INTERVIEW by MARK LANDLER
Hillary Rodham Clinton staked her claim as an advocate for global women’s issues in 1995, when, as first lady, she gave an impassioned speech at a United Nations conference in Beijing. As secretary of state, she pushed to create a new position, ambassador at large for global women’s issues, and recruited Melanne Verveer, her former chief of staff, to fill it. And she has drawn attention to women at nearly every stop in her travels, most recently on an 11-day visit to Africa, during which, among other things, she went to eastern Congo to speak out against mass rape. Hours before leaving on that trip, Clinton discussed women’s issues and the Obama administration’s foreign policy for 35 minutes in her elegant seventh-floor office at the State Department. What follows is a condensed and edited version of our conversation.
Q: In your confirmation hearing, you said you would put women’s issues at the core of American foreign policy. But as you know, in much of the world, gender equality is not accepted as a universal human right. How do you overcome that deep-seated cultural resistance?
Clinton: You have to recognize how deep-seated it is, but also reach an understanding of how without providing more rights and responsibilities for women, many of the goals we claim to pursue in our foreign policy are either unachievable or much harder to achieve.
Democracy means nothing if half the people can’t vote, or if their vote doesn’t count, or if their literacy rate is so low that the exercise of their vote is in question. Which is why when I travel, I do events with women, I talk about women’s rights, I meet with women activists, I raise women’s concerns with the leaders I’m talking to.
I happen to believe that the transformation of women’s roles is the last great impediment to universal progress — that we have made progress on many other aspects of human nature that used to be discriminatory bars to people’s full participation. But in too many places and too many ways, the oppression of women stands as a stark reminder of how difficult it is to realize people’s full human potential.
Q: I’m curious about what priorities you’re setting. Will the Obama administration have a signature issue — sex trafficking or gender-based violence or maternal mortality or education for girls — in the way that H.I.V./AIDS came to symbolize the Bush-administration strategy?
Clinton: We are having as a signature issue the fact that women and girls are a core factor in our foreign policy. If you look at what has to be done, in some societies, it is a different problem than in others. In some of the societies where women are deprived of political and economic rights, they have access to education and health care. In other societies, they may have been given the vote, but girl babies are still being put out to die.
So it’s not one specific program, so much as a policy. When it comes to our global health agenda, maternal health is now part of the Obama administration’s outreach. We’re very proud of the work this country has done, through Pepfar, on H.I.V./AIDS [the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief was begun by George W. Bush in 2003]. We’ve moved from an understanding of how to deal with global AIDS to recognizing it’s now a woman’s disease, because women are the most vulnerable and often have no power to protect themselves. And it’s increasingly younger women or even girls.
But women die every minute from poor maternal health care. You know, H.I.V./AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria — those are all, unfortunately, equal-opportunity killers. Maternal health is a woman’s issue; it’s a family issue; it’s a child issue. And for the United States to say to countries that have very high maternal mortality rates, “We care about the future of your children, and in order to do that, we care about the present of your women,” is a powerful statement.
Q: Do you have a point of view about what should come first: Do you empower women economically and then hope that they seize a political role for themselves? Or do you seek to give them more legal and political standing and hope that they can win a place in the economic sphere?
Clinton: That’s a great question, because I think the historical record would show both routes have worked. Women were not particularly economically empowered when we finally included the right of women to vote in our Constitution. So women’s rights were expanded in 1920, and that opened up a lot of doors to women to see themselves in different roles, including economic roles, outside the home.
India’s been a democracy for 60 years, and remarkably extended the vote to everyone, every caste, to both men and women equally. So women have been given the right to vote, but without economic empowerment, they didn’t have the influence that their votes should have brought, which is why the government of India has made such a big point of extending economic and political opportunity equally to women.
And when we visited SEWA, the Self-Employed Women’s Association [in India], those women had the vote before they were born, but being economically empowered, being able to stand up for themselves inside their families, on the streets of their villages, is giving them a sense of autonomy and authority that just their vote couldn’t have.
Q: In your travels as secretary of state, you’ve focused heavily on the role of microlending. Is there a reason in these early days that you’ve tended to emphasize the economic over the political?
Clinton: It’s interesting: it’s partly because of where I’ve gone. It’s also because I’ve worked on microcredit since 1983, going back to Arkansas and projects that I worked on with my husband there.
I am also struck by every international public-opinion poll I’ve ever seen, that the No. 1 thing most men and women want is a good job with a good income. It is at the core of the human aspiration to be able to support oneself, to give one’s children a better future. Microenterprise is uniquely designed to empower women because — through the trial and error of its development, going back to Muhammad Yunus’s invention of it in Bangladesh — women are much greater at investing in future goods than the men who have participated in microcredit have turned out to be. And they are also very reliable in paying back, because they are so eager to have that extra help and recognition that microcredit provides.
So, I don’t make a distinction between economic empowerment and political, social empowerment; I think it’s fair to say both need to go hand in hand.
Q: There are counterterrorism experts who have made the observation that countries that nurture terrorist groups tend to be the same societies that marginalize women. Do you see a link between your campaign on women’s issues and our national security?
Clinton: I think it’s an absolute link. Part of the reason I have pursued it as secretary of state is because I see it in our national security interest. If you look at where we are fighting terrorism, there is a connection to groups that are making a stand against modernity, and that is most evident in their treatment of women.
What does preventing little girls from going to school in Afghanistan by throwing acid on them have to do with waging a struggle against oppression externally? It’s a projection of the insecurity and the disorientation that a lot of these terrorists and their sympathizers feel about a fast-changing world, where they turn on television sets and see programs with women behaving in ways they can’t even imagine. The idea that young women in their own societies would pursue an independent future is deeply threatening to their cultural values.
Q: Many of the countries where the abuses against women are most prevalent are also countries that have a vital strategic importance to the United States: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, India. How can you aggressively advocate for women without jeopardizing those strategic relationships?
Clinton: Well, in a number of these strategic relationships, there’s a commitment to advancing the roles and rights of women. In India, the changes that have been made are remarkable. There are still tens of millions of very poor women, but women have assumed more and more responsibility; they are seen in public positions and increasingly economic ones, where their stature is accepted by society.
