DIRECTORS OF UNFPA, UNIFEM, INSTRAW ADDRESS THIRD COMMITTEE AS DEBATE OPENS ON ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN

Press Release
GA/SHC/3317

DIRECTORS OF UNFPA, UNIFEM, INSTRAW ADDRESS THIRD COMMITTEE AS DEBATE OPENS ON ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN

The Beijing Conference had made a decisive break with value systems that had used women's reproductive role to oppress and degrade them, Nafis Sadik, Executive Director for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) as it began its consideration of the advancement of women and the implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women.

"The Platform for Action affirms that women's human rights include the right to control and decide on matters related to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, free from coercion, discrimination and violence", she emphasized.

In the post-Beijing era, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) would focus its operational work on political and economic empowerment, said Noeleen Heyzer, Director of UNIFEM. To acquire economic empowerment, women must have access to and control over economic resources, assets and opportunities. For political empowerment, they must have control over their lives, both within and outside the home, as leaders and decision- makers at all levels.

Also this morning, the Acting Director of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), Martha Duenas-Loza, said that in taking any decision on INSTRAW, account should be taken of its institutional merit and worthiness.

The Deputy to the Assistant Secretary-General, Office of Human Resources Management, Angela E. V. King, said much needed to be done regarding the daunting challenges for women in the Secretariat, particularly that of placing 50 per cent women in the highest management levels by the year 2000. That target alone implied that between now and that year, two out of every three vacancies must be filled by women.

Also this morning, the Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Gertrude Mongella, said that she would be unable to make her statement before the Committee because of the non-availability of the relevant

report. She said that her statement was prepared on the understanding that Committee members would have the report at the time she was speaking.

The Committee today decided to postpone its consideration of the Advancement of Women and the implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women until relevant documentation was available. Statements in support of postponing discussions were made by Ghana, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Cuba, United Republic of Tanzania, Spain, Botswana, Chile, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Algeria, Philippines and Nigeria.

The representative of South Africa, speaking on behalf of the African Group of States, suggested discussion should only resume when the documents become available.

Committee Chairman Ugyen Tshering pointed out the efforts he had made to address the issue of documentation, including raising the matter with the President of the General Assembly at every opportunity. He had also addressed a letter to the President pointing out the difficulties being encountered by the Committee with regards to documentation. The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its consideration of refugee questions and related matters. It is also expected to take action on draft resolutions on social development questions as well as crime prevention and criminal justice. The Committee will also hear introduction of another draft resolution on crime prevention and criminal justice.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to begin its consideration of the Advancement of Women as well as the implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace.

The Committee is expected to have before it the report of the Fourth World Conference on Women (document A/Conf/177/20) which contains the Platform for Action, adopted at the Women's Conference in Beijing (September 1995). The Platform is a comprehensive plan for the international community to promote the status of women to the ultimate benefit of society as a whole.

The Platform for Action identifies objectives and actions in 12 critical areas of concern: poverty, education, health, violence, armed and other conflicts, economic participation, power-sharing and decision-making, national and international machineries, human rights, mass media, environment and development, and the needs of girls. Recommendations are addressed to various elements of the international community, particularly governments, international financial institutions, bilateral donors, the private sector, academic and research institutions, non-governmental organizations and the mass media. The report also contains reservations made by different countries

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on the different paragraphs of the Platform for Action. Also this morning, the Third Committee has before it the report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against women -- the monitoring body of the Convention -- on its fourteenth session (New York, 16 January to 3 February) (document A/50/38). The Committee recommended that the States parties favourably consider amending article 20 of the Convention regarding the meeting time of the Committee, so as to allow it to meet annually for such duration as is necessary for the effective performance of its functions.

During its three-week session, the expert Committee reviewed the situation of women in 10 countries: Bolivia, Chile, Mauritius, Tunisia, Uganda, Finland, Peru, Norway, Croatia, and Russian Federation. The report on Croatia was presented on an exceptional basis, in response to the Committee's request for information on the situation there. Furthermore, the Committee prepared concluding comments on four reports considered during the thirteenth session which were deferred to the fourteenth session. Those reports where on Australia, Colombia, Guyana and Japan.

The Committee also has before it a report of the Secretary-General on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (document A/50/346). According to the report, as at August 1995, 143 States had ratified the Convention, of which 49 States had acceded and five had succeeded to it. In addition, six States had signed it without yet ratifying it. Since the last progress report, the following States parties have ratified, acceded or succeeded to the Convention: Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Georgia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Uzbekistan. The list of States that have signed, ratified or acceded to the Convention, as well as the dates when they did so is contained in annex II of the report.

