Transcripts For CSPAN2 Hillary Clinton Speaks At Georgetown

The presentation of the 2019 Hillary Clinton awards for advancing women and peace and security. Today we are privileged to have with us the honorable Hillary Rodham clinton, honoring founding chair of our Georgetown Institute for women peace and security. At secretary clinton, we are deeply grateful to you for your presence and for your extraordinary contributions in recognizing the role of women in peace building. Thank you for being here. [applause] [cheering] we gather today to honor three individuals who exemplified what it means to serve, protect, and empower vulnerable populations. Her excellency, Michelle Bachelet who serves as the United Nations high commissioner for human rights and who previously served twice as president of the republic of chile. [applause] [cheering] rosa anaya who served as Program Coordinator of segundo opportunity, Catholic Relief Services Program Based in el salvador that supports incarcerated people as they prepare to return to society and to the workforce. [applause] and virginia Marta Velasquez founder of an organization based in house honduras that provides legal and Psychological Services to women who have survived violence. Known as a [applause] i wish to offer each of you are most sincere gratitude for your leadership and for this opportunity to recognize your exceptional contributions and accomplishments. The award named for secretary clinton recognizes her pivotal role in the promotion of womens rights and her distinguished career of public service. Words she offered in 1985 in beijing and are now famous address on womens rights anime, are convening today. She said then and i quote if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish. If women are free from violence, their families will flourish. If women have a chance to work and earn as full and equal partners in society, their families will flourish. And when families flourish, communities and nations will flourish. [applause] 16 years after that seminal speech in december 2011 on this very stage she joined us for the launch of the u. S. National action plan for women peace and security. That same year we launched our institute for women peace and security and an initiative founded in recognition of the truth that women play a Critical Role in security and wellbeing of communities and nations. Today she serves as its honorary founding chair. Under the Exceptional Leadership of investor land revere our institute has convened leaders, scholars, and practitioners in dialogue its helped forge and strengthen georgetowns collaboration with organizations engaged in this work across the globe. Through research and innovative scholarship thats enhanced her understanding of the cultural, political, and Economic Issues at stake. And provided a framework for our students to gain an understanding, to gain experience necessary to develop this compassionate level leaders committed to womens inclusion. Today we are honored to present the Hillary Rodham clinton awards for advancing women in peace and security and recognition of the leadership of secretary clinton. And the contributions of our awardees. Secretary clinton has championed the rights and the role of women for so many years in leadership roles in which she has served. As first lady of the United States. As senator of the state of new york. On the global stage as secretary of state and most recently as the first woman in our countrys history to be nominated for president by Major Political party. [applause] she has strengthened opportunities for womens Political Economic and social engagement, creating and institutionalizing new positions and policies that have helped to ensure greater recognition of women in the Economic Development peace building and political systems in communities and nations around the world. She continues to serve as honorary cochair of the u. S. Afghan Womens Council which is housed here at georgetown and we are grateful for her ongoing commitment an example of public service. Secretary clinton, its a privilege to have you with us here again, welcome back to georgetown, please join me in extending a warm welcome to secretary clinton. [cheering] [applause] [cheering] [applause] thank you thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you president afor welcoming new back to the hilltop once again. Its a great great pleasure and real honor to come back to georgetown on any occasion and especially for this one. Of course i have to express my personal gratitude to ambassador mo land revere. The land has been a dear friend for many years but her unparalleled commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls shines a bright light on those who are on the front lines engaged in this work. In the institute that president the joy you just described is truly oneofakind in the entire world. It was the first dedicated to the idea that womens full participation in peace and security should no longer be relegated to the margins of international affairs. Its inspiring and humbling but also energizing to be with the extraordinary women you will meet in a few minutes who have done so much on their own to advance peace and security and to lift up women. I have to say this event seems to grow more timely and relevant each time we are together. This year is obviously no exception. These are perilous times for our world. Nationalism, tribalism, and authoritarianism are on the rise. Technology has proven to be a doubleedged sword capable of carrying