Vital Voices of the Americas Summit Opening Ceremony

October 6, 2008, Buenos Aires

Good morning, it’s a great pleasure for me to welcome all of you to Buenos Aires for the Vital Voices of the Americas Summit.  For the past decade Vital Voices has been a key force in ensuring that women’s voices are heard in the global discussion of international relations, economic development, and human rights. 

The Vital Voices Democracy Initiative was established by the United States Government in 1997 under the leadership of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and then First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.  It was my great pleasure to support some of the first activities of Vital Voices in the Balkans, Central Europe and Northern Ireland. 

The success of these early programs led an international group of women leaders to establish Vital Voices Global Partnership as an NGO in the year 2000. I am proud that the Vital Voices Democracy Initiative has grown to become a worldwide NGO, working in the United States, Latin America, Eurasia, the Middle East, and Africa.  I have been very happy to partner with Vital Voices for activities earlier this decade in Washington and now in Buenos Aires. 

Let me make clear that Vital Voices has broad bipartisan support in the United States; the honorary chairs of Vital Voices are Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Democrat, and two Republicans, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and former Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker. 

In a similar way, I know and can see here today that Vital Voices brings together individuals from a wide variety of political, economic, and cultural backgrounds united by a shared commitment to the transformative power of women in the world. 

You have chosen an appropriate site for your Summit.  In addition to being a fascinating country with one of the world’s great cities as its capital, Argentina has a distinguished history of women leaders. 

Most obviously, I can note President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, one of 10 female elected or appointed heads of state.  It has been my pleasure to work with her, in my capacity as Ambassador of the United States, to build stronger U.S.-Argentine relations.

President Fernandez de Kirchner has three other women in her cabinet, serving as Defense Minister, as Minister of Social Development, and as Minister of Health.  Two women sit on the Supreme Court.  Women make up 28 out of 72 of Argentina’s Senators and 103 out of 256 of Argentina’s Deputies (Representatives).  And, one of the most prominent leaders in the Opposition is a woman.  Many women lead at the sub-federal level as evidenced by the Deputy Mayor of B.A. who is with us today, Gabriella Michetti.  Many of these leaders will join you for some part of these meetings, and one of them is Diputada Maria Laura Leguizamon, a leading member of the organizing committee for this Summit.

Women are prominent leaders in business as well, many of whom will join these meetings.  I am pleased to see Margareth Henriquez, CEO of Bodegas Chandon listed as one of your speakers, and I am delighted to see the work of so many women entrepreneurs displayed in your Marketplace of the Americas.

I have also been struck by how many women leaders can be found throughout Argentina’s exceptionally vibrant NGO sector.  Among the best known are the women who came together in the Plaza de Mayo to speak out against human rights abuses during the military dictatorship when many others did not dare to.  Their courage inspired the world, and many of them continue to work vigorously to right the wrongs done in that era. When Argentina returned to democracy, women played a key role, including the women of the NGO “Conciencia” who began civic education programs to encourage greater citizen participation in government. 

Then there are the many women who play vital roles responding to the dire needs of their neighbors in poorer communities. Margarita Barrientos, for example, who despite having little of her own, somehow feeds more than 1000 people a day at Los Piletones community center in a Buenos Aires neighborhood, and she never stops thinking of new ways to help her community. 

When our Embassy organized an NGO Fair last April, it was not intended as a women’s leadership event, but it certainly could have been one, because there were so many very impressive women leaders present who are doing outstanding work in health, education, environmental protection, economic development, and civic organization, including Laura Alonso of Poder Ciudadano, Silvia Uranga of Fundacion Pescar, and Lia Rueda of Conciencia.  

Thus, it is fitting that you have gathered here in Argentina to discuss strengthening the role of women in Western Hemisphere societies. 

In order for women to fully enjoy their rights and to effectively participate in society, they must be free from the threat of violence.  Violence against women exists in epidemic proportions, whether it occurs in the form of domestic abuse; human trafficking; or as a consequence of drug abuse. 

To raise awareness to the problem of domestic violence against women, the United States has designated October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Additionally, the United Nations recognizes November 25th, as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.  Over recent decades there has been a growing recognition around the world that domestic violence is a terrible and widespread crime and that ignoring it or covering it up, as often happened in the United States and elsewhere, has only made the problem worse. 

In the United States, laws have been updated to increase the penalties for domestic violence, to allow family court judges to consider domestic violence in child custody cases, and to provide protections for women threatened by abusive spouses.  In Argentina, the Supreme Court recently inaugurated its Office of Domestic Violence to protect and assist victims.

The United States is committed to working with civil society and governments to prevent domestic violence and help create a loving and stable environment for women and children.

Another widespread problem is trafficking in persons – a form of modern-day slavery that exists worldwide.  Around the world, hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children are enslaved in sweatshops and farms, are bought and sold into prostitution, or are exploited as domestic servants. 

Here in Argentina, the work of heroic individuals like Susana Trimarco, has helped raise awareness about a crime that afflicts many Argentines, especially women, and has mobilized ongoing efforts to attack this scourge. 
 
The United States is committed to working with all the nations of the Hemisphere to eradicate this horror and to bring to justice those that trade and profit in human suffering. 

Issues like domestic violence and trafficking in persons often affect women in particular.  However, women’s central role in society and culture means that women must be part of the solution to broader problems that harm all members of the community such as drug trafficking.  Again here in Argentina many women have risen to the challenge.  Anti-drug activists such as Maria Rosa Gonzalez and the "Mothers Against Paco" in poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires have brought public and official attention to Argentina’s domestic drug problem with little more than cell phones and the collective will to fight the drug lords that prey on their children. 
 
These women are indeed, women of courage, as they take to the streets of their neighborhood at night to talk to addicts about the dangers of using drugs.  We stand committed to work alongside women leaders from all walks of life seeking to build a world free of drugs and violence.

Finally, I applaud your choice of theme for the Summit “Women as a Bridge to a More Prosperous Future.”  At this time when world financial markets are in turmoil, it is more important than ever that all of us work together to create jobs, expand economic opportunities, and improve quality of life.  The temptation to fall back on old patterns of isolation and protectionism will not provide solutions.  In a globalized economy, market disruptions in New York will affect Buenos Aires, Santiago or Sao Paulo, just as festering poverty in Mexico or Haiti affects the United States.

We face economic uncertainty and we must learn from our mistakes, but the way forward requires us all to work together, all benefiting from the resources and talents of different nations and all of our citizens.  We must continue to bring women from the margins of our economies to the center and from the lower ranks to the top ranks.  In this way, we can benefit from the abilities and wisdom of more than 50% of the population, and we can ensure that the benefits of economic growth are more widely shared across society to improve health, raise education levels, and build stronger families and communities.

As U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Argentina, I am honored to welcome you to Buenos Aires.  Thank you for your attention and for your tireless efforts to improve the quality of life across our Hemisphere. 

I look forward to meeting and talking with you.