sorry. it doesn't work that way with voters. and, you know, you have -- i watched this play out with my friend, kurt schrader, who was chals tizing the president for not being truthful only to have pointed out they're co-conspirators in this. you can't get way from that. you can't get way from the votes and the statements. there's a thing called the -- kind of document off of that. and then hold it accountable as you should. i think they're in real trouble. i saw when the senator went on the landrieu bill, that told me panic had arrived. >> we're going go to kiefer, and stephanie kay. francene? >> if you look at the latest developments in obama care strictly from a policy point of view, whether it's the

president's executive order or the upton bill or what mary landrieu is working on -- >> mm-hmm. >> wouldn't allowing people who have these individual plans to keep their plans, wouldn't that mess up the overall concept in obama care because hopefully the people in the individual plans were more healthy and they remove them from the overall population. it messes them up. just the idea of allowing a certain segment to keep its plan. wouldn't that have a negative effect overall on the affordable care act? >> well, while that may be true, i'm sure any change will have an effect. i think the bigger, broader effect is on the individual lives of people who are now getting plans they can no longer afford. by that, i mean you look at premium increases that are going up hundreds of dollars a month -- sometimes $1,000 a month. it's a wide range. some people will get subsidies

and support and pay less. but there's this group in the middle who make just enough -- they get no subsidy, and the price of their premiums for their plans is going up dramatically. but moreover -- and this is just what after 36 meetings in my own district, their deductibles -- their deductibles, they fear, are at a level where unless you have a catastrophic health event in your family, you really don't have health insurance because you're paying upwards of $12,000, $15,000 where it was $2,000 or $3,000. so they may go without. because you have a guarantee issue. you can always go to the emergency room, right? the penalties are not more than the premium. this is the chaos out there, on the ground, in communities all across america.

>> has there been time to actually figure out as this legislation has been going on which is the worst case? these folks whose premiums are going up because -- or what happens to the whole system as a result of this group being out? >> well, i would argue on the side of the individual whose plans are being terminated and they don't -- they either don't have access to a website to figure out what their alternative is or what their subsidy will be or what the costs are. that's the world we're in right now which is a more important world than the individual than the sort of global effect on a -- on obama care for the long haul. this -- you got a situation in my home state. we had a high risk pool for people who had pre-existing conditions. i was in the legislature back in the late '80s and early '90s, we worked on all of these things so people had a place to go to get

covered. that high risk pool ends at the end of this year. they closed it down to replace it with cover oregon that signed up zero people. the governor's now hired 400 individuals or in the process of hiring that will manually go out and sign people up by paper but they have to figure out how to run it through a computer system they now admit won't work by the end of the year. in real terms of real people's lives, this is happening in fast time. that's how i equate it -- the only thing i can come up with is a hurricane, cat-5 hurricane, all over the country. i did a town hall, a town of, i don't know, probably 80 people or 51 of them at the meeting on tuesday night a week ago. yeah, a couple of people saying hey, it's all working great. you republicans are this, that, the other thing. and the cancellations, that's not true, literally.

and the fellow there said, well, here's my letter. i got cancelled. and the replacement policy is x more premium. this is -- people are sitting around kitchen tables saying now what do we do? that's who i think we need to worry about first. >> scott, you mentioned a few minutes ago your conversation of -- part of your job. the -- despite being in a minority with democrats, a lot of it has been fueled by large numbers of small donations. what -- what are you doing on that front? are you too overreliant on large donors? and is it even possible for, you know, a republican party apparatus to activate given the levels of distrust?

>> i -- i won't buy into the last piece of that at all. we stood up in the beginning of this year. the young people are brilliant, done amazing things, grown our presence on-line dramatically. they can give you the metrics, but our facebook likes are off of the chart, grown our e-mail dramatically. we have a long way to go. i'd say we have a target of opportunity to grow our revenues. but we figured out how to do that now. we've been very thoughtful. creative at building out our presence on-line, becoming more of a content provider.

and in our comparisons with our competitors, in terms of how people share the information we put out, it's doing all of the right thingings. so now we can begin to invest more deeply in that. and build that presence. we have a long way to catch up. truth. >> warren? >> our small donor base is coming. it's fired up. and finally remember, the president -- for all of the things i may disagree with him on and the things he's not good at, he's darn good at raising money. he committed to my counterparts, steve israel, to do six events around the country for the dccc, that's one commitment he's keeping. he's been to boston, new york, san francisco, chicago. he'll be in seattle on the 24th. that's hard to compete with. because he's got the president and mrs. obama. the vice president. you know? the whole infrastructure's administration.

one thing he wants more than anything else, and that is govern in his last two years like he was able to in the first two years without us being in check and balance. if we're out of the way, he'll never have an oversight hearing on the irs or benghazi or all of the issues that people are rightfully concerned about. it will be bar the doors. they'll all get along. legislation will pass and flow. will we have a chance to read it? >> life without daryl issa would be hard to imagine, wouldn't it? >> what would you all do? >> what would we do? >> i want to ask specifically about the race between -- and mattison because he's certainly the most vulnerable democrat in the country. what about the campaign has been retooled and what about it needed to be retooled.

>> not going to get into all of the specifics in a race, but i would say this -- that she is a very dynamic, impressive individual. a wonderful mother who served her community as mayor. i think the country saw her in the brief moment in that convention and they loved her. and she's been a successful fundraiser. she's outraced him the last quarter 2-1, basically. so she's on a solid track on the fundraising side. she is much more engaged locally than perhaps she had time to be last time. i think with that and her team of being assisted by some of the top pros in utah. we've learned. we sit down and say what do you think worked, didn't work.

and how do you fix that. this is what we think didn't work and worked. no one wants to go to a race and come up short. it's not that fun. we tried to identify strengths and weaknesses and done the whole analysis. and we say, how did you do it differently and have the path to victory. >> stephanie and david. stephanie? >> good morning. >> we've seen in the presidential elections that the opposition -- [ question off-mic ] >> speak up a little? >> the opposition to obama care -- what are your members going to do to actually give a response or offer the kind of -- what can you do? because the flip side of the --

perhaps there's a lot of republicans talking about repeal and replace when everybody knew that was never going to happen. so is it just enough to be the alternative? and what about people who actually are seeing their premium go down? >> and there will be some of those. i think you have to factor that in. and i was in a meeting in the northeast part of my district on saturday late afternoon. with a bunch of veteran ms. this woman talked about being put off of her regular plan and medicaid. the other piece of that where the funding comes from is out of medicare. so you have this element of seniors, especially in rural districts where medicare advantage played a major role in keeping your provider because of the reimbursement rate issues that are cognizant that that may be a problem. they took money out of medicare to put to medicaid.

that's an issue. our members are very capable and confident in talking about alternatives that we would offer for a patient-centered health care delivery system. but it doesn't put much good to put that up on the floor in a comprehensive way when you know, let's been honest, that the senate is not going to take it up. the president is not going to go along with that. so when one party passes something exclusively, denies the other party to even offer a single amendment on the house floor, which occurred, then they own it and embrace it. and they owned it and embraced it and overpromised and underdelivered and it is -- it is the -- it's the tsunami that washed up, there's a lot of debris on the ground. it will be the defining issue in 2014. and they got to explain it. when the other major programs in america were created, they almost always were created with bipartisan votes.

