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Transcript: Mayor de Blasio and FIrst Lady Chirlane McCray Deliver Remarks at Beijing +20 Reception

March 9, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Welcome, everyone. Welcome to Gracie Mansion. This is the people's house – the people of New York City. Thank you for being here and we welcome you. I want to thank our wonderful commissioner for international affairs, Penny Abeywardena, who is extremely enthusiastic to work with all of you and to spread the message of everything we're doing here in New York City, but also to find out how New York City can be a great host to you and all the great work you're doing. Let's thank Penny for all she does.

[Applause]

And suffice it to say, in the work of our international affairs office, Penny will ensure a singular focus on the rights and needs of women at all times. I guarantee that. We should all thank, for an extraordinary performance, Miri Ben-Ari. It was a beautiful performance and heartfelt.

[Applause]

There is something about an artist who believes in something and uses their art to uplift us all. That is particularly appreciated. So we thank Miri for her beautiful performance. From my administration, so many of our colleagues are here and excited to be here for the opportunity to work with all of you. I'd just like to name them and thank them – the chair of our Human Rights Commission for the city of New York, Carmelyn Malalis.

[Applause]

The – our commissioner for the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, Nisha Agarwal.

[Applause]

And my counsel – and you always listen to your lawyer – my counsel, Maya Wiley. Let's thank her.

[Applause]

The great, great guests that we have here – we appreciate everyone's presence. We're particularly honored by the presence of a woman who does great things, and whose name may seem daunting to the average American and daunting to me as well, but I'm going to do my best to say – Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. How'd I do? Was that okay?

[Cheers]

Okay – the executive director of UN Women and her deputy, Lakshmi Puri. Thank you both for being here and for your great, great work. All of the excellences, all of the consul generals who are here – we thank you. There is a tremendous sense of solidarity and progress in this room, and we thank you all for being a part of it.

And now I would like to invite forward a man who has been a great leader on a progressive vision of the world, and particularly on the needs of women – Deputy Secretary General Jan Elliason.

[United Nations Deputy Secretary General Jan Elliason speaks]

Mayor: I think we should give Jan credit for his dramatic flourish because I'm sure, like me, you were thinking, what's so special about this book that he keeps talking about it? And then he brings out the Eleanor Roosevelt signature – very clever, very clever. I commend you. You have earned your position of leadership.

[Laughter]

Speaking of leadership, one more member of my administration we're so proud to have with us. She is a former brigadier general in the United States Army and now the commissioner for our Mayor's Officer for Veteran Affairs, Loree Sutton. Welcome.

[Applause]

So as Jan said, we believe, in this administration, that the United Nations is a blessing to this world and a blessing to New York City, and we are proud to host the United Nations. We think it is our obligation, our pleasure to work closely with the United Nations in common cause because we think the values that Jan just enunciated are the epitome, of course, of the United Nations, but they also speak to everything we believe in as New Yorkers, and everything this administration pursues. So we intend to deepen our engagement, our connection to the United Nations, and we're looking for every way to have a positive impact. In September, so many of us had the great honor of being a part of the climate summit. I had the honor of marching down Sixth Avenue with the secretary general in his t-shirt, which I considered an important moment in world history. I believe it may have been one of the first times a secretary-general wore a t-shirt in public.

[Laughter]

But it was such an extraordinary moment and a moment you could feel the world turn because it spoke all over to the world. We saw the outpouring of concern for real action on climate change. I had the honor of speaking at the summit. It's an example of where New York City will do all we can, not just to join the demonstrations and the gatherings, but to act as a city. On that day, we declared that New York City had committed itself to the 80 percent reduction of carbon emissions by 2050 goal – the 80 by 50 goal that is so important for all nations, all cities, all regions to pursue. And we committed to it visibly then to try and help along the work of the secretary general and others – we'll keep doing that. We've worked with so many of you on something we're so excited about – our municipal identification card, IDNYC, available to all who live here, regardless of documentation status.

[Applause]

And as I've gone around the world even, talking about IDNYC – what's powerful, what's universal, is the way that people of goodwill and people who believe in embracing all of humanity see in this effort an example of where we, hopefully, will go – where governments will embrace all people, and look at immigration and migration as part of the human reality, and not deny it but embrace all people and support all people. We're trying to do that in our way here.

