Vice President Kamala Harris makes history with U.N. speech, x-rays women role in democracy

Vice President Kamala Harris told U.N. diplomats Tuesday “the status of women is the status of democracy,” mentioning Eleanor Roosevelt’s historic work at the global body.

She made the remark in a statement at the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the U.N.’s second-largest annual event.

UN member countries began negotiating a 51-page document which, according to a recent version obtained by AFP, “recognises that gender inequalities continue to be reflected in imbalances of power between women and men,” and that such inequality exists in all spheres of society.

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“When women face obstacles to obtaining quality healthcare; when women face food insecurity, when women are more likely to live in poverty, and therefore disproportionately impacted by climate change, more vulnerable to gender-based violence, and therefore disproportionately impacted by conflict, well it’s harder for women to fully participate in decision-making,” Harris said.

“Which, of course, in turn, makes it that much harder for democracies to thrive.”

Harris also expressed a sense of optimism going forward: “Women in the United States lead our local, state, and national governments, make major decisions regarding our nation’s security and drive major growth in our economy.”

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The address to the U.N. was historic, checking three boxes of “firsts” – not an easy task at the world body. She is the first Biden administration White House official to address the U.N.; she is the highest-ranking U.S. government official to ever address CSW.

“This year, in considering the status of women, especially the participation of women in decision making, we must also consider the status of democracy.

“At its best, it [democracy] protects human rights, promotes human dignity and upholds the rule of law. It is a means to establish peace and shared prosperity. It should ensure every citizen, regardless of gender, has an equal voice.

“Eleanor Roosevelt, who shaped the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, once said, ‘Without equality, there can be no democracy.’ In other words, the status of women is the status of democracy.

“The status of democracy also depends fundamentally on the empowerment of women. Not only because the exclusion of women in decision-making is a marker of flawed democracy, but because the participation of women strengthens democracy.”