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17 May 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Your Excellency, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN,<\/p>\n Mr. Secretary-General,<\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n Ladies and Gentlemen,<\/p>\n It is my distinct honour to join you in celebrating the life and legacy of the late Madeleine Albright.<\/p>\n Throughout her storied and illustrious career, Secretary Albright played many roles, so much so that it is near impossible in a few moments to truly capture the depth and scale of the work that she accomplished.<\/p>\n Her journey from being \u201cMadlenka\u201d to \u201cMadeline\u201d is simply extraordinary.<\/p>\n As a refugee and migrant who fled persecution as a child.<\/p>\n As a staunch supporter of multilateralism and, in her own words, a \u201cchild of the UN\u201d.<\/p>\n As an environmentalist who oversaw the U.S. signing of the Kyoto Protocol.<\/p>\n As perhaps the only person who could teach Macarena in the Security Council.<\/p>\n Perhaps, as a woman who rose to the highest levels and demonstrated the power of women in power, she will be remembered as a torchbearer of gender equality.<\/p>\n Secretary Albright was the first female US Secretary of State and the highest-ranking woman in the history of US government at the time of her appointment.<\/p>\n I am reminded of her quote that there is no shortage of worthwhile work to be done and no surprise of seasons in which to do it.<\/p>\n As a diplomat, she demonstrated star quality with dignity. She was known to be firm but flexible.<\/p>\n She was perhaps one of the rare diplomats who made diplomacy understandable to the common people.<\/p>\n I still remember her quote, \u201cAs secretary, I will do my best to talk about foreign policy not in abstract terms, but in human terms…\u201d<\/p>\n As a gender champion and advocate for equality, I am in awe of all that Secretary Albright has achieved and encouraged by all those who she inspired.<\/p>\n She herself once stated that \u201c\u2026 societies are better off when women are politically and economically empowered.”<\/p>\n As President of the UN General Assembly, I would like to recognize Secretary Albright\u2019s firm support for the United Nations and all that it embodies.<\/p>\n Referring to herself as \u201cMultilateral Madeleine\u201d, Ms. Albright once said that \u201cIf the UN didn\u2019t exist, we would have to invent it.\u201d<\/p>\n Those words ring as true today as the day they were spoken.<\/p>\n Dear friends,<\/p>\n As we celebrate the life and career of Secretary Albright, I would like to recall the contributions of all the great women pioneers in the field of diplomacy who have negotiated peace agreements, strengthened diplomatic ties, survived threats, and opened the doors for other women to join the diplomatic service.<\/p>\n I am firmly of the view that the time has come for us to recognize the contribution of women in diplomacy.<\/p>\n Let us work towards declaring an International Day of Women in Diplomacy in recognition of women such as Madeleine Albright.<\/p>\n And, lest we forget, there are glass ceilings yet to be shattered\u2026<\/p>\n I believe we would all agree that Secretary Albright would fully endorse my call for the next Secretary-General of the United Nations to be a woman.<\/p>\n I would like to thank Her Excellency Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and the US Mission to the UN for organizing this memorial and for their kind invitation.<\/p>\n As we honour Secretary Albright\u2019s deeply inspiring legacy, let us continue her work in favor of a better world.<\/p>\n I thank you.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" United Nations General Assembly, New York<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":353,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Excellencies, colleagues,<\/p> I welcome you all to our second meeting and our first interaction following the resumed part of the session.<\/p> Before I begin, I would like to recognize the loss of our dear friend and esteemed colleague, Ms. Gail Farngalo.<\/p> A Liberian national, Gail was my Team Leader for Human Rights and was active on gender during both the 75th<\/sup> and 76th<\/sup> sessions. She leaves behind a legacy of achievements and a groundswell of respect and affection from across the UN and diplomatic communities. Her presence is certainly felt here today.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> When I took on this Presidency of Hope, I pledged to make gender equality a priority area for the 76th<\/sup> session. I continue to look to the board for its wisdom and expertise, as I endeavour to fulfil that pledge.<\/p> In this regard, I have already benefited from the board\u2019s advice, from when we met on October 28th<\/sup> last year.<\/p> Acting on that advice, I committed to ensuring that all my five rays of hope, and all my major initiatives, are approached with a gender lens.<\/p> I made sure that the composition of my office is gender-balanced.<\/p> I have committed to participating only in panels that have equal gender representation.<\/p> Throughout my official interactions and travels, I have endeavoured to meet with women, including heads of states and governments, scientists, civil society representatives, and youth.<\/p> And I am proud to inform you that five young women have been recruited into the Fellowship for HOPE<\/em> that my office recently launched. The Fellowship as you are well aware is targeted at benefiting young diplomats from underrepresented countries, pursuing careers in diplomacy or public service.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> While recognizing that we have a long way to go in the battle for gender-equality, I am proud of what my team has been able to accomplish within the past few months.<\/p> Our work continues.<\/p> We will continue to raise our voices on issues disproportionately impacting women, such as domestic violence and work place harassment. We will continue to push the importance of gender-equal work spaces.<\/p> And we will continue to find new paths to empower young women with ambitious professional aspirations.<\/p> Now is not the time to rest on our laurels.<\/p> With the board\u2019s guidance and support, we must use the many opportunities over the coming months to further empower women and girls, and dismantle discriminatory practices against them.<\/p> There are several upcoming events that will provide us such opportunities. I look forward to the board\u2019s suggestions on how we can best utilize them.<\/p> As an example, the International Day of Women and Girls in science is fast approaching. We must recognize that women\u2019s contributions in science and technology have helped us cure diseases; discover new horizons in space; and develop technologies that have vastly improved our quality of life.<\/p> As we celebrate their achievements, we must also open pathways for young girls who aspire to follow in the footsteps of pioneers in science and technology.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> Let us also reflect that the theme chosen by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women for this year is on \u201cachieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes\u201d.<\/p> As we strive to meet our obligations to the planet, let us recognize the important work done by women and girls at the forefront of the climate crisis, and whose humanitarian work in disaster-stricken areas has helped save lives and rebuild communities. We owe it to them to not only celebrate their work but to support them.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> Our programme of work for the months ahead has been circulated to members prior to the meeting, for consideration and feedback. Please note that the events we have planned are not exhaustive. I welcome further suggestions from the board on the content and format of future events and activities.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> We have made much progress within a short while. And with the board\u2019s support and guidance, I am sure that we can keep up this strong momentum.<\/p> I look forward to working alongside all of you to achieve our vision of a gender-equal world.<\/p> Thank you.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[550,556,553],"committee-meeting":[],"class_list":["post-265746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-speeches","tag-ga","tag-pga","tag-shahid","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n