You are the voices for civil society and human rights, voices of public life and political participation, voices of democracy and progress. You have worked to put into practice the hopes, dreams and plans that came to fruition at the Fourth UN World Conference on Women in Beijing. Today more than at any other time in history, women have the opportunity and responsibility not only to raise our own voices and to raise our voices for the thousands of women for whom no one speaks, but to empower others to raise theirs. What better time to recommit ourselves to the Platform for Action. The promise made at Beijing recognizes that democratic progress depends on the progress of women.
Economic progress depends on the progress of women.
Women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights. I was asked to speak to you today about America's commitment. The President and his Administration took our role in the Beijing Conference seriously. On the 75 th anniversary of the ratification of the 19 th Amendment that gave women here the right to vote, days before the world gathering in China, President Clinton said we don't intend to walk away from the conference when it's over. For the last five years the President's Council has had the active participation of the First Lady, Secretary Albright, Secretary Shalala, and other high ranking representatives from every agency of the government, from the Pentagon to the Small Business Administration.