[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 11 (Monday, March 15, 2004)]
[Page 366]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on International Women's Day

March 8, 2004

    Today, in observance of International Women's Day, the United States 
reaffirms the principle that freedom is the right of every woman and man 
and the future of every nation. The United States continues to work to 
advance and support the dignity of all people, regardless of gender, 
race, religion, or ethnic origin.
    The best guarantor of the rights of women is freedom and democracy. 
Free societies allow for free elections, free markets, free press, and 
free labor unions. They guarantee religious liberty, protect property 
rights, and educate their people. They protect their freedoms with the 
consistent and impartial rule of law.
    Over the past 2 years, the advent of democracy in Iraq and 
Afghanistan has freed millions of people from brutal tyranny. We 
celebrate that they are now assuming the basic human rights too long 
denied them. Much remains to be done to consolidate and protect these 
new rights, but the United States and our international partners are 
determined to continue this progress.
    On this day, women like Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house 
arrest for her efforts to bring democracy to Burma, and Shirin Ebadi, 
who has spent a lifetime championing human rights, receive recognition. 
The United States pledges to promote democracy and human rights around 
the globe and to help those who struggle to see the same light of 
liberty now dawning on the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Note: The statement referred to Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National 
League for Democracy in Burma; and 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin 
Ebadi.