Annex I of the report contains a draft resolution on the proposed amendment to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. According to it, the States parties to the Convention decided to replace article 20, paragraph 1 of the Convention, with the following text: "The Committee shall normally meet annually in order to consider the reports submitted in accordance with article 18 of the present Convention. The duration of the meetings of the Committee shall be determined by a meeting of the States parties to the present Convention, subject to the approval of the General Assembly." Under that resolution, the amendment shall enter into force following consideration by the General Assembly and when it has been accepted by a two-thirds majority of States parties.

Reservations made upon ratification to the Convention by Malaysia and Kuwait are contained in annex III of the report. An objection made by Norway from 1 August 1994 to 1 August 1995 is contained in annex V. A reformulation of a reservation made upon accession was made by Libya and is contained in annex IV, while annex VI contains a withdrawal of a reservation and declaration by the United Kingdom.

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The Committee also has before it the Secretary-General's report on the improvement of the situation of women in rural areas (document A/50/257/Rev.1) requested by the General Assembly in its resolution 48/109 of 10 December 1993. The request sought to update existing information on the matter, taking into account a number of new and emerging perspectives on the issues. Rural women -- which includes farmers as well as domestic servants -- produce an estimated 35 to 45 per cent of the world gross domestic product as well as over half of the developing world's food. In spite of that, more than half a billion rural women are poor and lack access to resources and markets. The trends that will affect the status of rural women in the twenty-first century are: the growing interdependence of the global economy, urbanization, and the increasing concern with food security.

Changes in the global economy have brought about the extensive incorporation of women into the economically active population, especially in non-agricultural areas, the report states. Also, failure to take account of gender barriers in the design of adjustment policies has led to a shift in relative income-earning ability in agricultural production in favour of men. Persistent inadequacies in women's access to land, credit, extension services and technology suggest that men rather than women have been able to benefit from incentives under expanded commercial agriculture.

According to the report, the urbanization process will result in 62 per cent of the population living in urban areas within 30 years. Even as its relative proportion declines, the total rural population in the world is projected to continue to grow larger, at least until 2025, when it will begin to decline slowly. Urban growth occurs because of both natural growth and rural urban migration. Also, there is growing evidence that in low growth areas, men migrate, while in high growth areas women do it at a higher rate.

On food security -- the third new trend affecting rural women -- the report states that the strategic role of rural areas in production of food becomes more important as urban population increase in size, and food production can be a source of economic growth. Any approach to food security needs to consider the role of rural women because they begin the food production chain. In developing countries rural women are responsible for more than 55 per cent of the food growth. In Africa they produce 70 per cent of the food. Moreover, women comprise 67 per cent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries.

Rural women are an important link between rural and urban areas; they maintain food security and the general well-being of their households, the report concludes. For that reason, a gender approach to socio-economic issues deserves to be incorporated in regional development policies and plans. Investment in rural women can make development programmes more productive. Their status and access to productive resources, capital, markets and information should be improved.

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A Secretary-General report following on the activities of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) is also before the Committee (document A/50/538). The activities of the Institute include a publication entitled Credit for Women-Why is it so important? which was presented at the Fourth World Conference on Women. The Institute has also contributed to the second edition of the World's Women Publication and the 1995 Human Development report. Other activities organized by the Institute include a subregional workshop on statistics and indicators on women in Asia. Also an INSTRAW/Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) joint work session on gender statistics was held at Geneva from 6 to 8 March 1995. Furthermore, the Institute conducted the first national training seminar on women, water supply and sanitation in Guyana from 31 January to 4 February 1994. Another such seminar was conducted in Namibia from 20 to 25 November 1994.

An important element in the Institute's methods of work is its network of focal points and correspondents, the report continues. There are now 40 INSTRAW focal points in countries all over the world. Several activities such as the organization of seminars and meetings have been implemented in collaboration with those focal points.

The report states that the Institute is funded solely from voluntary contributions. Contributions received by the United Nations Trust Fund for INSTRAW for the biennium 1994-1995 totalled $2.18 million. To continue with its work, however, the financial commitment of Member States to the Fund must be ensured.

The Secretary-General's report on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women to the Year 2000 (document A/49/398) examines the themes of women and economic decision-making, in the context of the priority themes of equality: elimination of stereotyping of women in the mass media; development: child and dependant care, including sharing of work and family responsibilities; and peace: education for peace. The Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies were endorsed by the General Assembly in 1985. In addition, the report contains information on the integration of older women in development.

