Mr. Secretary General,

Distinguish Delegates,

The prerequisites for a democratic society is to hold transparent elections installing governments responsive and accountable to the people. For such a society it is necessary to have in place:

An independent judiciary ensuring the rule of law.

· An uncensored media open to all points of view. 
· Participation by all members of society, regulated only by age and citizenship. 
· Organized political parties that can contest elections and govern democratically.  

The final building blocks of liberty are non-governmental organizations -- NGOs -- groups that articulate the interests of the polity and create a civil society.

Civil society organizations are vital to promoting democratic development in any country and especially in semi-authoritarian states and pseudo-democracies. Building non-partisan civil society watchdogs in such countries is essential to democratic reform. 

This is particularly true when the population distrusts government in conducting a clean electoral process.  It is more apparent in Iraq, where an occupational authority with limited support will supervise elections.

The efforts of nonpartisan election monitoring groups in countries around the globe mobilized thousands of citizens, particularly youth and women, to hold governments and political contestants accountable to the law and the public trust.

This is important in a country like Iraq where political freedom can result in a surge of support for religious groups seeking to replace one dictatorship with another.

Institutions in Iraq, built around a single party dominated by a single family, collapsed creating a political vacuum.

It is this space that civil society must fill to prevent the rise of extremist groups and create a pluralistic order.

Women suffered tremendously during the years of tyranny and sanctions.

Narratives by women in conflict situations contain heart-rending accounts of survival strategies in times of catastrophe and war.

As a woman leader from the Muslim world I believe that participation of Iraqi woman in civil society, the interim administration and local government is essential to the emergence of modern, democratic, pluralistic and tolerant Iraq.

The nature of Iraqi society that emerges from dictatorship and occupation transiting to democracy is contingent on the encouragement given to and the involvement of women in leadership roles.

The basis for civil society can be grounded in international rules expressed in the Beijing process and in the convention for the elimination of discrimination against women.

The political interruption in Iraq provides a unique opportunity to negotiate the empowerment of women.

With civil society taking on a global character, local and international initiatives can be woven together to provide new opportunities for women’s participation in decision making.      

To me, women are not just the building blocs of the family;
They are the building blocs of society. 
They are responsible for the family’s household budget. 
They bear most of the responsibility of child raising. 
They are more sensitive to social issues like education and health.

They -- far more than their husbands and brothers -- are cautious about committing the lives of their children to war. 

Women are the principal educators, not just of literacy but also of morality. 

And once mobilized, once organized, once unleashed, the power of women to change their societies can never again be contained. 

For 35 years the building blocs of civil and political society in Iraq were frozen.  Now the international community needs to nurture them because:

• Before there can be democratic elections, there must be liberty. 

• To have liberty, people must enjoy the right to freely associate and organize around common interests and common issues. 

• Women can and should be at the vanguard of the creation of a civil society that, in turn, can lead to viable political parties, free and fair democratic elections, and transparent government. 

• The move from civil society to democratic society was the pattern around the world.  This was true in Europe and the Americas.  I pray it will be true in Pakistan and Burma. 

• And I suggest today, at this forum, that it could be the model by which Iraq transitions from dictatorship to democracy.

Irrespective of our opposition or support for the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq, the rationale for that war can be used to press the case for democracy as the cornerstone of international foreign policy.  In defending his policy, President George Bush said,

 “Men and women in every culture need liberty like they  need food and water and air.  Everywhere that freedom  arrives, humanity rejoices; and everywhere that freedom  stirs, let tyrants fear.”

We can use those words to press all nations, and especially the United States, to consistently support democracy as the essence of internationalism in this new millennium.

There were other times in history -- when we squandered precious moments.  The failure of the international community to reinforce the democratic breakthrough after the end of communism is one of the era’s tragic missed opportunities. 

At a moment of unprecedented political and social opportunity, at the real birth of globalism, many nations turned inward. 

At a moment of extraordinary economic expansion, prosperous nations turned their backs on nations where families live on less than a dollar a day. 

But the most painful failure, for me and my nation Pakistan, is that the political gains on all continents witnessed during the last decade of the second millennium were all too often allowed to shrivel away. 

We cannot let that happen at this extraordinary moment of opportunity in Iraq. 

If freedom and democracy prevail in Iraq, it signals hope, for the Middle East for Pakistan, Burma and other countries of the world where tyranny raises its ugly head.

If freedom and democracy are allowed to disintegrate, as unfortunately they did under the military dictatorship of Pakistan, the consequences to the world could be devastating.

This is, of course, a difficult time for the people of Iraq.

The stakes  -- both of success and failure  -- are enormous.

At this precious time, I recall the words of Goethe: He said:
“Freedom must be reinvented in every generation.”

This is the time for the people of Iraq to reinvent freedom.
This is the time for all the people of the world to help Iraqis reinvent freedom.
This is their time. This is our time.  Let us, together, embrace it.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.