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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Remarks by Harriet Babbitt,
As Prepared
USAID Deputy Administrator
Politics Matter: A Dialogue of Women Political Leaders
at the Inter-American Development Bank
November 13, 2000
Thank you and good afternoon to all:
It is a great honor for me to be here at a gathering of such talented leaders from all parts of the Americas. The Women's Leadership Council of the Americas sets high standards in debate and dialogue on the issues that matter most to our common future in this hemisphere. From the agenda, I can see that you are asking the most critical questions about economic, political and social policies in our countries.
All of us here know that these issues cannot be effectively addressed without considering how women will be affected. In fact, we also understand that we must consider how to ensure that women themselves carry out the dialogue and formulate the policies.
As you know, women in my own country have not moved as quickly into elective office as women in some other nations. They have tended to work behind the scenes, but that is changing, as the election last week demonstrated. Not only were there far more women candidates, but women were a critical factor in the outcome of elections, and their power at the ballot box was reflected in the political agendas put forth by men in local, state and national elections.
We understand the daunting challenges that remain for women in many countries in our hemisphere because many of us have faced or are still facing them -- structural and cultural barriers to political and economic participation, limited access to credit, outdated and inaccessible justice systems, domestic violence -- all make true equality a dream for the future for too many women, rather than a reality now.
Women's active engagement in politics and public policy has become the hallmark of a progressive society, of a nation with dynamic social processes and potential for growth.
And there is progress for us all to celebrate:
Since the Beijing World Conference on Women in 1995, at least 12 countries in the region now require that 20-40% of Congressional candidates be women. In at least five countries, over 20% of cabinet ministers are women.
We have seen movement in a number of countries towards legal equality for women, with removal of some discriminatory language by regulatory agencies, amendment of some codes and laws, and legislation to ensure minimum quotas of political involvement.
The Platform for Action established at the Beijing Conference has provided an international framework for promoting gender equality throughout the developed and developing world. This Platform adopted by l89 nations, is the strongest statement for women's rights and empowerment ever agreed on internationally.
In June 2000, the international community convened at the United Nations for Beijing Plus Five. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright chaired the U.S. delegation, which was co-chaired by Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Representative to the U.N. In preparation for Beijing Plus Five, the President's Interagency Council on Women organized 13 regional outreach events throughout the United States.
Within USAID, we are following through on the Platform for Action and the final Outcome Document of the Beijing Plus Five Conference. We are promoting incorporation of a gender perspective in all economic policies and institutions. We are also expanding the availability of credit for women and promoting the role of women in conflict resolution and peace building. We are addressing the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls, as well as that of trafficking of women for purposes of economic and sexual exploitation.
A new administration will take the helm of government in January and lead the United States into a new millennium. I wish the new Administration well in its challenge. It will be the beneficiary of eight years of tremendous advancement in the status of women, both as political leaders and as agents of change.
In the nearly eight years I have served -- first as permanent representative to the OAS and more recently as deputy administrator of USAID -- the Clinton-Gore administration has enjoyed the extraordinary substantive, global leadership of first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, of Madeleine Albright as the first woman Secretary of State, of Janet Reno as the first woman Attorney General of the United States, of Donna Shalala running the complex and critical health and human services portfolio and of Alexis Herman as Secretary of Labor. Countless other talented and creative women have served in important leadership positions throughout the administration.
These women leaders have worked tirelessly with women leaders from all over the world to establish international recognition of women's rights as human rights. They have sought to institutionalize women's issues as inherent parts of the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy, especially in the areas of women's political participation and eliminating violence against women.
President Clinton also created the first Interagency Council on Women in 1995 to assure that our talent was applied in a coordinated fashion to building international consensus for these objectives.
In its efforts to combat violence against women, the United States has made the fight against commercial trafficking of women a priority, both at home and overseas. It is heart-breaking to realize that one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises in the world is the buying and selling of women and children. This cruel exploitation is now the third largest source of profits for international organized crime, behind only drugs and guns.
Often we in the Americas think of sexual trafficking as a problem that occurs somewhere else -- in Asia, Eastern Europe or Africa. I wish it were true, but to one degree or another, this trade afflicts virtually every nation, including the United States. Tens of thousand of people are trafficked into my country annually, including from Mexico and other parts of Latin America.
It is one of the ugliest manifestations of the poverty, discrimination and inequality that women face.
In early 1998, the Administration adopted a comprehensive policy framework to develop domestic and international policies aimed at the three "p's" -- prevention of trafficking, protection of victims, and prosecution of traffickers.
The President's Interagency Council on Women brought together the Departments of State, Justice, Labor, Health and Human Services, USAID and the former USIA in a coordinated attack on this trafficking. Secretary Albright personally signaled the priority of this issue by raising it herself with leaders of other nations. We are building partnerships with countries like Italy and the Ukraine that have produced cooperative programs to reduce the exploitation of women through such trafficking. These cooperative efforts are a striking example of how effective an administration can be when its mission is clear and its leadership inspired.
Here in the United States, we recently scored a success in the passage of legislation calling for a government-wide action plan to work with other governments around the world to eliminate this form of modern-day slavery.
On October 28, President Clinton signed into law the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, which will help assure that victims who are trafficked into the United States do not end up in jail for illegal entry because of what has been done to them. It also directs the President, beginning in Fiscal Year 2003, to withhold U.S. foreign assistance to governments that fail to meet certain standards in curbing the slave trade. Passage of this act followed intensive efforts by the White House and Secretary of State Albright to bring this issue from the shadows onto the world stage.
