Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
U.S. Representative to the United Nations
New York, New York
August 31, 2021
AS DELIVERED
This has been an amazing opportunity to engage with you on the vital and important issues of women, peace, and security. Women make the world more peaceful, and that’s a fact. If anyone wants to dispute me, I look forward to that debate.
By promoting women’s participation and leadership – in politics, in education, in negotiations, and in every aspect of public life – we change the dynamics of the world. We elevate and we alter global conversations. And this isn’t just a priority for women. It’s a priority for men. It’s a priority for our children moving forward. It’s a critical priority for everyone on the planet who values peace and values progress.
Still, somehow, in 2021, women and girls have largely been left behind in peace processes. Their voices are silenced, their experiences are dismissed. And that is beyond unacceptable. It cannot continue, and we must all work to lift them up, and not allow them to be knocked down. We have to address this today – not tomorrow – and we have to address it together.
The recent events unfolding in conflicts around the world – in Afghanistan, in Ethiopia, the list goes on and on – and the tragic realities for women and girls in so many parts of the world should serve as a clarion call to action for all of us today.
And I want to end by saying that the United States stands firm in our commitment to promoting the women, peace, and security agenda and to protecting the equal rights for all people, but particularly for women and girls – both here at home, as well as abroad.
And again, thank you to all of my panelists. Thank you to IPI. Adam, thank you for hosting this.
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