Dear friends, good evening. It is a pleasure for me to be here with all of you in Sucre on my first visit as Chargé d’Affaires.
What a joy to visit this beautiful and historic city – the capital of Bolivia and the seat of the nation’s Supreme Court.
I want to thank Silvia Solares and the entire CBA Sucre team for their warm welcome. Thank you for being our partners in strengthening ties between Bolivians and Americans.
Bolivia holds a special place in my heart, and I am truly honored to be here as Chargé d’Affaires. As I embark on my new role, it is important for me to step out of my office and meet the people of Bolivia. That’s why I am in Sucre, to get to know you and find ways to work together to promote our shared interests.
We are working together with local partners to economically empower historically underserved communities and foster connections between our peoples. In this visit to Sucre, I have met with elected officials, community leaders, youth, and others. I have also visited projects supported by the Embassy that preserve the cultural heritage of some beautiful and significant artworks and of historic buildings in this lovely city.
Tonight, I was honored to meet several talented entrepreneurs from the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program, and many of them are in
the audience tonight. Strengthening women’s empowerment is key to any nation’s development. When women progress, their communities thrive. Respect for diversity of ideas and human rights, including women’s rights, is the foundation of a healthy democracy.
The film tonight, “On the Basis of Sex,” is a powerful example of the importance of empowering women, promoting gender equality, and protecting the rule of law. As you will see, the protagonist was a real-life person: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who, along with her husband, lawyer Martin Ginsburg, changed the course of history with a gender discrimination case that paved the way for equality in U.S. courts.
The film is a reminder that equality and equity are not achieved overnight but require continuous work and courageous people like Justice Ginsburg. Along with countless activists, she played a crucial role in preserving the rule of law and an impartial judicial system, necessary for a democracy.
In the film, Justice Ginsburg is deeply convinced that institutions should work for all citizens, not just for some. Her work improved the lives of millions of American women as they moved forward.
It is important to note that Justice Ginsburg worked within the judicial system to enshrine women’s rights in the law. Then and now, a fair and unbiased judiciary, the rule of law, and the efficient processing of judicial cases give us the confidence that rights and investments will be protected. The United States is committed to these values, and that is why the United States supports democracy in Bolivia and around the world. We seek to promote the democratic values we share, which help improve our societies.
Through events like tonight’s and future initiatives, my goal is to expand our collaboration with civil society organizations and community leaders to support democracy and address common challenges, such as empowering underserved communities. We will continue to seek cooperation to build prosperity for our peoples. And we will continue to work together to address climate change and preserve biodiversity. Our door remains open to cooperate with you on these shared concerns.
In conclusion, I look forward to working with all of you over the next three years to further strengthen the ties between the United States, Sucre, and all of Bolivia.
Thank you very much, and enjoy the movie!