in Beijing at the United Nations Fourth World Conference on
Women. Representatives from 189 countries, including some of you in this room,
articulated a vision that has been echoed at this conference: that a country's
progress depends on the inclusion of women; that the vibrancy of an economy
depends on the full contributions of women; that the richness of civic life
depends on the participation of women; that human rights, simply put, are
women's rights, and that women's rights are human rights.
Despite the enormous progress you have made, we know that many
challenges remain. The transition from communism to free markets and democracy
has not been painless for women here or around the world. It would be
unrealistic to pretend otherwise. Right now, too many women are the first to
lose their jobs and the last to get new ones. Too many women are barred by law,
by tradition, or by ignorance from exercising their rights. Too many women are
trapped in an endless cycle of poverty, unable to get access to education and
credit. Too many women are overwhelmed by the stresses they have in their
lives, as they try to do more and more, with fewer and fewer hours. Too many
women live in the fear of violence at the hands of family members. For them,
home offers no refuge, the law no protection, and public opinion no sympathy.
Through all of this, not enough women are sitting at the table when political
and economic decisions are made about their lives and their families.
This must change. Yet while the oppressive structure of communism has
been torn down, the political, judicial, and economic organizations that
protect women's rights in a democracy are just now being constructed. That is
why this conference comes at such an important time. It is enabling us to share
practical ideas to advance the role of women in the political, economic, and
social lives of our countries. It is showing us that when we embrace our rights
and live up to our responsibilities, when we confront problems head on, we can
find solutions.
The United States is proud to be your partner as you face these
challenges. My husband, the President, has made it clear that our efforts to
protect and advance women's rights belong in the mainstream of American foreign
policy. And as Madeleine Albright, our country's first female Secretary of
State, put it: "Advancing the status of women...is the right thing to do, and
frankly it is the smart thing to do."
Our government, largely through the United States Agency for
International Development and the United States Information Service, is
supporting a broad range of programs that provide grants, training, and
technical assistance to citizens working to strengthen democracy at the
grassroots. These programs show families how they can guard against new threats
like crime and drugs. They help empower women to succeed economically by giving
them loans to start and maintain their own small businesses.
Today I'm pleased to be able to tell you that the United States will be
increasing our support for women NGOs working to build democracy in this
region. Let me be as clear about this as possible: governments that are serious
about democracy must be willing to recognize and work with non-governmental
organizations.
Now, of course, we women alone cannot create the kind of society we all
want. We must reach out to the men in our lives. Husbands and fathers, indeed
all men, must also meet their responsibilities: to respect women; never to
raise a hand in anger; to teach boys to respect and value girls; and to teach
girls to respect and value themselves.
We need to start with our girls todaytomorrow's generation, tomorrow's
leaders. We know that girls cannot lead tomorrow if they are taught that they
aren't smart enough; if they are taught that their human value lies only in how
they look; or if they are taught that the violence and disrespect they suffer
is just "the way things are." Certainly, girls cannot lead tomorrow if they are
denied adequate education today. It is through education that minds and
aspirations of girls can either be snuffed out or ignited.
I know that you and the countries represented here at this conference
are rightfully proud of your literacy rates and of your history of providing
quality education for boys and girls. I applaud you for that. In many of the
countries where I travel and speak, this is not the case. Literacy for both
young men and women is far too low, but for young women it is often not even a
goal. That is not true here in Central Asia. If there is one message that I
hope you will send your fellow citizens and your government, it is that
education and the goals you have reached in the past must be a priority today
and tomorrow. In the new independent countries that are struggling to build
free market economies and democracy, education for all must continue to be
valued above all.
As I think about all you have accomplished in just six years, I am in
awe. I know many of you have struggled very hard against obstacles and odds
that I cannot even imagine. As I look at the progress that your societies and
countries have made, I am deeply impressed by your persistence and the goals
you have set to achieve. I am reminded of something I was told that a
Kazakhstani poet, Abai, once said, "After a harsh winter, spring follows, with
its flowers and splendor." When I look at the progress that has been made
despite the obstacles you have met, I know that spring will follow in Central
Asia. Because you have taken the long view, spring will follow the work you are
doing now to build and nurture democracy and strong economies. You know that
you are nurturing deep roots that will one day bear fruit. You know that
democracy is a work in progress. My country is now the longest surviving
democracy in the history of the world. We struggle every day to make our
democracy work better. We know that there is no easy answer, that all of us who
value democracy must work every day year after year to make sure it is whole
fruit, not only flower and blossom, that are shared among all our people.
I want to commend and congratulate those of you who are working through
your government and non-governmental organizations to bring about this spring
of which we speak and which we seek here. I want you to know that the American
people are proud to walk with you every step of the way. The American
government will continue to support non-governmental organizations and
particularly the work of women to build strong democracies and strong societies
in this region and around the world.
Thank you all very much. |