When I meet with the Chinese leadership, as I just did in the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, they have women who are part of their leadership team, and women who are assuming greater and greater economic and political roles.
Obviously, there’s work to be done in both India and China, because the infanticide rate of girl babies is still overwhelmingly high, and unfortunately with technology, parents are able to use sonograms to determine the sex of a baby, and to abort girl children simply because they’d rather have a boy. And those are deeply set attitudes. But at the governmental level, there is a great deal of openness and commitment that I am seeing.
In other societies where we have strategic security interests, it’s a challenge to move the agenda forward in a way that includes women’s issues. When we did our strategic review on Afghanistan, we said very clearly, We can’t be all things to all people in Afghanistan. We have to focus on a few critical concerns. But one of them was the role of women, and women’s participation in society.
Q: Let me ask you one question about India, where we’ve just concluded a Strategic Dialogue agreement. I didn’t notice too much emphasis on sex trafficking on your trip, even though it’s clear India remains the world capital of sex trafficking. Can you make that case strenuously with the Indians at the same moment that we’re trying to do so many other things with them?
Clinton: Absolutely, and in fact, we do it every year with our annual report on trafficking in persons. It’s a very high priority to me, and it is raised as part of the ongoing discussions that we have with many countries. In a democracy like India, there is a challenge of getting the word down to the local jurisdiction — the local police, the local judges, the local authorities. But I have no doubt about the seriousness with which their government takes this issue.
Q: Could some of the billions of dollars the United States has spent on military aid to Pakistan since 9/11 have been better spent on education and health care for girls and women?
Clinton: Yes. The answer is yes, and in my meetings with then-President Musharraf in ’03, ’05, ’07, in this country as well, I raised it all the time.
I remember visiting a village about 45 minutes outside of Lahore, when I was in Pakistan as first lady, and we met with a group of mothers and grandmothers in the village. And they wanted very much to have a school at the secondary level for their daughters, the way their sons did. But the school for their sons was not in the village, so the sons had to travel. No one could even imagine the daughters traveling outside their village to continue their education.
And when I think about the extraordinarily accomplished Pakistanis in the professions, in medicine, in education, I think it is certainly the case that if Pakistan had invested more in the education of children so that poor families would not have sent their boys off to be educated by extremists, it might well have made a difference. And it still can, because that’s part of our approach now.
Q: Because it’s also a question of how we allocate our resources.
Clinton: That’s right, and with the Kerry-Lugar/Berman bill[s] that provide aid for these kinds of purposes in Pakistan, we hope to try to make up for lost time. [These Senate and House bills are currently being finalized in Congress.]
Q: Gender-based violence is an enormous issue in much of Africa, and in places like Congo, rape, as you know, is an instrument of war. How can you, or anybody else, hope to combat that?
Clinton: President Obama and I and the United States will not tolerate this continuation of wanton, senseless, brutal violence perpetrated against girls and women. We don’t know exactly what we can do, but we are going to be delivering some aid and some ideas about how to better organize the communities to deal with it. We’re going to sound the alarm that this is not all just unexpected and irrational.
These militias, which perpetrate a lot of these rapes and other horrific assaults on girls and women, are paid well, or realize the spoils of guarding the mines. Those mines, which are one of the great natural resources of the Congo, produce a lot of the materials that go into our cellphones and other electronics. There are tens of millions of dollars that go into these militias that, in effect, get translated into a sense of impunity that is then exercised against the weakest members of society.
The ambassador for war crimes, Steve Rapp, has the distinction of being among the first international prosecutors to win a case on gender violence, and I specifically wanted him to take on this role, because I want to highlight this issue.
Q: I’ve been at more than a few women’s events with you overseas where the men in the audience drift off to their BlackBerrys or into a snooze after a few minutes. How do you change the mind-set, not just overseas but at home and in this building, that tends to view women’s issues as a pink ghetto?
Clinton: By making the arguments that I am making here — that so-called women’s issues are stability issues, security issues, equity issues. The World Bank and many other analyses have proved over and over again that where women are mistreated, where they are denied equal rights, you will find instability that very often serves as an incubator of extremism.
A woman who is safe enough in her own life to invest in her children and see them go to school is not going to have as many children. The resource battles over water and land will be diminished. This is all connected. And it’s an issue of how we take hard power and soft power, so called, and use it to advance not just American ends but, in advancing global progress, we are making the world safer for our own children.
Q: Last month in New Delhi, a young woman asked you an interesting question: How would you view the progress of women in both India and the United States? She pointed out that India elected a woman as prime minister within three decades of independence, while the U.S. had yet to elect a female president. Is there any lesson from your own presidential campaign that you can use to take to women elsewhere in the world?
Clinton: Well, you’ve heard me talk about this in a lot of settings, from Japan to South Korea to Indonesia to India to Latin America [laughs]. It is one of the most common questions I’m asked, along with the question about how I can now work for and with President Obama, since he and I ran so vigorously against each other. It is clearly on young women’s minds. And I find that both exciting and gratifying.
My campaign for many millions of reasons gave a lot of heart to many young women. It is still the most common comment that people make to me: “your campaign gave me courage” or “your campaign made a difference in my daughter’s life” or “I went back to school because of your campaign.” So, it is unfinished business, and young women know it is unfinished business.
The vast majority of them will never run for political office in any country. But they may decide to seek an education that their family doesn’t approve of, or move away for a job that is a little bit frightening to them, but which they feel they’ve got the skills to do. Or, you know, stand up and speak out against an injustice they see. And it is all of that ripple that is building and building — and is unstoppable.
I live for those moments where I see this woman stand up in SEWA — this poor, uneducated woman — and say, “I am the president of SEWA; 1.1 million women voted.” I mean, what a great statement that was from her. So, I get a lot of joy out of doing this work. I think it is so critically important, but it is also incredibly moving to see these individual lives changed because of some event or speech that you have no idea why it made an impression on them.
Mark Landler is the diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times.
