Policy Podcast: Women's EmpowermentShirin Tahir-Kheli, Senior Advisor for Women's Empowerment Washington, D.C. MR. MCCORMACK: Ambassador Shirin Tahir-Kheli, the Secretary's senior advisor for Women's Empowerment, thank you very much for joining us. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: Thank you very much for asking me. MR. MCCORMACK: Yesterday was a big day here at the Department. You organized a Senior Roundtable on Women's Justice issues. And I guess, it was a star-studded cast that was there, including Secretary Rice and former Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Tell us a little bit about the day. What were you discussing and what did you hear? AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: Thank you very much for this opportunity. The senior roundtable came out as a result of the Secretary's working group, you know, with the foreign ministers and heads of state. And she'd announced last September in New York that the State Department would host something to oversee the issues relating to women's justice. MR. MCCORMACK: So this was -- just let me back up for a second -- so this came out of another initiative that you have, so it was sort of a sub-meeting. Is that right? AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: Right. And actually the Secretary's working group is very focused on practical ways on moving forward issues on education, political participation -- MR. MCCORMACK: Right. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: -- economic empowerment and justice. And justice turns out to be one of those very complicated issues MR. MCCORMACK: Right. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: -- because it cuts across all kinds of boundaries. So yesterday's event brought together 40 judges from the United States, state and federal, and about 20 foreign judges or those who are practitioners in justice issues, to look at two issues: violence against women and lack of access to justice. The trends on both these issues globally are not good. For example, on violence against women, the global figures are staggering; one out of three women is at some point going to have some violence inflicted on her. MR. MCCORMACK: Right. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: And most often by family, but not necessarily only by it. So this is clearly a global problem. And there is a huge determination now in this century, as we look at issues dealing with developments, stability, human rights, that this is no longer something that one can do. The access to justice ties in very much to the violence issue because access to justice implies a number of things. Is there an opportunity for women to lodge their complaints? MR. MCCORMACK: Right. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: Are there sympathetic or trained police, judges, prosecutors that make it easier for the women against whom this violence has been committed to seek some redress? Is there legislation that parliaments have passed that makes this a crime? Is there enforcement of that legislation? So while the trends are bad, what's really hopeful is a determination on the part of governments and the legal system, including the senior judges who were here yesterday, to do something about it. MR. MCCORMACK: So what -- were there any practical steps or suggestions or ideas that you heard, that these judges could go back to their countries to try to implement? Or that we on the diplomatic front could try to accomplish in terms of making fundamental changes? It sounds like what you're really talking about, in order to get at these issues -- AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: Right. MR. MCCORMACK: -- is making some fundamental changes in society and that takes some time. But how do you get those started? AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: That's actually a very thoughtful and a great question. And we listen very carefully for that, because the sort of outcome has to be something that makes a difference on the ground. MR. MCCORMACK: Right. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: What was very interesting, and actually gratifying, was to hear judges, American judges in particular, note that the Department of State in bringing together the foreign and those in the country who want to be helpful abroad together is one of the few institutions that could do such an event. But also they showed a commitment that was far ahead, as they said, of the legislative or the judicial branches. So they not only commended the Secretary for interest and commitment, but promised to work with us in partnering with other countries. During the course of the day, it was very interesting to note the dynamic because you had -- and it was fairly informally done because they were all so senior, we didn't want to structure alphabetically -- MR. MCCORMACK: Right. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: -- or rank-wise because they were all Supreme Court judges, they were from other countries or senior, and so we said, well, please sit next to somebody you don't know so that you can start this conversation. And the positive sort of energy and commitment in the room was almost physically palpable. The suggestions were really very practical, from Liberia's wanting to get women police, to Ghana saying -- what they did was pass a law that changes the approach, but also that while they're training the judges, they're making a big push to train paralegals because that's easier to send out in the country. So all kinds of practical suggestions, from education that was needed to, actually, enforcement issues came up. Someone brought up the issue of the Hague Convention, which provides apparently a network of lawyers that are willing to do pro bono work for women who have these kinds of problems but cannot afford to actually get a judge -- a lawyer. So what we're trying to do is to pull together the -- I'd say about a dozen-plus really concrete suggestions that came out and match them up with the resources. Because yesterday's event was also somewhat unusual in that it not only brought together the practitioners, but it also was -- of course, the Secretary of State, and as you mentioned, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, but also the CEO of Avon, Andrea Jung. And Avon committed not only -- committed to the private side of the partnership that brought the foreign judges to the Department of State, but a million dollars for follow-on work, which would be, of course, grants that they would give through the UN institution that deals with women’s issues, UNIFEM. MR. MCCORMACK: Right. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: And they’re very, very key to help us, sort of, in the educational component. They’re thinking of also helping set up a website, whereby these judges who were here yesterday, who had got – who started that conversation could stay in touch with questions. So there will be some very, very concrete outcomes and we’re going to actually put them all together in the next few weeks and have follow-on action. MR. MCCORMACK: I wanted you to get to talk a little bit about some of the other activities over the past week or so that I know that you’ve been involved in, because it wasn’t just the conference yesterday. Earlier this week, it was International Women’s Day and -- AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: Yes. MR. MCCORMACK: -- there was an awards ceremony here, International Women Of Courage, and I know that just last week, late last week, the Secretary co-hosted once again -- AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: Right. MR. MCCORMACK: -- a forum at which you gathered together senior women governmental leaders from around the world. I think it was the third such forum. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: Right. MR. MCCORMACK: Talk a little bit about, you know, what you heard last week and events from earlier this week and what that means for women’s empowerment and women’s issues as part of U.S. diplomacy. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: It’s really been a very fantastic week in terms of actual collaborative work. And the Secretary embodies this commitment that the United States has made that the empowerment of women and their well-being is part and parcel of our approach in terms of foreign policy. So her presence, first in Brussels as you mentioned, was part of that women leaders working group. And there were in Brussels 20 ministers, they had four heads of state, they had two Nobel Laureates, they had – Mrs. Mubarak, First Lady of Egypt was there, Ana Palacio, who heads up the legal section of the World Bank and a number of others. And that was part of that series of women leaders working group and they were looking at issues that pertain to what role do women play in stabilizing insecure societies. And so the Secretary’s speech and other speeches were sort of focused on that particular effort and then, again, some concrete steps in certain level programs. This week, she spent time – the Secretary spent time first with the International Women’s Day statement that you put out on her behalf, which pledged America’s commitment, which acknowledged the important role that women play, and also noted the – particularly signature women who have given, essentially, of themselves, Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, who some 16 years later is still under house arrest but still fighting for democracy in her country, and noted Benazir Bhutto, who had committed her life to returning Pakistan to a moderate country status and a democratic country and who lost her life in that fight in December. But it also pledged that as these women will not have done what they’ve done in vain, that we commit ourselves and our resources. So that was very important. And then the International Women Of Courage award, which was the second year of such an award, highlighted the work of some eight amazing, amazing women who have done extremely – actually dangerous – personally dangerous work sometimes defending human rights, running schools under threat – threat of death for girls and boys, actually, running clinics for women’s health, women who have changed parliamentary action. And you know, Sean, the – as someone who sits on that committee that selects, we had some of our 17 nominations from posts of our American embassies overseas. And it was really quite difficult to pick the eight because that’s the level we’re going for. MR. MCCORMACK: (Inaudible.) AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: Because essentially, every one of them was remarkable. One of them, who was actually Belgian, who’s been working to bring the different communities in Belgium, different (inaudible) together with very little in the way of resources but doing a huge job, was here at yesterday’s event. MR. MCCORMACK: Right. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: Which she did not get that award, but we wanted to recognize her as somebody who’s doing signature work. So I feel extremely privileged to have presumed on the Secretary’s time so much in the last 10 days. MR. MCCORMACK: Right. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: And your time. MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah, good, not at all. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: But it’s really been – you know, I think her flight has been very important and I think the tide has changed. Yesterday, Sandra Day O’Connor said something which actually got the audience up on its feet. And this is not the sort of audience that jumps up too often on its feet, I don’t think, and clapped for a good, solid three minutes when she said, “There are many things we cannot put an end to that are terrible that happened to women. This issue of violence against women is one that we can put an end to and we commit ourselves to doing that.” And the Secretary, in her statement, made her commitment and said she commits the resources of the Department, of herself, both in her present job and subsequently, to helping on this effort. I think this is really a wonderful, wonderful event on a very tough and difficult issue. MR. MCCORMACK: Well, with that, with those wise and important, heartening words, let me thank you for joining us this morning -- AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: Thank you. MR. MCCORMACK: -- and look forward to talking to you again. AMBASSADOR TAHIR-KHELI: Thank you, Sean. It’s always great to talk to you. Thank you. MR. MCCORMACK: Good. # # # |
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