Consul General Speeches

Statement on the occasion of International Women’s Day, March 8, 2007

Today nations and individuals celebrate the contributions that women have made to all fields of human endeavor.  International Women’s Day is also an opportunity to reflect upon the role of women in society and to focus on areas where there is more work to be done to advance the rights of women and secure for them basic liberties and protections.

March is also National Women’s History Month in the United States, and we are proud to celebrate the contributions that women have made to U.S. history and culture.  The theme of this year’s commemoration is “Generations of Women Moving History Forward.”  Over centuries of American history, courageous women have taken tremendous risks to advance freedom and equality, and to fight for the causes they knew to be just.  Sojourner Truth spoke out against the scourge of slavery.  Rachel Carson was a pioneering environmentalist whose work laid the foundation for the modern environmental movement.  Susan B. Anthony, one of the leading figures in the fight for women’s suffrage said that when committed people work together for justice, “Failure is impossible.”  Katherine Graham was the first woman to become the president of a “Fortune 500” company and as publisher of the Washington Post led a leading U.S. newspaper through one of the most turbulent times in modern American history.  I can say with conviction that the opportunities available to me were in great part the result of the hard fought battles of countless lesser know and anonymous women who insisted on equal rights, access to education, and equal employment opportunity. 

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice serves as an example of the progress women have made in the United States in reaching the pinnacles of power in education, business, politics and other fields.  In honor of International Women’s Day she is announcing the Secretary of State’s Award for International Women of Courage and will recognize the first group of women drawn from different regions around the world to receive the award.  This award recognizes women who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating women’s rights and advancement. 

Indeed, social progress requires the active participation of women in all aspects of civic life. 

At the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam, we have virtually an equal number of women and men, and also an equal division between the genders in positions of responsibility.  We are proud that our diverse staff includes American and Dutch citizens, as well as people of South African, Surinamese, Canadian, Aruban, Indonesian, Peruvian and Welsh origin.  Diversity lends strength and creativity to our organization. 

Today, as we celebrate International Women’s Day together, and throughout Women’s History Month we recognize the diverse contributions that women have made to strengthening the international community.  And we honor the continuing struggle of those who work to secure freedom, justice and equality for themselves and others.

Additional information about National Women’s History Month is available by following this link: http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/womeninfln/index.htm