WOMEN'S EQUALITY IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT PHYSICAL SECURITY, THIRD COMMITTEE TOLD

Press Release
GA/SHC/3322

WOMEN'S EQUALITY IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT PHYSICAL SECURITY, THIRD COMMITTEE TOLD

"It is impossible to speak about the equality of women without rapid fulfilment of the decisions related to safeguarding the physical security of women", the representative of Azerbaijan told the Third Committee this morning, as it continued its consideration of the advancement of women and the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women.

Such issues as the release of women hostages and the problems of displaced and refugee women were critically important, Azerbaijan's representative said, since they affected not only the survival of women, but mankind.

Several other speakers this morning expressed similar concerns about the effects of conflict on women. The representative of Syria said Syrian women in the occupied Golan, and those in Southern Lebanon and the other occupied Arab territories, suffered from foreign occupation, which deprived them of the most sacred right, that of freedom. He called on the international community to increase efforts to end foreign occupation, so that the commitments made in Beijing would become a reality.

Similarly, the representative of Lebanon said that during the war in his country -- from 1975 to 1990 -- Lebanese women had been victims of torture and detention due to the Israeli occupation and once freed, many suffered from psychological problems.

The representative of Peru said that 600,000 families had been displaced in his country as a result of terrorist violence and 78 per cent of those families, or nearly 3 million people, had women as head of household. Those families depended economically and emotionally upon women.

Also addressing violence against women, the observer of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said women had been made specific targets of violence in conflict situations. Rape and sexual abuse had brought enduring trauma into the lives of uncounted women in such conflict areas as the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

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Statements were also made this morning by the representatives of Argentina, Chile, Kazakstan, Ethiopia, Brazil, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Bahamas (on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)), Gambia, France, Turkey and Panama (on behalf of the Central American States).

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its consideration of the advancement of women and the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women. The Committee is also expected to take action on a draft resolution concerning social development questions.

Committee Work Programme

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

The Committee has before it reports concerning the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (document A/50/38); the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (document A/50/346); the Secretary-General's report on the improvement of the situation of women in rural areas (document A/50/257/Rev.1); the Secretary-General's report on the activities of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) (document A/50/538); a 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); and a Secretary-General's report on 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 (A/CONF.177/20), implementation of the outcome of the Conference (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 Programme (UNDP) (document A/50/410). (For background information see Press Release GA/SHC/3319 of 14 November.)

Statements

ZELMIRA M. REGAZZOLI (Argentina) commended the valuable work done by Gertrude Mongella, Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women. It was thanks to her that the Platform For Action was adopted at the Conference. She said that the text of Argentina's statement would be made available to delegations.

FIDEL COLOMA (Chile) said the National Service for Women in his country had given women equal opportunities as that of men. His Government had focused on problems women faced such as poverty, education, unemployment and the lack of political participation. The follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women should have clear goals. Inter-agency cooperation was essential and the Commission on the Status of Women should be strengthened. Furthermore, duplication of work should be avoided. The proposal to create a high level board of advisers on gender perspectives needed further study.

AKMARAL K.H. ARYSTANBEKOVA (Kazakstan) said the successful implementation of the Platform for Action required agreed action at the

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national, regional and international levels. The situation of women in countries with economies in transition needed particular attention, as did the situation of women living in areas where nuclear testing had been carried out. In her country, a comprehensive programme was being carried out that dealt with the social, economic, legal and psychological aspects of the advancement of women.

FESSEHA A. TESSEMA (Ethiopia) said that the final document of the Fourth World Conference on Women was a blueprint for action into the twenty-first century. The strategic objectives and the relevant actions proposed could ensure its implementation and monitoring. If national governments and the international community honoured their obligations, the status of women could be improved to a great extent before the end of the century.

Poverty had aggravated the traditional discriminatory practices against women and was a factor of inequality, he continued. It was only when the burden of poverty was alleviated that women could fully enjoy human rights. Clean water, adequate nutrition and satisfactory health services were fundamental rights. African women had suffered disproportionately as a result of persistent armed conflict. The prevalence of peace was the basis for development and equality of women in Africa. In the implementation of the Platform for Action, priority should be given to women who had suffered during the civil war in Ethiopia. In his country, national policy on women had been promulgated in September 1993 to speed up equality between women and men.

EDGARD TELLES RIBEIRO (Brazil) said that the Brazilian Government had been increasing its financial contribution to UNIFEM, reflecting Brazil's recognition of its work all over the world and readiness to continue to cooperate closely with the fund.

He said that the implementation of the Platform for Action would bring about women's access to power and equal participation. In many countries, that would not be accomplished without a broad strategy to strengthen the role of women in the economic and social fields. Poverty, unemployment and social exclusion were among the problems that particularly affected women and appropriate structural solutions were needed. Possible initiatives included expansion of the credit system, to enable women to develop micro-enterprises. Education was also essential in order to adequately address current inequalities between women and men.

