An Interview with Melanne Verveer Melanne Verveer

Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Volume 20, Fall 2019, pp. 77-80 (Article)

Published by Johns Hopkins University Press DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/gia.2019.0006

For additional information about this article https://muse.jhu.edu/article/741035

[ This content has been declared free to read by the pubisher during the COVID-19 pandemic. ] event for me was the United Nations Fourth An Interview with World Conference on Women that took Melanne Verveer place in 1995. I was working as Hillary Clinton’s chief of staff at the time. There was much political back and forth as to whether she would be able to accept the UN secre- JIA sat down with Melanne Verveer, tary general’s invitation to deliver a keynote executive director of the George- address. There were those on the left who town Institute for Women, Peace, thought she shouldn’t go to China, where Gand Security, to discuss her experiences as the conference was taking place, because of the first US ambassador for global women’s China’s horrible human rights record, and issues, and her vision for the future of wom- there were those on the right who claimed en’s rights in international security and US she shouldn’t go because it they thought the foreign policy. conference was about destroying the family and creating new genders. There was a lot of Georgetown Journal of International Affairs: political pull and tug about her attendance. At what point in your career or personal She did get to give what turned out to be life did you decide to dedicate yourself to an historic speech, and in the end, both women’s issues, and why was that? conservatives and liberals would say it was her finest hour. The first lady stood before Melanne Verveer: I spent time throughout the vast number of delegates from around my career working on a variety of public the world and proclaimed, “Women’s rights policy issues; probably the most prominent are human rights.” All these years later, you engagement relating to women’s issues was might wonder, what is the big deal? Women in the area of civil rights. At the time, I was are human and women’s rights are human trying to affect legislation, preventing exist- rights. At the time, however, women’s rights ing protections from being shredded, like weren’t chiseled into international human the Voting Rights Act, and working on the rights law. Civil Rights Restoration Act that was de- In her speech, Clinton went through a signed to overturn the effects of a 1984 Su- litany of egregious violations of women: ba- preme Court decision. It really wasn’t until bies whose lives are snuffed out merely be- I became a part of the White House staff cause they are born girls, domestic violence, that I focused much more on women’s is- rape as a tool of war, dowry burnings, fe- sues specifically. Probably the most seminal male genital mutilation, honor killings,

melanne Verveer currently serves as the executive director of the georgetown institute for women, Peace, and secu- rity, a position which she has held since 2013. she previously served as the first us ambassador for global women’s issues, a position to which she was nominated by President obama in 2009 to integrate women’s participation and rights into us foreign policy; during that tenure, she was also appointed to serve as the us representative to the un commission on the status of women. from 2000 to 2008, Verveer served as the chair and co-ceo of Vital Voices global Partnership; prior to that position, she served as assistant to the president and chief of staff to the first lady for the clinton administration. she is a member of the council on foreign relations, is coauthor of the book Fast Forward: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose, and has received a number of awards, including the us secretary of state’s award for Distinguished service. Verveer is also a founding partner of seneca Point global, a global women strategy firm, and a cofounder of seneca women. ambassador Verveer received her Bs and ms from georgetown university.

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human trafficking, and other violations of position necessary, and what kind of impact human rights. These abuses of women were do you think that role has in the world? hardly recognized as violations of human MV: I’d like to think the day will come when rights. At the time, even the human rights we no longer need positions like this because office of the State Department wasn’t work- we will have fully integrated women’s issues ing on many of these issues. While speaking, into US foreign policy. Maybe younger gen- she punctuated each violation by declaring erations will see that goal come to fruition. it a violation of human rights. When she An office of women’s issues wouldn’t be got to the crescendo of her speech, she said, necessary if the State Department included “It is no longer acceptable to discuss wom- women’s perspectives and ensured women’s en’s rights as separate from human rights.” participation throughout its mission, not The audience, composed of delegates from just for ideological reasons or because it’s around the globe, greeted her remarks with the right thing to do, but also because it’s the sustained applause. Many had worked try- smart and effective thing to do. It was the ing to end dowry burnings or honor kill- decision of the President to create the of- ings—abuses which are not common in the fice with, I’m sure, the recommendation of US—and they felt their struggles had been the secretary of state. The office would send validated by the remarks of the high-level a strong signal about our commitment to representative of the United States. advancing progress for women and girls After Beijing, the first lady devoted around the world. much of the following three years to trav- It’s important to note that there was al- eling around the world, meeting with peo- ready an existing office on women’s issues ple who were “in the trenches” struggling to at the State Department, established by Sec- make progress on issues like girls’ education, retary Albright. She headed the US delega- women’s economic and political participa- tion to the Beijing conference when she was tion, ending violence against women, and serving as US ambassador to the United Na- more. She spotlighted programs that were tions. When she became secretary of state, working to bring about change. I found this she and Hillary Clinton, then first lady, effort so compelling because it mattered so worked very closely on these issues. As the much to so many. Women, after all, account White House requested information on for half the population of the world, yet so girls’ education, women’s political participa- many are living on the margins of society. At tion, and other issues for a given country, the same time, women are not just victims, it rapidly became clear that the information they are also on the front lines of change, so was not available. That changed when Sec- our mission was to give voice to those who retary Albright took office. She would have could not lift up their own voices and to en- the embassies begin to report on the status courage and support those who were mak- of women, and the department would come ing a difference in some of the most difficult to focus more significantly on these issues; places. It was this period of engagement that the goal was for the US to also provide more greatly enhanced my commitment to work leadership on them. on women’s issues. Secretary Rice continued the work of the GJIA: You were the first US ambassador- women’s office. However, it wasn’t until the at-large for global women’s issues, a posi- ambassador’s position was created that it be- tion that was created quite early on under came a priority to integrate women’s issues the Obama administration. Why was that throughout the work of the State Depart- 78 georgetown journal of international affairs melanne VerVeer