major reforms and entitlement programs. they did it with tip o'neill in a bipartisan way. this one may be a conscious choice to lock us out. i remember seeing henry waxman in a conference and saying henry, i spent 4 1/2 years or so on the hospital board, i chaired the committee that implemented the oregon health plan. i was part of the process on the higher risk pool. we did a lot of experimentation on health care. and i was an employer who paid 100% with my wife for the premiums of our workers. i knew every side of this health care table public policy, private sector, nonprofit, rural hospital. i'd like to help. i told ron that too. the song if the phone doesn't ring, it must be me. that's kind of how we were treated. okay, so here we are.

now you own it. you keep overpromising. how are you going to fix it? and if oregon can't get their side up and running -- they admitted in august it wouldn't be ready and it was over budget. now they're admitting it won't work before the end of the year. typical funky ads promoting it, you can't use it. they're hiring people at $3 million from now to the end of the year and only going to the more urban areas to the state and not in the rural to talk about it. it's just a mess, a mess. >> last question, mr. wassermann? >> oh, not him? again? >> i'm curious. on paper, it aulgt -- ought to be a tossup. time to go to the recruiting board there? >> we're fully engaged and intend to win california 26. >> what's going on? >> well, all right. stay tuned.

>> you know what california 36 is. >> stay tuned. >> can i ask you one sort of longer-term thing? >> i thought you said it was the last question. >> you know, reporters lie. karl rove this week was talking about the overarching trend confronting republicans. and i take your point that your job is to elect republicans to the house. one of the things he said was the country is becoming less liked. an arise in the latino and african-american population. until the populations economically rise, you're going to have a more democratic electorate. do you worry, not in your specific calling but more generally about the fate of your party? >> sure.

i think we have to always have a positive agenda. i think we have one. i think we need to be better at messaging that agenda. because we aren't always good at that. we can improve. and i think that agenda needs to cut across demographics, age, everything else. it's an agenda about believing in the individual as opposed to big government. it's an agenda -- frankly, i try to promote in my sub committee on communications and technology about future innovations and what america can be because of what we are and the creative brilliance we have. and the need to harness that more and create more jobs that pay better. you know, we -- the democrats generally wanted to divide what's here.

the whole president obama and his first campaign and joe the plumber exchange, share the wealth. we want to add the wealth. we want to grow this country. we want to grow jobs in the private sector that because the companies are successful, they can pay more and expand. >> again i get back to the president's health care law is a depressant on economic growth in every community in my district. i'll take on my rnc hat and put my small business hat on. i hear from those people in a state like oregon very dependent on small businesses are saying, i can't afford the mandate. i've got to get under 50 employees. i have to reduce workers. it doesn't work because i want to grow my business. but if i do, i have this additional cost. i can't do that. i'm telling you nobody goes out

and does a news conference to announce they've reduced the hours of their employees and they've gotten under 50 employees. yet, it's happening. we're not that party. we're the party that wants this tome have a vibrant private sector. regulated where necessary. so you have competition. you're growing jobs. not shifting jobs overseas. that's your issue of immigration reform. high-tech and my part of the world, i grew up on a cherry orchard as david mentioned. we didn't have guest workers then, we wouldn't have cherries in the buckets and in the bocks. wouldn't happen. that's a skilled workforce. and anyone who writes they're not needs a refresher course and go out and work in agriculture. it is technical, skilled, and it is hard work. and we have unmet labor needs at

all levels in america. we need to improve our education system. we need to deal with this complex set of issues. if we do, we will address what karl is spoken about eloquently, because we are the party that believes that our core -- americans will figure out how to make things work, and the private sector can solve problems faster. again, i get back to obama care. can you imagine any website out there in the -- we all have their problems. but if you had to undertake this. can you imagine apple rolling out the next product and have this happen? do you think the ceo would be there very long? this is what happens when government says we know better. doesn't mean there didn't need to be reforms, there did. but to take on everything, i think, is a case for why big government in washington does not work and the future can be brighter and better in a different model.

>> we look forward to have you back. thank you very much. >> delighted to do it. thank you all. >> next on c-span, a look at the future with john kerry flowed by a panel discussion of former secretary of state, hillary clinton, and former first lady, laura bush. and later a panel with usaid administrator and the african ambassador to the united nations. on the next washington journal, we'll disz national security threats and jay johnson, the nominee for homeland security secretary. our guest is stephanie

sanacrosto. we'll take a look at the health and human services rule and health insurers must treat mental health issues in the same manner as physical illness. we'll later talk about the aid to the philippines and what role the u.s. should play in international cry seals. our guest is sharon waxman with the international rescue committee. washington journal live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> jaclyn kennedy's time as first lady was defined as never before by images -- a young family entering the white house, international fame, and the tragedy of a grieving widow all within ten years. 10:00 p.m. eastern and sunday at noon on c-span. live on monday, our series continues. >> mrs. johnson, the first lady

loved to show off the texas hill country and her home. the guest to the ranch would informally gather here in the den. and as various heads of state came to visit, we have a few things that speak to they are connection to the room here. one of the things she wanted to highlight was the native american heritage here in the hill country. we do have a small collection of arrow heads over there. an eye for copper and collected various items through the years and had gifts from various friends. mrs. johnson gave a tour of the house in 196. she purchased the china you can see here. purchased in mexico. mrs. johnson spent a lot of time at the ranch. it was important because it provided a respite from all of the turmoil of washington, particularly later in the presidency when the johnsons could come home and recharge the batteries and make the connection back to the land and the place they valued so much. >> first lady, lady bird johnson monday night live on c-span.

>> next, john kerry speaks about the future and the rights of african-american women at an event. he's followed by a panel of former secretary of state, hillary clinton and former first lady, laura bush. secretary kerry's remarks are about 40 minute ms. >> i want to once again thank the president and all of the university for your active leadership, not only on behalf of the study of analysis at issue to the importance of the world and your leadership in the civic life, not only of washington but of our country and indeed across the globe. this is an example of that. i welcome the members of the

diplomatic corps who are here with us. and in particular, all of the women of and from afghanistan who have joined us today. i am very honored to be the honorary co-chair of the u.s. afghan women's council along with laura bush. mrs. bush has been the real inspiration and driving force behind the council from the very beginning. and the council represents a commitment, a public-private partnership to try to support the women of afghanistan in the transition we are undergoing. we can point to a lot of progress some of it mentioned by president pedroya. but we're well aware this is a serious turning point for all of

the people of afghanistan. but in particular, for the hard fought gains that women and girls have been able to enjoy. and what we can do as americans to support the courageous women and men to build the afghanistan they imagined. she and i talked about what she might do next, the word "rest" never entered her vocabulary. we talked more about once again, i'm following her

wherever she goes and am proud to be the honorary founding chair. the institute is co-sponsoring today's events. it's following up on the national action plan adopted in the first term of the obama administration pointing out the benefits to be made including women in peacemaking and peacekeeping. recognizing women's security needs, sometimes unique only to women. bringing the world particularly defense and intelligence analysts onboard with diplomats and experts and academics about what more we can do to support the security of women and to

engage them in peace building. now, as you saw at the -- in the video, there was that wonderful quote by the brigadier general that men and women are like two wings on the same bird. i think i'm going to shamelessly appropriate that. it is true. it's a vivid image in our minds. you cannot look forward if you're talking economically, politically, culturally, securitiwise, without both wings flapping. and what we have the opportunity to do through the council, through the georgetown institute, is to partner with governments around the world, particularly those that have been involved in the international coalition or in support of a lot of the development and human rights work that has gone on in afghanistan.

