PROGRESS, OBSTACLES TO IMPLEMENTATION OF BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION, DISCUSSED IN COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN

Press Release
WOM/907

PROGRESS, OBSTACLES TO IMPLEMENTATION OF BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION, DISCUSSED IN COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN

Progress and obstacles in implementing the Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995) were described this afternoon by speakers addressing the Commission on the Status of Women.

The representative of the United States said that her country had been forced to follow its own advice that no new or additional resources be allocated for the Platform's implementation. "This is not a time when the United States can or will allocate new and additional resources to implement the Platform in our country", she said. "We are proceeding with implementation at a time when many federal agencies are undergoing severe budget restrictions and reductions of personnel."

The representative of Belarus also said that a lack of resources constrained action by her Government to realize the goals of the Platform for Action, but it was, nevertheless, taking steps in that direction.

The main obstacle to Israel's implementation of the Platform for Action was terror, that country's representative said. Fifty-eight Israelis, among them many women and girls, had been killed in four separate Hamas terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, women's issues became marginalized when Israel was dealing with security. A new value system, based on equality, human rights and human dignity, must be sought, he added. The representative of Syria recalled several portions in the Platform for Action which described the sufferings of women under foreign occupation. The Secretary-General's report on the situation of women in Palestine also described the continued suffering they faced under Israeli occupation, as did Syrian women in the occupied Golan and women in southern Lebanon. Their resistance to occupation had, at times, cost them their lives.

The Beijing Conference had served as a "booster shot" for Thailand's programme on women, according to its representative. Objectives and recommendations contained in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action had been integrated into the country's national development plan, and its documents had been translated into Thai.

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The Beijing Conference had created "a unique groundswell" in her country, said India's representative. She went on to describe new measures taken to raise the status of women, including the formulation of a national policy for their empowerment and the creation of a post of commissioner for women's rights.

Côte d'Ivoire's Minister of the Family and the Promotion of Women said that, among the concrete projects implemented in her country, based on the recommendations of the Platform for Action, had been the creation of a bank for women to give them access to credit.

Also taking part in the discussion were the representatives of Brazil, Tunisia, Australia, Indonesia, Bahamas, Kenya, Congo, Cyprus, Chile, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, New Zealand, Canada, United Republic of Tanzania, Kazakstan, Iran, Sudan, as well as representatives of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The Commission will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 13 March, to begin its panel discussion on poverty.

Commission Work Programme

The Commission on the Status of Women met this afternoon to continue its general discussion on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace (Beijing, 1995). (For detailed background, see Press Release WOM/904 of 11 March.)

Statements

MARCELA NICODEMOS (Brazil) said women all over the world expected that the highest priority would be given to the attainment of the goals of the Beijing Conference through appropriate measures at the national and international levels. The United Nations should play a leading role in the process. All bodies and organizations of the system had an important part to play in the implementation of the Platform. The Commission had a central role in accordance with the dispositions of the Platform itself and the General Assembly decision.

She said Brazil, for its part, had begun to translate into acts the guidelines of the Platform. The "Comunidade Solidária" Programme was sponsoring a policy to support credit for the less favoured in Brazil. The Programme was working in close collaboration with the National Council of Women's Rights, to take into account specific needs of women, particularly those who were heads of family. The Ministry of Labour had approved a professional training programme designed especially for women.

Today, she continued, female students represented 51 per cent of school and university enrolments, but there were still unbalances in professional areas in jobs and salaries. After the Beijing Conference, the National Council of Women's Rights met with local secretaries of education from all over the country to examine the proposals contained in the Platform and find ways to solve the problem. The Ministry of Education was taking measures to guarantee that school books used in public schools incorporated a gender perspective and promoted courses and training for teachers and gender issues.

The Brazilian Constitution protected unmarried mothers, assured maternity leave of four months and paternity leave of five days, and included provision for family planning, she said. Innovative policies included the Programme for the Integral Assistance to Women's Health, which protected women's reproductive rights and their entire life cycle. It also reduced the rate of maternal mortality and early pregnancy, and prevented sexually transmitted and other diseases. Also, the Brazilian Congress recently required that at least 20 per cent of the candidates for municipal elections be women. Further, the Federal government had just submitted to Congress a proposal to amend the Brazilian Criminal Code, so that rape and other sexual crimes would no longer be considered crimes against morality, but instead would be crimes against the human person.

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LINDA TARR-WHELAN (United States) said the current session of the Commission was critical, as a vision for its role within the United Nations system must be articulated. The Commission must have: a clear mandate; a central role in monitoring implementation of the Platform; a catalytic role within the United Nations system; and a cooperative working relationship with the related Economic and Social Council commissions that would generate synergy.

