Hillary Clinton traveled during her time as first lady to 79 countries and violating Pat Nixon’s record. During a speech in September 1995 during the fourth UN women’s conference in Beijing she criticized conditions and abuses that affected women both in China and in the world at large, and resisted Chinese attempts to get her to dampen statements. She was among the first international figures who spoke out against the Taliban’s treatment of Afghan women. She was a founding Vital Voices, an international initiative supported by the United States to promote the participation of women in the political processes of their countries.