NEW RESOURCES NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION, SAY SPEAKERS IN THIRD COMMITTEE

17 November 1995

Press Release
GA/SHC/3324

NEW RESOURCES NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION, SAY SPEAKERS IN THIRD COMMITTEE

19951117 Committee Concludes Consideration of Advancement of Women; Report Requested Resources Required to Implement Women's Conference Platform

Saying that only the "mobilization of new and additional resources" could bring about meaningful change, the representative of the Philippines this morning, speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, requested the Secretary-General to submit no later than March 1996, a report with a detailed plan on the human and financial resources required for the implementation of the Platform for Action from the Fourth World Conference on Women.

As the Third Committee concluded its consideration of the advancement of women and the outcome of the Women's Conference, which was held in Beijing in September, a number of other speakers stressed the need for resources to implement the Platform for Action. The representative of Fiji, for example, said that it was essential that adequate financial resources be made available at the international level for the implementation of the Programme for Action and small island developing States required special attention in that regard, because of their limited economic capacities.

The representative of the Russian Federation said that financial resources must be provided to countries with economies in transition in order to implement the Platform for Action. Also expressing the need for adequate resources, the representative of Guinea called for shared responsibility by the international community.

The representative of Norway said that, although the main responsibility for implementing the commitments made in Beijing lay at the national level, the United Nations system also had an important role to play in the follow-up. He added that the necessary resources must be made available and the system must utilize its human and financial resources in an efficient manner.

Also, the Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Gertrude Mongella, made a concluding statement. The Deputy to the Assistant Secretary-General of the Office of Human Resources Management, Angela King, also made a statement.

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Additional statements were made this morning by the representatives of Slovenia, Sudan, Libya, New Zealand, Uruguay, United Republic of Tanzania, Latvia, United Arab Emirates and Niger. The representatives of the International Labour Organisation and the World Food Programme also made statements.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to begin its consideration of the promotion and protection of the rights of children, as well as the programme of activities of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People. The Committee is also expected to hear the introduction of draft resolutions on questions relating to refugees and displaced persons and humanitarian 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 the implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace.

The Committee has before it the report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (document A/50/38); a report on 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 (document A/CONF.177/20), implementation of the outcome of the Women's Conference (document A/50/744), the merger of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (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

GRAHAM E. LEUNG (Fiji) said that his country's immediate priorities included the development of projects for women, addressing the issue of violence against women, a review of legislation which discriminated against women, increasing the participation of women in decision-making, and the mainstreaming of gender concerns into sectoral polices.

He said that Fiji had begun the process of considering the implementation of the Programme for Action of the Beijing Conference and that a national consultation for government and non-governmental organizations would be held next year. That consultation process would conceptualize the implementation of the relevant sections of the Programme for Action in the national context. It would identify specific roles for various ministries, departments and non-governmental organizations.

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It was essential that adequate financial resources be made available at the international level for the implementation of the Programme for Action, he said. Small island developing States required special attention in that regard, because of their limited economic capacities. If the Bretton Woods institutions were really serious about financing social development, they must re-examine their grant and lending policies to make them more gender sensitive. They should also ensure that adequate resources were directed towards eliminating disparities between women and men in their technical assistance and lending activities.

EVA TOMIC (Slovenia) said even though the Platform for Action did not make a specific reference to the right to sexual orientation, the right to non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation must also be respected as a human right.

Although international support and cooperation for the improvement of the status of women worldwide was essential, the importance of the effective and meaningful implementation of the Platform for Action must be at the national level, she continued. The preparation of the national implementation strategies of the Platform for Action, hopefully by the end of 1996, was of the utmost importance. The Economic and Social Council was the most appropriate forum for a substantive and effective coordination of all functional commissions. The Council could be further utilized as a forum where States could report, assess, compare and integrate the outcomes of different conferences in related fields. A review should be held each year of the themes of different conferences, to bring together discussion on all related fields.

SHAHIRA H.A. WAHBI (Sudan) said that ability of women to enjoy their full rights stemmed from the enjoyment of the full rights by all segments of society. Sudanese woman played an effective role in all spheres of life because of the Sudan's tolerant belief that called for the preservation of the honour of men. For her country, respect for women's rights was part and parcel of the respect for the rights of men.

She said that Sudanese women enjoyed the equal right to work, received equal wages for equal work and had full political rights. There was also legislation that reserved at least 25 per cent of seats in local elections for women. Women had also occupied key posts in most segments of the society. The Sudan also provided paid leave following childbirth and allowed for women to have a different financial identity. Women also had the right to possess land, just like men, and had the full right to healthcare.

