Leader that for very long time could not even get accredited to the United Nations but we fought for that and had that up she would not even have to read aloud into the meeting that now shes sharers systematic data and analysis of this problem all over the world. We have never before five years ago had a resolution to even acknowledge lgbt rights as human rights that was passed in 2011 there has been the second and now a report was issued in june of this year chair document the faith and the plights of the lgbt around the world this is getting into the dna of the United Nations but until today the Security Council had never approached the topic so it is a small but historic step and with that i will open for questions. Ambassador how will they address this issue especially in the middle east and a more formal way . Especially with the Security Council . To read today was an important step as an informal meeting but but in 70 years no such meeting had happened before and we heard most of the countrys major point to noting how important it was that this conversation continue. The ngos were present we would have opened to the press but for the issues of security related to the witnesses. So the precaution was taken to keep the Television Cameras and the press out. Within the General Assembly back in 2010 day passed a resolution that Sexual Orientation was initially omitted from t resolution banning extrajudicial killings on a number of grounds and to take data reference to a Sexual Orientation and they fought to get it put back and. That was deemed one of the first successes a parody mention the two resolutions but we have to continue to create dedicated space is a and venues to raise awareness to show the lgbt people that are persecuted that this Security Council cares that the Member States of the United Nations care that is extremely important but also each of us as a government has a responsibility to reject the treatment of the lgbt into bilateral relationships as well and i very proud that president issued a president ial memoranda in tears and give direction to all agencies in the u. S. Government to inject lgbt writes into Foreign Policy with asylum and refugee adjudication that is now factored in with few good gave asylum in this country in terms of humanrights defenders of any individual whose status is criminalize and Rapid Response to provide support to those in need and the president s direction was ejected to hold bilateral diplomacy which is what we have been doing. We know how far we have to go and how long ago road is but if you look back five for 10 years ago already it is more integrated this core Group Expands every year secretary carey and i attended said General Assembly last year and the physical security but the dignity is very much a part of the agenda and a part of the United States. On this particular issue on the Islamic State attacks on lgbt and the members two members did not show up what more could the council do on this issue . Also what about the negotiations on this today and draft . On south saddam i would say hour on going in and it is more important at this moment to focus on the government to ensure that they sign onto an agreement that the entire world has rallied around. In terms of what else the Security Council can and to the venues like this are available to have widespread attendance that witnesses can come forward with their stories. To into had been used again and to publicize the june report by the Human Rights Council is very important the second time the un has documented the states of the world for a the lgbt persons to make sure they give that report to amplify that is important but also when we talk about a particular country, every talk about human rights or the price is based by women and girls and conflict we have to make sure our embassies are also looking to see how lgbt persons are treated. Isil will come up again in many Security Council meetings rest assured and it is imperative in addition to talk about the threats to the christians or anybody that does not share their ideology with the artifacts that have been destroyed monstrously the last couple days, alongside that it is essential the fate of the lgbt persons are discussed and we will work with the council and partners to make sure it isnt just the United States and the turnout was quite strong and the statements were strong from those who came. Madame ambassador in terms of actually getting isil to stop the horrible killings and attacks is and the answer really to go after isil . In what actually is being done to go after them in particular in syria . We know what is happening in iraq. Pa and could you talk about what was your reaction to your presentation . Did you feel that you made a dent . What was your big message to the ambassadors . I will speak briefly but i am very glad you asked him a question because he is the most viable person here to hear from all these matters. With isil we are waging with Coalition Partners a sustained multifaceted struggle to defeat this horrific organization. I dont think anybody thinks you could convince them to be less hateful and use less violence to lgbt your religious minorities or women. They have to be defeated of course, that has say military component. It is important the arrangements that are developed with the United States and the coalition in turkey will greatly enhance our ability to blunt isil efforts to set them back and decelerate to the process is in Northern Syria but other components that will be discussed at the General Assembly that is always of great occasion to check in a progress and what we still need to make progress. The foreign terrorist financing of love and the need