in order to keep that hope and promise alive to women and girls in afghanistan that they will not go back, they will not be forced back in to their homes, denied education and health care, stripped of their rights to participate in the economy and the political system of their country. and in so doing, we have a great friend and ally in this effort who has been a champion of afghanistan and particularly afghan women's rights for many years. he also happens to hold a job that i know a little something about. he is someone who has been just tireless in pursuit of peace and trying to tackle some of the toughest most difficult problems on the global agenda. and i'm delightled that he is with us here today. no stranger to afghanistan.

last month went back to kabul, negotiating with president karzai over the bilateral security agreement that is absolutely core to protecting the security of afghan women and girls. john kerry's enduring commitment to afghanistan is america's enduring commitment. he understands we cannot walk away from this country or this region when our troops come home. that we cannot turn our backs on the people of afghanistan, especially the women. if their rights and opportunities are undermined, the entire country's stability and prosperity will be undermined as well. so it is my great delight to introduce someone who sp known as "s," standing for secretary of state. and someone who i know sends a strong message just by being here but beyond the words that you will hear of his understanding and commitment,

there's a real passion. we have an advocate for the women and girls in afghanistan in secretary john kerry. [ applause ] i think everybody knows that nobody has done more for the

cause of women and the cause of african women together with laura bush and our foreign policy directly than secretary clinton. she took the helm of the state

department at a particularly challenging time, a critical moment in the history of the war, and she has worked tirelessly to remind all of us that this fight is not just waged on the battlefield. it's a fight for the lives of afghanistan's people and their future. it is a fight above all for universal values and aspirations and i think we all owe her a tremendous debt of gratitude for the work she has done. thank you, hillary. [applause] we appreciate it. i want to thank georgetown's institute for women, peace, and security. i want to thank the afghan women's council, the george w. bush institute, and the alliance and the support of the afghan people for co-hosting and coming together to bring this remarkable event together today. i particularly want to thank all of you.

you are a remarkable group of women. i'm pleased to meet a couple of you in afghanistan. thank you for coming here. i know people will enjoy hearing the program later. i want to express my gratitude also to former first lady hillary bush as hillary did in her comments and her introduction. she helped to lead the effort to advance opportunities for women in afghanistan. if you haven't seen it yet today, she has a terrific op-ed in today's "washington post." and madam first lady, we thank you very much for your leadership also. [applause] as hillary did, i want to pay particular tribute and thanks to our first ambassador at large for global women's issues and her successor, kathy russell, who has just returned from afghanistan.

this is very special for me to be able to be here today, particularly with the extraordinary women who have lived their lives every single day, to make sure that all women can pursue their potential and live free of violence. we all know that creating opportunities for women is not just the right thing to do. it's also a strategic necessity. societies where women are safe, where women are empowered to exercise their rights and to move their communities forward, these societies are more prosperous and more stable -- not occasionally, but always. and nowhere is the pursuit of this vision more important and in many ways more compelling and immediate and possible than in afghanistan.

if i had to walk blind into the district in afghanistan, i could only ask one question to determine how secure it was and how much progress it was making, i would ask, what proportion of the girls here are able to go to school? there's no question in my mind that investing in afghan women is the surest way to guarantee that afghanistan will sustain the gains of the last decade and never again become a safe haven for international terrorists. on my many triples to afghanistan as a senator and as secretary of state, i met with an array of afghanistan government officials. i met business people, development experts, diplomats. i met with our brave troops as well as our brave shared responsibility participation by

the international community, the international troops over there, our counterparts. all of whom have sacrificed for the safe and secure and sovereign afghanistan. but i actually come back time and again with my very first trip to kabul as secretary of state. but i met a remarkable woman who is changing afghanistan. her name is roya. she's chief executive of a software development firm called citadel. and the local authorities did absolutely everything they could in order to stop her dead in her tracks. they even pressured her family to close her company. but she, like a lot of the women silting here, and like so many women across afghanistan, absolutely refused to be intimidated. and the first time that she competed for a -- for an afghan government project, guess what,

she went up against six businesses, led by men, and she won. and it's a good thing she won, because roya has invested almost all of her profits to provide internet access to 35,000 girls. and believe me, she's just getting started. today she has plans to help five times as many girls across afghanistan. now both -- i'm sure you'll hear in the discussion in a little while, it is hard enough to start your own business anywhere else in the world. to start it in afghanistan, balance the books, build a revenue stream, fight against incredible outrage in the local community is sheer guts and courage and determination. she never backed down. instead, she's using her talents and her money in order to connect afghans of all age, men, women, boys, girls, to a global community, a global economy

where all of us are connected to each other. that's the world we live in today. that's the world that women in afghanistan want to share into. as roya said to me, she doesn't want to be the only woman who's an entrepreneur in afghanistan. she wants all women to have that opportunity. and she believes nothing should stop any of them. i'm serious when i tell you that i think of roya and the women like her that i met in afghanistan. every time i hear the amazing numbers that illustrate how far this country has come since 2001 and that underscore what secretary clinton was saying a few minutes ago about how critical our choices are with respect to the future. in 2001 by then, there were only 900,000 afghan children in school. and all of them were boys. today, nearly 8 million students

were in school and more than a third of them are girls. think about what that means for the future. in 2001, maternal mortality was 1600 per 100,000 births. today, it's down by 80%. in 2001, life expectancy for the average afghan was 42 years. today, it's 62 years. and rising. in 2001, 9% of afghans had access to basic health care. today, 60% of afghans live within an hour of basic health services. in 2001, there was only one television station and it was owned by the government. today there are 75 stations. and only two -- and all of those but two are privately owned. and in 2001, there were

virtually no cell phones in the country. today, there are 18 million covering about 90% of residential areas. 80% of afghan women. now have access to a cell phone meaning they are connected to their families, their friends, and most importantly, they're connected to the world and the future. thanks to entrepreneurs like roya, afghan women will now also be connected to the internet too. ten years ago, it just would have been unfathomable to imagine this. but because so many individual acts of courage this is the future we are now watching afghan women build. secretary clinton, laura bush, ambassadors rivera and russell powerfully remind us, when afghan women live longer and go to school in greater numbers,

all afghan families and their communities will grow stronger. all afghans profit from more diverse, dynamic, and inclusive economy. and when afghan women hold public office at the local and national levels, all afghans being a stronger voice in their communities. that is the vision behind the united states national action plan on women, peace, and security which president obama directed to be implemented two years ago and hillary spoke about just a few minutes ago. and that's why we are committed to bringing the perspectives of women and their full participation to bear on these opportunities and challenges in afghanistan going forward. now, what has moved me, and i mean moved me, in my meeting with afghan women entrepreneurs, when women move forward, believe

