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  • Thank you.

  • Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you.

  • Good morning and welcome to the State Department once again.

  • I am so grateful that all of you have joined us here today for what has become, in our view,

  • one of the most important and special occasions of the year here in Washington.

  • I want to thank my friend and colleague, Ambassador Melanne Verveer who has been, as you know,

  • a tireless champion for women and girls for decades.

  • [Applause.]

  • Melanne and her team have not only made this event such a special occasion year after year,

  • but they have helped put women and girls at the center of everything we do here at the State Department

  • and in the Obama Administration.

  • So thanks again, Melanne.

  • Although, it was left out of her mention of the 7th grade girls that one of them is her granddaughter. So,

  • [laughter], she is very committed to the next generation, and I thank you for everything you have done and will do.

  • Now, why is this a special occasion? Well, for one thing, it is the way we mark International Women's Day,

  • to gather leaders and activists, and particularly our honorees here in Washington

  • to recognize their remarkable achievements.

  • And for the fourth year, we are so honored to be joined by the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama.

  • [Applause.]

  • Now, I do take a point of personal privilege in talking about the First Lady,

  • because I have just an inkling of what her life is like every day --[laughter]--

  • and I want to publicly thank her for being an inspiration for women and girls and families and communities

  • here in the United States and around the world.

  • It's always an honor to share a stage with her, and I think it's also a reminder that we have a lot of work to do.

  • It is, of course, about the leadership and the voice of a first lady or a secretary of state, but it is much, much more than that.

  • And what Michelle and I have tried to do in our own ways is to lift up the voices of others,

  • because we want a great crescendo of voices, an international chorus that says clearly and unequivocally

  • that women and girls deserve the same rights and opportunities as their fathers and brothers and sons.

  • And today, we will hear remarkable stories from our honorees.

  • They come from diverse and distant places, but in one important way they all walk the same path.

  • They, too, are working tirelessly for justice. They are working for accountability.

  • They are working for freedom, and they are working tirelessly to improve the lives of women and girls.

  • Whether pushing for change in the halls of government in the Maldives, the courts of Saudi Arabia;

  • whether making sure women have a voice in Libya's future and a role in Pakistan's government;

  • whether enduring imprisonment or abuse for trying to assist other women and girls at risk,

  • these women, who you will meet today, are all making a difference in the face of adversity, often under the threat of violence

  • that is sometimes hard for those of us here in Washington or across our great country even to imagine.

  • And while we honor them today, we know that tomorrow their work will and must continue

  • so that every woman and girl someday will have the opportunity to live up to her own God-given potential.

  • As I often say, this isn't just the right thing to do; it is also the smart thing to do.

  • Improving the lives of women improves the lives of their families, strengthens their communities,

  • and does create more opportunities for economic growth and prosperity.

  • We know that investing in women's employment, health, and education levels

  • leads to greater economic growth across a broad spectrum.

  • It also leads to healthier children and a better-educated population overall.

  • We know that political systems that are open to full participation by women produce more effective institutions

  • and more representative governments.

  • And we know that the work that so many of you do will be done day after day as it moves us closer and closer

  • to realizing the vision of equality.

  • As long as you are on the front lines of this struggle, the United States will be with you,

  • and we will use every tool at our disposal to help you.

  • That's why next week when all of the United States ambassadors from around the world gather here in Washington,

  • I will be issuing the first ever Secretarial policy directive on gender.

  • This guidance, --[applause]-- this guidance, which complements the recently released USAID gender policy

  • will instruct our embassies and bureaus to implement specific steps to promote gender equality and advance the status

  • of women and girls in all of our work in order to further both our national security and our foreign policy goals.

  • Now, this issue is not just a priority here at the State Department or at USAID, but across the Administration,

  • and that is why we are so pleased that the First Lady is here lending her support.

  • She and President Obama have made it absolutely clear that women and girls will be a focus

  • of what we do here at home and around the world.

  • Last year, Mrs. Obama traveled to South Africa and spoke at a forum for young women leaders from across Africa.

  • And she told those bright, young women that now is the time for their voices to be heard.

  • For them and for so many others, she said that the power was in their hands to help usher in an era

  • when women would no longer be second-class citizens, and they would be able fully to participate

  • in open and accountable government.

  • I cannot think of anyone better to carry that message

  • and to signal America's commitment to advancing the rights and opportunities of women and girls,

  • and I'm so grateful to both President and Mrs. Obama for all they have done to make this a priority.

  • [Applause.]

Thank you.

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B1 中級

克林頓國務卿在2012年國際婦女勇氣獎頒獎典禮上的講話。 (Secretary Clinton at the 2012 International Women of Courage Award Ceremony)

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    Anne Sheu 發佈於 2021 年 01 月 14 日
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