to ensure the borders are sealed and data shared across boundaries with us a session were secretary johnson was in the chair extremely important that interior ministries are speaking to one another to enhance their efforts. Public diplomacy isil uses social media. It is the central thats those two are stock living under isil or were warped by the illusion that going to fight with isil was a great and romantic journey but they talk about life under captivity breast isil. But this General Assembly you will see many lines of the effort brought forward because the beating isil will take time for the degradation is something we can accelerate every day to mobilize the International Community is an issue that everybody can agree upon at the state level and we need to take advantage of that. Thank you ambassador. The message that i wanted to convey in the chamber is lgbt people have their own voice and want to be represented in the u. N. And the governments and to be integrated into the system to be part of that development of the country and its policies. So hopefully that integration not just to prove it is said justin a terminology invented by a wellesz but there is the Lgbt Community in the east and africa that stand together. Eight you so much. They told as they with take us to shelters to get help and they loaded us up on military trucks that they declared the city of new orleans the Jefferson Parish a war zone. Is still did not sink and that we were the prisoners of war. You cannot describe it. It is your whole life completely. And rabil your Housing Community and your friends and family and everybody is gone. You dont see them anymore. It is one hell of a feeling. Youll never forget the rest of your life. I am relying on you. This is that all other bubbles. I voted for you to represent me at the local level. I dont know where else to go. I dont know what else do [applause] i know think i have never had quite such a warm and wonderful introduction prime want to thank my very good friend who has been such a support and inspiration to be over so many years for the great to work that i know she does a whole tier in this beautiful part of our country and i cannot tell you how honored i am but to be basking in Santa Barbara almost like the heart of my life i never dreamed i would get out of here. Or to see the reagan ranch that was a moving experience for me on saturday. The spirit of the man as head of state that i felt Ronald Reagan said genuine person that he was on hand for all of us and here i am speaking in the race again room in a beautiful place named for another Great American partner that i loved as a kid growing up. And i met twice interplanted davy crockett. Is good. This is a great other chapter of my life. I am pleased to talk about one ongoing chapter where is one of those American Express commercials. Do you know, the penalty is a Program Director for the American Committee of foreign relations. As huge part of my life it is that ongoing work with so wonderful women of afghanistan that i first became involved in september with the First Anniversary of the 9 11 attacks on september 9th and began a new job at the department of state heading up the office it dash you can imagine the cause of the women of afghanistan was priority number one. At that point i probably had trouble to find afghanistan on the map. But never before jird different regions never met anybody from afghanistan battle think i had never known what they were. But anybody from the islamic faith . It is a completely new experience for me. I was very involved with afghanistan as i travelled there several times. And to meet those people and especially the women. Now 30 years later when i meet with young Afghan People in washington and with afghanistan to go around the river freddie introduces with the afghan delegation so i think what do i say . There are so long been a different affiliations. In then i saw a young man in the you think 13 years . This young man that was more than half of his life. That i was working on. I think it is a critical time vetted challenging time to speak about the cause of women in afghanistan and the men whose support them. To be such an awful oppresses patriarch goal that there was nomen over there to support those doing great things and time and time again that i would not be here if not for my father i wouldnt be here if not for my husband i wouldnt be here if not for my brother and on and on. But really they have done so much to inspire. Is a difficult time to talk about this issue with the headlines like to proclaim it is going downhill. Security is getting worse. The attacks on civilians that the corruption is rampant and there is truth to attract the challenges and problems. With the proud opportunity that is biased of the problems there are women in afghanistan that the accomplishments could be regarded as fragile with is anyway to do the job that they need to do . They dont want anyone to do that job for them but they could use help and that Ripple Effect was phenomenal. I will talk about those that i know personally. To be more resilient than i could ever hope to be. To make me proud to talk about their cause because they are among the most courageous and hardworking and resilient people i know. And. I am standing appear alone but i feel that i bring so many up here with me with parliamentarians and ministers in there are women judges from afghanistan with Community House workers and students and young women eating away for the new generation i wish i could tell you about the specific individuals. Recently unfortunately we hear reports of isis making some inroads. I remember meeting lisa and she said yes, i own my own Construction