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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Remarks by J. Brian Atwood
at the Ceremony in Honor of Hillary Rodham Clinton
First Lady of the United States
Tuesday, March 16, 1999
I want to thank all of you for joining this celebration. In particular, I want to thank Ambassador Edith Sempala, Senator Pat Leahy and Congressman Sonny Callahan for joining us today.
Ambassador Sempala is widely respected in Washington for her effective representation of one of Africa’s real success stories, Uganda.
Senator Pat Leahy has chaired the Foreign Operations Subcommittee and is a long time friend of USAID. I thank him for his many contributions to our development mission. He has supported our work in the agriculture sector, in the environment, in family planning and in promoting women in development. His war victims fund and his efforts to ban landmines give hope to the millions of people who live in conflict and post-conflict situations.
Thank you Senator for fighting for these good causes and thank you for being a friend.
Congressman Callahan has also been a friend and supporter of this Agency. As Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Sonny Callahan has been a real leader in managing a bill from which many of his colleagues would prefer to hide. In 1997 the foreign assistance appropriations bill passed with more votes -- 375 to 49 -- than it had ever received before. Sonny Callahan’s colleagues trust him and so do I. His child survival account which includes resources to combat the diseases and conditions that kill children and the resources to educate them, is now a fixture in our legislation. And it is a reflection of the humanitarian values that Chairman Callahan and the vast majority of the American people share.
Thank you Mr. Chairman for your support, for your friendship and for your leadership in the House of Representatives.
And, to both Senator Leahy and Congressman Callahan, happy St. Patrick’s Day. Mrs. Clinton, we are here today to honor you, to pay tribute to what has become your life’s work – your tireless advocacy for women, children and families here in the United States and, on behalf of all Americans, across the globe. To a very large extent, your mission has been USAID’s mission. I know I speak for all USAID staff and our partners when I say we have deeply appreciated the attention you have brought to our work.
A good example of that is the lunch you just hosted to bring together the private sector and USAID in the effort to assure that children around the world have sufficient quantities of Vitamin A in their diets. This effort could save thousands of children each year. Business leaders from Monsanto, Land O’Lakes, Proctor and Gamble, Roche Vitamins, BASF, Kellogg, Tate and Lyle, as well as such organizations as Lions, Kiwanis and Rotary have signed a memorandum of cooperation that will vastly increase the availability of food staples fortified with Vitamin A.
Mrs. Clinton, the development and humanitarian relief professionals of USAID and our partners in the private sector, the NGO community and the universities often do their work in obscurity. They toil in far-off nations where poverty and disease take their toll. They accept great personal risks for themselves and their families. For the most part, they do not seek attention for the contribution they make. But they also understand that unless the story of their achievements is told, the American people and our Congress will not support them.
More than anyone, you have helped us tell our story. And in doing so you have inspired people everywhere. It would be impossible to tell all the stories of your many meetings with people in the developing world in the brief time we have. But the staff of USAID have witnessed the tremendous impact you have had on people.
You have given hope to poor villagers battling the effects of desertification in Senegal. I saw you applaud when one woman told us she had to fire the man who ran the village store when he came in late several days.
You have reinforced the dignity of women micro-entrepreneurs in Nepal, Nicaragua and Uganda. We know how much you enjoy listening to women explain how their lives have changed dramatically when a $300 loan gave them a chance to start a small business.
You have promoted vaccinations to counter deadly childhood diseases in Indonesia. You are in the forefront of global efforts to thwart the diseases and conditions that kill children even before they have had a chance to learn to read or write.
You have explained to women in Romania that family planning programs are the safe alternative to abortion. You understand well that carefully spaced children makes them and their mothers healthier and happier. You have encouraged homeless women in South Africa to build their own homes and manage their own communities. I saw your surprised look when the township you visited the year before had blossomed from a few houses to nearly one hundred. You had to know the impact you had when these proud women named their main boulevard Hillary Rodham Clinton Avenue.
And in Beijing, you told the women of the world that human rights are women’s rights, and that women’s rights are human rights. Those were words that still reverberate around the world as women everywhere demand recognition and respect.
These are but a few of the many visits you have made to promote development and to inspire the ingenious people who are helping themselves with our aid. Many of your visits are on display in a photo exhibit in our main lobby. I invite our guests to view these beautiful photographs before you leave today.
In many of your visits to faraway lands you have acted as the eyes and ears of the President. Just last week in Central America, President Clinton followed in your footsteps as he witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Mitch. A year ago, at your behest, the President made an historic 12-day visit to Africa. There, he saw firsthand, the programs of USAID – self-help programs that leave in their wake dignity, empowerment, economic growth and more meaningful democracies.
Not since Eleanor Roosevelt have we had such an effective and influential presidential advisor as First Lady. Last December you spoke of Mrs. Roosevelt’s role in words that could be used to describe your own: "She went everywhere and anywhere she thought her presence would make a difference. She wanted to see with her own eyes the everyday violations that rob individuals of their dignity and all of us our humanity. And then she rolled up her sleeves and tried to do something about what she saw."
Mrs. Clinton, your words and your deeds speak volumes about your character and your commitment. And you have done something about what you saw. You have supported our work and you have honored those whose mission is development, those whose mission is humanitarian relief.
From this day forward, those who work for and with USAID will be reminded of your dedicated service as First Lady to the causes we as an Agency embrace. The plaque we are about to unveil will be placed in the main entrance of USAID. It reads in part:
"May all who pass through these portals recognize the invaluable contribution to worldwide development made by the First Lady of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton." Even more significantly, Mrs. Clinton, this plaque expresses in your own words your appreciation of the work of our Agency. This is the quote we have chosen both to honor your principles and by which you will forevermore honor our historic mission:
"Through USAID, our government is committed to expanding the circle of human dignity to every human being – men and women, boys and girls. There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own lives. There cannot be true democracy unless all citizens are able to participate fully in the lives of their countries."
Ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege now to introduce the person you have been waiting for, the First Lady of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
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Last Updated on: July 12, 2001 |