me, they don't want to go back. not to the days before the taliban. it's important that we keep investing in and defending the progress that empowers afghan women and men to be able to have their voices heard and to buy into their future and shape their future. what has been achieved is nothing less than remarkable. it would have been more than a tragedy if the world allowed this progress to be aban conned. now the question is where to we go from here? we think about the future, we're mindful of the challenges that afghan women continue to face. this is a critical moment. many of my women share very

legitimate concerns that the games of the past decade could be lost. all that i talked about could be wiped out. and the truth is, their anxiety that i hear when i visit afghanistan, or you'll hear today, is palpable. despite the significant achievements of afghan women and girls, many challenges still remain. we remember too well, the difficulties, the difficult history that led to the decades of war in afghanistan. we know the costs of walking away. believe me, afghan women know the cost, because they have always paid the steepest price. so i say to you today, as afghanistan sees women standing up in afghanistan to take control of their country's

future, not only for themselves, but for all afghans, we have to be determined that they will not stand alone. america america will stand up and shape a strong and united afghanistan and secured the rightful place in the community of nations. that is why president obama and president karzai signed a strategic partnership agreement last year that lays out our mutual commitments and that's why america's relationship with afghans is changing. it's not ending. there's a lot to do, so much to do. obviously the road ahead is not easy. the violence that is plagued afghanistan for decades has left very deep wounds. and it is going to take time to heal. we also know that security is going to be a real challenge.

we know that afghans have to strengthen the rule of law. they have to improve access to justice. we also know that discrimination and violence against people continue to be major problems. but, i know every one of these women and the women in afghanistan today will remain determined. and we have an obligation to remain determined and stand by them. we intend to make clear that securing the rights of afghanistan women and girls is not just a challenge for this moment, it's a generational challenge. in fact, we've made a significant downpayment. but make no mistake, finishing this job is going to take courage and not just the courage of women in afghanistan. as a proud father of two daughters, i have many times been reinforced in the fact that this job will require the courage of men too. in afghanistan, it will take the

courage of every man who defends his daughter's right to an equal education. it will take the courage of every brother who challenges the law to keep his sister from owning property or the business. every husband who not only promises the cycle of domestic violence can stop with him, but who actually proves it. we have spent a great blood and treasure in afghanistan. and that makes even greater our obligation to get this right. yes, there are challenges ahead. for sure, the transition is going to be difficult. but without question, there's a world of possibilities staring us in the face. in fact, the transition that we're talking about and now working on is really about three transitions. a political transition, a security transition, and an economic transition. no surprise afghan women are playing an incident gral role in

all of them. look at the political transition. we all know that the single most important milestone in the next year is the peaceful transfer of power from president karzai to the democratically elected successor. the elections have to be on time. they have to be accountable and transparent and free and fair and accessible. they have to be inclusive and result in an outcome that is perceived as legitimate by all segments of afghanistan society above all, but also by the international community. above all, though elections obviously always entail competition and debate, they've got to be a unifying moment for the country. not a divisive one. as we speak. as we are here, afghan women are leading the charge to ensure that the elections next year are credible and conclusive and transparent. gulelei, one of the women who's

a teacher by profession. she had a passion for public service. she worked as a human rights commission in kandahar. she's serving on the election commission. she told president karzai she had only one character flaw. she fears no one. now, we are deeply encouraged by hers and others who are taking a part of this, hundreds of women all over the country, who are running for positions on councils. we're pleased to lend our support in partnership with the united nations to train female volunteers as they facilitate, secure access for women at the polls. prosperity in afghanistan will take root only when women have as loud a voice as men, not only on election day, but every day. it's essential, it's the

prerequisite to the future stability of afghanistan. but make no mistake, it's not enough. it's not sufficient, and won't do the job alone. that's why the united states firmly supports and will continue to support an afghan-led peace and reconciliation effort as the surest way to end the violence and bring lasting stability to afghanistan in the region. peace is possible possible if it respects the historic achievements that afghanistan has made over the past decade. all of those things i listed and talked about. including and above all the protection of the rights of all afghans, both men and women. as part of the outcome of any process, the taliban and other armed opposition groups have to end the violence, break ties with al qaeda, accept afghanistan's constitution, including the provisions on

women's rights. those are the standards which will lead us in this effort. there can be no compromise on these points. there can be no peace without respecting the rights of all afghans and afghan women have to have a seat at the table. afghan women are at the forefront of another transition, the security transition. this is one of the most stunning things. you saw it in the video. the folks in uniform. unprecedented. joining the army, police, serving as judges and prosecutors and some of the most conservative parts of the country, it's an 12r0id transformation. my team recently met with a female police officer from kabul. for those who have been to afghanistan, you know there's not many female police officers and fewer of them are willing to step forward and tell their

story. on the way home from work one evening, this particular police officer heard another woman screaming inside the house. and when she heard the cries, she didn't run away. she didn't call someone else to do the job. she went right up to the house, knocked down the door in order to help. police officer went inside and saw a woman inside, badly beaten on the ground. and her husband was standing over her. without any hesitation, not intimidated, not an ounce of fear, she pushed the husband aside and took the victim to her own house in order to record her statement and make a report. believe me -- believe me, that's courage. and it's an example that all afghans can be proud of and followed. they can be proud that their security and law enforcement

forces are growing strong by the day, more capable by the day. and they can be proud the past summer the afghan national security forces took over the lead responsibility in providing security all across the country. now, as you know, we have made a commitment along with our nato partners, to continue to advise, train, and support the afghan forces beyond 2014 should afghans approve in the next few weeks that the bilateral security agreement. make no mistake -- bringing women into the force and supporting their safe and meaningful participation is going to be a key part of this transition. i'm pleased to report to you now that we are closer than ever to completing the task of defining our new partnership with afghanistan going well into the

future. the bilateral security agreement when it is completed will help both countries to fulfill the long-standing commitments that we made through security partnership after 2014. but i want to underscore, again, that nothing, neither this agreement when completed, nor the assistance that we've provided will replace the role that the afghan people themselves will play determining the future of their country. afghan women are also takinge nowhere mouse risk to support afghanistan's third transition. that's the economic transition. women like hasina say yesterday are leading the charge. i met hasina in march. she started a trucking company i think about ten years ago with $500. she has now 500 truckings. of her employees, 300 are women.

not so long ago, they never would have the opportunity they have today. she told me she always knew she wanted to be a businesswoman when she grew up. i asked, why? she said simply, because then i can be my own boss. that's not just an afghan trait, that's a universal aspiration. but afghan women like hasina are forming connections not just within afghanistan, but all across the region. her trucking company is doing a great deal of work outside of afghanistan to bring supplies and food and things and so forth into the country. what i found is that all of the afghans understand, they may be landlocked, but they're not trapped. they refuse to be trapped. afghanistan is linked with roads, railways, products.

