Three decades after her landmark 1995 UN speech, Hillary Clinton warns that progress on women’s rights is facing unprecedented threats both in the United States and around the world.
Trump Administration Cuts Threaten US Women’s Rights
In a recent interview, Clinton described a “coordinated, deliberate effort to dismantle the progress toward women’s equality,” tying the decline in women’s rights to a global rise in authoritarianism, reported by The New York Times.
“This is an all-hands-on-deck moment for women across the world, who have benefited from the changes in laws, regulations and norms over the last 30 years, to realize that there are strong forces at work to try to turn the clocks back,” she said.
She specifically cited the Donald Trump administration’s elimination of the White House Gender Policy Council, cuts of at least $3 billion in programs for women and girls, and the removal of references to women’s human rights abuses in State Department reports.
“They are on a mission to undo the 250-year-old experiment of creating a country based on the idea that we are all created equal,” Clinton said.
Global Backlash On Women’s Rights Signals Democratic Decline
The warnings coincide with the release of Beijing+30: A Roadmap for Women’s Rights for the Next Thirty Years, a report highlighting setbacks in gender equality worldwide.
Examples include renewed exclusion of women in Afghanistan, attempts to roll back reproductive rights in multiple countries, and policies encouraging women to stay home while limiting political participation.
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Trump Faces Corruption Allegations; Gates Backs Global Health
This month, Clinton criticized President Trump, suggesting he used his office for personal gain.
She referenced Rep. Greg Casar’s (D-Texas) X post, accusing Trump and his family of corruption tied to a $5 billion cryptocurrency token, a $400 million plane from Qatar, and corporate deals.
Clinton stated, “The Trump administration is going great… for Trump,” while Casar noted rising costs for Americans.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) also accused the Trumps of leveraging the presidency for cryptocurrency profits, calling it corrupt and echoing earlier claims from Clinton, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Calif.), and Casar.
Earlier this year, Melinda French Gates endorsed the Gates Foundation’s plan to allocate its $200 billion endowment to global health by 2045.
She praised the decision, highlighted the low share of philanthropy directed toward gender initiatives, and reaffirmed her $1 billion commitment to supporting gender equality.
French Gates stressed that wealthy individuals have a moral duty to give back, especially amid declining U.S. investments in global gender-focused programs.
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