Proclamation 7332.
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114 STAT. 3354 Proclamation 7332 of August 1, 2000 Helsinki Human Rights Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Twenty-five years ago today, in a world marked by brutal divisions and ideological conflict, the United States joined 33 European nations and Canada in signing the Helsinki Final Act. That watershed event established the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
(CSCE)and affirmed an international commitment to respect “freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.” During the Cold War, the Helsinki Principles were the rallying point for courageous men and women who confronted tyranny—often at great personal risk—to win the fundamental freedoms set forth by the Final Act. Today, citizens of our vast Euro-Atlantic community from Vancouver to Vladivostok live by, or aspire to live, by those fundamental freedoms. The Helsinki Final Act has been instrumental in the progress we have made together toward building a Europe that is whole and free; a Europe where our partnership for peace is overcoming the possibility of war. The Helsinki Final Act continues to shape our vision for the future of transatlantic cooperation, and the Helsinki accords remain the basic definition of common goals and standards for how all countries in the new Europe should treat their citizens and one another. The evolution of the CSCE into the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE)reflects the changing face of Europe. The OSCE's integrated structure of commitments in the areas of human rights, economics, arms control, and conflict resolution provides a defining framework for a free and undivided Europe. The United States will continue to promote the OSCE’s efforts to build security within and cooperation among democratic societies; to defuse conflicts; to battle corruption and organized crime; and to champion human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law throughout the Euro-Atlantic community. We remain committed to the OSCE’s essential work of bringing peace and civil society back to Bosnia and Kosovo, and we are grateful to the many dedicated men and women engaged in the OSCE’s field missions, who in many ways are our front line of conflict prevention in Europe. Today, as we mark the 25th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, the United States takes pride in remembering our role as one of its original signatories—a ringing call for freedom and human dignity that played a decisive role in lifting the Iron Curtain and ending the tragic division of Europe. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 1, 2000, as Helsinki Human Rights Day and reaffirm our Nation's support for the full implementation of the Helsinki Final Act. I urge the American people to observe this anniversary with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that reflect our dedication to the noble principles of human rights and democracy. I also call upon the govern-114 STAT. 3355ments and peoples of all other signatory states to renew their commitment to comply with the principles established and consecrated in the Helsinki Final Act. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7333 August 24, 2000 Minority Enterprise Development Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7333 of August 24, 2000 Minority Enterprise Development Week, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Today, America is enjoying the longest economic expansion in our history, with 22 million new jobs created since my Administration took office in 1993 and the lowest unemployment and inflation rates in more than 30 years. The American people are looking to the future with renewed hope and optimism, eager to embrace the exciting opportunities and meet the new challenges of a dynamic and evolving global marketplace. If we are to extend this remarkable period of growth and sustain our leadership of the world economy, we must use this time of extraordinary prosperity to ensure that every citizen of our Nation plays a role in our economic growth and benefits from its rewards. One of the surest means of achieving that goal is to promote the full inclusion of minority enterprises in the mainstream of our economy. My Administration has encouraged the growth and success of minority businesses by ensuring their participation in Government procurement; introducing the New Markets Initiative to bring jobs and capital to America’s underserved communities; and strengthening the Community Reinvestment Act. Over the last 8 years, the Small Business Administration has guaranteed $18 billion in loans to more than 80,000 minority-owned firms. And the Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency
(MBDA)has assisted more than 430,000 minority-owned businesses with start-up and expansion financing. At Minority Business Development Centers across the country, the MBDA also assists minority clients by providing a variety of business services, including the preparation of business plans, market research and development, financial counseling, and bid preparation. All Americans stand to benefit from the success of our minority entrepreneurs. With energy and determination, these hardworking men and women create jobs, attract investment, bolster pride, and generate revenue in communities across our Nation. People of different races, people of diverse ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities—all have skills, new ideas, and fresh perspectives to bring to the marketplace. Minority entrepreneurs have unique contributions to make to our economy and the talent and imagination to produce goods and services that meet the needs of their fellow Americans and of consumers around the world. 114 STAT. 3356 The unprecedented strength of America’s free enterprise system demonstrates that when people have access to the tools and opportunities they need, there is no limit to what they can achieve. During Minority Enterprise Development Week, let us reaffirm our national commitment to equality in the economic as well as the civic life of our Nation by providing minority entrepreneurs around the country with an equal opportunity to use their abilities, creativity, and motivation to move our Nation forward. By doing so, we will help preserve America's leadership in the global economy. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 24 through September 30, 2000, as Minority Enterprise Development Week. I call on all Americans to join together with minority entrepreneurs across the country in appropriate observances. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7334 August 26, 2000 Women’s Equality Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Proclamation 7334 of August 26, 2000 Women’s Equality Day, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation In March of 1776, 4 months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Abigail Adams sent a letter to her husband John in Philadelphia, where he was participating in the Second Continental Congress. “...[I]n the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make,” she wrote, “I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors.” Almost a century and a half would pass before her desire was realized with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing women's suffrage. The road to civic, economic, and social equality for women in our Nation has been long and arduous, marked by frustrations and setbacks, yet inspired by the courageous actions of many heroic Americans, women and men alike. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucretia Mott, Frederick Douglass, Lucy Stone—these and so many others refused to remain silent in the face of injustice. Speaking out at rallies, circulating pamphlets and petitions, lobbying State legislatures, risking public humiliation and even incarceration, suffragists slowly changed the minds of their fellow Americans and the laws of our Nation. Thanks to their efforts, by the mid-19th century some States recognized the right of women to own property and to sign contracts independent of their spouses. In 1890, Wyoming became the first State to recognize a woman’s right to vote. Thirty years later, the 19th Amendment made women's suffrage the law of the land. But it would take another 40 114 STAT. 3357years to pass the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which promised women the same salary for performing the same jobs as men, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed employment discrimination based on gender. Another 8 years would pass before Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 assured American women equal opportunity in education and sports programs. However, the promise of true equality has yet to be realized. Despite historic changes in laws and attitudes, a significant wage gap between men and women persists, in traditional sectors as well as in emerging fields, such as information technology. While employment of computer scientists, programmers, and operators has increased at a breathtaking rate—by 80 percent since 1983–fewer than one in three of these high-wage jobs is filled by a woman. A recent report by the Council of Economic Advisers noted that, even after allowing for differences in education, age, and occupation, the wage gap between men and women in high-technology professions is still approximately 12 percent—a gap similar to that estimated in the labor market at large—and that, in both the old economy and the new, the gap is even wider for women of color. To combat unfair pay practices and to close the wage gap between men and women once and for all, I have called on the Congress to support my Administration’s Equal Pay Initiative and to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. And in May of this year, I announced the creation of a new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
(EEOC)Equal Pay Task Force to empower EEOC field staff with the legal, technical, and investigatory support they need to pursue charges of pay discrimination and to take appropriate action whenever such discrimination occurs. I have also proposed in my fiscal 2001 budget an initiative under which the National Science Foundation will provide $20 million in grants to postsecondary institutions and other organizations to promote the full participation of women in the science and technology fields. Today, a new century lies before us, offering us a fresh opportunity to make real the promise that Abigail Adams dreamed of more than two centuries ago. As we celebrate Women’s Equality Day and the 80th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, let us keep faith with our mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters by removing any lingering barriers in their path to true equality. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim August 26, 2000, as Women's Equality Day. I call upon the citizens of our great Nation to observe this day with appropriate programs and activities. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON 7335 August 27, 2000 To Modify Duty-Free Treatment Under the Generalized System of Preferences By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation