WOMEN OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA EVOKE IMAGES OF SUFFERING, THIRD COMMITTEE TOLD
Press Release
GA/SHC/3321
WOMEN OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA EVOKE IMAGES OF SUFFERING, THIRD COMMITTEE TOLD
19951115Bosnia States Women Targeted by Serbs Despite Peace Talks; Other Speakers Say Beijing Women's Conference Demonstrates Challenges Remain.
"When the women of my country are mentioned, words of suffering, mass rape, manipulations with motherhood and forced pregnancies comes to one's mind", the representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this afternoon as it continued its consideration of the advancement of women and the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women.
Even in face of the current peace negotiations, the women of Bosnia and Herzegovina had been targeted by the Serbian regime, she said. The evidence of crimes committed when the United Nations safe areas of Zepa and Srebrenica were overrun last summer, emerged ever more apparent. Those who had committed crimes would be held individually responsible before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
Also this afternoon, several speakers expressed agreement that the World Women's Conference held in Beijing in September had demonstrated that, despite the many efforts to improve the status of women, many challenges remained. For example, poverty and unemployment were still major obstacles to the advancement of women, the representative of Jordan said. The representative of Nepal added that the great majority of the 1 billion people living in poverty worldwide were women in developing countries who had no access to general and maternal health care, education, adequate nutrition or economic opportunity.
The representative of Romania said the structural transformations initiated in countries with economies in transition had resulted in unexpected negative economic and social implications for all citizens, in particular for women. The representative of Iraq said the cumulative effects of the economic embargo against his country had reached catastrophic levels and had affected the most vulnerable segment of the society. The time had come to do away with such hatred.
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Statements were also made this afternoon by the representatives of Botswana (also speaking on behalf of member States of the Southern African Development Community), Burkina Faso, Paraguay, Venezuela, Cuba, Indonesia, Mali, Nigeria and Ukraine.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Thursday, 16 November, to continue its consideration of the advancement of Women and the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women.
Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to continue its consideration of the advancement of women and the implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace.
The Committee has before it the following reports concerning: the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (document A/50/38); the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (document A/50/346); the improvement of the situation of women in rural areas (document A/50/257/Rev.1); violence against women migrant workers (document A/50/378); the activities of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) (document A/50/538); implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women to the Year 2000 (document A/49/398); and traffic in women and girls (document A/50/369). (For background information on those reports, see Press Release GA/SHC/3317 of 10 November.)
Also before the Committee are reports on the Fourth World Conference on Women (document A/CONF.177/120), implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women (document A/50/744), the merger of INSTRAW with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) (document A/50/747- E/1995/126), the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat (document A/50/691), and the activities of the United Nations Development Fund (document A/50/410). (For background information see Press Release GA/SHC/3319 of 14 November.)
Statements
PHOLILE E. LEGWAILA (Botswana), also speaking on behalf of the member States of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), said she could not endorse the Secretary-General's recommendations on how to implement the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women. In her view, the implementation would have to be at two complementary levels, national and international.
At the national level, she said the ways and means of implementing all the strategic objectives of the Platform must be identified. Such a process needed to include the strengthening of national machineries to guarantee the mainstreaming of gender issues throughout the entire governmental system. Such a process would also involve non-governmental organizations, as well as the entire civil society, including the private sector. At the international level, the intergovernmental follow-up would have to be linked to national implementation to ensure the necessary synthesis.
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Monitoring implementation of the Platform would have to be complemented by a system whereby governments would report back on their progress, she said. The UNDP used a similar process, where country reports were presented and deliberated upon. In addition, "we would like to see the Economic and Social Council dedicating one high-level segment in the next two years to the advancement of women and implementation of the Platform for Action, in order to provide specific policy guidelines to its functional commissions", she said.
AWA OUEDRAOGO (Burkina Faso) said her country's population was 80 per cent rural. Thus, the role of rural women in her society was crucial. For that reason, her Government had taken several measures to support them, such as providing them with loans and improving health and educational services. In addition, support for the girl child was given great importance. Developing countries needed financial and logistical assistance in implementing the Platform for Action. Creating a post on gender advisory should be reviewed. She said INSTRAW AND UNIFEM were complementary bodies. Thus, she did not support their merging.