She recalled that her country had taken the position, at the Beijing Conference, that implementation of its outcome must be done within existing resources, through reordering priorities and thinking creatively. Domestically, the United States had been compelled to follow the same course. "This is not a time when the United States can or will allocate new and additional resources to implement the Platform in our country", she said. "We are proceeding with implementation at a time when many federal agencies are undergoing severe budget restrictions and reductions of personnel." While that state of affairs was not cause for celebration, neither was it an excuse for inaction. The Clinton administration was committed to ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, but it was still waiting for the Senate to act on the matter.

RAFIKA KHOUINI (Tunisia) said efforts must be made to involve women in the economic process and to contribute to the campaign against poverty among women. Her country was formulating its development plans with a view to improving the living conditions of all women. Active policy measures were being taken to promote equality between men and women, spurred on by the political momentum generated at the Beijing Conference. Tunisia had set up a process aimed at implementing the Platform for Action.

The image of women portrayed in the media and their representation in high-level media jobs were two sides of the same coin, she said. Tunisia had taken the initiative of hosting a symposium on the role of women in the media, which had explored the impact of the messages it disseminated.

ELAINE McKAY (Australia) said consideration of proposals on the Commission's role should be taken within the agenda of broader reform of the United Nations. Improved efficiency for the Commission had a direct impact on the broader issue of United Nations effectiveness and was an essential link which must be maintained to address the marginalization of gender concerns. The United Nations must adopt an integrated approach to ensure the gender perspective was considered across the organization. There must be greater emphasis on establishing and maintaining clear lines of responsibility and accounting. Few divisions within the Secretariat had been asked to develop measurable indicators for monitoring, and there should be further developments in that area.

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The Commission must continue policy development work in key areas affecting women and develop longer-term policy issues relevant to women, she continued. It should investigate emerging issues and put forward policies that can generate structural change to improve the status of women. It was important for the Commission to work with other agencies on policy development and coordination. A review of the Commission's mandate should focus on strengthening the policy development and coordination role as a central agency working on women's status. It should work in conjunction with individual agencies that are responsible for implementing policy and programmes.

SRI M. TADJUIN (Indonesia) stressed that in enhancing the Commission's mandate to enable it to provide an integrated follow-up to the Beijing Conference, efforts must be made to avoid overlap with the work of other functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council. The activities of the Commission on the Status of Women should be viewed as complementing those of the other commissions. A degree of flexibility must be maintained in determining the Commission's future agendas, to allow for thorough consideration of complex issues. The dialogue approach that would be utilized during the current session warranted support, as it would provide pragmatic recommendations to the United Nations system, Member States and non- governmental organizations in their efforts to fully implement the Platform for Action.

CORA BAIN-COLEBROOKE (Bahamas) said her country had participated in two regional meetings on follow-up to the Beijing Conference. While governments had the primary responsibility for implementing the Platform for Action, they must coordinate their efforts with other actors at the international, regional and subregional levels. The United Nations would play a critical role in the follow-up to the Beijing Conference. The Commission would be the central body charged with monitoring implementation of the Platform for Action, and it must be well-equipped to carry out that task. Its work programme should focus on the critical areas of concern identified in the Platform, but its agenda must be sufficiently flexible to respond to emerging issues. The coordinated approach to implementing the outcomes of major United Nations conferences must ensure that gender concerns were properly addressed.

NATALLYA DROZD (Belarus) said the countries undergoing an economic transition had endured many socio-economic problems, which had negatively impacted upon women. The Chernobyl accident had also taken its toll on the economies of affected countries. Fully one fifth of the national budget of Belarus was spent on mitigating the effects of that disaster. Belarus was also experiencing poverty, mostly among women. In recent years, there had been a significant drop in real income and real earning power. The Government was constrained by economic difficulties in its efforts to realize the goals of the Platform for Action, but it was, nevertheless, taking steps in that direction. Special protection was needed to protect women in the transition

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period, especially mothers. New laws were being adopted to provide subsidies to women in need.

F.B.R. OERI (Kenya) said that her Government had demonstrated its commitment to implementing the Platform by setting up a strong task force made up of representatives of Government and non-governmental organizations to ensure key issues were fully addressed. The task force was mandated to come up with a national plan of action. It would be working as Kenya prepared its eighth development plan, so it would be possible to ensure gender issues were mainstreamed in all sectors. A gender and development policy paper was expected to be adopted by Parliament in the near future. It would be a major reference document, which would allow more focused women's development consistent with the Beijing Conference.

Her country had identified a number of programmes and projects to deal with the problems of vulnerable groups, particularly women, she continued. A full fledged department had been set up within the President's office. It would collaborate with private and non-governmental organizations, including civil society, to enhance income generating activities for women through the provision of credit and revolving loan facilities at all levels of development.