Showing posts with label US State Department. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US State Department. Show all posts
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton: International Women's Day
Secretary Clinton's International Women's Day 2009 comments:
On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2009, I am proud to honor women around the world who are blazing trails and surmounting obstacles in pursuit of equality and opportunity. Although you may not know their names or recognize their faces, these women advocates are hard at work in every country and on every continent, seeking to fulfill their right to participate fully in the political, economic and cultural lives of their societies. Often working against great odds and at great personal sacrifice, they are a key to global progress in this new century and deserve our admiration and support.
Put simply, we have much less hope of addressing the complex challenges we face in this new century without the full participation of women. Whether the economic crisis, the spread of terrorism, regional conflicts that threaten families and communities, and climate change and the dangers it presents to the world’s health and security, we will not solve these challenges through half measures. Yet too often, on these issues and many more, half the world is left behind.
This is not simply a matter of emotion or altruism. A growing body of research tells us that supporting women is a high-yield investment, resulting in stronger economies, more vibrant civil societies, healthier communities, and greater peace and stability. But even so, no nation in the world has yet achieved full equality for women.
Women still comprise the majority of the world’s poor, unfed, and unschooled. Hundreds of thousands of women die in childbirth every year. They are subjected to rape as a tactic of war and exploited by traffickers globally in a billion dollar criminal business. Laws are still on the books denying women the right to own property, access credit, or make their own choices within their marriage. And honor killings, maiming, female genital mutilation, and other violent and degrading practices that target women are tolerated in too many places today.
Like all people, women deserve to live free from violence and fear. To create peaceful, thriving communities, women must be equal partners. That means making key resources available to women as well as men, including the chance to work for fair wages and have access to credit; to vote, petition their governments and run for office; to know they can get healthcare when they need it, including family planning; and to send their children to school—their sons and their daughters.
Women also have a crucial role to play in establishing peace worldwide. In regions torn apart by war, it is often the women who find ways to reach across differences and discover common ground as mothers, caretakers, and grassroots advocates. One need only look to Northern Ireland, Rwanda, the Balkans, and parts of Central America to see the impact of women working in their communities to bridge divides in areas of sectarian conflict.
This week, as we celebrate the accomplishments and the untapped potential of women around the world, we must remind ourselves that ensuring the rights of women and girls is not only a matter of justice. It is a matter of enhancing global peace, progress, and prosperity for generations to come.
When women are afforded their basic rights, they flourish. And so do their children, families, communities, and nations.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2009, I am proud to honor women around the world who are blazing trails and surmounting obstacles in pursuit of equality and opportunity. Although you may not know their names or recognize their faces, these women advocates are hard at work in every country and on every continent, seeking to fulfill their right to participate fully in the political, economic and cultural lives of their societies. Often working against great odds and at great personal sacrifice, they are a key to global progress in this new century and deserve our admiration and support.
Put simply, we have much less hope of addressing the complex challenges we face in this new century without the full participation of women. Whether the economic crisis, the spread of terrorism, regional conflicts that threaten families and communities, and climate change and the dangers it presents to the world’s health and security, we will not solve these challenges through half measures. Yet too often, on these issues and many more, half the world is left behind.
This is not simply a matter of emotion or altruism. A growing body of research tells us that supporting women is a high-yield investment, resulting in stronger economies, more vibrant civil societies, healthier communities, and greater peace and stability. But even so, no nation in the world has yet achieved full equality for women.
Women still comprise the majority of the world’s poor, unfed, and unschooled. Hundreds of thousands of women die in childbirth every year. They are subjected to rape as a tactic of war and exploited by traffickers globally in a billion dollar criminal business. Laws are still on the books denying women the right to own property, access credit, or make their own choices within their marriage. And honor killings, maiming, female genital mutilation, and other violent and degrading practices that target women are tolerated in too many places today.
Like all people, women deserve to live free from violence and fear. To create peaceful, thriving communities, women must be equal partners. That means making key resources available to women as well as men, including the chance to work for fair wages and have access to credit; to vote, petition their governments and run for office; to know they can get healthcare when they need it, including family planning; and to send their children to school—their sons and their daughters.
Women also have a crucial role to play in establishing peace worldwide. In regions torn apart by war, it is often the women who find ways to reach across differences and discover common ground as mothers, caretakers, and grassroots advocates. One need only look to Northern Ireland, Rwanda, the Balkans, and parts of Central America to see the impact of women working in their communities to bridge divides in areas of sectarian conflict.
This week, as we celebrate the accomplishments and the untapped potential of women around the world, we must remind ourselves that ensuring the rights of women and girls is not only a matter of justice. It is a matter of enhancing global peace, progress, and prosperity for generations to come.
When women are afforded their basic rights, they flourish. And so do their children, families, communities, and nations.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Bahrain: Barrier-Breaking Bahraini Masters Diplomatic Scene
Nonoo Is First Jewish Ambassador From an Arab Nation
By Nora Boustany
Washington Post Foreign Service
It takes charm, courage and chutzpah to master the Washington diplomatic scene, and Houda Ezra Nonoo, Bahrain's first female ambassador here and the first Jewish ambassador of an Arab country, is well on her way.
The granddaughter of Iraqi Jews who migrated to the tiny archipelago in the Persian Gulf, Nonoo came into public view in 2004 as a founding member of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society. She helped bring attention to the plight of domestic workers and other foreign laborers and worked to promote the rights of women and children.
In 2006, Nonoo was appointed to the Shura Council, the upper chamber of parliament. She replaced her brother Ibrahim, the first Jewish member of the council, who decided to devote himself to his business concerns.
Then news leaked out that King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifae had informed U.S. officials of his intention to name Nonoo as ambassador here. Bahrain's news media shot down the move to name a "Jewish ambassador" as a public relations stunt by the Sunni dynasty, which rules over a disgruntled Shiite majority in this country of about 700,000 people.
"When newspaper headlines said the government was sending a Jewish envoy to Washington, that really upset me. I was hurt because I am Bahraini. They took my religion and forgot I was Bahraini," Nonoo said, adding that her grandfather served on the 1934 municipal council, which was elected. "I think I was chosen because of my work on human rights. I was outspoken, and that is what catapulted me into this position. I never expected to be here serving my country in this capacity."
