The Beijing Platform for Action is the strongest statement promoting women's empowerment ever made by the international community. Equally important, it represents the first time that a UN document directed at advancing women has been framed in the context of human rights and economic independence. We welcome the attention to human security and social protection during the five-year review of the Platform for Action. We would like to echo the Secretary-General's characterization that human security places the human person at the center of concern. It encompasses the state of well-being in which an individual or group has the assurance of protection from physical and mental harm, and has freedom from fear and anxiety, freedom from want, and is able to live life with dignity.
Human security is thus firmly based in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Throughout the world the population is growing older. The United Nations has recognized this by designating 1999 as the International Year of the Older Persons. In the United States, we have organized a number of activities, both within the government and with our NGO partners, to focus on older people and to recognize their ongoing contributions as part of our families, our communities, and our nation. We know that most older persons are older women, so that as we address the health and social needs of our aging populations, we must insure that the health of women is central to that effort. Women's health is a priority for the United States, and through policies and increased funding, we have expanded research on women's health, increased access to preventative services, and institutionalized a women's health focus throughout the Department of Health and Human Services and other key health agencies.