In 1995, Hillary Rodham Clinton, then first lady of the United States, delivered a landmark speech to the UN in Beijing in which she declared: “Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.”

A groundbreaking intervention, the speech became a rallying cry for campaigners around the world and set off a new era in the fight for gender equality.

25 years on, we’ll discuss the background and reaction to the speech, as well as what’s changed for women since and where we go next. Joining us to do so is Melanne Verveer, Secretary Clinton’s chief of staff at the time of the speech, and Paula A. Johnson, a pathbreaking leader in the field of women’s health and the president of Wellesley College, Secretary Clinton’s alma mater.

Panel:

• Melanne Verveer, Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and former Chief of Staff to First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton

• Paula A. Johnson, President of Wellesley College and former Grayce A. Young Family Professor of Medicine in Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School

• Julia Gillard, Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London and former Prime Minister of Australia

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