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FTRST LADY IHILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
REMARKS TO CENTRAl"L ASIAN CONFERENC~ ON WOMEN IN
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POLITICS
AL¥ATY, KAZAKHSTAN
, NOVEMBER 12~ 1997
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Thank you very much. Mrs. Nazarbayev, distinguished guests. I am
de,lighted to be here at this irnpprtant conference. .
bringi~g
I would like·to thank Lika for organizing this conference and
together women who, are leadi~g the way toward a free, prosperous, and democratic
Central Asia. When I look at Liana~s logo, I am reminded what happens when
women cultivate the soil and n~rture the roots of democracy. We find that our work
yields fruit for all ~itizens: for *,omen, for children, for men, for communities, for
countries. For all citizens.,
I have come to Kazakhsqm and Centnil Asia to strengthen the bonds among
our countries. to see firsthand the progress you are making, to talk about the role
that women must play in buildiP-g and sustaining democracy from the ground up. I
also want tn bring a message of hope and solidarity from the American people~
especially American women --lwho are standing with you as you remake your
world..
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rcligions~.comc
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Though we practice diffdrcnt
from different places, and have'
different histories, we speak thft sal11e mother tongue -- the language of hope.
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.Women have:: ,-'l1ways found common ground to stand on together.
le're
It usually happens when
sitting around a kitehentable. when we're at
the market, when we're waiting! for the bus or watching oLir kids play outside. In the
torma.! and informal interactiol'is that make up our daily lives, women arc t ..llking. to
each other about the challenge~ we all face. We want to know how to raise our
chUdren and make ends meet.
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
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and ethnjc div~rsity a ~ource ofpride, not division. And we wantto advance the
cause of democracy, advance the cause of women and make it clear that we cannot
have one without the other.
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When we talk about deniocracy~ we often talk about our highest ideals -
fr~edom of religion, freedom of speech and press~ freedom to participate fully in the
civic and political life of one's pountry. But democracy also depends in large
m.easure 011 seeing to it that individuals have access to what I call the tools of
opportunity: education, health bare, jobs, and credit.
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What we have lea~ed o~er the years 'is that our most cheri shed beliefs can be
made rea'i only through the eve~yday efforts of ordinary citizens. Yes, our laws and
institutions are absolutely critiJal, but .democracy is nurtured and sustained by what
we in AmeriCtlO call'thc habits Iof the heart,' in the way people live theIr lives, in the
lessons they teach their chi Idn:en as they tuck them into bed at night. '
. Because this conference liS about women arid politics, I want to speak with
you about how, politics can help us bring about, this new worl~. But 1 want to
discuss politics in a very specifilc way. When I say politics Tdonlt just mean electing
women to every level of gover~ment -- although that is vitally important. I'm
talking about the most importaht role of politics in a democracy, that is, our role as
citizens. The contributions we fuake to civil society. After all, politics at its most
basic is what we do when we cbme together toaccomplish common goals. Whether
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we gather in non-governmental organizations. voluntary organizations, or in each
other's homes, we make it c1ea~ that the most important person ill a democracy is
the citizen.
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Like many of you, r havci spent much of my life, not running for or serving in
elected office, but working in ahd with non-governmental organizations. Evcn .
stwtillg as a young girJ, I was i~ associations whether in my' school or in Girl Scouls
or in my ch.urch. And as I gre~ older and was in college and,law school~ 1 was in
legal and business groups. Andl I recall very clearly that that the person who taught
me that I had s role to play andl a responsibility to Illy cOmlnunity was my mother.
are
doing here today . Vou are .
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That is why j am so impissed by what you
pioneers. You arc building's ci~il society that values the contributions of women -
, and you'are doing so without ilie benefit of an plder generation to guide you. You
are launching a new traditipn that can and must be passed down from mother to '
daughter; from fatherto so~, 1d on down through the generations.
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Since Iarrive~ yesterda~,I have ,already seen first~and what wotn~n, and
young people ~re domg to ·transform thlscountry, Last mght, I talked wIth young
people fromilie Kazakhstan A~sociation of Young Leaders who' are teaching each,
other about civic participation in a democracy,
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I remember one young
in particu1ar, who told me that a few years back
he thought he could never makb a difference. Now~ after learning the skills of
democracy and working with o,lther young people, he says: i'l can see how much 1
can do."