ANA MARIA BAIARDI QUESNEL (Paraguay) said increased education could change the existing inequalities between men and women. Education gave women social prestige and improved their self-esteem. Her country was undertaking great educational reforms. A programme for equal opportunities for women in education had been established, which sought a non-sexist educational system and promoted education for all. Family planning programmes had also been created.
LYDA APONTE DE ZACKLIN (Venezuela) said that in order to bring about the fundamental changes sought in the Platform for Action, the entire international community must be involved with its implementation. In her country, women had held and continued to hold high posts both in the public and private sectors. For example, 60 per cent of judges in her country were women. The problem of poverty and violence against women had been also dealt with by her Government.
DULCE MARIA BUERGO (Cuba) said that the success of the Beijing Conference would be measured by the fulfilment of the promises made there. The follow-up to the Conference must take an integral approach and the Platform for Action must be applied through the work of all agencies in the United Nations system. Her Government had taken note of the extremely late submission of the Secretary-General's report on the follow-up to the Conference. That situation had a negative effect on the quality of the work of the Third Committee.
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She said that in Cuba a broad process of discussion had begun on the follow-up to the Beijing Conference, which included the preparation of a national seminar on the implementation of the Platform for Action. That seminar would draft a national action plan for improving the role of women. On the proposed merger of INSTRAW and UNIFEM, she said that a lack of transparency continued to beset the process. Despite imperfections, the two institutions were working to improve the role of women.
KHALED S.H. AL-HITTI (Iraq) said that women in Iraq enjoyed the same rights as men. Iraq had acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. State bodies had adopted strategies that would increase the participation of women, including through the formation of national committees for women. Vocational organizations had also adopted their own measures for the promotion of women. The number of women elected to the National Iraqi Council had reached 250. Even so, the cumulative effects of the unjust embargo against Iraq had reached catastrophic levels and had affected the most vulnerable segment of the society. The time had come to do away with such hatred and short-sightedness.
VICTORIA SANDRU (Romania) said the structural transformations initiated in countries with economies in transition had resulted in unexpected negative economic and social implications for all citizens, in particular for women. Efforts were still required to enhance the participation of women in decision- making and assuming an equitable share of family care. Her Government was firmly determined to bring to life the commitments it assumed before the Beijing Conference. For that reason, it had recently set up a department for the advancement of women within the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.
The goals and objectives of the Platform for Action could only be achieved through interactions among all the actors involved in the preparatory process, she continued. In addition, it was necessary to ensure mutual reinforcement between the global, regional and national levels. She reiterated her country's proposal to set up an international centre in Bucharest for non-governmental organizations from for countries with economies in transition. Also, she recommended a regional meeting, in her country, for assessing the outcomes of the Beijing Conference.
HAMID AL-HADAD (Indonesia) said that measurable success had been achieved during the past five decades in the advancement of women throughout the world. In terms of legislative frameworks, awareness and sensitivity, women had made great strides towards equality and the enjoyment of their rights. The attention devoted to the issue by the Organization reflected the commitment and determination of nations to achieve that goal. Indonesia was, however, deeply concerned that much promise remained unfulfilled, and that
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women continued to be denied many basic rights. De facto discrimination against women was still rampant, de jure discrimination persisted, poverty had become feminized, and women continued to lag behind in primary health care, education, nutrition and many other fields. Unequal access to economic opportunities had resulted in the feminization of poverty, she continued. Of the approximately 1.3 billion people living in poverty, approximately 70 per cent were women. That situation had been further negatively impacted by structural adjustment programmes, which often resulted in cuts in basic social services that benefitted women and children. In many developing countries, whose social development structures were already fragile, that caused particular difficulty for women.
The efforts of the international community to place people at the centre of development should also include the equality of rights between women and men as a fundamental principle, he said. Women should be recognized as both agents and beneficiaries of change. Investing in women's capabilities and empowering them to exercise choice should be viewed as being valuable in itself, as well as being the surest way to contribute to economic growth and development.