MARIE-THERESE AVEMEKA (Congo) said her Government had committed to ensuring that the provisions of the Platform for Action were part of its 1995 to 1998 three-year development plan and had already made the necessary contacts with international and national organizations to have its programme developed. The plan would ensure equality between the sexes, reduce poverty, ensure rural autonomy through better access to credit, reduce violence against women and young girls and ensure adequate access to education and health care. It would also strengthen women's participation in the peace process. The preparation for the Beijing Conference had ensured its success. The follow-up was equally important. Governments must ensure that the resources needed were mobilized, and there was coordination between the civil society and the private sector to ensure policies were implemented.

ALBERTINE GNANAZAN HEPIE, Minister of the Family and the Promotion of Women of Côte d'Ivoire, said that, while the Conference had been a great success, the job of working for the advancement of women had only just begun. Côte d'Ivoire had implemented concrete projects based on the recommendations of the Platform for Action, including the creation of a bank for women to give them access to credit. Improved schooling for girls, the provision of primary health care and other measures were already under way. The five-year development plan took full account of the concerns of women. The Government was working to enable women to take jobs in male-dominated fields, and it was happy to report that women were increasingly becoming police officers and participating in the political process, among other activities.

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ERATO KOZAKOU-MARCOULLIS (Cyprus) said that, in Beijing, governments had made strong commitments. Now, wide participation -- from all segments of society and from both sexes -- as well as expeditious action were critical to the implementation of the Platform for Action. "The pace of change has so far been unjustifiably low at the global level", she said. The 1995 Human Development Report had painted a stark picture of inequality in terms of education, literacy, mortality rates, participation in decision-making, violence and other factors. For example, it stated that an African woman was 180 times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than a Western European woman. Further, women were among those who suffered most in times of war, and mass rape and torture of women continued to be used as weapons of war. Those realities had guided the drafting of the Platform. Women must assume leadership in working for its implementation.

MARIA E. IRIGOIN (Chile) said that the Beijing Conference had come up with statements and agreements that would be the basis for future civilization. Many of the things that had come out of the Conference were dealt with frivolously or superficially by the world's media. Her country had a long tradition of concern for women's issues and had recently developed a key working tool to make its Beijing commitments a reality. Its priorities were education, work and women's participation at all social, economic and cultural levels. Concern for families and the poverty in which many men and women lived were related issues.

All sectors of Chilean society, including non-governmental organizations, had been involved in developing those priorities, she continued. Additional protocols would be an international tool with which to set standards. She was sure the Commission's current session would provide new elements for consideration and help countries to implement the actions proposed at Beijing. It was a cause that involved all governments.

PRAKASH SHAH (India) said that, in the wake of the great success of the Beijing Conference, the time had arrived to take stock of how the United Nations and other members of the international community had followed up on their commitments. For its part, India had been conducting consultations on how best to realize the commitments it had made in Beijing. India's integrated child development service, which focused on girls and mothers, had been universalized, and was now able to reach some 43.3 million children and 8.6 million mothers. Further, India had formulated a national policy for the empowerment of women, which was awaiting Cabinet approval. That policy aimed to bridge the gap between de jure and de facto equality. A post of commissioner for women's rights was being created. Low female literacy was the primary criteria guiding the selection of school districts for priority focus. "The Beijing Conference has created a unique groundswell in India."

COUMBASSA HASJA HAWAOU DIALLO (Guinea) said, in her country, women's development had always been an issue for sustainable development. Since the

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Beijing Conference, private initiatives and new groupings, including women's non-governmental organizations, had fostered women's activities at all levels of society. National machinery to ensure that significant numbers of women were promoted into government posts showed her country's commitment to increasing their decision-making capacities. The scope of the challenges involved a sharing of efforts and international and regional co-operation to help national actions.

Her Government held a national workshop to oversee implementation of the commitments it had made in Beijing, which involved private and government efforts, including trade organizations and civil society. It would develop a framework for joint action to provide a plan of action, which would validate women's advancement. The focus would be to provide information and compel ministerial departments to commit to realistic plans, as well as heighten public awareness of the main gender issues. The result would be policies that were developed in partnership with all national sectors. They would target all women, including professional women, refugees, the elderly and the handicapped.

NHAREBAT NANCAIA INTCHASSO (Guinea-Bisseau) said her Government had made significant efforts to carry out the Platform of the Beijing Conference. It had carried out a campaign to heighten public awareness of the Platform and had created a committee to monitor practices that were harmful to women and children, including female circumcision. It would implement a plan of action to integrate policies at the national level and would set up a tribunal in the public ministry for minors.

Her country believed everyone had to commit to helping eradicate poverty, but it would take a long time and many resources. Education and heightened awareness were needed, she said. Poverty had many deep roots. Such factors as an alteration in the balance of trade and structural readjustment programmes had exacerbated the situation and heightened her country's dependence on others. But the country enjoyed democracy and a multi-party system, which opened the way to consensus in decision-making bodies.