fortunes are tied to the region just as the future of the region is tied for the stability of afghanistan. we saw this the new silk road vision. secretary clinton launched in july of 2011. it's a vision we believe in. and it's a vision we're going to continue to work hard to implement. hasina knows that the benefits of investing in women and girls are not limited to one village, one province, or one country alone. they ripple out across the borders. you all remember the great quote of robert kennedy's about, you know, rippling and creating a huge turet that sweeps down the mightiest walls of oppression. that's what's happening. that's why investing in the training and mentoring of afghan women and entrepreneurs is so important. that's why we launched the economic women's initiative in order to link female

entrepreneurs to markets in south and central asia. and that strengthens those women to have those connections to those other parts of the region. that's why we're investing in the education of afghanistan girls so they can break the cycle of poverty and become leaders and engage in a way to strengthen their neighbor's willingness to join them. that's the future that even here in gaspin hall today, we're all building together. that is the story i want to leave you with today. as i was flying back, my staff handed me a letter from a young afghan girl who sent me a letter that returned from the state department to study at the university of afghanistan. she has the same vision as

leaders like hillary rodham clinton and laura bush who know that no country can succeed if it leaves half of its people behind. the phrase that hillary and i both heard and loved it about the bird with two wings -- can't fly without one wing. one letter stood out the me. her goal is not just to help herself, but to lift her community, her society, her country just like roya, goliliah and hassina are doing today. she said simply -- i want to be one of them. that's the power of example. that's the ripple fanning out to create the courage.

think about that for a minute. she feels ownership over what she's creating in afghanistan. girls all over afghanistan, believe me, i promise you, they are saying it today. they are living that dream thanks to the courage and leadership of women themselves in afghanistan. our responsibility is clear -- we need to make sure that they succeed. because this is one of the benchmark moments, not just for them, but for all of us, what we care about, what we fight for, and who we are. as we move forward, just keep thinking about the young girl who wrote that letter and the inspiration that she draws from women like roya and hasina. she just wants to be one of them. making that happen is going to take every single one of us. thank you very much. [ applause ]

>> now we get to the exciting part. inviting secretary clinton, mr. bush, all of the can't dates come up on stage so we can listen for a moment. we'll go out, set up the chairs, and the program will continue. can i invite all of you up here, please? [applause]

>> i am ok. >this is not working well. ,ecretary clinton, mrs. bush you have no idea how much your work has impacted afghan women and afghanistan. it is a special honor for me to afghanhe stage with my

role models, afghan women leaders, today. the secretary told you about the women he met in afghanistan that showed him the change possible in my country. i see myself as one of these young women. my story is like there's. icommittee afghan children, saw the world through the eyes of a refugee. , but james of my homeland my dreams only became a reality my family could finally return to afghanistan. returning home was not easy. we had to make many adjustments. life was hard, but we were finally home. my family took advantage of new opportunities and sent me and my 4 sisters and my brothers to school. and i was ablegh

to become an exchange student in california. the move was not easy. i was alone. the culture was so different. i learned new things. i have always believed that young people could make a difference. but i did not know how. eitherme, people believed that you had to do something really big or nothing. i learned from my fellow american students that you could do small dings from the american community like cleaning up your neighborhood -- things like cleaning up your neighborhood. back home. i took those lessons and i talked to my fellow students and started mentoring other students. we thought about things we needed to change. of example, we were tired being harassed every time we try to live a normal life, like going to school or shopping.

out, young meno and women. we organize demonstrations to make our voices heard. no one ever talked about these issues. we did not even have a definition for harassment. march, people started talking about it. it was an example of a small collective action inking a big impact. why am i telling you this story? i am telling you this because i want you to know that we are not stuck in the past. mencountry is made of 60% and women. our women are not simply victims. we see ourselves as agents of change. my story is just one story.

areughout afghanistan, they -- there are many of us working hard to transform our society and future. but we need your help, all of you. expression in afghanistan that you cannot clap with one hand. hands. raised our lee's help us transform our future. thank you. [applause] >> very nice. thank you very much. , pleases and gentlemen remain seated. the program will continue with a conversation with hillary clinton mrs. laura bush and the

ambassador. >> it is my pleasure to be able to welcome secretary clinton and mrs. bush act to georgetown to hear this conversation this morning. -- back to georgetown to hear this conversation this morning. i remember firsthand, secretary clinton, when you were first lady at the end of the 1990s, calling the world's attention to the abuses the taliban work perpetrating and how critical the afghan women were. i remember so well, mrs. bush, when the military engagement was called by your husband after 9- 11 after afghanistan. posterityhe president on trust and told the world that the world of the afghan women radiobe -- president's

address and told the world that the world of the afghan women would be important. the women have made enormous progress. they are worried that their progress might be reversed. there are important events ahead. the elections for president as well as a negotiated settlement, a reconciliation process. he still do not know where that will go. to say that the women are concerned is an understatement. they fear they might the a bargaining chip in that negotiated process with a telegram. what do we say in the backdrop of the united states that is war weary and we are focused on our many challenges at home? what can we do to ensure this

process is not reversed and that for atrategic necessity better, prosperous, peaceful, stable afghanistan is realized? both of you have a great deal to say on this subject. troops have -- as our start to draw down, there are many troops on the ground in afghanistan. it gives all americans a chance to support those groups. support theopus -- support the opus prizewinner's schools. questionsay get some out of afghanistan from american university. directly to the american university of

afghanistan to make sure girls have scholarships. as our troops leave, it is important that we continue to support the programs built over the last 10 years in afghanistan, including many that came from the u.s. afghan women's council. we can work with our own const -- congressmen and women to make sure afghanistan stays in the forefront and that people pay attention to it. leave, the eyes of the united states will move away. we cannot let that happen. it is so important. what is important are those lies in afghanistan. sure they do not think we have shifted our attention as well as our troops. [applause] >> i agree completely with

laura's comments. i also want to bring into the conversation our international partners. we have a number of diplomats. we all wait -- we also have the foreign minister of norway. norway has been a great partner on behalf of the development and the human rights of the people of afghanistan, with particular attention on afghan women in ofition to what we ask all us to continue doing to support the projects and the people who are on the front lines, literally, of continuing the progress that has been made in afghanistan, we want to closely coordinate with our friends around the world who have also made rate invest and stand ready to support that progress. secretary k with

perhaps werks that are close to the bilateral agreement. the afghan women here with us today have the question about how they continue their work if they do not have security. how can they continue to protect the girls to go to their schools for this film -- victims of domestic violence and encourage other women to take leadership positions in the government or the private sector? this is a very real worry. we have to work with our own government. both the obama and michelle should and secretary kerry -- the obama administration and secretary kerry to keep this issue of the forefront and to coordinate as we withdraw with our coalition partners as well. well. i think, too, as malan has

pioneered in this work of peace and security, we have to continue to make the case that all of the decades of war have ravaged their consensus.a unified elections that we just heard reference to. those elections will determine a piece of power that's by a fair manner by the people of afghanistan. if you look at secretary kerry's formulation, the security, the political, the economic transitional challenges facing us, we need to be committed on

all three fronts in support of those women and men who realize afghanistan is so strategically located, so many opportunities to be at the real center of what happen unless the south and central asia. and that will all anticipate there's not a commitment to ensuring that half of the population gets a chance to fully participate. we have our work cut out for us to support these women here with us to make sure they continue to be given the attention and resources that they so richly deserve. >> just as we have the women here with us in gaston hall, there are a group of afghan women gathered in the university of afghanistan in kabul. they can hear us, they can see