Asked about reports that some Shiites felt left out when Nonoo was appointed, her predecessor, Nasser Beloushi, said: "We don't think about it in that way -- Sunni, Shiite, Christian or Jewish. You are a Bahraini first, and you should serve your country. Bahrain is that way."
Beloushi said Nonoo's father was a well-known financier and "one of the original pillars of our banking system. He was trusted and well liked." His money exchange business grew into the Bahrain Financial Company.
"Her brother's merchant companies are highly regarded and successful," added Beloushi, who said he knows him well.
Nonoo's grandparents initially considered heading to India but settled on the sleepy, barren island surrounded by oyster beds and coral reefs. Her grandfather, Ibrahim, started out with a money exchange business, the oldest such company in Bahrain.
About 500 Jews lived in Bahrain in the early 1940s, according to Ali al-Jalawi, a Bahraini author who has written a book about the community. After the creation of Israel in 1948, attacks on the homes of Bahraini Jews triggered an exodus from Manama, the capital. But Nonoo's family stayed.
"They never thought of leaving Bahrain, because it is their country and what they know. It is hard to just get up and go. Home is where the heart is," she said, sitting in her spacious, sun-flooded office on International Drive.
Today, 36 Jews live in the country, and they are all related, Nonoo said. There is one synagogue in Manama but no rabbi. A "learned scholar" presides over special religious celebrations and funerals, and kosher meat is flown in from London. The last bris was performed 80 years ago, and the last Jewish wedding took place in 1965, she said. Such functions are now held abroad.
Nonoo said she is not strictly religious but observes the high holidays, fasts on Yom Kippur and is respectful and mindful of "basic" Jewish traditions.
"At the end of the day, I am always going to be a Bahraini. Culturally and morally, I am an Arab," she said.
When Nonoo goes on speaking tours in the United States, she is often asked the same questions: Can she go out in Bahrain? Can she walk around without a veil? Is she allowed to drive? The answer to all of the above is yes.
Born in 1964, Nonoo attended a coed school run by Italian nuns, and her classmates included Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and Bahais. They had play dates at one another's homes. "I never felt I was different," she said.
At 15, she was sent to boarding school in England, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in accounting from City of London Polytechnic. She also received an MBA from the International University of Europe in Waterford.
When she presented her credentials to President Bush this summer, Nonoo said she was nervous and slightly apprehensive, but "the door opened and he made me feel just like a friend."
Soon after her arrival, Nonoo attended the Meridian Ball, one of the glitziest events of the year, where diplomats, officials and A-listers get together for dessert, champagne and dancing after embassy dinners. "Everyone wanted to meet me. I had just arrived and I was overwhelmed," she admitted.
But Omani Ambassador Hunaina Sultan Ahmed al-Mughairy, another woman representing an Arab Gulf country, took Nonoo under her wing, she said with gratitude.
The demands of accompanying her country's foreign minister to appointments in New York on Tuesday morning did not prevent Nonoo from hosting her first big reception in Washington that afternoon.
Radiant and exuding a natural liveliness, Nonoo greeted well-wishers to an event at the Ritz-Carlton marking Bahrain's National Day. Understated yet chic in pumps, a tapered black lace dress and a short red satin jacket, she stood next to her husband, a British citizen of Iranian descent, and her defense attache. An oud player in traditional Gulf robes strummed lilting melodies in the background.
In Washington, Nonoo lives in a two-bedroom apartment but is contemplating revamping the embassy's old residence. Her husband, now visiting their sons, ages 16 and 17, helps run Gulf Computer Services in Bahrain, a family business. They often meet in London, where her older son studies.
"She is a breath of fresh air," noted Ina Ginsberg, a Washington member of the American-Bahrain Friendship Council. "She adds a new voice to the conversation. It takes guts for any woman to come here as ambassador, but she is going to be a trailblazer."
Arab League Ambassador Hussein Hassouna, who recently joined Nonoo on a speaking engagement at Harvard University, said he was taken by her intelligence and warmth. "She is a great addition. Arab countries do well to send women and envoys from minority communities."
By Nora Boustany
Washington Post Foreign Service
It takes charm, courage and chutzpah to master the Washington diplomatic scene, and Houda Ezra Nonoo, Bahrain's first female ambassador here and the first Jewish ambassador of an Arab country, is well on her way.
The granddaughter of Iraqi Jews who migrated to the tiny archipelago in the Persian Gulf, Nonoo came into public view in 2004 as a founding member of the Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society. She helped bring attention to the plight of domestic workers and other foreign laborers and worked to promote the rights of women and children.
In 2006, Nonoo was appointed to the Shura Council, the upper chamber of parliament. She replaced her brother Ibrahim, the first Jewish member of the council, who decided to devote himself to his business concerns.
Then news leaked out that King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifae had informed U.S. officials of his intention to name Nonoo as ambassador here. Bahrain's news media shot down the move to name a "Jewish ambassador" as a public relations stunt by the Sunni dynasty, which rules over a disgruntled Shiite majority in this country of about 700,000 people.
"When newspaper headlines said the government was sending a Jewish envoy to Washington, that really upset me. I was hurt because I am Bahraini. They took my religion and forgot I was Bahraini," Nonoo said, adding that her grandfather served on the 1934 municipal council, which was elected. "I think I was chosen because of my work on human rights. I was outspoken, and that is what catapulted me into this position. I never expected to be here serving my country in this capacity."
Asked about reports that some Shiites felt left out when Nonoo was appointed, her predecessor, Nasser Beloushi, said: "We don't think about it in that way -- Sunni, Shiite, Christian or Jewish. You are a Bahraini first, and you should serve your country. Bahrain is that way."
Beloushi said Nonoo's father was a well-known financier and "one of the original pillars of our banking system. He was trusted and well liked." His money exchange business grew into the Bahrain Financial Company.
"Her brother's merchant companies are highly regarded and successful," added Beloushi, who said he knows him well.
