Helen Clark is a brave and hardworking
woman born into a middle class family and it would not be wrong to say that she
is a role model for women empowerment for all women in the world today. I would
like to share about her childhood and success stories with you.
Helen Clark, the oldest of four children of
George and Margaret Clark, grew up on a sheep and cattle farm in Te Pahu, west
of Hamilton. Her mother, was a primary school teacher. Her father, was a
farmer. Clark studied at Te Pahu Primary School, at Epsom Girls' Grammar School in Auckland and
at the University of Auckland, where she
majored in politics and graduated with an MA (Honours) in 1974. Her thesis
focused on rural political behaviour and representation. As a teenager Clark
became politically active, she campaigned against the Vietnam War (New Zealand was an ally of the US
during the war), against apartheid in South Africa and against US military
bases on New Zealand soil.
1. She was the first elected Prime Minister of New Zealand
In 1999, Helen Clark was elected Prime
Minister of New Zealand and served for three consective terms, nine years, and
27.5 years as a Member of the Parliament of New Zealand. Forbes magazine
ranked her the 22nd most powerful woman in the world in 2016, down from
20th in 2006
2. Foreign policy in her era
She advocated a number of free-trade agreements with
major trading partners, including becoming the first developed nation to sign such
an agreement with China, and ordered a military deployment to the 2006 East Timorese crisis alongside
international partners
In
a report in the People's Daily, Chinese President Jiang Zemin referred
to Clark as an "old friend." He hoped to "establish bilateral
long-term and stable overall cooperative relations with a healthy development
geared to the 21st century," and "broad prospects for bilateral
economic cooperation." Clark had strongly supported China's entry into the
WTO.
3. As an activist for nuclear disarmament
In 2002, she was presented with the Nuclear-Free Future Award, for
"installing New Zealand at the forefront of the world political movement
to rid the earth of nuclear weapons".
Clark
maintained New Zealand's "nuclear free" policy, introduced when she
chaired the foreign affairs and defense select committee. She refused to take
part in the 2003 invasion of Iraq without
an explicit United Nations mandate. A strong supporter
of nuclear disarmament, she has pursued a policy of peace-making within
the Pacific Ocean region. While New Zealand
takes part in UN peace-keeping missions across the globe, she regards the
Pacific as New Zealand's natural zone for international involvement.
4. Socio-sconomic policies for New Zealand
At home, her administration raised the
minimum wage, introduced child tax credits and reduced the crime rate. Clark's government has brought in
significant changes to the New Zealand welfare system, such as introducing
child tax credits in the Working for Families package. Her
government has also changed industrial-relations law and raised the minimum wage six times in as many years.
Changes have also occurred in tertiary-education financing, with the abolition
of interest on student-loans—firstly for those currently studying, then
extended to all borrowers living in New Zealand. Other changes introduced
during Clark's term in office include legal provision for civil unions, the introduction
of 14 weeks' paid parental leave, and the Property (Relationships) Act, which
treats property division after the breakup of de facto relationships
the same as after the breakup of legal marriages.
Some commentators have praised Helen Clark
(along with the Minister of Finance Michael Cullen) for overseeing a period of
sustained and stable economic growth, with an increase in employment that has
seen a gradual lowering of the unemployment rate to 3.6 percent.
5. She was the first and only female Administrator of the UNDP.
During the UNDP’s over-half-a-century
history, Helen Clark was the first woman to become the Administrator of UNDP in
April 2009. Throughout her eight years at the UNDP, Clark committed
herself to making it a highly transparent and accountable organisation. She
focused her advocacy on the needs of the marginalised around the world,
promoting the rights of women, LGBTI, refugees and migrants, and people with
HIV and AIDS. She worked in areas such as environmental protection, climate
action, disaster risk reduction, and democratic governance. She has been a
strong advocate for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. During
her tenure, the ratio of women to men at UNDP reached 50 per cent, including at
the most senior level of the organisation
6. Jacinda Ardern current prime minster was on her staff.
After graduating from university, Jacinda
Ardern, the current Prime Minister of New Zealand, worked as a researcher in
Clark’s office. What does Helen say about Jacinda now? “Jacinda Ardern shows
that no doors are closed to women.”
Her
interest in social issues could perhaps be seen as an expression
of feminine qualities, although there are no few men who have a passion for
social justice. What can be said is that her commitment to
international peace, ecological sustainability
and social welfare demonstrate the desire to improve the quality of life for
all people, not just some. She has proved that a woman can run a country as
efficiently as a man.
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