Indonesia noted that the status of women in the Secretariat had improved modestly, but that the target of 35 per cent was yet to be reached. It hoped that the current financial situation of the Organization would not disproportionately impact on women.
AZRA KALAJDZISALIHOVICH (Bosnia and Herzegovina) said "when the women of my country are mentioned, words of suffering, mass rape, manipulations with motherhood and forced pregnancies comes to one's mind".
Even in face of the current peace negotiations, women, in particular, had been still targeted by the Serbian regime, she continued. The evidence of recently committed crimes during last summer's overrunning of the United Nations safe areas of Zepa and Srebrenica, emerged ever more apparent. "We remind again that all those who have committed crimes will be held individually responsible before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia", she emphasized. Rape was specifically named within the competence of the Tribunal, under its statute, as a war crime and crime against humanity.
Despite the difficult war circumstances, women had managed to organize themselves, in particular on a grass-roots level, she continued. There were 50 women's organizations with a wide range of activities, including information and media activities, as well as offering assistance to traumatized women. Women needed to stop being victims. "Women's direct participation in the process for rebuilding our society will represent an invaluable contribution on the road to a just and lasting peace", she said.
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COULIBALLY SIRA CISSE (Mali) said that the Beijing Conference confirmed that, despite the many efforts made to improve the status of women, many challenges remained. The emergence of a multiparty system in Mali had allowed many women to contribute to her country's development. In 1993 a commission for the advancement of women had been established. There were delegates in all ministries to ensure that women were not overlooked in sectoral projects. Structures had also been established to coordinate various action plans for the promotion of women. She welcomed the creation of the post of special rapporteur on violence against women. On INSTRAW, she said that it was the only organ of its type in the United Nations system and, as such, the international community should support its activities.
MANAAR DABBAS (Jordan) said that to imagine that the state of the world could be improved without utilizing the largely untapped resources of women was impossible. For humanity's full potential to be realized, women must become equal partners with men in all facets of world affairs. Jordan had adopted a generally positive stance towards integrating women into development, based on its Constitution, respect for human rights and the principles of the Koran and Islamic sharia.
He said that poverty and unemployment were still major obstacles to the advancement of women. In that regard, Jordan established a national committee for women in 1992. Its first achievement was the Jordanian National Strategy for Women, which was formulated by national consensus and adopted by the Government. That strategy defined the needs and priorities of women in such key areas as education, health, employment and legislation.
SAM OTUYELU (Nigeria) called for continued national and international support for UNIFEM to enhance its capacity to act more effectively. He also called for international assistance to INSTRAW, in order to enhance its research capacity on issues that were relevant for women, particularly rural women.
He did not support the establishment of a high-level board of advisers to the Secretary-General on gender issues. "The establishment of another board will not only be another bureaucratic creation, but may become counterproductive to the implementation of programmes", he said. The board could become bogged down with administrative matters, which could slow the implementation of programmes. Furthermore, its relationship to the Commission on the Status of Women, INSTRAW, UNIFEM and the Economic and Social Council had not been explained.
NINA KOVALSKA (Ukraine) said that the achievement of the Beijing Conference was its action-oriented character. The Platform for Action was a concrete document that set a powerful agenda for the empowerment of women. To address the specific problems outlined in the Platform for Action, governments
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would have to implement specific actions on such issues as the under- representation of women in decision-making, the value of women's unpaid work, violence against women, and reproductive health services.
She said that the major task of Ukraine's current national policy was to disseminate the information about Beijing to the broadest possible public audience and to involve the widest spectre of grass-roots organizations in the process of discussing and elaborating a national programme. She expressed agreement with the statement by Poland concerning the extension of the activities of UNIFEM to the countries with economies in transition. Assistance from UNIFEM at the present stage of Ukraine's follow-up activities would be most valuable.
SUSHAMA ACHARYA (Nepal) said the great majority of the 1 billion people living in poverty worldwide were women in developing countries. Furthermore, their numbers had increased in recent years. Those women did not have access to general and maternal health care, education, adequate nutrition or economic opportunities. Equitable social development, which promoted the empowerment of women, was a prerequisite for sustainable development.
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