International Women's Day
Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
March 8, 2012
Today,
we honor women from all corners of the globe and the unique
contributions they make. For over one hundred years, International
Women’s Day has been a beacon of hope for so many women on the
frontlines of progress who have fought to lift up their communities,
their societies and change our world.
We have made enormous
progress in recent history. In the last year alone, women have marched,
blogged, tweeted, and risked their lives all in the name of dignity,
rights, and opportunity. Last October, the Nobel Committee took the
historic step of awarding the Peace Prize to three extraordinary women
for their contributions in advancing human rights.
But challenges
still remain. Too many women have found their attempts to participate in
government, in the economy, and in society blocked. Women still
disproportionately suffer from poverty and violence. Their voices are
muffled and their presence denied at the places where critical decisions
are made. They face nationality laws that deny them equal rights to
citizenship. And women and girls are all too frequently deprived of
access to reproductive healthcare, education, and the credit needed to
launch small businesses.
That is why the Obama Administration is
accelerating efforts to advance and institutionalize women’s
participation in making and keeping peace, including the launch of a
U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security. And that’s just
the beginning, because around the world, from Iraq and Afghanistan, to
South Sudan, to the new transitional democracies in the Middle East and
North Africa, our embassies are developing local strategies to expand
political, economic, and social opportunities for women.
The
United States is committed to making women and their advancement a
cornerstone of our foreign policy not just because it’s the right thing
to do. Investing in women and girls is good for societies, and it is
also good for the future prosperity of countries. Women drive our
economies. They build peace and prosperity and political stability for
everyone—men and women, boys and girls. So let us recommit ourselves to a
future of equality. Together, we can ensure that all people everywhere
have the opportunity to live up to their God-given potential.
