In her speech upon accepting the award, Prime Minister Kallas remarked that it was the duty of both Europe and the USA to stand up for a world governed by freedom and democracy. “Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction,” she quoted President Ronald Reagan. “We must not allow ourselves to forget that democracy needs constant care and defence. It cannot merely deliver hope in a better future, but must produce tangible results for our people.”
The head of government gave Estonia’s e-services and digital state as a good example of this. “We have put innovation to work for the good of democracy and for the good of our citizens,” she said. “Today, 99% of our government services are offered online, from paying taxes to electing the parliament. But digitalisation has never been the end in itself in Estonia: our aim has always been to provide services that are the best they can be for the people of our country. Since so much of our lives in this day and age are online, the state has to have a presence there as well, and it has to be prepared to constantly update and improve its services.”
Governments cannot afford to be passive observers of technological progress, Prime Minister Kallas added. “We must all be active students so that we are capable of bringing innovation into open and inclusive government services,” she advised. “That is not something we can do on our own. Team Europe and Team America must work together to ensure that innovation and technology support democratic societies in the best way possible.”
Prime Minister Kallas noted that the Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Award, named after America’s first female ambassador to the UN, was also significant from the point of view of social equality. “It helps to build a future where the head of government being a woman – or a man – no longer makes headlines,” she said. “Thankfully, times are changing in this direction. More and more women are to be found in leading positions, which is something that no longer seems quite so strange to society. But equal societies do not arise of their own accord: we have to work hard to achieve that equality, and set an example in doing so.”
The award presented to Prime Minister Kallas was named after Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, who was the foreign policy adviser to President Reagan, America’s first female ambassador to the UN, a renowned foreign policy thinker, a long-serving member of the board of the IRI and an outspoken proponent of women in politics. The award was established in order to recognise those promoting the political and civic involvement of women in the United States and around the world. It was first presented in 2008. The ceremony was held in the headquarters of Amazon Web Services.
The IRI is an American NGO which is dedicated to promoting freedom and democracy around the world. This year it is marking its 40th anniversary. The Women’s Democracy Network operates as part of the IRI.
Prime Minister Kallas’ address (in English): https://valitsus.ee/en/news/remarks-prime-minister-kallas-after-receiving-iris-jeane-j-kirkpatrick-award
Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stenbockimaja/albums/72177720312642167
