Peacebuilding Program Seminars

A Conversation with the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton

With Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs

A Watershed Moment for Gender Equality

Organized by: Sasakawa Peace Foundation
 
At the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995, then First Lady Hillary Clinton declared that women’s rights are human rights, inspiring the world with her sweeping vision for gender equality. Throughout this landmark speech, she shed light on the atrocities committed against women and girls, including domestic violence, forced prostitution, rape, and bride burning, while also highlighting the stories of women striving to make the world a better place.

Based on data collection and analysis throughout the 27 years since that speech, the evidence has shown that women’s participation in all aspects of human life – social, economic, and political – leads to more peace, productivity, and sustainability. Furthermore, UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the nine subsequent resolutions have formed the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, a framework that underscores the significant role played by women in conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding, based on the recognition that the safety of women is intrinsically linked with the security of nations.

However, today we face even more complex challenges, from cultural backlash denying women’s rights to the rise of authoritarian leaders who adhere to a rigid ideology of male supremacy. The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the precarious position of women around the world and imposed disproportionate burdens on women in particular. At the same time, this era of global upheaval also presents us with the unprecedented opportunity to rethink what kind of world we would like to build, and ultimately refocus our vision to address the unfinished business of gender equality.

To reflect on these critical issues, we are thrilled to welcome the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State, world leader, and steadfast advocate for women’s rights, for a conversation with Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs. We look forward to your participation in this forum featuring two of the most prominent women leaders of our time.
Contact
Peacebuilding Program, Sasakawa Peace Foundation 
E-mail: peacebuilding@spf.or.jp
Tel: +81-3-5157-5133

For media inquiries:
E-mail: spfpr@spf.or.jp
Tel: +81-3-5157-5395

Description

10:00-10:03 JST Opening Remarks by Dr. Atsushi Sunami (President, Sasakawa Peace Foundation)
10:03-10:05  JST Remarks by the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton (Former U.S. Secretary of State)
10:05-11:00 JST Conversation between the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton and Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu (UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs)
11:00-11:15 JST Q&A
11:15 JST Closing

Speakers

Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Speakers

Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton

Former U.S. Secretary of State

Profile

Hillary Rodham Clinton has spent over five decades in public service as an advocate, attorney, First Lady, U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of State, and presidential candidate. As 67th U.S. Secretary of State, her "smart power" approach to foreign policy repositioned American diplomacy and development for the 21st century. Clinton played a central role in restoring America’s standing in the world, reasserting the United States as a Pacific power, imposing crippling sanctions on Iran and North Korea, responding to the Arab Awakening, and negotiating a ceasefire in the Middle East. Earlier, as First Lady and Senator for New York, she traveled to more than 80 countries as a champion of human rights, democracy, and opportunities for women and girls. She also worked to provide health care to millions of children, create jobs and opportunity, and support first responders who risked their lives at Ground Zero. In her historic 2016 campaign for President of the United States, Clinton won 66 million votes. She is the author of ten best-selling books, host of the podcast You and Me Both, and founder of the global production studio HiddenLight Productions. She is married to former U.S. President Bill Clinton, has one daughter Chelsea, and three grandchildren: Charlotte, Aidan, and Jasper.

Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu
Speakers

Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu

Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations

Profile

Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu assumed her position as Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs on 1 May 2017. Prior to taking on this post, Ms. Nakamitsu served as Assistant Administrator of the Crisis Response Unit at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 2014. She has many years of experience within and outside the United Nations system, most recently as Special Adviser Ad Interim on Follow-up to the Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants between 2016 and 2017. She was previously Director of the Asia and the Middle East Division of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations between 2012 and 2014, and Director of the Department’s Division of Policy, Evaluation and Training, from 2008 to 2012. Between 2005 and 2008, Ms. Nakamitsu was Professor of International Relations at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, where she also served as a member of the Foreign Exchange Council to Japan’s Foreign Minister, and as a visiting senior adviser on peacebuilding at the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Between 1998 and 2004, she was the Chef de Cabinet and Director of Planning and Coordination at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, based in Stockholm, Sweden. Born in 1963, Ms. Nakamitsu holds a Master of Science degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor of Law degree from Waseda University in Tokyo. She is married and has two daughters.

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