Nonoo's grandparents initially considered heading to India but settled on the sleepy, barren island surrounded by oyster beds and coral reefs. Her grandfather, Ibrahim, started out with a money exchange business, the oldest such company in Bahrain.
About 500 Jews lived in Bahrain in the early 1940s, according to Ali al-Jalawi, a Bahraini author who has written a book about the community. After the creation of Israel in 1948, attacks on the homes of Bahraini Jews triggered an exodus from Manama, the capital. But Nonoo's family stayed.
"They never thought of leaving Bahrain, because it is their country and what they know. It is hard to just get up and go. Home is where the heart is," she said, sitting in her spacious, sun-flooded office on International Drive.
Today, 36 Jews live in the country, and they are all related, Nonoo said. There is one synagogue in Manama but no rabbi. A "learned scholar" presides over special religious celebrations and funerals, and kosher meat is flown in from London. The last bris was performed 80 years ago, and the last Jewish wedding took place in 1965, she said. Such functions are now held abroad.
Nonoo said she is not strictly religious but observes the high holidays, fasts on Yom Kippur and is respectful and mindful of "basic" Jewish traditions.
"At the end of the day, I am always going to be a Bahraini. Culturally and morally, I am an Arab," she said.
When Nonoo goes on speaking tours in the United States, she is often asked the same questions: Can she go out in Bahrain? Can she walk around without a veil? Is she allowed to drive? The answer to all of the above is yes.
Born in 1964, Nonoo attended a coed school run by Italian nuns, and her classmates included Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and Bahais. They had play dates at one another's homes. "I never felt I was different," she said.
At 15, she was sent to boarding school in England, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in accounting from City of London Polytechnic. She also received an MBA from the International University of Europe in Waterford.
When she presented her credentials to President Bush this summer, Nonoo said she was nervous and slightly apprehensive, but "the door opened and he made me feel just like a friend."
Soon after her arrival, Nonoo attended the Meridian Ball, one of the glitziest events of the year, where diplomats, officials and A-listers get together for dessert, champagne and dancing after embassy dinners. "Everyone wanted to meet me. I had just arrived and I was overwhelmed," she admitted.
But Omani Ambassador Hunaina Sultan Ahmed al-Mughairy, another woman representing an Arab Gulf country, took Nonoo under her wing, she said with gratitude.
The demands of accompanying her country's foreign minister to appointments in New York on Tuesday morning did not prevent Nonoo from hosting her first big reception in Washington that afternoon.
Radiant and exuding a natural liveliness, Nonoo greeted well-wishers to an event at the Ritz-Carlton marking Bahrain's National Day. Understated yet chic in pumps, a tapered black lace dress and a short red satin jacket, she stood next to her husband, a British citizen of Iranian descent, and her defense attache. An oud player in traditional Gulf robes strummed lilting melodies in the background.
In Washington, Nonoo lives in a two-bedroom apartment but is contemplating revamping the embassy's old residence. Her husband, now visiting their sons, ages 16 and 17, helps run Gulf Computer Services in Bahrain, a family business. They often meet in London, where her older son studies.
"She is a breath of fresh air," noted Ina Ginsberg, a Washington member of the American-Bahrain Friendship Council. "She adds a new voice to the conversation. It takes guts for any woman to come here as ambassador, but she is going to be a trailblazer."
Arab League Ambassador Hussein Hassouna, who recently joined Nonoo on a speaking engagement at Harvard University, said he was taken by her intelligence and warmth. "She is a great addition. Arab countries do well to send women and envoys from minority communities."
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Middle East: Statement by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
UNIFEM: “Say No to Violence Against Women” Campaign
One year ago, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) began its global campaign to advocate among publics and governments for an end to violence against women. In the course of the year, we have taken important steps to address this issue.
During its June 2008 Security Council Presidency, the United States focused on actions that would follow from UN Security Council Resolution 1325, on “Women, Peace, and Security.” On June 19, the United States chaired an open Security Council thematic discussion on the topic of violence in situations of armed conflict. The debate culminated in adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1820, which condemns the use of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations.
Violence against women remains a fact of life in countries worldwide. Like poverty, HIV/AIDS, poor maternal health, and lack of access to education, violence against women is an ill that affects the person, her community, and her nation.
As the campaign to “Say No to Violence against Women” enters its second year, we should dedicate ourselves to creating awareness among individuals and communities of the great damage violence against women inflicts, and commit ourselves to end this atrocity.
One year ago, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) began its global campaign to advocate among publics and governments for an end to violence against women. In the course of the year, we have taken important steps to address this issue.
During its June 2008 Security Council Presidency, the United States focused on actions that would follow from UN Security Council Resolution 1325, on “Women, Peace, and Security.” On June 19, the United States chaired an open Security Council thematic discussion on the topic of violence in situations of armed conflict. The debate culminated in adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1820, which condemns the use of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations.
Violence against women remains a fact of life in countries worldwide. Like poverty, HIV/AIDS, poor maternal health, and lack of access to education, violence against women is an ill that affects the person, her community, and her nation.
As the campaign to “Say No to Violence against Women” enters its second year, we should dedicate ourselves to creating awareness among individuals and communities of the great damage violence against women inflicts, and commit ourselves to end this atrocity.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Yemen: Lifting the Voices of Yemen’s Women and Youth
Internews
(November 12, 2008) In 2007, Yemen ranked last out of the 128 countries considered in the World Economic Forum’s annual Gender Gap Index, signifying the persistence of serious gender-based inequalities.
To address these inequalities and bring women’s voices to the fore, Internews Network is empowering Yemeni youth and media professionals to explore sensitive issues concerning gender, society, and human rights.
In partnership with the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum (YWMF), Internews Network has begun holding a series of town hall meetings across Yemen to address these issues. Young people and professional journalists will be trained in radio production through the project, “Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media.” The project will culminate with the production of 15 thirty-minute radio programs, which will be aired on national and mainstream media.
Internews and the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum held the first town hall meeting in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, on October 22. Over 30 different organizations and NGOs were represented by more than 50 delegates from across Sana'a.