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E at1ler t h'IS mornmg, I partIclpated man on-cuttmg at th e new Al maty
Women's Wellness Center. Thi~ is one of 1.3 centers in the Newly Independent
States that the United Sta~cs g~ver~ent is ;vorking ~ith t,o o~cr ;a full, spectrum of
health care to women. This ce~ter Will provIde scrcemng for cervical. and breast
cancer and pren.atal care. It will help women to protect themselves from dangers
Jike tobacco and .alcohol:And 1~ will include family planning services -- whiCh atc
vital if we are going to decreas~ the 'number ofabortio~s, as Kazakhstan has begun
to do. The benefits of a center Hke this spread far beyond its doors. Because better
heaJth for wom.en translates intb better health for their children and their tfllnilies,
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and then their communities, ana country.
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Later today,! will travellt~Kyrgyzsta~. And the first thing I will: do whenl
get off the plane WIll be to pay trlbute to the Important role that non-governmental ,
organizations are playing in thJt country by promoting health care andhuman;tarian
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l will then go on to visit women who are getting access to credit to create
businesses that foster economid security tor their families and cconomic
independence for themselves. I .
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Clearly, the women ofC~ntral Asia are teaching each other lessons about
democracy in action.
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Women are teaching less6ns'about democracy in Uzbekistan, where parents
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have launched an initiative to tight for the rights of disabled children.
, They are teaching I,essonl about, democracy in Turkmenistan,where women
are actively engaged in civic edl.lcatjon through a non-governmental group called
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"Dialogue."
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Women are teaching.us lessons of democracy in, Kyrgyzstan, where 70 new
N~Os'havc registered with lhelgovernme~l; where the Society of Women Builders
is teaching women on pensions about their legal rights; and where several NGOs
have started a newspaper that ik teaching about democracy.
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Worn"':' are also
lessons of democracy in Tajikistan, where women
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eaders agree that"any country that is not interested in its women has no future." '
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And, yes, here in this room and throughout Kazakhstan, women are teaching
lessons ofdemocracy, by brin~ing women together to protect the environment, to
foster a free press, and to supp6rt conferences like this~
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These efforts in Central Asia are part of gtoundsweJ] of civic participation by
women around the world. Earlibr this month, women from all over Asia gathered in
Mongolia to learn about thcir l~gal rights and responsibilities as citizens. Last ..
sumnier, women from Eastern and Central Europe came together at a conference m
Vienna to share ideas, lo renewl and strengthen their faith in deIllocratic va~ues and
freedoms, and to address challenges as diverse as the trafficking of women and the
need for better heal th care.
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And we will all remember how women from all over the world CaIne together
two years ago in Beijing, at thelUnited NationsAth World Conference on Women.
Representatives from 189 diffenimt countries, including some, of you in thi s room,
articulated a vision that has hee~ echoed at this 'conference: That a country's
progress depends on the progreks of women. That the strength of a political system
depend/:: on the inclusion ofwolnen. That the vibrancy of an economy depends on
the full contributions of wome~. That the richness of civic lite depends' on the
participation of women. That human'rights, sfmpJy put, are women's rights. 'And
that women's rights are human tights. ' ,
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Despite the enonnous progress ~ou have made, we know that many challenges ,
remain. The transition from cortununism to free markets and democracy has not
"been painless for women here around the world. It would be unrealistic to
.pretend otherwise.
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Right now, too many women ar~ the fust to lose their jobs ~nd the last to get new
olles. Too many women are barfed by law, by tradition, or by ignorance from
eXerciS1tlg their rights. Too marly women are trapped in an endless cycle of .
poverty, unable to get access toleducation and credit. Too many women are
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ovelwhclmed by the stresses
have in their lives, as they try to do more and
m(')re, with fewer and fewer,hofrs. Too many women live in the fear ofvlolence,
including violence atthe hands of family members. For them, home offers no
refuge, the law no protection~ Jnd public opinion no sympathy.,And, through all of
this, not enough women are siJing at the table when political and economic
decisions are made about their [lives and their families.
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This must change. Yet, While the oppressive structures 0 fcommunisln have
heen tom down> the political,. jtldicial and economic organizations that protect
women's rightS in a democrac1 are just now being constructed.
That is why this confere~ce comes at such all important time. It is enabling
us to share practical ideas to advance the role.ofwomen in the political, economic, '
and social I ives of our cOWltrieis. It is showing us that when we embrace our tights
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and Hve up to our responsibilities, when we confront problems head 6n, we can
. find solutions.
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The United States is proUfd 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, out countIis first female Secretary of State, put it:
"Advancing the status ofwomcln ... is thc right thing to do, and, frankly, it is tho
smart thing to do."
Our government, largely through the United States Agency for International
Development and the United S,ates Information Service, is supporting a broad
range of programs that provide igrants, training, and technical assistance to citizens
working to strengthen democrBpy at thc grassroots. They show families how they
can guard against new threats like crime and drugs. They help empower women to
succeed ecollom;cally by givjn~ them loans to start and maintain their own small
businesses.