As part of this effort, I am pleased to tell you that our agency will support a study by the International Human Rights Law Institute to assess the severity of commercial trafficking in this hemisphere and develop recommendations for addressing trafficking here.
Expanding women's political participation -- the thrust of your intensive discussions today -- is the other priority of the Interagency Council on Women. One vehicle for expanding women's political and economic participation has been the Vital Voices: Women in Democracy initiative -- which I know many of you are helping to carry out.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, Vital Voices has helped create a platform for dynamic women (and a few courageous men) to link themselves to their country's political, economic and social progress.
I had the good fortune to participate in the Uruguay Vital Voices Conference in October 1998 and I know the great enthusiasm that was created there. That conference, and the one in Trinidad in October 1999, helped hone action plans by networks of visionary, dedicated leaders. They are now making a difference in their countries -- in politics and public life, in law and leadership, in economics and business.
The Vital Voices initiative first took root in Europe and the former Soviet Union, but it has flourished in Latin America and the Caribbean under the framework of the Santiago Summit of the Americas. The Montevideo Vital Voices conference inspired a variety of important programs, conferences and workshops to promote the participation of women in democracy. For example, the Inter-American Commission on Women and U.S. NGOs hosted the 1999 women's economic summit in Argentina to share ideas and best practices to further improve the economic power of women.
The Caribbean Vital Voices spawned sustained dialogue and action plans in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Important follow-up activities are visible in at least ten countries of the hemisphere. These results are proof not only that women's voices are vital, but that they are increasingly being heard throughout the Americas!
So, you see, I proudly speak for the Clinton-Gore Administration when I say that the past eight years have been full of impressive achievement. One woman's leadership deserves special recognition here -- that of Theresa Loar, the Director of the President's Interagency Council on Women. Her energetic and visionary work is visible in most of the U.S. achievements in this arena.
In the years I have been with the U.S. Agency for International Development -- and before that, when I was at the OAS -- I have been filled with pride as I observed the work done by our USAID professionals and our embassies as they have worked with you and your fellow citizens to help raise the awareness of the public and of leaders about the needs of women.
I suspect that a number of you in this room have directly shepherded similar activities in your own country and are exploring how you can expand and deepen progress in this area in the future.
This is an important time to make such plans. The hemisphere is once again preparing for a presidential summit, this time in Quebec in April of next year. As language is being drafted for the Summit statement of principles and plan of action, the coming five months are a critical time to focus on the next steps for advancing women's contributions to politics and public life throughout the Americas. The Summit documents will all impact on women's lives and some will specifically address ways to improve the condition of women in the Americas.
We in this room can -- and must -- hold governments to the promises they make in the summit process.
I hope you will work closely with women's groups and others in civil society in your countries to make sure the summit addresses your needs and concerns -- and afterwards, to ensure that the promises made are kept.
I have every confidence that the new administration in my country will continue the groundbreaking efforts of the current leaders. It is no longer just a theory that women's involvement in development -- whether in planning smaller families, pushing rural economic growth or engaging in national politics -- is critical to a country's stable growth. And it is becoming increasingly clear that the welfare of the industrialized world is inextricably linked to the welfare and stable growth of developing nations.
Senior policymakers everywhere -- in the G8 countries, in the multilateral banks and multinational boards -- acknowledge the economic importance of women in meeting development goals.
Where women are held back -- countries fall behind.
Where women are empowered and their talents, energy and creativity are unleashed -- countries make astonishing progress.
You have helped to forge the international consensus on women's rights as human rights. A number of critical treaties and agreements are now in place which articulate the global expectation for women as equal partners in development.
One of your speakers this afternoon, Mala Htun pointed out in her paper for the last gathering of this group that women politicians in Latin America have been most effective when they have united into alliances that transcend partisanship. Such alliances work best, as she said "when supported by linkages with women's movements in civil society."
I cannot stress too strongly another point she emphasized -- that women's collective power at the ballot box is the key to achieving broader benefits for all women.
I was privileged to witness how this concept translated into action when I attended the Vital Voices Conference in Montevideo.
A courageous Uruguayan member of parliament spoke passionately of how she put party positions aside when it came to women's issues and, instead, reached across from her Party to the women in the opposing Party to unite the Blanco and Colorado parties in what we in the United States would call a Women's Caucus. She and others set a wonderful example of bipartisanship on women's issues. So, I encourage you to broaden alliances, target political issues that matter to all women, and use your power at the ballot box to elect women.
In my country, we have another courageous example of this way of thinking in our own first lady -- now Senator-elect -- Hillary Rodham Clinton. She has just made history as the first presidential spouse to be elected to our Senate. She was willing to take a risk in politics -- one many urged her not to take -- to engage in a tough and often uphill battle and to build collective power at the ballot box.
In a speech last year, she quoted one of her own role models, Eleanor Roosevelt, who did so much for human rights around the world, and for women everywhere. Eleanor Roosevelt was unhesitating when she encouraged women to be politically active, but she also understood how hard it could be. She spoke from her own experience when she said, "You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
I offer this to each of you, knowing how hard it will often be, but how vital it is.
We can do it -- together. We can protect women in this hemisphere from exploitation and violence, open doors and enlarge their opportunities and empower even the humblest and most downtrodden. We can help them unleash their vast potential to improve their own lives and that of their families, their communities and their nations.
Together, we can each do what we think we cannot.
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
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Last Updated on: July 12, 2001 |