The participants formed three working groups to discuss topics for the radio programs in the areas of education, health, the environment, and human rights. Each group offered 12 to 15 ideas for future production. Suggested program topics ranged from child marriage to the use of weapons in Sana’a neighborhoods.
Participants were universally enthusiastic about the program. "The idea of creating working groups and coming up with results is the best way to show the transparency of the programs, and I hope that at least one of my ideas will be realized with this project through a real radio program," said Radia Khairan, a member of the Hood Organization.
“Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media” is supported by a grant from the US Department of State.
(November 12, 2008) In 2007, Yemen ranked last out of the 128 countries considered in the World Economic Forum’s annual Gender Gap Index, signifying the persistence of serious gender-based inequalities.
To address these inequalities and bring women’s voices to the fore, Internews Network is empowering Yemeni youth and media professionals to explore sensitive issues concerning gender, society, and human rights.
In partnership with the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum (YWMF), Internews Network has begun holding a series of town hall meetings across Yemen to address these issues. Young people and professional journalists will be trained in radio production through the project, “Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media.” The project will culminate with the production of 15 thirty-minute radio programs, which will be aired on national and mainstream media.
Internews and the Yemeni Women’s Media Forum held the first town hall meeting in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, on October 22. Over 30 different organizations and NGOs were represented by more than 50 delegates from across Sana'a.
The participants formed three working groups to discuss topics for the radio programs in the areas of education, health, the environment, and human rights. Each group offered 12 to 15 ideas for future production. Suggested program topics ranged from child marriage to the use of weapons in Sana’a neighborhoods.
Participants were universally enthusiastic about the program. "The idea of creating working groups and coming up with results is the best way to show the transparency of the programs, and I hope that at least one of my ideas will be realized with this project through a real radio program," said Radia Khairan, a member of the Hood Organization.
“Yemeni Voices: Women and Youth in Support of Free Media” is supported by a grant from the US Department of State.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Justice Ministry Delegation to Study US Judicial System
A delegation from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Justice will soon dispatch to the United States to study the US experience with judicial management. Saudi judicial management may adopt technology and training methods if the delegation deems the US system compatible.
The decision to send the delegation was made during a meeting between Dr Abdul Malik bin Ahmad Al Sheikh, the senior adviser to the Saudi Justice Minister, and Erica Barks-Ruggles, US deputy assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor, who is currently visiting the Kingdom.
They discussed cooperation prospects through exchange of expertise of pre-litigation procedures, especially concerning training and technology. Al Sheikh told Asharq Al-Awsat: "We may benefit from the US experience in the field of judicial management and we may not."
He explained that the Saudi delegation "will become acquainted with and will learn about the systems there [in the US] in the field of judicial management while also considering the differences between the Saudi and US systems."
The meeting, which took place in the Ministry of Justice in Riyadh, included an overview of the Saudi judicial system and the application of Islamic Shariaa.
The legislative sources from the Quran, Sunnah, and Al-Ijma [scholarly consensus] were also explained. According to Al Sheikh, the US delegation, which met with the chairman of the Shura Council, the Minister of Higher Education and officials from governmental and non-governmental human rights societies and commissions, was briefed on King Abdullah's seven billion riyal ($1.86 million) project to upgrade the judicial system.
Al Sheikh informed Asharq Al-Awsat: "The US State Department delegation was briefed on new judicial arrangements and expressed its admiration for the developmental steps that are being taken, which will have a positive impact on the Saudi judiciary."
Al Sheikh continued: "Saudi Arabia is the metropolis of Islam. It is the site of the two holy mosques and the qibla [direction in which Muslims pray] of the Muslims. Saudi Arabia has the honor of enforcing tolerant Islamic Shariaa that protects and guards public rights and private human rights, and seeks to develop the mechanisms of judicial management in Saudi Arabia while considering the use of modern technology to entrench the application of these mechanisms."
By Turki Al-Saheil, Al Sharq al Awsat
The decision to send the delegation was made during a meeting between Dr Abdul Malik bin Ahmad Al Sheikh, the senior adviser to the Saudi Justice Minister, and Erica Barks-Ruggles, US deputy assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor, who is currently visiting the Kingdom.
They discussed cooperation prospects through exchange of expertise of pre-litigation procedures, especially concerning training and technology. Al Sheikh told Asharq Al-Awsat: "We may benefit from the US experience in the field of judicial management and we may not."
He explained that the Saudi delegation "will become acquainted with and will learn about the systems there [in the US] in the field of judicial management while also considering the differences between the Saudi and US systems."
The meeting, which took place in the Ministry of Justice in Riyadh, included an overview of the Saudi judicial system and the application of Islamic Shariaa.
The legislative sources from the Quran, Sunnah, and Al-Ijma [scholarly consensus] were also explained. According to Al Sheikh, the US delegation, which met with the chairman of the Shura Council, the Minister of Higher Education and officials from governmental and non-governmental human rights societies and commissions, was briefed on King Abdullah's seven billion riyal ($1.86 million) project to upgrade the judicial system.
Al Sheikh informed Asharq Al-Awsat: "The US State Department delegation was briefed on new judicial arrangements and expressed its admiration for the developmental steps that are being taken, which will have a positive impact on the Saudi judiciary."
Al Sheikh continued: "Saudi Arabia is the metropolis of Islam. It is the site of the two holy mosques and the qibla [direction in which Muslims pray] of the Muslims. Saudi Arabia has the honor of enforcing tolerant Islamic Shariaa that protects and guards public rights and private human rights, and seeks to develop the mechanisms of judicial management in Saudi Arabia while considering the use of modern technology to entrench the application of these mechanisms."
By Turki Al-Saheil, Al Sharq al Awsat
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Jordan: MEPI to carry out practical training for participants
The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) announced on Wednesday plans to carry out practical training for participants and to expand its activities and objectives to achieve more success stories.
MEPI is the principal US Department of State initiative to support democratic reforms and achieve prosperous societies in the Middle East and North Africa.
David Hale, US ambassador to Jordan, highlighted the significance of the programme in supporting economic, political, and educational reform efforts in the region.
