At the release of the 2011 Human Rights Report, the United States of America today announced that it is advancing human rights in a 21st century landscape.
In her remarks today at DC, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the US government is advancing human rights by focusing on new frontiers even as we stand up against age-old abuses.
“Where women have been and continue to be marginalized, we’re helping them become full partners in their governments and economies.” -Ms. Clinton
She adds that where LGBT people are mistreated and discriminated against, the US government is working to bring them into full participation in their societies.
The US government is expanding access to technology and defending internet freedom because people deserve the same rights online as off.
She stresses that in the 21st century human rights are not only a question of civil and political liberties, it’s about the fundamental question of whether people everywhere have the chance to make the most of their God-given potential.
The United States is supporting efforts around the world to give people a voice in their societies, a stake in their economies, and to support them as they determine for themselves the future of their own lives and the contributions they can make to the future of their countries, Ms. Clinton noted.
“We think this is the way, together, we can make human rights a human reality.” -Ms. Clinton
She notes that the US government will support people everywhere who seek the same.
“Men and women who want to speak, worship, associate, love the way they choose, we will defend their rights; not just on the day we issue these reports, but every day.” -Ms. Clinton
She higlighted that the reports document stated that there is a lot of work that remains to be done.
In too many places, governments continue to stifle their own people’s aspirations, she said.
“These reports are more than a report card; they are a tool for lawmakers and scholars, for civil society leaders and activists.” -Ms. Clinton
The reports on human rights was published by United States Government has for nearly four decades.
Ms. Clinton stressed that the reports make clear to governments around the world that the US is watching and it is holding countries accountable.
“And they make clear to citizens and activists everywhere: You are not alone. We are standing with you.” -Ms. Clinton
She announces that this year, the US government has made the reports easier to read online, easier to track trends across a region, easier to follow the progress of a particular group, easier to find out which governments are or are not living up to their commitments.
On December 2011, President Obama directed all agencies to protect and promote the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons abroad.
President Obama’s Memorandum on International Initiatives to Advance the Human Rights of LGBT Persons underlined the United States strong efforts to codify and enshrine the promise of equality for the LGBT community.
Since taking office in 2009, the Obama Administration has worked tirelessly within the UN system to advance the human rights of the world’s LGBT persons.
The U.S. government has joined the LGBT Core Groups in Geneva and New York. The U.S. government won NGO consultative status for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.
United States reaffirms its commitment to a 63-year-old declaration that the world’s people are “equal in dignity and rights-words that have been fought for through the generations by heroes and heroines of every nationality, culture and creed.