us, and they have sent in in advance a few questions they wanted to ask to women for whom they are immensely grateful for all that they've done for them. you can see from this question that their minds are very much on the future and what's going to happen. one question is how can we encourage development investments and preserve those that have been made after 2014? we all know a great deal of investing has been done in afghanistan. we want to make sure they are preserved. they want to know does it all end in 2014 or does this commitment continue? >> i know the commitment of the u.s. afghan women's council and

the women here who founded programs across afghanistan that they're -- they want to continue. they will continue. i hope there will be, obviously, u.s. government participation as well. i think that's really important. and the international community as well as spent a lot of money. i hope they'll continue a lot of the programs they started. but i want to encourage people in afghanistan after i heard anita and her talk. i think it's important for young people in afghanistan to really start a youth movement to get the word out before the elections about how important it is to vote and how important it is for all young people, boys, girls, young men and young women, to be involved in the future of their country. they can let older people know

as anita said that it's important they live in a secure and safe country, that they have a chance to build the kind of prosperous stable afghanistan they want. so i want to encourage all of the students at american university in afghanistan to develop a strategy of public relations that you can use just like you all did to protest harassment in the street. that you can use to encourage people to vote to make sure they have free and fair election so that afghanistan really does show the rest of the world that they can build the country they want to. have and i know that's what the young people want. >> i think that's a real opportunity. we were talking earlier in the -- in the council meeting that we need some kind of internet outreach, some kind of movement, a virtual movement to support the courageous stands that young people in afghanistan

are making. and also to try to enlist the support of young people around the world, to make sure your voices are heard, even to perhaps do some crowd funding on behalf of some of the projects that are so important. with respect to the development aide, we held an international meeting in tokyo in 2012. and it was a very successful pledging meeting. countries that had troop troop there as well as countries with no military troops but had sent both development experts and resources. the decision was made that that community representing a great number of nations wanted to continue to support the development of afghanistan in a variety of areas.

but they did want to make sure there was transparency. that there was an effort to limit if not avoid corruption, that there was a need for the government to be more open to taking advice and expertise so they can be better organized to deliver services to the afghan people. i think that is the shorthand attitude of the international community represented by governments and aid agencies. and i think that's important because we do want to make sure that any aid that comes in is actually delivered to people who are doing the front line work. i think, however, it would be a mistake for private funders, for ngos not to continue to try to fund the young people making a difference. how we do that is a subject we

will be discussing further. because even though governments may decide that whatever standards they set are not being m met, we would urge governments not to give up too easily for the problems that governments everywhere are facing. and we would urge the private ngo civil society community that has been so helpful in many areas of afghanistan not to give up either. so i think milan and our students at the american university, we're going have to be very determined to continue to work together and encouraging the transfer of resources to those who have demonstrated a track record about being able to use them effectively to get results. we can't give up. i think you both are right. that as our troops come home,

there will be an understandable totally human response in our country like, okay, fine. we've spent all of this money. we lost all of these brave men and women. we ran into a lot of problems. we're proud of what we accomplished but we can't continue at that rate. and we have to be prepared to make the case why we don't have a choice but to continue in some form and fashion what has worked. i think that will fall to people like us to try to make that argument to the congress and to the american public. [ applause ] >> no surprise that security as you just heard is on the minds of the students at the university. another question they have raised is how can they possibly

raise awareness and preserve women's rights in the absence of security? >> it's very hard, it would be extremely hard. security is the paramount issue. security in and of itself for the physical well being of people. but also for the work that is being done. i would like to make a few quick points on this. i consider president karzai a friend. i have worked with him every since i was a senator. we've had many long conversations over the last 12 years. i know how passionate he is about afghanistan's sovereignty and unity and i admire that. and i agree as the president of

the country, he must stand firm for the people of afghanistan. but i hope he reaches in the next few weeks agreement in the united states about the bilateral security of the agreement. the sticking poiblt is one we have seen before, namely that when the united states sends our young men and women to continue to provide security and in this case, to train and mentor the afghan army and police in providing security for their own people, it is an absolute requirement that our troops be given immunity from local arrest and prosecution. that is what we have in japan, in korea, in germany. i mean anywhere in the world where you still see american troops, that is the requirement. i understand president karzai's sensitivity to this. but i would want to ask you to

remember that we could not reach an agreement in iraq and iraq is descending into a cycle of terrible violence. not that we could have stayed or for how long we could have stayed, but we never got a chance to test it because the malaki government said, no, we can't give the same immunities that are present in the gulf where we have troops and neighboring countries. so this is a big decision for the afghan government. if you enter into the bilateral security agreement, it doesn't mean the united states will be there in great numbers. it means we will be available to help the security forces of afghanistan to help against the continuing attacks from not only the afghantal banal but from terrorist troops across the

border. i know this is a difficult decision. i'm not in any way implying that it isn't. if its's signed, we have a chance to look seriously at what we and our continuing partners in providing security can offer. if it is not signed, which means that when the american troops and the nato and international coalition leave, the afghanistans are left totally to themselves, we have a set of very serious challenges that will be difficult for us to help with. so this has to be thought through carefully. because security is paramount. if you cannot provide security for your people, a lot of the other good results you're hoping for simply cannot happen. so i think the next two weeks when it comes to security will be especially important and we won't know what we can do and how we can respond to the women's request for support on security until we get an answer.

>> no country can function in a successful way without both security and rule of law. and that comes from within the country as well as in this case, the presence of our troops in afghanistan. so that's one of the things that the afghanis need to work on, the people of afghanistan need to make sure they start to build the civic institutions that they need to support a democracy. and they get the word out. and i do think young people like i said before, like anita, will make an effort to get the word out across the country. that we can succeed. afghanistan can succeed if we build our own security in a way, and our own rule of law in a way that people respect and pay attention to. >> secretary clinton, we have a question from the georgetown

graduate student amanda. she has a question about the u.s. national action plan of women, peace, and security which you launched here at georgetown. she asked, the plan calls for incorporating women's efforts into the range of u.s. work and development, diplomacy, and defense. what does this mean for afghanistan? >> well, amann at a. i think that it means that we have to do all we can. to make the case and support the efforts with those with whom we are working to ensure women's voices are heard in the areas that you mentioned that we have to stand firmly for women's rights to participate fully in afghanistan society. that we have to continue to find ways to support the education of

women, the entrepreneurship of women, the political careers of women. so that there can be these role models that we saw in the video and we saw on stage that can encourage women and men to see a vision of afghanistan that truly can move it to a new stage of its great and storied history. in doing the national action plan, and i'll give a plug to the national defense university which will be publishing a book of essays by a number of experts, military experts, intelligence, diplomatic experts, talking about the difference that involving womens makes. it's not just something that laura and milan and i are up here saying it would be nice if you did this. we know it works. we know in the absence of women being at peace tables, being in the negotiations, representing

their views, it is less likely to succeed in terms of ending conflicts and providing security. one quick example, one of my favorites liberia, a place both laura and i have been through and one we both strongly admire. we never would have ended the horrible conflict in liberia if not for the women of liberia. they said they'd had enough. christian and muslim women alike joined together to make it clear to the men who were negotiating the peace agreement which they tried to negotiate seven or eight times before, they were not going home. they barred the doors and guarded the windows so the men could not escape until they reached a peace agreement. if you want to see that in action, one of my favorite documentaries is "pray the devil back to hell" is what happened