In a speech concluding the event, he called on participants to continue the hard work as leaders towards creating a prosperous future for the region.
“A few years ago, it was hard to organise such a conference because it was hard to find young activists and leaders; but nowadays things have changed,” he said.
Greg Howell, from the US Department of State’s MEPI, said the programme will organise intensive activities on women empowerment in civil society and the economy.
MEPI seeks to support women reformers across the region in their efforts to achieve full participation in society, Howell added, noting that the programme aims to address cultural, legal, economic and political barriers that women encounter.
Mona Mourad, 27, a project manager for a software engineering company in Lebanon, who joined The Legal and Business Fellowship Programme (LBFP) in 2007, told The Jordan Times that through exercises she learned the skills of how to lead a company.
“Although I gained experience, the programme could have been better. Due to the large number of participants, I could not meet more executives,” she said.
Mourad indicated that the conference gave her the opportunity to develop business and personal relationships as well as the chance to exchange ideas with her fellow participants.
According to Nisreen Musleh,32, from Palestine, the MEPI expanded her networking and improved her management skills through the training sessions.
Musleh, who runs her own training and consultancy company and who joined the LBFP in 2007, said that during the event, she met people from her country and they have future cooperative plans.
Another participant in the programme who has become an advocate for women’s rights in her country, is Manal Hussaini from Kuwait.
The 43-year old consultant engineer at the Kuwait Municipality and the owner of a medical supplies company, started with MEPI in 2005 during a conference for Arab women in Tunisia.
Besides the experience the programme offers on women’s rights, MEPI also developed the participants skills in business and showed the way to apply American best practices in home countries, Hussaini said.
Having participated in several workshops with Beyster Institute, she has launched an awareness campaign on women’s rights targeting university students.
“This project has opened the door for me to be involved in political activities and I worked as a campaign manager for a parliament candidate who was a women’s affairs activist,” she indicated.
Hussaini did not rule out contesting the parliamentarian elections in Kuwait in the future stressing the need to work on changing the perception of people to accept women in parliament.
MEPI is the principal US Department of State initiative to support democratic reforms and achieve prosperous societies in the Middle East and North Africa.
David Hale, US ambassador to Jordan, highlighted the significance of the programme in supporting economic, political, and educational reform efforts in the region.
In a speech concluding the event, he called on participants to continue the hard work as leaders towards creating a prosperous future for the region.
“A few years ago, it was hard to organise such a conference because it was hard to find young activists and leaders; but nowadays things have changed,” he said.
Greg Howell, from the US Department of State’s MEPI, said the programme will organise intensive activities on women empowerment in civil society and the economy.
MEPI seeks to support women reformers across the region in their efforts to achieve full participation in society, Howell added, noting that the programme aims to address cultural, legal, economic and political barriers that women encounter.
Mona Mourad, 27, a project manager for a software engineering company in Lebanon, who joined The Legal and Business Fellowship Programme (LBFP) in 2007, told The Jordan Times that through exercises she learned the skills of how to lead a company.
“Although I gained experience, the programme could have been better. Due to the large number of participants, I could not meet more executives,” she said.
Mourad indicated that the conference gave her the opportunity to develop business and personal relationships as well as the chance to exchange ideas with her fellow participants.
According to Nisreen Musleh,32, from Palestine, the MEPI expanded her networking and improved her management skills through the training sessions.
Musleh, who runs her own training and consultancy company and who joined the LBFP in 2007, said that during the event, she met people from her country and they have future cooperative plans.
Another participant in the programme who has become an advocate for women’s rights in her country, is Manal Hussaini from Kuwait.
The 43-year old consultant engineer at the Kuwait Municipality and the owner of a medical supplies company, started with MEPI in 2005 during a conference for Arab women in Tunisia.
Besides the experience the programme offers on women’s rights, MEPI also developed the participants skills in business and showed the way to apply American best practices in home countries, Hussaini said.
Having participated in several workshops with Beyster Institute, she has launched an awareness campaign on women’s rights targeting university students.
“This project has opened the door for me to be involved in political activities and I worked as a campaign manager for a parliament candidate who was a women’s affairs activist,” she indicated.
Hussaini did not rule out contesting the parliamentarian elections in Kuwait in the future stressing the need to work on changing the perception of people to accept women in parliament.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Jordan: Cooperates with US to strengthen rule of law
Minister of Justice Ayman Odeh and US Ambassador David Hale on Tuesday marked the completion of the automation of Jordan’s court system.
The two officials, who were joined by Chief Justice Mohammad Al Rakkad and other judges and ministers, noted the success of Jordanian-American cooperation in the area of judicial reform, according to a statement released by the US embassy yesterday.
“Jordan has made great progress in modernising its entire judicial system to be more responsive, more transparent and more independent,” Hale said at yesterday’s ceremony.
The automation initiative began in 2004 with $19 million in support from the USAID-backed Rule of Law Project.
Over the last four years, the initiative has assisted the Kingdom in automating court procedures and increasing public access to information through automated systems and kiosks.
As a result of the initiative, all courts in the Kingdom are now computerised and key judicial departments have been streamlined to improve their efficiency and transparency, according to the statement.
In addition to automating court procedures, the Rule of Law Project has supported the Kingdom’s efforts to promote the independence of the judiciary.
With the programme’s assistance, Jordan strengthened the capacity of its Inspection and Monitoring Directorates to evaluate judges’ performance, and worked with civil society organisations to enhance their role in advocating and monitoring judicial independence, the statement added.
Ambassador Hale praised the recent achievements made in the Kingdom’s judiciary and predicted further cooperation between the two countries.
“The United States will continue to assist the Jordanian judiciary in their homegrown efforts to achieve an effective, efficient and independent justice system that protects human rights, encourages fair competition and promotes economic growth,” he said.
-- Jordan Times
The two officials, who were joined by Chief Justice Mohammad Al Rakkad and other judges and ministers, noted the success of Jordanian-American cooperation in the area of judicial reform, according to a statement released by the US embassy yesterday.