She said the Sudan had started to create machineries to consolidate the activities of women at the official level. With regard to UNIFEM and INSTRAW, she stated that the two organizations had important roles to play. They should, therefore, be consolidated so that they could carry out their

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mandates. She affirmed the Sudan's commitment to the strict implementation of the Platform for Action of the Beijing Conference. Such implementation should take into account the cultural and religious differences of the various countries.

JAMAL HAMIDA (Libya) said more than 1 million people, worldwide, were living in poverty, most of them in developing countries, and those most affected were women and children. Poverty undermined human dignity. The advancement of women could not be achieved in isolation of the advancement of communities. International cooperation was essential to coping with growth and development. Otherwise, women in developing countries would not acquire equality.

He called attention on the negative impact of economic sanctions on women and children. "Food and medicine should not be used as a tool for political pressure", he emphasized. Yet, unjust Powers who dominated the Security Council were doing so. Economic sanctions lead to great suffering, since it resulted in a lack of medicine, food, and other essential items.

DENISE ALMAO (New Zealand) said that the present challenge was to put the Platform for Action of the Beijing Conference into action. In the United Nations context, mechanisms dealing with women's issues must be reviewed and strengthened to ensure that women's concerns were fully integrated into all aspects of United Nations activities. That review must also ensure a system- wide coordination of effort on the advancement of women.

She said that the Ministry of Women's Affairs in New Zealand had announced the development of a new strategy to address more directly the underlying causes of gender inequities. It was also developing ways to assist other government agencies and private sector organizations to undertake gender analysis in all aspects of their work. One area of focus for her Government was the protection and enhancement of indigenous women. In New Zealand, the unique experiences and perspectives of indigenous women were acknowledged and valued. Early next month, government ministers and officials would meet with older Maori women to seek their views on key policy issues affecting Maori women and their families. The views of those women would assist the Government in determining priority areas for further action.

IMELDA SMOLCIC (Uruguay) said special importance should be given to the dissemination of documents related to the Beijing Conference, including the Platform for Action. Her Government was committed to the advancement of women. It sought their progress through the provision of education, health and social services, and the promotion of equality between women and men. Her Government sought to incorporate women in all spheres of society and was committed to eliminating the obstacles they faced.

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RADHIA MSUYA (United Republic of Tanzania) said that her country had problems with several proposals by the Secretary-General, including the proposed inter-agency task force, the proposed appointment of a senior adviser in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General and the proposed high-level advisory board on implementation of the outcome of Beijing. Those proposals raised more questions, rather than provide answers. She would like to be satisfied that the proposals would not lead to cumbersome bureaucracy and additional costs.

The Beijing Conference had identified women's rights as human rights, she went on. It would not be doing justice to the aspirations of women if a high-level post was not created in the Secretary-General's Office to follow up on those rights. However, further consultations were needed on the creation of such a post.

IVAN V. KHRYSKOV (Russian Federation) said a special coordinating body had been created in his country to implement the Platform for Action. Russian women tried to balance their professional and family commitments, but the road to the market economy had created new obstacles for them. In addition, crimes against women had recently increased. His country had taken measures to address such problems and increase women's participation in elective bodies. Countries with economies in transition needed assistance from the international community to overcome their temporary economic problems.

INGRIDA KARINA (Latvia) said that integrating women into all aspects of social, economic and political life demonstrated the universal recognition that women's rights were an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of human rights. It was also the acknowledgement that society could not be developed without utilizing its full capacity, male and female. Out of that grew the realization that the achievement of equality was a process that would advance all society. The ultimate goal would be to celebrate differences without imposing limitations based on those differences.

She said that following the Beijing Conference and its preparatory process, Latvia's National Preparatory Committee was drafting recommendations for national gender equality policy for submission to the cabinet. That Committee had the task of suggesting directions for gender policy. Also, close cooperation was continuing among Nordic and Baltic countries on gender equality issues.

AHMAD MUHAMMAD SHEWEIREB (United Arab Emirates) said that his country was disappointed with the deterioration of the situation in many countries, particularly the developing countries, as a result of conflict. That situation hindered the implementation of development programmes. Women and children were usually the victims in areas of conflict. The United Nations

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should, therefore, act to rectify the damage caused by those conflicts. The United Nations should consolidate its support for developing countries in favour of economic development.

He said that the advancement of women was a strategic goal in harmony with the principles of the United Nations Charter. Sustainable development was only possible with the full and effective participation of women. Women had assumed honourable positions and carried out their full roles in his society. That achievement had hinged upon the country's national will and application of relevant guidelines.

RUTH D. SAMONTE-LIMJUCO (Philippines), also speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said the single most important factor towards the full implementation of the Platform for Action was the mobilization of new and additional resources. Without resources, the Platform was only a piece of paper. Without incrementing funding, no amount of reallocation could bring about meaningful changes.