Under its treatment of the elimination of stereotyping of women in the mass media, the report states that the first review and appraisal of the Strategies, in 1990, had stated that stereotyped images of male and female roles in textbooks or the glorification of traditional roles in the mass media, continued to constitute obstacles to the advancement of women. However, the second review and appraisal of the implementation of the Strategies in 1995, had stated that the nexus of women, media and development was finally being recognized as a central element of local, national and international agendas of research, policy-making and funding. Even though there has been progress in raising awareness of media content and gender

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portrayal, in general, the media continues to reflect and reinforce traditional gender stereotype.

With respect to child and dependant care, including sharing of work and family responsibilities, the report states that despite significant efforts in many countries to transfer tasks traditionally performed by women to men, traditional attitudes continue to persist. Furthermore, they have increased the burden of work placed on women. In addition reproduction activities -- fuel and water collection, food preparation, child care, education, health care and home maintenance -- are often viewed as non-economic since they carry no monetary compensation and are excluded from national income accounts. In order to achieve the sharing of parental responsibilities between men and women and society, measures to be taken include, the introduction of flexible working hours for men and women as well as accessible child-care facilities for working parents.

Under its treatment of education for peace, the report states that, with the end of the cold war, there has been a growing understanding that goals towards democracy and a new world order cannot be achieved without the full participation of women. The importance of women in this process stems from the fact that as a group, they are neither among the decision-makers nor among the beneficiaries of the established power structures. For example, even though women constitute the majority of war refugees, they had no say in the armed conflicts that uprooted them.

As part of measures towards the promotion of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies, the report states that the Economic and Social Council endorsed the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2000 as a general framework for the coordination of system-wide efforts. Through that action, it requested the Secretary-General, in his capacity as Chairman of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), to arrange for revision of the plan after the Platform for Action. The plan will be structured according to the critical areas of concern set out in the Platform for Action and will include those actions that are expected to be taken by the relevant organization of the United Nations system during the plan period. A draft plan is in preparation and will be finalized in November 1995 and submitted to the Commission on the Status of Women at its fortieth session.

The Secretary-General's report on violence against migrant women workers (document A/50/378) states that violence against women migrant workers has been increasing as part of the growth in international migration and a shift in its nature towards temporary migration for purposes of work. Poverty and the desire for economic betterment are what motivate most women migrant workers to leave their country of origin. The methods of recruitment of women migrant workers and the types of work they perform, make them vulnerable to violence.

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According to the report, even though a number of international instruments provide migrant women with a legal protection, most migration is undocumented thus removing them from either national or international legal protection. Forms of violence range from inhumane working conditions to starvation, beatings and rape.

The report lists the measures taken at improving the situation of women migrant workers. On the national level, it states that no information had been received by the Secretariat on consultations to identify problem areas in promoting and protecting migrant women's rights.

At the international level, the report states that as at 16 July 1995, only five States (Egypt, Colombia, Morocco, the Philippines and Seychelles) had ratified or acceded to the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. In addition, two States had signed it without yet ratifying it (Chile and Mexico). The Convention will enter into force when at least 20 States have ratified it. In addition, the Commission on the Status of Women adopted a resolution on 31 March 1995, which called upon States Members to adopt measures for the effective implementation of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, including applying them to women migrant workers; and it called for the ratification of the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others.

Also before the Committee is a note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the activities of the United Nations Development Fund (document A/50/410). It reviews and updates the key elements of the programming framework of UNIFEM and describes initiatives undertaken by the Fund in 1994.

A Secretary-General report on the worsening problem of traffic in women and girls (document A/50/369), states that the concern with trafficking in women as an international problem is growing. The problem has been addressed, variously, in terms of its human rights dimensions, migration and its regulation, crime prevention, and social services. The problem has become a highly organized world-wide phenomenon. Trafficking also affects children, in particular girl children. The forms of their exploitation vary from sexual exploitation, child labour and inter-country adoption. The linkage between trafficking and the violation of women's human rights has been clearly established. Measures to protect their rights include: job training, legal assistance and confidential health care as few of the measures to be taken.

According to the report, illegal migration and traffic are different. Migration across frontiers without documentation does not have to be coerced or exploitative. At the same time, persons can be trafficked with their consent. Trafficking of women and girls would be defined in terms of "the end

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goal of forcing women and girl children into sexually or economically oppressive and exploitative situations" and the fact that it is done "for the profit of recruiters, traffickers and crime syndicates".

The report's third chapter lists the United Nations activities to deal with the traffic of women and girls such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography reported that INTERPOL had established a Standing Working Party on Offenses against Minors to improve transnational cooperation in preventing and combating child exploitation.