“Jordan has made great progress in modernising its entire judicial system to be more responsive, more transparent and more independent,” Hale said at yesterday’s ceremony.
The automation initiative began in 2004 with $19 million in support from the USAID-backed Rule of Law Project.
Over the last four years, the initiative has assisted the Kingdom in automating court procedures and increasing public access to information through automated systems and kiosks.
As a result of the initiative, all courts in the Kingdom are now computerised and key judicial departments have been streamlined to improve their efficiency and transparency, according to the statement.
In addition to automating court procedures, the Rule of Law Project has supported the Kingdom’s efforts to promote the independence of the judiciary.
With the programme’s assistance, Jordan strengthened the capacity of its Inspection and Monitoring Directorates to evaluate judges’ performance, and worked with civil society organisations to enhance their role in advocating and monitoring judicial independence, the statement added.
Ambassador Hale praised the recent achievements made in the Kingdom’s judiciary and predicted further cooperation between the two countries.
“The United States will continue to assist the Jordanian judiciary in their homegrown efforts to achieve an effective, efficient and independent justice system that protects human rights, encourages fair competition and promotes economic growth,” he said.
-- Jordan Times
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Bahrain: US honour for Bahrain activist
A BAHRAIN activist is one of only 12 people worldwide to have been praised by the US government for helping combat human trafficking, it emerged yesterday.
Migrant Workers Protection Society (MWPS) action committee head Marietta Dias is among those honoured for their "exceptional commitment" towards fighting the crime.
Each year the US State Department releases names of a number of "heroes" in conjunction with the publication of its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report.
"These individuals demonstrate an exceptional commitment to fighting the crime of human trafficking in their countries," a US embassy spokeswoman said yesterday.
"For last year, only 12 heroes were named worldwide."
The embassy will hold a reception in honour of Ms Dias at the home of Charge d'Affairs Christopher Henzel in Budaiya on Thursday to announce the honour.
Bahrain was one of 170 nations worldwide included in the eighth annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) study.
The US State Department is required by law to submit an annual report to Congress on foreign governments' efforts to eliminate severe forms of human trafficking.
Ms Dias was one of the founding members of the MWPS in 2005 and during more than four decades of voluntary work for the non-government organisation has spearheaded the cases of many labourers and housemaids.
Originally from Bangalore, India she has been doing social work since first arriving in Bahrain in 1964.
Ms Dias, who received a call from the US Embassy in Bahrain informing her of the news, last night said she was "overwhelmed" by her inclusion on the list.
"I never consider myself as doing anything extraordinary," the retired Royal Flight administrator told the GDN.
"There are a lot of people in Bahrain that need to be commended and recognised, so I will be accepting this on behalf of these people.
"This gives me an even bigger responsibility to people who are putting their trust in me."
Bahrain was placed in the Tier 2 Watch List of the TIP for failing to enforce laws against trafficking in persons and prevent the punishment of victims of trafficking.
But it was praised for introducing a comprehensive law prohibiting all forms of trafficking and establishing a specialised anti-trafficking unit within the Interior Ministry to investigate such crimes.
Ms Dias said there had been dramatic changes in Bahrain, particularly regarding religious freedom, the introduction of laws to protect overseas workers and freedom of the Press.
"There have been tremendous changes for the better but we still need more people to work on this," she said.
"The government has been quite progressive and introduced an anti-trafficking law and there have been changes to the Labour law.
"There is a vast difference and they have come to realise that what they have done in the past was not the best for the country."
Ms Dias, 64, puts her involvement in social work down to her upbringing and the ethos that everyone should be treated fairly. "I think we all have a moral obligation to do something to help the less fortunate and we all have ways of doing that," she added.
-- Gulf Daily News, By Geoffrey Bew
Migrant Workers Protection Society (MWPS) action committee head Marietta Dias is among those honoured for their "exceptional commitment" towards fighting the crime.
Each year the US State Department releases names of a number of "heroes" in conjunction with the publication of its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report.
"These individuals demonstrate an exceptional commitment to fighting the crime of human trafficking in their countries," a US embassy spokeswoman said yesterday.
"For last year, only 12 heroes were named worldwide."
The embassy will hold a reception in honour of Ms Dias at the home of Charge d'Affairs Christopher Henzel in Budaiya on Thursday to announce the honour.
Bahrain was one of 170 nations worldwide included in the eighth annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) study.
The US State Department is required by law to submit an annual report to Congress on foreign governments' efforts to eliminate severe forms of human trafficking.
Ms Dias was one of the founding members of the MWPS in 2005 and during more than four decades of voluntary work for the non-government organisation has spearheaded the cases of many labourers and housemaids.
Originally from Bangalore, India she has been doing social work since first arriving in Bahrain in 1964.
Ms Dias, who received a call from the US Embassy in Bahrain informing her of the news, last night said she was "overwhelmed" by her inclusion on the list.
"I never consider myself as doing anything extraordinary," the retired Royal Flight administrator told the GDN.
"There are a lot of people in Bahrain that need to be commended and recognised, so I will be accepting this on behalf of these people.
"This gives me an even bigger responsibility to people who are putting their trust in me."
Bahrain was placed in the Tier 2 Watch List of the TIP for failing to enforce laws against trafficking in persons and prevent the punishment of victims of trafficking.
But it was praised for introducing a comprehensive law prohibiting all forms of trafficking and establishing a specialised anti-trafficking unit within the Interior Ministry to investigate such crimes.
Ms Dias said there had been dramatic changes in Bahrain, particularly regarding religious freedom, the introduction of laws to protect overseas workers and freedom of the Press.
"There have been tremendous changes for the better but we still need more people to work on this," she said.
"The government has been quite progressive and introduced an anti-trafficking law and there have been changes to the Labour law.
"There is a vast difference and they have come to realise that what they have done in the past was not the best for the country."
Ms Dias, 64, puts her involvement in social work down to her upbringing and the ethos that everyone should be treated fairly. "I think we all have a moral obligation to do something to help the less fortunate and we all have ways of doing that," she added.
-- Gulf Daily News, By Geoffrey Bew
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