Madeleine Albright, first female secretary of state in the United States, has passed away. She was 84 years of age. Her tireless and dedicated work for human rights will be the legacy that this political pioneer leaves behind.
She supported NATO expansion, fought for peace and stability in the Balkans and tried to persuade North Korea to stop its nuclear program. In a New York Times op-ed written last month, just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Albright argued that Vladimir Putin would be making “a historic error” and warned us of the destruction that war will bring. “Instead of paving Russia’s path to greatness, invading Ukraine would ensure Mr. Putin’s infamy by leaving his country diplomatically isolated, economically crippled, and strategically vulnerable in the face of a stronger, more united Western alliance,” Albright wrote.
1995 GlamourAlbright was named Woman of Year for her work at the United Nations. She would go on to be the secretary of state in 1997. “One of just seven women among the U.N.’s 185 ambassadors—and the only woman on its top-level Security Council—Albright believes that women’s issues like family planning and economic empowerment are as important a part of world politics as treaties and missiles,” GlamourIn the magazine’s profile of the diplomat, she wrote. “She sent that message as chair of the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women: ‘Coerced abortions and sterilizations, children sold into prostitution, genital mutilation, dowry murders, girls who just turn up “missing”… Some say this is all cultural and there is nothing we can do about it. I say it’s criminal, and we all have an obligation to stop it.’”
Albright’s speech at that year’s awards ceremony exemplifies the dedication Albright had to advancing women around the world. Below is her full speech:
“It is a great honor to represent the United States of America in the United Nations. And I think from hearing about my background you know for someone who wasn’t born here to be able to sit behind that sign every day that says ‘the United States’ is the highest honor of all.
“When I got to the U.N. I thought, American organizational fashion, that I might actually gather other women representatives so we could form a Caucus. I asked my assistant if she could invite the other women to lunch. It turned out that it was a very small lunch. Six women out of the 185 members are present [other than me]This tells me how difficult it is for women to get involved in international affairs. We showed them. First, the women who came to lunch were accused of not having equal access to the American ambassador. And so we have in fact worked together, and I am very proud of something that the United States led, which the other women supported, which involved women judges on the international war crimes tribunal…so those who rape and pillage and murder are going to be brought to justice.
Source: Glamour