Statement by Secretary-General of Women's Conference

GERTRUDE MONGELLA, Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women, said that she would not be able to make her statement because that statement was based on the understanding that all the relevant documentation would be available to all members of the Committee. The secretariat of the Conference had completed its work on the documents and had hoped that they would be available.

UGYEN TSHERING (BHUTAN), Committee Chairman, expressed his regret that the documents were not ready and expressed the hope that Mrs. Mongella would be available to make her statement when the documents were available.

Statement by Acting Director of INSTRAW

MARTHA DUENAS-LOZA, Acting Director of INSTRAW, said that any decision on INSTRAW should be based on the real meaning of INSTRAW's institutional merit in women's overwhelming struggle to obtain rights to development in conditions of equality, equity and peace.

She said that during the next biennium, INSTRAW would work to support the efforts of women's organizations and of the international community in meeting the challenges defined in Beijing. The Institute's next biannual plan would be guided by the Platform of Action approved in Beijing. It would be based on regional priorities, building upon the main recommendations of the United Nations Conferences on human rights, population and development and the social summit, as well as those emerging from the Beijing non-governmental organization Forum. It would also incorporate the basic goals of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (HABITAT II).

She said that INSTRAW had identified four thematic programme areas that would provide the focus of its 1996-1997 work programme. Those areas were: the economic and political empowerment process for women; women, environment and sustainable development; women, media and the new communication and

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information technologies; and gender statistics and indicators. Research was needed to address the specific situations and conditions of young girls, the elderly, migrant women, refugees, internally displaced and women in situations of armed conflict. By applying gender perspective to research and training, the worldwide gap would be closed between ideals and reality. Closing that gap required a powerful vision of a society of equal opportunities and equal rights, including the broad range of economic, social and cultural rights.

Statement by Deputy to Assistant Secretary-General

ANGELA E. V. KING, Deputy to the Assistant Secretary-General, Office of Human Resources Management, introduced the report of the Secretary-General on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat.

She said that the percentage of women posts subject to geographical distribution had increased modestly by 1.5 per cent between 30 June 1994 and 30 June 1995, from 32.6 per cent to 34.1 per cent. The target was 35 per cent for 1995. The percentage of women at the D-1 level through the Under- Secretary-General level had also increased from 15.1 per cent to 17.1 per cent over the same period, also below the target of 25 per cent set for the year.

There were only two Assistant Secretaries-General and two Under- Secretaries-General who were women out of a total of 34 posts, she went on. She paid tribute to the United Nations programmes and funds, particularly those headed by women, such as UNFPA, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP), where more rapid strides had been made concerning the senior levels of D-1 and D-2.

She said that much needed to be done to achieve the daunting challenges regarding women in the Secretariat, particularly that of 50 per cent women overall in the highest management levels by the year 2000. That target alone implied that between now and that year, two out of every three vacancies must be filled by women. In doing that, the Secretary-General kept in mind Article 101.3 of the United Nations Charter, which required the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all staff, and the need for equitable geographical distribution.

NAFIS SADIK, Executive Director of UNFPA, said the Beijing Conference had achieved more than the previous world conferences. "The Platform for Action affirms that women's human rights include the right to control and decide on matters related to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, free from coercion, discrimination and violence", she emphasized.

The Beijing Conference had made a decisive break with value systems that had used women's reproductive role to oppress and degrade them, she continued.

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The new view protected and preserved women's right to reproductive health, including family planning and sexual health. That was fundamental to their empowerment. Furthermore, the new view called for the sharing of responsibility between men and women in matters relating to sexual and reproductive behaviour. An Inter-Agency Task Force had been set up to focus on implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1994).

Statement by Director of UNIFEM

NOELEEN HEYZER, Director of UNIFEM, said that the challenge before the international community was to operationalize the Platform of Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, putting into practice a vision for a transformed world of equality, peace and well-being.

She said that UNIFEM's resources were catalyst, with the goal of ensuring the appropriate involvement of women in mainstream development activities. It was also used to support innovative and experimental activities benefiting women in line with national and regional priorities. The UNIFEM had worked in close interaction with the women's movements in areas that women themselves had identified as priorities, such as reduction of poverty and food security, environment, actions to prevent violence against women, and women's political participation.

She said that in the post-Beijing era, UNIFEM would focus its operational work on political and economic empowerment. For economic empowerment, women must have access to and control over economic resources, assets and opportunities, so as to benefit from them on a sustainable and long-term basis. For political empowerment, they must have control over their lives, both within and outside the home, as leaders and decision-makers at all levels. They must also live in a world free of violence and be major players in peace-building and conflict resolution.

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