Company and my brother works for me. She is pretty amazing. I could tell you about another woman, she ran for parliament in 2004, she was elected in 2005, she has been reelected since then and she has been the first speaker of the parliament, the first female speaker of the parliament in afghanistan history. She wrote and an amazing piece the book about her is the savored daughter, its a fascinated fascinating book about her life, she is she has 19. When she was born, her mother took her out to die in the sun. Took her outside to die. Shortly thereafter she felt like she had to rescue that baby and she had to rescue that baby and pledged on that day that she would be her biggest supporter and that this baby would be the favored daughter. Her father was in politics, he was assassinated, the mother moved the family to cobble, she made sure the daughter went to school. When she was getting ready for medical school, the taliban took over. She was a prisoner in her own home, she was denied the opportunity to work in further her education. After the fall the taliban determined she was going to leave her medical training behind and become part of the politics and part of the future of her country. I met her several times, she continues to do amazing work. She wrote this article, a very moving article about one year ago, it was entitled a letter to my american sisters. I really would like to read part of that letter today because i can interpret so much on behalf of the wonderful women that i am proud to call my afghan sisters but i think when you hear it in your own words the base tell the story the best. She talks about how after at this point it was a dozen long years in afghanistan, Many Americans have concluded that the International Community involvement in the country was a failure if not a mistake. A majority of americans now have come to believe that most of the goals of the International Community, especially in regards to helping the women of afghanistan were not achieved. She talks about the constant barrage of negative Media Coverage of afghanistan, she said its focus on the progress of the war but not the Afghan People and has reinforce the negative perceptions. For those of us, she says especially the women of s gamma for justice and equality, lack mothers, sisters, wives, politicians, and more importantly as citizens there is a different reality which stands as a stark contrast as to what has been published. She said it is true, afghanistan is not a paradise for women. We face a very uncertain future with the coming withdrawal of international troops. This is the part that struck me, let me read it. The she says if the world could only see through our eyes they might get a glimpse of the fact that afghan women have come a long way over the last decade. It has been a difficult journey, marked by blood and violence, but we have made significant gains in achievement which would not have been possible without the generous support of the International Community, especially the american people. So i would like to point to some of those achievements that she mentions in her letter to her american sisters. The benchmarks of progress. Education, afghanistan has basically rebuilt an Education System that has, for for all intensive purposes, stopped functioning. In 2002 only 900,000 students were in Primary School and all of them were male. Today, almost 9 Million Students are in schools and 40 of them are girls. I mention some of the political achievements just by virtue of women like her who gain a seat in parliament, or become a governor of a providence, or have been leading the charge in other ways on the political scene. 25 of parliamentarians are women and in the last election, 20 of of the provincial Council Members were female. Young people, i remember that particular delegation where the young man stood up and found it hard to believe that i have been working on afghanistan for half of his life. I remember him saying that how much now among the young people, young men are proud, they are happy to work alongside their female counterparts. The young generation really is the hope of us get a stand. I remember the young woman on that same delegation she said, you have to understand we were born in war, we grew up during more, and we live in war. We are 60 60 of voters, the young people she said. We are sacrificing our lives for a Better Future because the work leading up to the election of course put them at great risk. In the health sector, there have been significant gains, almost 60 or more of the afghan population now has some access to basic healthcare. This is a massive increase from just 8 in 2001. in 2001. For runoff election, there there is charges of fraud and mishandling of things. The election and the way proceeded exceeded expectations. I think its important to look at the fact that in that election, about 60 of eligible voters voted. When was the last time we had 60 of of our eligible electoral vote in our elections, probably a long time. In terms of the economy, women are starting businesses, they are, their boldin training programs, they are involved in training other women. Women comprise 60 of the womens agricultural workforce. Perhaps of all these positive changes is the ability to dream. I remember my first trip to afghanistan and hearing young women say you know, i was denied my basic human right to education. I didnt have the ability to train. We were prisoners, we were oppressed, we had we had no future, theres no possibility to train. Now when you talk to little girls in afghanistan they will, out and tell you their dreams, i want to be a pilot. A pilot, why would a little girl want to become a pilot . I want to be a dc