She requested the Secretary-General to submit, no later than March 1996, for the preparation of the programme budget for the biennium 1996-1997, a report with a detailed plan on the human and financial resources required for the implementation of the Platform for Action. She called for the separate but coordinated strengthening of UNIFEM and INSTRAW.

Her Government had created a plan for gender-responsive development for the period 1995 to 2025. It embodied a comprehensive plan of action that the Government would use to address gender issues in the long term. It would further serve as the main vehicle for implementing the commitments made in Beijing. She strongly proposed that an expert group be established by the United Nations to address the issue of violence against women migrant workers.

CAMARA MAHAWA BANGOURA (Guinea) said that the Beijing Conference showed the political commitment of Member States to the advancement of women. It had resulted in commitments to meet the challenge of achieving gender equality. She called for adequate human and financial resources for the Commission on the Status of Women and also expressed Guinea's support for a new high-level post to advise the Secretary-General on women. She called for abandonment of the proposal to merge INSTRAW and UNIFEM. Guinea was not convinced that such a merger would best serve the goals defined in Beijing, she said.

There had been a significant increase in the number of women in decision-making positions in her country, she continued. Guinea was grateful to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for its support in the country's programme of social development. The challenges that must be met in implementing the outcome of the Beijing Conference called for sharing of responsibilities. Mobilization of adequate resources was a precondition for effective implementation.

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MARIANNE LOE (Norway) said the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action underlined the importance of ensuring women's rights and opportunities to participate fully in all spheres of life, including decision-making and productive activities. That called for ensuring women had full and equal access to economic resources, including credit, inheritance and land ownership.

In order to make Beijing a real milestone on the road to equality and the empowerment of women, the commitments made there should be turned into concrete action, she continued. Education of girls and women deserved more attention and more resources. Also, existing discrimination against the girl-child, in terms of nutrition and health services, must end.

She said that the main responsibility for implementing the commitments made in Beijing lay at the national level, but that the United Nations system also had an important role to play in the follow-up. The necessary resources must be made available and the system must utilize its human and financial resources in an efficient manner. A coordinated and system-wide approach was needed for implementation of the outcomes of major United Nations conferences in the economic, social and related fields. Further, the proposed merger of INSTRAW and UNIFEM would be an important step in the mainstreaming of the United Nations mechanisms for the advancement of women.

DAVID H. FREEDMAN, representative of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), said the organization was developing a policy for follow-up action to the Beijing Conference based on three major principles. The first would address inequalities and inadequacies related to employment policies, training, occupational safety and health. The second would link the follow-up to the Beijing Conference with the follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development in the field of employment. The third would involve a broad range of participants in all the organization's activities. The organization's strategies to implement its follow-up activities would include the promotion and protection of women workers' rights at the international level, and improving the methodology for developing labour market indicators that identified areas of gender inequality.

DOUGLAS CASSON COUTTS, Director, North American Office, World Food Programme (WFP), said that to ensure that refugees and displaced women and girls had direct access to food and services, it would be the WFP policy to distribute food directly to households and, where possible, to the senior female in that household. It would be incumbent on the WFP country office of the WFP implementing partner to justify why food aid could not be distributed in that manner. The WFP would also identify differential nutrient deficiencies of women and adolescents and, where necessary, adjust and fortify the food basket.

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He added that the WFP would allocate resources to food-for-work projects in which women had a direct stake. In countries with serious disadvantages for women, the WFP would commit 60 per cent of its country programme resources to target women and girls. The WFP had committed itself to adjust its recruitment policy in order to ensure greater representation of women. It would hire women for half of all senior management posts.

HASSANE MAIGA HAROUNA (Niger) said the Beijing Conference had been a measure to demonstrate the still existing inequalities between men and women in the world. He hoped adequate resources would be allocated to United Nations bodies that directly dealt with the advancement of women. His Government was determined to move forward in its promotion of the advancement of women. Many programmes had already been created to aid women in his country, such as literacy programmes for rural women.

ANGELA KING, Deputy to the Assistant Secretary-General of the Office of Human Resources Management, said pressure should be maintained to meet the targets set for improving the situation of women in the Secretariat and such pressure should be extended to other secretariats. The percentage of women in posts, subject to geographical distribution had increased from 34.1 per cent in June to 34.4 per cent as of 30 October. The percentage of women in posts at the D-1 level and above had increased from 17.1 per cent to 17.6 per cent as of 30 October. "We are moving in the right direction", she continued. However, governments needed to give their candidatures to women.

In a closing statement on the issue of the advancement of women, GERTRUDE MONGELLA, Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women, said that the Platform for Action of the Conference belonged to the governments of the Member States and it was up to them to make sure that it was implemented. There were a lot of expectations from both women and other persons interested in the issue of the advancement of women. The United Nations should, therefore, give further thought to the Platform for Action, so that the implementation would start on the right foot.

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