Democratic Values to oppressed peoples as well as giving authoritarians the tools they need to tighten control and counterattack the foundations of open societies. We are in the midst of a historic global refugee crisis which is accelerated by Climate Change, economic injustice, and violent extremism. And here at home in europe and in other places around the world we are witnessing an all out assault on our cool values of democracy, free speech and the rule of law. In the midst of all this tumult, women are proving yet again to be beacons of hope. They are often doing the hard essential work of reinvigorating and protecting democracies and people. Standing up to human rights abuses shining bright lights on corruption taking on urgent challenges often in the face of the cruelest most violent resistance imaginable. Here the United States we have some examples of that kind of leadership. Just look at our speaker of the house nancy pelosi. [applause] her clear eyed leadership has led the house to pass essential legislation on everything from guaranteeing healthcare to protecting us from gun violence. Dont you think its about time the United States senate did its job and took vote on that legislation . [applause] but of course we all know that she has Just Announced the opening of an impeachment inquiry into the president on the basis of evidence that he betrayed his oath of office to uphold the constitution and protect and defend our country. He has turned american diplomacy into a cheap extortion racket. He has denigrated, and lets be honest, stabbed in the back, the Career Foreign Service officers who served bravely and selflessly no matter the politics of the administration that they are working under. Now they are caught in the crossfires. I was proud to serve with Foreign Service officers and Civil Servants as a state department and i know firsthand they deserve the support and gratitude of all americans. [applause] sadly we have known who donald trump is for some time now we knew he was a corrupt businessman who cheated people, we knew that he and his campaign invited foreign adversaries to tamper with our elections. Now we know that in the course of his duties as president he endangers us all by putting his personal and political interests ahead of the interests of the American People. But this is ultimately about much more than donald trump, it is about us. Its about who we are as a nation. History is being written in the world and our children are watching. So women have been in the forefront we saw that again just this past week with Greta Thunberg who earth captured International Attention when at 15 years old she began demonstrating outside the Swedish Parliament to protest her governments inaction on Climate Change. At first, she said, i tried to bring people along to join me but no one was really interested so i had to do it by myself. Soon students across europe and then the world started following suit, first just by the dozens, then hundreds, then millions. This week she delivered a powerful speech at the United Nations Climate Action summit that should be required viewing for every lawmaker. She spoke for so many in her own generation when she condemned World Leaders lack of urgency and responding to Climate Change by saying you have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. I know she engendered a backlash from the Climate Change deniers, from the anti anything coalition that takes all those who stand up and speak out and actually live in an evidencebased world instead of apac free world. So she did in gender this backlash which only made her message more significant. More important for every one of us to Pay Attention to and i personally am grateful to her and what she is inspiring among young people across the world. Never underestimate the power of women and girls not only to improve their own lives but to lift up families, communities, and entire nations. The women we recognize today in body that truth. Michelle boettcheramichelle bac someone ive known for and admired for a long time. My daughter chelsea and i read about her abas a reminder of all the obstacles women in the past and the present have had to overcome to make change to take a stand to be who they authentically intended to be and michelle had championed womens rights opportunities in full participation throughout her career she passed sweeping policies to expand access to Maternity Care to require banks to disaggregate data by gender and after escaping a brutal dictatorship herself she has spoken out as the high commissioner against human rights abuses from the unmarked to syria to the United States border. After recognizing the audience a prior high commissioner on human rights former president of ireland Mary Robinson we are so pleased she is here. [applause] you know the great saying if you want a job done ask a busy woman. We got some perfect examples of that. Along with high commissioner Michelle Bachelet we are honoring rosa anaya, rosa is pioneering Restorative Justice in el salvadors prison system one of the most violent places unfortunately on our planet. She is working to prepare inmates to become responsible employees engaged citizens and voters of peace in their own communities. Virginia Marta Velasquez is providing essential services to women and survivors of violence at shalom honduras one of the most dangerous cities in the world. For high commissioner Michelle Bachelet, for rosa, for virginia, human rights are personal and they should be for the rest of us