Africa: Clinton at International Women’s Leadership Forum
REMARKS
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to the International Women’s Leadership Forum, July 9, 2012, Government House, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, good afternoon, everyone, and it’s a great honor for me to be here once again in Mongolia, and to have a chance to speak to the democratic progress that Mongolia has made and the example that has been set. Mr. President, I believe as strongly today as I did then that Mongolia is an inspiration and a model, and I thank you for your leadership and vision. Foreign Minister, thank you for your partnership as we have worked together not only between the United States and Mongolia, but also as Mongolia has chaired the Community of Democracies.
And I can – I am delighted to commend Mongolia for convening this International Women’s Leadership Forum, and it’s a great honor for me to be here on the stage along with Kim Campbell and along with Ms. Kang, the High Commissioner for Human Rights Deputy from the United Nations. I see in the audience a wonderful friend, someone who was the first woman president of Kyrgyzstan. Roza, it’s wonderful to see you and please, let’s give you a round of applause. (Applause.) And Ambassador Leissner, who will be leading the efforts of the Community of Democracies, and to all the officials here in Mongolia, particularly to the newly elected women members of the parliament, congratulations. (Applause.)
If there is one characteristic that every strong democracy in the world shares, it is that they are fully open to all of their citizens – men and women – and a democracy without the participation of women is a contradiction in terms. So whenever we talk about how to support democracy, we must be sure that women are not just a part of the discussion, but at the
Category: Africa News