in liberia. women stood up and said we're the ones who are most at risk. it is our children who are being savagely abused or killed. and the national defense university integrates into the curriculum what it means to stand up for women and peace and security, we will learn these lessons and be able to work with our friends and colleagues in afghanistan and to make the case over and over again that these agreements don't last if they don't represent the entire community. and you can't do that without having women's voices and participation. [ applause ] >> mrs. bush, you have made this

issue a priority issue at the bush institute. you have focused on a range of investments in afghan women. and economic participation is one of those most significant. tell us a little bit about w why -- why does economic participation and the ability of women to do their work enable them to be more secure in an insecure environment and also to create stability in their country. >> one of the really important reasons, of course, is that if you leave half of the population out of the economy, then you're not going to have a very successful economy. so when women are included in economic life and actually afghanistan women especially are entrepreneurial. i've learned a lot of great stories, the woman who started the furniture business early on right after the taliban left

kabul and became so successful as the furniture builder and furniture sales nan three men, cobblers, came to her and said, will you help us build a shoe company? she said, no, but my daughter is available to help you. so she said i'll give you a loan to start. but you have to pay me back. so now her daughter is in the shoe-making business with three men who, three cobblers who -- who wanted her help in being able to build a business. all of that is really important. and afghan women are working right now. and lots of different businesses all across afghanistan. it's very important to the economy of afghanistan. afghanistan also stands in the point. if they can stay stable and secure to be able to develop e tth the -- a lot of the resources

they have. i want to encourage you, this is something i like to do in the bush institute. that is to be a convener with the people of afghanistan, and corporations, united states corporations to help develop what you all have in afghanistan. but not develop it for export. develop it so that you and the people of afghanistan can learn the skills to build whatever it is you have at home. so that both people are employed at home and you can make not just what you would make by selling your resources, but you would make what you made by selling your resources turned into the products that you build yourself. and you can build your economy in a great way. and i think once men are employed also, and young men are employed across afghanistan, then there's going to be a lot less, a lot fewer young men who will want to join the taliban. but instead, will want to work

to build safe lives for themselves, safe and prosperous lives. so i think education and employment are the two keys. and, of course, we know those are the keys in our country. >> i hate to end the conversation. the clock is ticking. i don't want to leave until we can ask one more question. that is -- it's a continuation of some of what you both said. this room is filled with policy makers, ngo leaders, business leaders, extraordinary students. something i discovered over the last few months coming back to my alma mater. young men and women with great talent as well as faculty and administrators who care. what can we do? we heard a lot already. we'll hear a little built more.

but what can each of us do to advance this agenda? and ensure that the kind of investments that have been made by the united states and the international community in the last decade can endure and don't push everything back. >> i would say first, just keep talking about it. i'm so worried that once our troops leave, no one will pay attention to afghanistan again. we can't take that risk. we don't want the people of afghanistan to think that because our troops are leaving, they no longer matter to us. because they do matter. and the relationships and the friendships we built with afghan women and there's the afghan women's council. through many, many opportunities that we've had to meet, really do matter to us. and i want the people of afghanistan to know that the people of the united states do

support them and are with them. i remember at a conference we had shortly after we moved back to dallas at the bush institute hosted. and the opus prize winner was there. she said at the end, she said, listen, don't feel sorry for us. just be with us. that's what we need to do. we need to just stay with them. and we will. >> besides saying, "amen," i would love to have georgetown students talk with one another about what you can do in solidarity with the young people of afghanistan as anita reminded us, the population of young people is, what, 60%, a very high percentage.

what can you do to support them through virtual context, through raising money, through exchange programs, anything that can keep the lines of communication and relationship building going. this university is already making a very significant contribution to the future debate through the institute on peace and security and through other academic and professional programs that you have. the more we can link up our university communities on some of these specific issues in support, for example, of the america university in kabul looking for ways to do much more in terms of exchanges that can be partnered with the bush institute or other institutions, those are lifelines. those make a tremendous difference in validating the

work that is being done. and lifting up examples. it's important to tell the story to our fellow americans about what has been accomplished because there's a -- there's a sense that, you know, what did we really get for everything we did and how do we know it will last? well, we need to tell the story to the first question. here's a lot of what what we accomplished. compared where afghanistan was in 2001 to where they are today. and then to sort of take it to the next level by -- as laura said, talking about why this is still important for the united states. so i'm hoping in the next year, because this upcoming year is the critical year, we will have a much greater awareness and a better connection among people

who know what's at stake in afghanistan from either a moral perspective, a human rights perspective, a strategic, economic, political, whichever way you enter into it, every one of those is at stake. and to think of ways you can be creative to support the women and the men who are trying to move afghanistan forward. and we will certainly the three of us be deeply involved in making that case. but we need a virtual army now that the real army is leaving. we need a virtual army to help us make the case and to build that awareness here in the united states and around the world. [ applause ] >> well, thank you to you both,

mrs. bush, secretary clinton. thank you for all you've done. thank you for all you will surely continue to do. and thank you for being an extraordinary bipartisan face on an issue that is usually partisanship. [ applause ] going to go down and step down. well. and it's a great honor to always be with secretary clinton. much of what i will describe as progress that is enabled under secretary clinton's great leadership. i want to thank you, milan, for hosting and putting this together and kathy russell who is, of course, your successor.

over the last four years, i've had the privilege of visiting afghanistan on a number of times and seeing the fruits of some of our concrete partnerships that delivered extraordinary results for women. partnerships with the ministry of public health that led to the biggest single reduction in maternal mortality anywhere in the world which means tens of thousands of mothers in afghanistan are alive with their families and children as a result of our partnership. dozens of partnerships, 22,000, in fact, with local village councils to help build schools and encourage girls to go to school which is today enabled 3 million young afghan girls to be a part of the educational system formally in afghanistan. regardless of where we work, we know these types of partnerships are critical to the effort to advance peace, security, and prosperity.

that is true in colombia as it is in kabul today. secretary clinton noted and secretary kerry emphasized that our commitment to these partnerships and to these issues, not just on behalf of the united states, on behalf of all of the international partners will absolutely continue to the future. we know we're making the single largest investment in afghanistan's women and girls we've made in a new program in a partnership we call promote. the purpose of promote is to appreciate a huge amount of success has already been achieved on behalf of afghanistan's women and children. we know we can continue to accelerate that progress. over the next five years, we were committed to reaching 75,000 women in afghanistan and giving them the support they

need to achieve leadership roles in all parts of society, from business, academia, politics, and government. that includes helping more than 3500 women-owned businesses get loans, training, support, and connection to market locally and globally. that includes expanding the percentage of afghanistan's civil service workforce that are women from 20% of the workforce today to 30% in five years. this also includes starting a new scholarship fund that will open doors for women in afghanistan to attend universities at home and abroad. we're going to continue to build the institutions that will last long, long after international efforts are no longer the centerpiece of foreign aid and assistance. centers for women's studies.