He said that Brazil had begun to translate the guidelines of the Platform for Action into acts. The Commiunidade Solidara Programme, set up by the Government and civil society, was sponsoring a policy to support credit for less favoured segments of the Brazilian population. The availability of public education had enabled women to raise their educational level. Today, female students represented 51 per cent of school and university enrolments.

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FIKRET M. PASHAYEV (Azerbaijan) said in his country, the difficulties of a transition economy and of war, occupation and refugees, continued to have an unfavourable impact on women. "Driven to utter despair, women forced out of their homeland and living in miserable conditions at tent camps are ready to return to their homes even at the risk of crossing mine zones with their children in their arms", he said.

He attached great significance to the fulfilment of a resolution adopted by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women concerning the release of women and children who have been taken hostage in areas of armed conflicts. As of today, 486 Azerbaijani women and children were still held in captivity by the Armenians. In addition, the total number of Azerbaijani hostages was 4,000.

"It is impossible to speak about the equality of women without rapid fulfilment of the decisions related to safeguarding physical security of women", he emphasized. Dealing with such issues such as the release of women hostages and the solution to problems of displaced and refugee women were the most important of all, since they affected not only the survival of women, but of mankind.

M. REZAUL KARIM (Bangladesh) said that the Beijing Conference was a conference of commitments. The Platform for Action embodies specific international commitments and actions and availability of resources remained a crucial factor in its implementation. That situation was particularly true for developing countries.

He called on the Secretary-General to reconsider the recommendation of the Beijing Conference for the designation of a high-level post to serve as his adviser on gender issues. His concern arose from the continued marginalization of women and women's issues at the United Nations. On the basis of the Platform for Action, Bangladesh had formulated a national plan of action with specific budgetary allocations. The emphasis was to reduce gender disparity from all spheres of life through the integration of women into the mainstream development efforts in all sectors. Legislative measures had also been taken to address violence and discrimination against women and to safeguard their rights, including through such provisions as a minimum age for marriage, prohibition of the dowry, punitive measures to address violence related to the dowry and elimination of trafficking in women.

CHEDLIA BOUKHCHINA (Tunisia) said in her country, women were equal to men in all aspects of society. Assistance programmes existed to help women affected by poverty. Since the literacy rate for women was 45 per cent, an education programme for increasing that rate had been created and women and children received free health services. Women's life expectancy was 72 years. In addition, segregation of women in the workforce was forbidden and women participated in political life. All the necessary machinery to implement the

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Platform for Action existed in her country. What was needed was more solidarity at the regional and international levels.

FAYSSAL MEKDAD (Syria) said that the insistence by one group of countries to impose its stand on others before and after the Beijing Conference had inevitably resulted in the Platform for Action and other resolutions on women and the family being accompanied by a number of reservations.

In his country, violence against women was a limited phenomenon due to values, customs and traditions that guaranteed social control. However, Syrian women in the occupied Golan, and those in southern Lebanon and the other occupied Arab territories, suffered from "the most abhorrent kind of violence -- foreign occupation". Under foreign occupation, women were deprived of the most sacred right, that of freedom. He called on the international community to increase efforts to end foreign occupation, so that the commitments made in Beijing would become a reality. Further, he called for assistance from the international community in compelling Israel to stop its political and military violence against Arab citizens in general and women in particular.

HARCOURT L. TURNQUEST (Bahamas), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that CARICOM had already proceeded to take action on the outcome of the Beijing Conference. Many CARICOM countries had formulated or had nearly completed national plans for the implementation of the Platform for Action. A few weeks ago, a sub-regional follow-up meeting was convened in Trinidad and Tobago. While implementation of the Platform for Action was primarily the responsibility of governments, it was also essential to have the coordination and collaboration of international agencies, non-governmental organizations and other actors.

He expressed regret that the targets set by the General Assembly for the representation of women in posts subject to geographical distribution had not been met. A greater effort should be made to meet the new targets set in the Strategic Plan of Action on the Improvement of the Status of Women in the Secretariat, 1995-2000. Despite some improvements over the past year, women from developing countries remained predominantly at the lower levels of the Professional scale, with many of them at the lowest levels. The representation of women from CARICOM countries had not improved. The inclusion of CARICOM countries, except Suriname, in the statistics for North America did not reveal the true picture. In addition, he said that the important work to be undertaken by INSTRAW and UNIFEM was affected by uncertainty, due to the inability of the Secretariat to produce the long overdue report on the question of their merger.

HASSAN KASSEM NAJEM (Lebanon) said the war in his country, which lasted from 1975 to 1990, had greatly affected the well-being of women. Lebanese

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women had been victims of torture and detention due to the Israeli occupation and once freed, many suffered from psychological problems. A few women had been imprisoned from 2 to 6 years and some of them were still in detention, while "their only crime is their rejection of foreign occupation". A national plan of action for improving the situation of women in his country had been created. Among other measures, it sought their full equality in all political institutions, as well as increasing their level of participation in economic activities.