too. Advancing the rights and opportunities of women and girls is the great Unfinished Business of the 21st century. But its also important to take a broad view of whats happening in the effort to continue to promote human rights worldwide. Consider the recent report from the Defense Department Inspector General on conditions that the arefugee camp in syria. Where tens of thousands of women and children are being held in horrible conditions. And last for proper security has resulted in the spread of isis ideology and by the women in the camp. We know that women play Critical Roles and violent extremism both as perpetrators and victims. We also know that women are often in the prime position to root out early signs of radicalization because womens rights and physical safety are often the first target a fundamentalist. Yet too often our United States and global terrorism strategies fail to enlist women in combat this radicalism over the years the Georgetown Institute helped build a compelling evidencebased case to support the fact that when women participate making and peacekeeping we are all safer and more secure. When women are actually included in peace negotiations agreements are less likely to fail more likely to last. When womens bio interest and insights are ignored we lose out on half of the talent of the population. Theres a lesson here for all leaders even in our own country could to consider. That includes ensuring that women are included in womens rights are respected as part of any peace negotiation in afghanistan. [applause] i think this is a moment we should be doubling down on our commitment to womens rights and around the world and here at home. However, our own government is turning its back on refugees, people taking asylum within children away from parents and family members and waging an all out faceted assault on Womens Health and life. When it comes to American Leadership on the global stage we are not only seeing it missing in action, we are seeing a very troubling shift from this administration which has created something its called the commission on unalienable rights. This more volume commission has promised to undertake one of the most profound examinations of human rights this universal declaration of human rights in 1948. Based on what weve seen already we have every reason to believe that this socalled reexamination will be a reversal of commitments to womens rights, lgbtq rights and reproductive rights. Just think back to 1948 48 nations at that time who came together representing the vast majority of the world population. More than 70 years ago to vote in favor of the universal declaration of human rights which confirmed and very first time bring Human History that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity. That human rights are not granted by any government facility as a birthright of every man woman and child. Since then the declaration has been the most widely translated document in the history of the world. Generations of activists, leaders, ordinary citizens have struggled and worked to carry its principles forward. They fought and organize campaign symptoms losing their own lives to ensure that people could experience a full measure of freedom of dignity and the benefits of citizenship. We have seen bills and International System of law and institutions to protect the freedoms spelled out in the declaration and to hold violators accountable. Weve seen woven into domestic constitutions the idea of human rights from this declaration. And been able to make sense a crucial part of the governments legitimacy. And we also learned along the way that respecting and defending human rights makes nations more stable and secured. Eleanor roosevelt who did so much to champion the universal declaration of human rights knew it was only the first step. From her deathbed she continued to call out a message to the future generations staying aloof is not a solution it is cowardly evasion. She also posed a question that i want all of us to constantly ponder. Where after all those human rights begin . In the small places close to home. So close and so small that they cannot be seen on any map of the world the places here on this campus in your workplaces in your communities, where everywhere men women and children seek equal justice equal opportunity equal dignity without discrimination, unless those rights have meaning in these small and close places they will have little meaning anywhere else without the asserted citizen action to uphold them close to home we will look for vein we will look in vain for progress in a larger world. Think about Eleanor Roosevelt a lot. I think about her crowning achievements universal declaration of human rights because i felt the need to be reminded that this is the moment to hold onto the courage of our convictions. Its not easy. In fact, it can be downright difficult and discouraging. Keep in mind not only Eleanor Roosevelt, not only Greta Thunberg, who kept persevering throughout whatever criticism and backlash she experienced, but keep in mind the women that we honor today we cannot afford to be aloof. We cannot afford to be cowardly. We have to stand together and continue to speak out for the rights and opportunities and dignity of women, men, and children. Thank you all very much. [applause] [cheering] good morning everyone. And thank you so much secretary clinton for being back with us at georgetown today. We are so grateful to you for your support of the institute as our honorary founding chair. And