[Applause]

And we are honored, of course, to host the Beijing plus 20 celebration. And we understand what a moment this is because of the event that it takes its name from, and it honors, and it exemplifies. And we all – I think people feel that great sense that Beijing was a momentous, special, transcendent moment, and yet it is impossible to feel satisfied with what's happened in the last 20 years. It's very possible to feeling inspired by what was reached in Beijing and what was begun in Beijing – but tremendous amount of work to be done. We, in New York City, will do all we can to be standard bearers in the fight against inequality of all kinds, and the fight for gender equality. And we see that as taking so many forms. And I don't think anyone in this room would disagree with the statement that if you are serious about fighting gender inequality, then these issues must be addressed in economic terms – in real and tangible terms. And so, in terms of things like job creation, affordable housing, education – this is where you find out whether you're a society that actually is focused on building equality.

We, here in New York City, have tried to greatly expand universal pre-k so that all of our children – starting next year, every child at pre-kindergarten age will be guaranteed full-day pre-k. That is a transcendent action.

[Applause]

Dare I say that the majority of those children will be girls, and it will start their lives, and their educational careers, and their careers beyond, the right way. That the families that benefit – in some cases, saving $10,000 dollars or more because it's a free service to educate their girls – the families that benefit are so often led by women, and many women of limited means for whom it's a transcendent moment. This is the kind of thing government can do to actually and tangibly uplift.

We've expanded paid sick leave, so that all people – including an estimated 243,000 women in this city – will not lose pay simply because they're sick, and they'll have economic continuity and stability. And that is especially powerful for lower income women.

[Applause]

And we know what a plague domestic violence is. We know it overwhelmingly afflicts women. And we know that any government that's not fighting it overtly every day, unfortunately, is accepting the status quo. And so we endeavor to lead. We provide not just the education and the enlightenment in every way we can to change behavior and change culture, but we've opened a variety of new centers to serve women who are survivors of domestic violence, and we've created a human trafficking intervention program. All of these are the kinds of things governments should do if they're serious about equality.

[Applause]

And, dare I say, healthcare – where we're expanding access to healthcare, creating more neighborhood clinics, and ensuring safe access to reproductive healthcare. This is essential, but it's a beginning. It's a beginning, and we're just getting started. And we know that we have to do all we can to uplift our mothers, and our wives, and sisters, and our daughters every day. And although the secretary general could not be with us, his spirit is here in the room – his benevolent spirit – and I want to offer you some words that he offered in 2011. He said, "Women hold up more than half the sky and represent so much of the world's unrealized potential. We need their full engagement in government, business, and civil society." As the secretary general has made clear, we have only just begun. That potential must be realized and it's all of our business to ensure that it is.

Now before I move on, I must say, in New York City we take very seriously our commitment to do all things in a multi-cultural fashion – in a way that acknowledges and appreciates all cultures. In this city, that has a simple and immediate meaning. If you're just speaking in English, you're leaving out about 2.4 million people, for many of whom their first language is Spanish. And we have 2.4 million Latinos in this city of which we are deeply proud. So, with that that, I say –

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

You can really say it in any language.

[Applause]

But I can also say it in personal terms, it was my mother, and my aunts, and my grandmother who were the role models for me, who taught me right from wrong and taught me the kind of society we should have. And I try and live out their values every single day. And I think for so many people in this room, that is true. I would say, in the family that lives here in this house, I have one hero, who is my daughter, Chiara, who is one of the most courageous people I have ever met, who has stared down the challenges and demons that she's faced as a young woman, and become a leader helping other young people to overcome mental illness and to overcome substance abuse. And that alone would make me evermore devoted to the cause of women's equality. But I have a second reason, and she is standing on this stage. And she is not only the love of my life, she is the partner in everything I do, and she is the conscience of not only the work I do, but of entire administration. If you want an example when presented with the notion that the senior leadership of our administration should be 51 percent women, Chirlane McCray looked sternly at me and said it needs to be at least 52 percent.

[Laughter]

So I'm proud to say we are now at 52 percent, indicating –

[Applause]

– indicating the power of persuasion and leadership. And I try, every day, to live up to the simple notion that if I am worthy of her, if I live out these values, then I qualify to be a "He for She".

