Beijing ? September 5, 1995

Hillary Rodham Clinton ? Remarks to the UN 4th World Conference on Women

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The Enduring Legacy of the Beijing Address

Hillary Clinton's 1995 address at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, famously declaring, "Human rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human rights," provided the definitive rallying cry for the global feminist movement of the late 20th century. This speech is far more than a historical artifact for the 5WCW movement; it is the foundational text that outlines the unfinished mission. The address meticulously detailed the specific human rights violations faced by women?from domestic violence and forced sterilization to discrimination in education and employment?and established the moral imperative to fight them collectively. The 5WCW initiative builds directly on this legacy, aiming to secure the political will required to fully implement the Beijing Platform for Action, the comprehensive blueprint developed at that conference which the 5WCW advocates feel has been inadequately fulfilled.

For the organizers and supporters of the proposed Fifth World Conference, this speech remains a crucial tool for mobilization and advocacy. By explicitly linking the status of women to global stability, peace, and prosperity, Clinton ensured that gender equality became a matter of international public policy, not simply a social issue. The presence of the full speech on the 5wcw.org website serves to remind contemporary activists of the movement's powerful origins and the clear, unwavering demands for justice that were articulated three decades ago. It acts as a compass, confirming that the goals of the 5WCW?to address new challenges and achieve gender balance?are a direct and necessary continuation of the work started in Beijing.

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Speech Transcript (Excerpt)

Introductory thanks to Gertrude Mongella, delegates, and guests.

Thank you very much, Gertrude Mongella, for your dedicated work that has brought us to this point, distinguished delegates, and guests:

I would like to thank the Secretary General for inviting me to be part of this important United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. This is truly a celebration...

?There is far more that unites us than divides us. We share a common future, and we are here to find common ground...?

By gathering in Beijing, we are focusing world attention on issues that matter most in our lives ? access to education, health care, jobs and credit, basic legal and human rights, and participation in political life.

There are some who question the reason for this conference. Let them listen to the voices of women in their homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces... Wasn?t it after Nairobi that the world first focused on the crisis of domestic violence?

Human rights are women?s rights and women?s rights are human rights ? once and for all.

What we are learning around the world is that if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish?

?Women comprise more than half the world?s population, 70% of the world?s poor, and two-thirds of those who are not taught to read and write?

?If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women?s rights and women?s rights are human rights?

Let this conference be our call to action? The time is now. We must move beyond rhetoric?

Godspeed and thank you very much.