[ cheers and applause ] good morning, everyone. Its an honor to welcome you to georgetown and to gaston hall for this special event, the presentation of the 2019 Hillary Rodham clinton award for advancing women and peace and security. Today were privileged to have with us the honorable Hillary Rodham clinton, honorary founding chair of our Georgetown Institute for women, peace, and security, and secretary clinton, were deeply grateful to you for your presence and your extraordinary contributions in recognizing the role of women in peace building. Thank you for being here. [ cheers and applause ] we gather today to honor three individuals who have exemplified what it means to serve, protect, and empower vulnerable populations. Her excellency who serves as the United Nations high commissioner for human rights and who previously served twice as president of the republic of chile. [ applause ] rosa anaya, who serves as Program Coordinator of segundas oportunidades, a program that supports people as they prepare to enter the work force. [ applause ] and virginia velasquez, founder of an organization based in honduras that provides legal and Psychological Services to women who have survived violence. [ applause ] i wish to offer each of you our most sin veer gratitucere grati leadership and this opportunity to recognize your exceptional contributions and accomplishments. The award named for the secretary clinton recognizes her pivotal role in the promotion of womens rights and her distinguished career of public service. Words she offered in 1995 in beijing in her now famous address on womens rights animate our 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, close quote. [ applause ] 16 years after that seminole 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. In that same year, we launched our institute for women, peace, and security, an initiative founded in recognition of the truth that women play a Critical Role in the security and well being of communities and nations. And today she serves as its honorary founding chair. Under the Exceptional Leadership of ambassador verveer, our institute has convened leaders, scholars, and practitioners in dialogue. It has helped forge and strengthen georgetowns collaboration with organizations engaged in this work across the globe. Through research and innovative scholarship, it has enhanced our understanding of the cultural, political, and Economic Issues at stake. And its provided a framework for our students to gain an understanding, to gain experience necessary to develop as compassionate Global 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 role of women for so many years in the 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 a Major Political party. [ cheers and applause ] she has strengthened opportunities for womens political, social, and economic engagement, creating and institutionizing 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 were grateful for her ongoing commitment and 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. [ cheers and applause ] hello thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you for welcoming me back to the hill top once again. It is 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 melanne verveer. 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. And the institute that president degioia is truly one of a kind in the 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. So 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 were together. And 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 doubleedge 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. Were 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 allout assault on our core values of democracy, free speech, and the rule of law. Now, 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 cruellest, most violent resistance imaginable. Now, here in the United States, we have some examples of that kind of leadership. Just look at our speaker of the house, nancy pelosi. [ cheers and applause ] her cleareyed leadership has led the house to pass essential legislation on everything from guaranteeing health care to protecting us from gun violence. And dont you think its about time that the United States senate did its job and took votes on that legislation . [ cheers and applause ] but orvef course, we all know t 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 serve bravely and selflessly no matter the politics of the administration that they are working under. And now they are caught in the crossfire. I was proud to serve with Foreign Service officers and Civil Servants at the state department, and i know firsthand they deserve the support and gratitude of all americans. [ applause ] now, sadly, weve 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. And now we know that in the course of his duties as president , hes endangered 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. It is about who we are as a nation. History is being written, and 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 first 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, though, students across europe and the world started following suit, first just by the dozens, then hundreds, then millions. And this week, she delivered a powerful speech at the United NationClimate 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 in responding to Climate Change by saying you have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. Now, i know she engendered a backlash from the Climate Change deniers, from the antianything coalition that takes on those who stand up and speak out and exhale live in an evidencebased world instead of a factfree world. So she did engender 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. Because never underestimate the power of women and girls not only to improve their own lives but to lift up families, communities, and entire nations. And the women we recognize today embody that truth. Michelle bachelet is someone ive known and admired for a long time. In fact, my daughter chelsea and i wrote about her and greta in the book of gutsy women, which comes out next week, as a reminder of all the obstacles women in the past and present have had to overcome to make change, to take a stand, to be who they authentically intended to be. And michelle has championed womens rights, opportunities, and 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 myanmar to syria to the United States border. And i have to recognize in the audience a prior high commissioner on human rights, former president of ireland, Mary Robinson. Were so pleased that she is here. [ applause ] you know that great old saying, if you want a job done, ask a busy woman . Well, weve got some perfect examples of that. Now, along with high commissioner bachelet, were honoring rosa anaya. Rosa is pioneering Restorative Justice in el salvadors prison system, one of the most violent places, unfortunately, on our planet. Shes working to prepare inmates to become responsible employees, engaged citizens, and promotors of peace in their own communities. Virginia Martes Velasquez is providing essential services to women and survivors of violence in honduras, one of the most dangerous cities in the world. For the high commissioner, 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 promo promote human rights worldwide. Consider the recent report from the defense departments Inspector General on the conditions at the refugee camp in syria where tens of thousands of women arnd children are bein held in horrible conditions, and lack of proper security has resulted in the spread of isis ideology by the women in the camp. We know that women play Critical Roles in violent extremism, both as perpetrators and as victims. We also know that women are often in a prime position to root out early signs of radicalization because womens rights and physical safety are often the first targets of fundamentalists. Yet, too often our United States and our global counterterrorism strategies fail to enlist women to combat this radicalism. Now, over the years, the Georgetown Institute has helped build a compelling, evidencebased case to support the fact that when women participate in peacemaking and peace keeping, were all safer and more secure. And when women are actually included in peace negotiations, agreements are less likely to fail, more likely to last, and when womens vital interests and insights are ignored, we lose out on half of the talent of the population. Now, theres a lesson here for all leaders, even in our own country, to consider. That includes ensuring that women are included and womens rights are respected as part of any peace negotiations in afghanistan. [ applause ] i think this is a moment when we should be doubling down on our commitment to womens rights and human rights around the world and here at home. However, our own government is turning its back on refugees, people seeking asylum, ripping children away from parents and family members, and waging an allout concerted assault on Womens Health and rights. And when it comes to American Leadership on the global stage, were not only seeing it missing in action, were seeing a very troubling shift from this administration, which has created something it calls the commission on unalienable rights. Now, this orwelian named commission has promised to undertake one of the most profound examinations of human rights since the universal declaration of human rights in 1948. Based on what we have 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. We have 48 nations at that time who came together representing the vast majority of the worlds population. More than 70 years ago, to vote in favor of the universal declaration of human rights, which affirmed for the very first time in Human History that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity, that human rights are not granted by any government, they are the 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 have fought and organized, campaigned, sometimes losing their own lives to ensure that people could experience the full measure of freedom, of dignity, and the benefits of citizenship. We have seen built an International System of laws 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 the declaration and then been able to make them a crucial test of a governments legitimacy. And weve also learned along the way that respecting and defending human rights makes nations more stable and secure. Now, Eleanor Roosevelt, who did so much to champion the universal declaration of human rights, knew it was only the first step. From her death bed, she continued to call out a message to 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, do 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 that 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 concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we will look in vain for progress in the larger world. I think about Eleanor Roosevelt a lot. I think about her crowning achievement, the universal declaration of human rights, because i often need to be reminded that this is a moment to hold on though the courage of our convictions. Its not easy. In fact, it can be downright difficult and discouraging. But 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, opportunities, and dignity of women, men, and children. Thank you, all, very much. [ cheers and applause ] 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 for your continuing inspiration. It is particularly significant to have you here this day with this focus on human rights because we are on the threshold of the 25th anniversary of the u. N. World conference on w