centers for technical training focussed on giving young women and girls a chance to learn the skills necessary to quickly me trick late to the workforce. most importantly, we'll work with our partners to ensure that the commitments made in tokyo which total more than $16 billion in aggregate development assistance to afghanistan, are seen through and delivered to the people of afghanistan and in particular, women and girls. i believe the most important part of that tokyo arrangement we made with our colleagues from norway and all over the world is to make 20%le of that commitment, conditioned on a set of basic activities and political leadership decisions that we know are central to peace and security, the conduct

of free and open elections, the commitment to a security that's provided and under transparent rule of law, and perhaps most importantly the protection of human rights and basic opportunity for women, girls, and all parts of society. we know this is a critical moment for our partnership in afghanistan as american troops begin to come home. and withe know that the eyes of the world will be watch iing fr the perspective of the drawndown of that troop force. but we also know that it is precisely at this moment that we need to step up and make more visible our commitment to afghanistan women and girls. and i'm proud to be a part of the obama administration that is absolutely committed to that objective. thank you. [ applause ]

>> secretary clinton. distinguished and brave women of afghanistan. friends at georgetown -- one of the greatest universities in the world. e excellent len sis, ladies and gentlemen. what we are discussing today is the puntedmental human rights and freedom shared by all human beings, the rights and freedoms that everyone, man or woman, is entitled to. the women of afghanistan have glimpsed the chances of a better future. many women and girls can attend school. they can go to university, vote, have jobs, and pursue professions. 1/4 of the ministers are women. several ministers are female. this is real development. in short, the rides and

opportunities of afghan women have grown considerably since the end of the taliban machine in 2001. yet, there are still a long, long way to go. a recent u.n. report expressed alarm against the violence against women. we heard one of the story there is early on from secretary kerry. we see the threat and targeted killings for women working for the government and female human rights activists. we read reports on girls in schools, still being attacked. as activists, what my frommed said. you'd have hundreds every day in afghanistan. no a new phase in zbangs with the betroe that will. we must ensure that the hard won gains for the african-american women are not lost.

hold the garment accountable. women should be allowed to participate in all parts of the economic development. this could unlock the potential in afghanistan. we know equality yields the highest returns of all development. my country, 1% of gmp is also focusing on gender equality. it is the right thing do. it's the right principle. but also the y50erd p yeared is impressive. more women must be included in politicings. the presidential elections in april will stake out the future direction of afghanistan and its people. 34% of woman -- women of afghanistan have already registered to vote. that's good news. but more women should run as candidates.

and they need support from the garment and the media. and it must be safe for women to go to the ballot box on election day. political stability in afghanistan requires a true peace process. women must be part of this peace process. afghanistan civil society on women's organization, many of you are present here today, have a crucial role to play in this defining moment for the future of afghanistan. you can count on norway's continued support of your important work. we will be there next year but we will be there in 2018, 2020, we are together in making sure that all of the gains and future gains should be secured secured for the women and the people of afghanistan, thank you. [ applause ]

celine o'dowd,e including women in decision- making and respecting our rights is important for the future development of afghanistan as it is for other countries. the games over the past decades regarding women's right in afghanistan are significant as afghan women and men have been fighting hard to her breasts and ensure a prospect -- fighting

hard to ensure a prosperous future in afghanistan. then in afghanistan have capacity and the determination to define their own future. the men in afghanistan have an important voice. we hear you. also recognize there is a long way to go in that violence and discrimination against women are serious impediments for building a prosperous and peaceful society. in 2010, our first action plan to how to implement the u.s. security -- un security council

resolution was adopted. we are a work in progress, but we are learning and we are progressing. together, with our partners in we have recently undertaken a review. all of the indications of implementing 2035. a key lesson is that education and training are essential tools for competence on gender. we are continuing to integrate a gender perspective in crisis analysis, and planning and execution of operations. we are continuing to strengthen the role for gender advisers. a professional security force is essential for any country ensuring stability and protecting the population. the intention of the alliance is to continue our support of the afghan national security force

also after 2014 through a new nato-led mission. with our afghan art nurse, we should explore how we can continue -- to our afghan partners, we should explore how to support recruitment and retention of women in the afghan security institution. nato works with them though wider context of the international community. our contribution promoting the peace and security agenda should be seen as part of the overall effort to help afghanistan in fulfilling its own commitments. it is crucial that the international community, meaning international governmental organizations, governments, and other parts of civil society demonstrate a long-term commitment to afghanistan and to all of those good forces working for a democratic, peaceful, and

prosperous future for the people of afghanistan. ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor for me to introduce our permanenter, the representative to the u.n. of the islamic republic of afghanistan and has a long- standing journalistic [indiscernible] [applause] >> thank you. distinguished participants, ladies and as a representative of afghanistan, i am humbled by the strong words of commitment expressed by secretary of state secretary clinton,

former first lady laura bush, the ambassador, and our imminent speakers before me, including the foreign minister of norway. i'm also pleased to see the representatives of afghanistan woman present here today at this -- amazing scene of solidarity with and dedication to that advancement of the right of woman in afghanistan. afghanistan is a new history in the making, following the extraordinary engagement of the international community, the country is entering a new phase

taking the destiny at the hands. in the mix of fears, international forces will leave.

wars of the 1990's and the brutality of the taliban. waran women or the brunt of which shattered their lives and families and diminish them to almost nothing. fear, more than anyone else, that they will lose what has been achieved, but they have futurepe that a better will be felt -- built. ladies and gentlemen, the emancipation has been strong in the minds of afghanistan women since the beginning of the 20th century. women were making inroads into the modern world

-- steps are being taken to strengthen the role as equal participants in building a new, democratic afghanistan. however, there remains an urgency to solidify the afghan woman's place in the future. the government of afghanistan cornerstonet the for advancement of women is there involvement in various parts of the country. women participated in a number of peace talks.

they are candidates for provincial elections. authorities are doing their women to include the voters in elections. partscial and political of their lives are improving. it is vital that we hear -- that their voices are heard and their rule is not only symbolic but genuine. ladies and gentlemen, we have listened today to tremendous support for and cause for the inclusion of women in afghanistan and protection and the motion of their rights. it was an amazing debate. to senator thankful clinton's real expression of

friendship with afghanistan. secretary john kerry, and other leaders of the united states are seen as, madam, real friends of our country. essential support is , thature that these goals were emphasized today, are reached and the afghan government is committed towards the advancement of women in the enshrined in our constitution alongside our partners. i thank you. [applause] span, "washington journal" live with your calls and tweets. and the 2014 federal budget. later, jeh

>> if you are a middle or high school student, c-span student cam student competition once in a while is the most important issue congress should address next year. .k five to seven minute video of $100,000.ze 20.deadline is january >> in a moment, washington journal live with newspaper headlines. followed by a discussion on national security threats. the president's nominee for homeland security secretary. our guest is stephanie sanok kos than a look at health and human services rule. we are joined by ronald honberg. later we will talk

about aid to the philippines and what role the u.s. should pay in the international crises. washington journal is next. >> host: good morning. support for showed the republican bill. many stories this morning report that many of those voting to support it are in tough political fights. what you think about democrats supporting this bill? thed you suggest about current debate over the affordable care act? if you want to give us a call over the