ment, from the Bureau of Economic Affairs 2000, and it linked the agency of women to to the regional bureaus, and from the em- overall peace and security. Over the nearly bassies to the Office of Human Rights. The 20 years since the adoption, a series of ad- quadrennial diplomacy and development ditional resolutions enhanced SCRes 1325. review of 2015 included the integration of When I was serving in the State Depart- women’s issues throughout the work of the ment, the US put forward SCRes 1888 to department, demonstrating how these is- create a special representative of the secre- sues should be mainstreamed and why it was tary general to make a more concerted effort necessary for the effectiveness of diplomacy to prevent sexual violence, which has been and development. These issues are not mar- repeatedly used as a purposeful tool of war ginal to our foreign policy. We know that in many conflicts. The US had previously where women’s rights are protected, those proposed SCRes 1820 in the prior admin- places are more peaceful and prosperous. istration, in which the UN explicitly con- Where women are denied their rights and nected sexual violence as a tactic of war in oppressed, where they live on the outskirts the context of women, peace, and security. of opportunity, countries are far more likely Additionally, the creation of national action to be fragile and unstable and sometimes plans was recommended for countries to worse. more effectively implement SCRes 1325. The US undertook to write a national ac- GJIA: What do you hope is the end result of tion plan (NAP) in 2010. The hub of the ac- these efforts? tion for this undertaking was in the White MV: I would like to see the day when it is House. The impetus for a US NAP began no longer unusual to have women partici- in the State Department and later was em- pating fully in their societies at all levels. It braced by the Department of Defense and is refreshing to see four announced female US Agency for International Development. candidates for president of the US, each of After a year of deliberations among these whom is serious and competitive.1 This is and related agencies to develop the NAP, it progress, but we’re still not at a place where was announced in late 2011. The president women can participate fully and equally also issued an executive order to accompany around the world. We do need to get to the it. Today, the US is the only country whose place where women’s issues no longer have NAP is law. The Women, Peace and Secu- to be called out as separate issues; however, rity Act of 2017 was adopted with strong the journey on the road to equality still has bipartisan support and signed by President a long way to go. Trump. The law represents progress, but the key is how it will be implemented. The leg- GJIA: What have you worked on so far, and islation mandated a strategic plan to be de- what do you still hope to accomplish, in veloped by the key agencies within a year of your time at the Georgetown Institute for enactment; however, more than a year later, Women, Peace, and Security? a strategic plan has yet to be submitted to MV: What we’re doing at the institute is an Congress. The law affects everything from outgrowth of the work of the State Depart- how our diplomatic, development, and se- ment. The US adopted a national action plan curity operations will include the perspec- on women, peace, and security in December tive and participation of women in peace of 2011. This emanated from the adoption and security—including in Afghanistan, of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in South Sudan, Iraq, DRC, and other areas

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of conflict where the US is playing a role in ganizations that play a vital role. Our goal is some capacity—to advocating for women’s to bridge theory and practice; we not only participation in peace negotiations, to train- want to do the best research, but we want it ing peacekeepers, to ensuring that our devel- to have impact. opment programs address women’s needs. One of our most important projects has The Georgetown Institute for Women, been the development of the first-ever WPS Peace and Security (GIWPS) plays an im- Index, which looks at the well-being of portant role in this work. Secretary Clinton women, not just in terms of inclusion but launched the US NAP at Georgetown in also in terms of justice and security. The in- late 2011. At the same time, the president dex ranks over 150 countries. We worked of Georgetown announced the creation of with our Norwegian research partner, PRIO, the institute to advance the role of women to bring together the best data that exists to in peace and security through scholarship gain a multidimensional understanding of and research. GIWPS is making an impor- well-being of women in a given country. We tant contribution to the creation of the evi- know that where women are denied their dence-based case for women’s participation. rights and are subject to oppression, those It was clear to me at the State Department countries are much more likely to be fragile, that research documenting the evidence- unstable, and potentially mired in conflict. based case would be critically important if In another area, under the leadership of one decision-makers were to better understand of our law fellows, we examined the role that why this was a smart and strategic policy. UN sanctions could more effectively play in We know from efforts in Northern Ireland’s addressing conflict-related sexual violence. peace process, as well as in Liberia, Rwanda, We have also addressed the role of women and other places, that women play an im- in peace negotiations and how Track II di- portant role in achieving and sustaining plomacy can better influence official nego- peace. However, solid research on women’s tiations. We have published new research roles in negotiations, prevention, and recov- in countless areas, from gang warfare to ery was not as available and accessible as was women countering violent extremism, and needed. Through GIWPS, Georgetown is from transitional justice in Colombia and making an important contribution in serv- Tunisia to women’s grassroots efforts in pro- ing as a hub for research and as a convener moting peace during conflict in Ukraine with a global reach. We bring officials and and Myanmar. Our goal is to bridge the gap civil society together to engage on these is- between what we know and what needs to sues in public forums on campus, at multi- happen to advance women’s roles in peace lateral organizations, and in other locations and security. around the world. We focus on why it makes a difference and what we can learn from Disclaimer: this transcript has been lightly ed- each other. We are also interested in nurtur- ited for clarity and length. ing the next generation of leaders through courses, convenings, and engaging the stu- dents directly in our work. At the moment Note we have about twenty student research assis- 1. Additional female candidates have announced tants doing part-time work with us. We also their candidacies since the interview was con- have ties all over the world. We have worked ducted. with NATO, the UN, OSCE, and other or-

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