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And today, I'm pleased be ab1e to tell you that the United States will bc
increasing our SUppOlt for woaJen NGOs working to bui1d democracy in t;his
region. Let me be as cleai aboJt this as possible: Governments that are serious
about democracy ~usfbe wilHAg to recognize and work with ?on-gov~rmnental
organizations.
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Now, of course, -we wOlnen cannot create the kind of society we all want
alone. We must reach out to thb men in our lives. Husbands and fathers -- indeed all
men -~ must also meet their re~ponsibi1ities: To respect women. Never to raise a
hand in anger. To teach boys ttl> re'spect and value girls. And to teach girls to respect.
and value t h e m s e l v e s . '
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Alld we need to start with OUT girls today -- tomorrow's generation,
tomorrow's leaders. We know that girls cannot lead tomotTow if they are taught that
they aren't smart enough,ifthe1y are taught that their human value lies only in how
they look or if they are taught fuat the violence and disrespect they suffer is just "the
way things are. 1f And certainl~, girls cannot lead tomorrow if they are denied
. adequate education today. It is Ithrough education that thc minds ~d aspirations of
girls can cither be snuffed out (:)r ignited.
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I know that you, and these countries represented here at this conference, are
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rightfully proud of your literacY rates, and your history of providing quality
education for boys and girls. And 1 applaud you tor that. [n many of the countries
where I travel and speak, that i~ not the case. Ifiteracy for both young men and
women is far too low, but for ybung women it is often even not a goa] ~ But that is
not true here in Central Asia, If there is one message that I hope you will send your
fellow citizens and your goverrlment, it is that education, and the goa1s you have
reached in the. past, must be a ~riority today and tomorrow. Tn the new independent
countries that are struggling to build free market economies and democracy,
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education for an must continueI10 be valued above all.
As I think about all 'you h.ave accomplished in just six years, I am in awe. T
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know many of you have struggled very hard against obstacles and odds.1 cannot
. even imagine. And as.L looka~lthe progress that your societies and countries have
made, Tanl deeply impressed by the persistence and the goals you have set to
achieve. I am reminded of sOlliething I was told about that a Kazakhstani poet,
Abai, once said, "After a harsh rinter. spring follows, with its flowers and
splendor." When I look at the p,rogres!? that has been made despite the obstacles you
have addressed, I know that Sprng wmfolJow in Central Asia.
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Spring will follow the wark you are doing now to build and nurture
democracy and strong .economi~s because you have taken the long view. You know
that you are nurturing deep roots that' will one day bear fruit. You know that
democracy is a work in progresr- My country is now the longest surviving
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democracy in the history ofthe world. And we struggle every day to make our
democracy w~)rk better. So
know that there is no easy answer; that all OfllS'who
value democracy,must work eyery day year after year to make sure its whole'fruit, ,
not only flower and blossom, that
shared among all our people. "
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are
t~ngratUlate YO~
I want to comm.end and
who are working tbrOuiJ, your
" overnment and non-govemm~ntal organizations to bring about this Spring of
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which we speak and which wei seek here. 'AndI want you to kn,ow that the '
American people are proud to stand with you.every step of the wa.y. And that the
American goverrurient will coAtinue to support non-governmental organizations and
particularly the work ofwomeh to build stro11g democracies and strong societies in
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this region and aroWld the world.
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Thank you all very mucR.
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Lissa Muscatine - Press Office
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First Lady's Office
Press Office
Lissa Muscatine
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1993 - 1997
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<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/36239" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="http://catalog.archives.gov/id/7431941" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
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2011-0415-S
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<p>Lissa Muscatine first served in the Clinton Administration as a speechwriter. Within the First Lady’s Office, she served as Communications Director to the First Lady.</p>
<p>Lissa Muscatine’s records consist of materials from First Lady Hillary Clinton’s Press Office, highlighting topics such as health care, women’s rights, the Millennium Council, Hillary Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign, and deal extensively with press interviews given by the First Lady; her domestic and foreign travel; and speeches and remarks, on a wide variety of topics, given by her before and during her time as First Lady. The records include interview transcripts, press releases, speeches and speech transcripts.</p>
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Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
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FLOTUS Statements and Speeches 7/15/97-1/29/98 [Binder]: [Central Asian Conference on Women, November 12, 1997]
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Box 20
<a href="http://clintonlibrary.gov/assets/Documents/Finding-Aids/Systematic/2011-0415-S-Muscatine.pdf" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="http://catalog.archives.gov/id/7431941" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
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Lissa Muscatine
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7431941