[Applause]

With that, I present to you the First Lady of New York City, Chirlane McCray.

First Lady Chirlane McCray: What a beautiful crowd. Really, you all look so gorgeous and I have – I still have chills from the music. Isn't art, isn't music the universal language, right? Please give her another round of applause.

[Applause]

And I want to give a special thank you to Bill. Your introductions get better and better. Right?

[Laughter]

Aren't I lucky?

[Laughter]

Take it from me people: Our mayor is truly a He for She. That's important. That's important.

[Applause]

Because if he was not a He for She, he would not be the He for me.

[Laughter]

First Lady: Like that?

Mayor: [inaudible]

First Lady: But seriously. Seriously now.

Mayor: She worked on that all week.

[Laughter]

First Lady: It's good. It's good. Seriously, from day one we have been partners in work, we are partners in marriage, and, most importantly, we are partners in parenthood. And speaking of parenthood, this wonderful celebration has had me thinking back to where I was two decades ago when the Fourth World Conference was being held in Beijing. I followed the proceedings as closely as I could, but I confessed to being a little distracted. Our daughter Chiara was nine-months-old at the time. And so, after work, most of my waking hours, and many of my sleeping hours too, were devoted to her. One of my – one of my most cherished possessions in those days – was a rocking chair that Bill's mom gave us. So, when Chiara was awake I would read her stories in that chair and, when she was asleep, we would just rock back and forth while I imagined her future.

I wanted her to have the same things every parent wants for their child – good health, a well-rounded education, freedom from fear and violence, and a fair shot at achieving her goals. While Chiara and I were rocking in that chair the delegates in Beijing were laying out a Platform for Action to help billions of other women and girls around the globe realize their dreams. In the two decades since then, women and men from around the world including all of you have been working with passion and diligence to turn that platform into reality. So, we have come a long, long way. There is certainly cause for celebration. But everyone here knows that we still have a long, long way to go and that is cause for action. As Bill stated, this administration is committed to unstacking the odds that have held women back for far too long. And I am committed to doing my part. Back in November, I had the honor of speaking at the United Nations and signing the document that made New York the first city in the United States to join the Safe Cities Global Initiative.

[Applause]

We are now taking steps to make all of our public spaces free from sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence. We are leading the charge –

[Laughter]

– to recruit other U.S. cities to the Safe Cities Initiative because we have reached 68 cities so far. And we have shared with them our memorandum of understanding. Our participation in Safe Cities speaks to two important truths: number one, the partnership between the United States – I mean between the United Nations and New York City – is stronger than ever, and number two, the city's International Affairs Office is doing tremendous work that is benefitting all New Yorkers. As Bill mentioned, the city has also launched an array of bold initiatives that are already making a big difference in the lives of female New Yorkers. I have to say I am particularly interested in the work that we are doing to protect the victims of domestic violence – which brings me back to Chiara. Last summer, Chiara was an intern at the Office to Combat Domestic Violence. Her major is Sociology with an emphasis on Women's Studies and Gender Equality. Not only is she a member of the Feminist for Justice Organization – she is a loud and proud feminist.

[Laughter]

And so is our son – our 17-year-old son Dante.

[Applause]

That's right. Bill and I raised two young feminists.

[Laughter]

And so many of the dreams I had for Chiara and Dante have come true, but the fact remains too many of our daughters still face tougher odds than our sons and that has to change. I look forward to working with all of you to create a better brighter future for our mothers, for our sisters, for our daughters, for ourselves, and our families. And it is now my pleasure to introduce someone who needs no introduction, but I'm going to praise her anyway. I first met Madame Phumzile right here in Gracie Mansion. She has such serenity and grace. I immediately connected with her. Meeting her in person and experiencing the strength of her passion and the depths of her commitment to gender equity. It got me all fired up. I left that meeting so excited and ready to work with her and the UN Women. And that excitement has only grown. We are – we're just getting started. So, Madame Phumzile, the stage is yours.

[Applause]

[Madame Phumzile speaks]

First Lady: Isn't she fantastic?

[Applause]

Yeah. Right? Gender equity by 2030. Can we do it?

Audience: Yes

First Lady: Yeah. Right? Thank you everyone. Please have a wonderful evening.

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