Societies all over the world are recognizing women's vital contributions to commerce, community and civic life. Whether it involves Afghan women voting in a presidential election or women starting microbusinesses in Ethiopia, the worldwide trend toward greater equality is clear. From art to politics, from health care to education, women are playing increasingly important roles in their communities. As they achieve success in politics and business, they also are using their voices to protect their rights as human beings. In Afghanistan, women are integral to the economic, social and political lives of their liberated country, voting in free elections and helping to draft a new constitution. In Iraq, it is now illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender, ethnicity or religion. President Bush, emphasizing the critical role women play on the world's stage, told a group of women from around the world who gathered at the White House that "the advance of women's rights and the advance of liberty are ultimately inseparable."