FATOU MARENAH-JAMMEH (Gambia) said that attention should be focused on women in developing countries. Those countries contained more than half of the world's women and, at the same time, faced the most urgent, daunting and pressing problems. Women in developing countries suffered from all kinds of discrimination and inequality arising out of entrenched negative traditional practices, societal norms and attitudes.

She said that in the Gambia, women's issues occupied a priority position in the national agenda and women had been playing an indispensable role in national development. In line with commitments made in the Beijing Platform for Action, the Gambia had devised strategies and steps were being taken to improve the lives of Gambian women. Such steps included the establishment of an advisory committee for implementation of the Platform for Action.

CLAIRE AUBIN (France) said that the Platform for Action of the Beijing Conference was a guide to achieving the general objective of equality for women. It reaffirmed that equality could not be questioned or addressed in relative terms. Beijing brought together the results of previous conferences and it was now understood that the results of development action increased ten-fold if women were involved in implementation.

It was time for the international community to translate words into action, she continued. Governments should, without delay, produce strategies for national plans, with deadlines. In the implementation of the Platform for Action, it was necessary to ensure that the equality of men and women was taken into account. Her Government had established an observatory on equality between men and women, attached to the Prime Minister and was empowered to collect and define information relating to women and men in all fields. That information would be submitted to Government leaders, along with proposals aimed at ensuring equality.

AHMET ARDA (Turkey) said his Government welcomed the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on violence against women. "The crimes perpetrated against Bosniak women should stand in front of us as an example of the level of violence at its peak", he said. He hoped that every individual responsible directly or indirectly for those crimes would face the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

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The current policy and programmes for improvement of the status of women in his country had been strongly focused on enhancing the participation and representation of women in political life, he continued. In addition, great importance had been placed on improving women's education, employment, health and professional opportunities. His Government was committed to changing the small number of provisions in its legislation that operated against gender equality. Further, it was also committed to removing the reservations from the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

MARY MORGAN-MOSS (Panama), also speaking on behalf of the Central American States, announced the regional agreement to establish in her country the technical secretariat on regional and extra-regional issues in social affairs.

Continuing, she said that in order for the Platform for Action to be effective, it needed to be cross sectoral and cut across all United Nations activities. She supported the proposal to create a post of a senior adviser on gender issues to the Secretary-General. However, such a post must be filled by a female. In addition, spiritual reforms were also necessary. She called for an international dialogue to create world understanding.

FERNANDO GUILLEN (Peru) said a special commission on women had been established in his country in order to ensure follow-up and implementation of the Platform for Action. The position of women as exclusively unremunerated workers in the home continued to gradually decline. "Their personal development and social role are growing, as they are no longer only the bulwark of the family, but are playing a part in advancing socio-economic activities which benefit society as a whole", he said.

In his country, 600,000 families had been displaced as a result of terrorist violence, he said. Of those, 78 per cent, or nearly 3 million people, had women as head of household. His Government was working at a resettlement programme that would facilitate the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons.

RASHIM AHLUWALIA, Director, External Relations Department, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said that her organization's strategic work for the 1990s was focusing on issues of vulnerability and seeking enhanced respect for human dignity, an improved ability to cope with crisis and a strengthened capacity for vulnerable people in their daily lives. The Platform for Action adopted in Beijing provided a comprehensive framework guiding the international community's work in support of the advancement of women.

She said that her organization was concerned about the great numbers of women and their dependents who were among the estimated 100 million

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international economic migrants, millions of refugees and more than 29 million people displaced within their countries. That vast tide of humankind experienced violence, deprivation, environmental degradation and economic hardship. Also, while female workers were moving in large numbers to improve their economic conditions, as a result, they were sometimes exposed to prostitution, AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases, drugs, human rights abuses and violence.

Women were specific targets of violence in conflict situations, she said. Rape and sexual abuse had brought enduring trauma into the lives of uncounted women in such conflict areas as the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. They had also been victims to, or had become the caretakers for victims of, land-mines in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Angola and Mozambique. Still, other women had to cope with new burdens, such as the humanitarian impact of sanctions in Iraq. Greater and more specific attention needed to be paid to that issue, including the means for mitigating the negative impact of economic sanctions on vulnerable women and children.

She said that the international community and, in particular, governments needed to undertake additional supportive measures to eliminate the root causes of poverty and violence, which included disregard or abuse of human rights. The actual enjoyment of rights by women should be a key indicator of the level of social and economic development. Her organization encouraged and supported the training of women in disaster preparedness, first aid and community health care, so that women might assist their communities in time of emergency need and give leadership in those endeavours.

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