Hello. Under-Secretary General, Foreign and Defence
Ministers, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, This is the third UN Defense Peacekeeping
Ministerial I have attended, but the first on my home soil. I am very proud to speak here as an American. I am a patriot. I love my country and want to see it thrive. I also believe strongly in an America that
is part of an international community. Countries working together on an equal footing
is how we reduce the risk of conflict. It is how we avoid the need to send men and
women of our militaries to fight and sacrifice overseas. The UN was set up for that purpose. As a way of resolving differences peacefully,
supporting each other’s prosperity, and extending universal rights and freedoms. It is in all our interests for the UN to be
made effective, brought closer to the lives of citizens, and not ever misused. At a deeper level, a country that believes
that all men and women are born free and equal cannot be true to itself if it doesn’t defend
those principles for all people, wherever they live, regardless their circumstances,
and no matter how desperate their struggle. In fact, our support should be strongest where
rights are threatened the most. We seem incapable of upholding minimum standards
of humanity in many parts of the world. That this comes at a time when humankind is
richer, and more technologically advanced than ever before, is all the more painful. Eighteen years ago, when I first began working
with the UN Refugee Agency, there were just under 20 million displaced people worldwide,
and the numbers were falling. Today there are over 65 million people displaced,
and the numbers are rising. More countries are experiencing some form
of violent conflict today than any time in the last thirty years. UN peacekeepers now comprise of the second
largest group of forces deployed overseas, and are often required to serve where there
is little or no peace to be kept. Against this backdrop, it is easy to dismiss
our institutions as flawed or ineffective. My hope, instead, is that young people in
particular will feel inspired to join the effort to improve them: to join the ‘men
and women in the arena’, to paraphrase President Roosevelt, ‘who strive — are striving
— to do deeds, and whose faces are marred by dust and sweat and blood’. In that regard, I want to express my respect
for men and women who serve as peacekeepers, and for those who have been killed or injured. The protection of civilians is the primary
responsibility of governments. When UN peacekeepers are deployed, it is usually
where a government is unable or unwilling to protect civilian life. Those United Nations missions often represent
the last and only hope for millions of people facing daily threats to their safety and their
basic rights. The need for peacekeeping troops to have the
best possible training and equipment and the highest standards of personal conduct becomes
obvious when measured against that weighty responsibility. That is why this meeting is so important,
because it is in the hands of the governments you represent to enable peacekeeping to live
up to its ideals and the needs of our time. So, as you discuss how to strengthen UN peacekeepers
and give peacekeepers the capabilities they need to operate in today’s dangerous environments,
I ask you to take time to consider this question from the perspective of women. Around the world there are countless examples
of women rising, leading, taking their destiny into their own hands, inspiring us all. But women and girls are still the majority
of the victims of war. They are over half of all refugees, and the
vast majority of the victims of rape and other sexual and gender-based violence. Women are at the absolute epicenter of modern
conflict, in the worst possible sense. But more often than not they are still on
the outside looking in when it comes to politics and decisions about their futures. If we went by the principle that those affected
by a problem should be in charge of determining the solution, then the majority of the world’s
peace negotiators, foreign ministers and diplomats would be women. We all know the reality. In Afghanistan, thousands of women have recently
come together in public, risking their lives, to ask that their rights and the rights of
their children be guaranteed in peace negotiations that so far they have been allowed no part
of. Their stand is inspiring, but it should not
be necessary and the international community’s silent response is alarming to say the least. There can be no peace and stability in Afghanistan,
or anywhere else in the world, that involves trading away the rights of women. Worse still we see impunity for crimes committed
against women and girls during conflict, or when women human rights defenders are attacked,
or killed, or imprisoned. Too often, whether or not we confront these
human rights violations depends not on the law, on universal standards, but on how much
our governments think that their business or political interests in that country might
be affected. This is as harmful to our long-term security
and stability as it is unacceptable on a human and moral level. None of this is to discount the efforts of
the many men, great husbands, fathers, brothers and sons, who have been with us in this fight. It is simply the reality of the unequal power
relations, abuse of power, gender bias, violence and lack of justice that keep so many women
in a subordinate, and therefore vulnerable, position internationally. As long as we continue to put almost every
other issue ahead of women’s rights and participation, we will remain stuck in a cycle
of violence and conflict. We will have learned nothing. And our institutions will count for less than
they should. From my experience, a growing number of men
and women in uniform understand this. When we are at our best, doing what we are
called to do, we all share the exact same goals. The same mandate. A safer, more stable world. We fight to defend our freedoms and rights
and the freedoms and rights of others. I recently met a male peacekeeper, who had
just returned from deployment as a gender adviser in the Central African Republic. He told me that when he had started his career
serving in Afghanistan, he considered women’s rights to be a “soft” issue and not what
war was fought for. But his experiences had made him understand
that it is exactly what should be fought for, and exactly what stabilizes a country. His ability to contribute to this goal became
a source of pride to him. He had made that jump in his thinking. And while he had been doing a great service
to his country already, he had now added that understanding and that sense of partnership
with the women he served. There is progress. The number of cases of alleged sexual exploitation
and abuse are down, although even a single case is unacceptable. The numbers of women peacekeepers is on the
rise, with African nations in particular leading the way on this. There are more gender advisers on UN missions,
although still not enough. And improved the training on the protection
of civilians is starting to come into effect. But there is still a long way to go to demonstrate
that anyone who commits violations will not be tolerated and will be investigated and
prosecuted without exception. There is still much more to do to increase
the number of women in the ranks of peacekeeping missions. Having met some formidable female peacekeepers
this morning I think this change cannot come soon enough for the effectiveness and impact
of missions. And of course, we cannot call for more women
to serve, without making it safe and viable for them to do so, including ensuring that
they themselves are not vulnerable to sexual harassment or abuse. New actions by your governments in all these
areas can make a huge difference. But they, I believe must be accompanied by
commitments to ensure women’s representation in peace negotiations. To be consistent in the defense of women’s
rights, in all places, and to address the deep-seated societal reasons for inequality
and violence against women. And above all we need an understand that women
themselves are protectors: As mothers. As peacekeepers. As human rights defenders. Women are already contributing to peace in
theatres of war across the world without recognition or glory, because it comes naturally to them. It’s important to them. Think how much more we could achieve with
women’s equal participation in all aspects of society. Not at the expense of men, but alongside men. Because we are all partners in this life. We humans are capable of horrors, and unspeakable
cruelty. But we are also capable of building civilizations,
improving laws, demanding justice. We are willing to fight for people we’ve
never met and for their families. We fall. We fail. We lose our way, often when we are made to
feel afraid. But in our moments of strength and clarity,
we know that all people are in fact equal. We know that while we can and should be proud
of who we are individually, we are a part of a global world. And we know that we are supposed to come together
in defense of something greater than ourselves. Thank you very much.
