FOLLOW-UP: First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in Lviv (12/07/97)

FOLLOW-UP: First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in Lviv

Excerpts of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's address at the Ivan Franko Opera Theater:

... The writer, Ivan Franko, after whom this beautiful opera house is named, wrote that, "There will come a time when you will sit in the circle of free nations." That time for Ukraine is now - and I am honored to be sharing that time with you.

... I would like to talk with you about voices - the voices of women, the voices of young people, the voices of all those throughout Ukraine and the newly independent states who are speaking a new language of freedom and democracy and then turning their words and ideas into concrete actions.

I can think of no better place to do this than in Ukraine. It was here in Lviv in 1879 that the Union of Ukrainian Women [Soyuz Ukrainok] was established.

This organization - one of the largest women's organizations in Europe between the two world wars - went into villages to teach women and their families how to start small businesses, how to start child care centers, how to pool their resources to purchase first aid materials that would save lives in rural areas.

Like so much that is good, the union was crushed by communism. And like so much that is good, it was reborn in 1990 - along with your sovereignty. With each year of freedom, the union has grown stronger. And this fall, thousands of people gathered where the remains of the union's last pre-communist president - Milena Rudnytska - were brought back here to Lviv for eternal rest.

... If you think about a modern, independent, well-functioning society as being like a three-legged stool, you and this audience have been working to strengthen each of the three legs. You have worked in government, to make the government democratic and transparent. You have worked to build a free market economy that gives more opportunity to individuals. And you have worked to create the third leg of this stool, what we call civil society.

You have chosen to help build civil society, by fighting for women's health, by running for political office, by cleaning up the environment, by starting child care centers and beginning summer camps for the children of Chornobyl, and in many other ways.

... Yesterday, I saw citizens of this city building a civil society. I stood with thousands of people at the new memorial honoring victims of Communist repression. This memorial was erected not by the government. It was a gift of the victims of communism, their families, and private organizations. They didn't have to do this - but they did.

I visited a health clinic filled with children balanced between life and death. Infants born prematurely, some critically ill. But for their cries, these children have no voice. They cannot compel someone to come to their aid. And yet doctors, and nurses, parents and communities - from both Ukraine and the United States - chose to do so. As one mother told me, doctors and nurses she didn't even know saved her child's life. They didn't have to do this - but they did.

I stood inside the beautifully restored Gilad Synagogue, where citizens can once again worship freely. There, the rabbi told me what it meant to open a Jewish school after so many years of unspeakable hardship. That it had given him faith that the community would survive. The community didn't have to do this for its children - but it did.

I stood inside the magnificent, renovated St. George's Cathedral. For too many years, the faith of the people whom I met had been driven underground. The congregation prayed in hidden places; the beautiful symbols of their faith were hidden away in cellars and attics. Today, the members of St. George's practice their religion in the clear light of day. And they are using their faith not only to worship as they please, but also to reach out to others whom society pushed away, such as children with disabilities. The people of St. George's didn't have to do this - but they did.

... It is especially important that the voices of women be heard, for the legacy of communism placed special strains on women.

Especially in the old state structures, too many women are the first to lose their jobs and the last to get new ones. Too many women often live in fear of violence at the hands of family members. For them, home provides no refuge, the law no protection and public opinion no sympathy. Too many women are prevented from getting proper health care, either because quality care is not available, or because they are simply unable to find the time, between family and work obligations, to care for themselves. And through all of this, not enough women are sitting at the table when decisions are made in too many countries.

And it is clear that democracy without the full participation of women is a contradiction in terms. And that human rights are women's rights and they must be respected.

It is, for example, a violation of human rights when women are trafficked, bought and sold as prostitutes. As my husband has said, this is nothing less than modern-day slavery. And I know that many of you here today are working hard to end this practice once and for all.

Today, I am pleased to announce that the United States government, in cooperation with the United Nations, will be working with NGOs in Ukraine to launch a new information campaign to reach women who may be in danger, and to inform law enforcement and consular officers, and international organizations so they can be on the look-out for, and ultimately put a stop to this crime against humanity.

I will return home with many impressions and wonderful memories. I will also return home to speak to my own people, the citizens of the United States. I will tell my fellow citizens what I have seen and why the United States must stay constantly engaged to support forward-looking reform and leaders who are working on reform. In recent days, I have seen first-hand what America, working hand in hand with the people of Ukraine, has accomplished: fostering innovative health clinics, providing loans to start small businesses, sending Peace Corps volunteers to work with the people here.

... Just six years after your independence, you have much to be proud of. The sun of freedom is higher in the sky. And yes, it has a ways to travel. I know you will stay the course. And as you do, please know the American people will stand with you. I hope that you take great pride in where Ukraine stands today and that you take great confidence in the fact that the United States will be your partner, and your friend, as we travel together into the 21st century and the new millennium.

Thank you very much. God bless the United States and God bless Ukraine.

Excerpts of the first lady's remarks at the Gilad Synagogue:

... this is an historic place, both for the Jewish community and for the entire Ukrainian people.

Just as we are here with a revitalized, very strong Jewish community, we are here in a country that is rebuilding itself as well. One of the most important values of any democracy is the freedom of religion and respect for people of different religious faiths. I'm very impressed at the attitude of the Ukrainian government and people who are supporting such a strong commitment to religious freedom in this country. And so we can see the enthusiastic faces of the children who are learning and studying here - and as the rabbi so profoundly said, becoming both Jewish and Ukrainian, with great pride.

I come on behalf of my husband, the president of the United States, and the American people to strengthen the bonds of friendship and partnership between the United States and Ukraine so that together we can build a future that is worthy of the children of my country and the children of Ukraine. I thank you for the many contributions and efforts that all of you are making to make that better future a reality. ...

Excerpts of the first lady's remarks at the Neonatal Resuscitation Centerof the Lviv Regional Clinical Hospital:

... I hope my visit also reinforces the strong ties between the American and Ukrainian peoples. One of the examples of those ties is found right here at this hospital in the partnership between the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and the doctors and nurses here at this hospital. I am also very pleased about the role that the American International Health Alliance and the United States Agency for International Development have played in supporting this partnership since 1993. This center represents a partnership between the government, the private sector, and the voluntary sector of your country and my country.

Since the partnership here began, infant mortality has been reduced by 30 percent. Clearly, this model works, and I am very pleased to learn that the Ministry of Health is working with USAID, AIHA and the Henry Ford Hospital to establish centers like this one throughout Ukraine.

I also want to acknowledge some of the other partners in this effort. I am delighted that the United States government's Operation Provide Hope, working with Nadia Matkiwsky and the Children of the Chornobyl Relief Fund, this week delivered a major shipment of donated pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and equipment to the center, including an ambulance. The airlift from project Provide Hope also came with winter clothes and relief supplies gathered by Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio through the Anastasia Fund and the Toledo Sister Cities Organization. I also want to thank Ford, both here and in the United States, for the ambulance which Ford donated.

I look forward to working with and learning more about other partnerships between my government and yours to advance health care. ...

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