SAISUREE CHUTIKUL (Thailand) said that the Beijing Conference had served as a "booster shot" for Thailand's programme on women. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action had been translated into Thai, and briefings related to those documents had been held throughout the country. The Platform's objectives and recommendations had been integrated into the country's national development plan. Priority areas included: the participation of women in the economic, social and political arena; violence against women; healthy working conditions for women; girls and boys in the commercial sex trade; family development, with a focus on the responsibility of men; and women in the mass media. Since the Beijing Conference, Thailand

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had also conducted a gender-based analysis of textbooks used in primary schools.

FAYSSAL MEKDAD (Syria) expressed regret that documents before the Commission had not been issued in time for governments to adequately examine them. Syria attached great importance to the issues of women's health and education. Special measures had been adopted by the Syrian Government to guarantee women's rights at all levels, to fight violence against them and to punish the perpetrators. Foreign occupation entailed injustice and the violation of human rights, and it stood in contradiction to the values affirmed at the Beijing Conference. Several portions in the Platform for Action described the sufferings of women under foreign occupation. The report of the Secretary-General on the situation of women in Palestine also described the continued suffering they faced under Israeli occupation, as did Syrian women in the occupied Golan and women in southern Lebanon. Their resistance to occupation had, at times, cost them their lives. The achievement of a just and lasting peace in the region was a prerequisite to achieving development there.

ROGER BALL (New Zealand) said the Commission had the opportunity to inject new vigour into its work. His Government welcomed the innovative approach to the organization of the Commission's work and the tighter focus, which would enable it to concentrate its efforts to monitor the coordination and effective implementation of the Beijing Conference. The Commission faced a challenge in finding new ways to harness the enthusiasm of non-governmental organizations. It was critical to work with them at all levels, as they could provide invaluable support and advice. Any review of the Commission required a reassessment of the function of the Division for the Advancement of Women. It would need sufficient human and financial resources within the regular United Nations budget.

Many excellent plans for change in the past had never been fully implemented, he continued. Despite serious efforts, there had simply been a lack of sufficient support and commitment within the United Nations system. Commitment at the highest level was needed if the Organization was to deliver on the ideals of the Charter and be truly accountable to the world's women. The challenge was to move from planning to practical action. His Government was concerned with the issue of providing adequate resources to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, so it could do its job properly. It was not being given the support to effectively carry out its mandate.

DAVID PELEG (Israel) said the main obstacle to Israel's implementation of the Platform for Action was terror. Fifty-eight Israelis, among them many women and girls, had been killed as the result of four separate Hamas terrorist attacks. Three fifteen-year old girls had been buried last week after travelling downtown to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. "How they

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must have been smiling that day as they enjoyed a holiday in downtown Tel Aviv -- laughing, dreaming about their futures. Futures that will never be."

Unfortunately, he said, women's issues became marginalized when Israel was dealing with security. He expressed appreciation for the steps taken by the Palestinian Authority and its Chairman to act against terror, but expressed surprise that in her statement, the observer for Palestine had not expressed sympathy for victims of the terrorist attacks. "In this era of peace, all sides need to unlearn the tragic lessons of the past." A new value system, based on equality, human rights and human dignity, must be sought.

LOUISE BERGERON-VILLIERS (Canada), speaking on behalf of Australia and New Zealand, said progress within the United Nations remained painfully slow, especially at the senior levels. To be truly effective, the United Nations must reflect in its composition and organization the principles it advocated globally. She noted with concern that in the latest report by the Secretary- General the number of women promoted to the Professional and higher level (P-2 to D-1) had generally declined. The level of women at the D-1 level was still unacceptably low. As the United Nations currently faced downsizing, it would be important to ensure that women in the Secretariat were not disproportionately affected.

Past experience demonstrated that simply pursuing numerical targets was insufficient, she continued. Ways must be identified to take best advantage of the systems and institutional mechanisms already in place. She welcomed the Secretary-General's measures to integrate gender concerns into the overall human resources planning and management as a way to achieve equal representation and create a better working environment. She said that measures to improve access to senior decision-making, increase retention of female staff, encourage recruitment and promotion of women, eradicate sexual harassment and increase flexibility so as to improve indirect discrimination, including against staff members with family responsibilities, were complementary to, and should be undertaken parallel with, numerical targets.

MARY M. NAGU, Minister for Community Development, Women's Affairs and Children of the United Republic of Tanzania, said her country was focusing on enhancing women's rights, increasing women's participation in decision-making and providing them with greater access to education, training and employment. Following the Beijing Conference, the Government had begun a review of inheritance laws, the marriage act and the incorporation of the norms in the Convention on the Rights of the Child into national legislation. Those efforts were aimed at expanding the right to property ownership and improving the situation of children. A 20-year strategy had been set up to eradicate poverty, which affected some 4 million people in the country. The strategy focused on building women's entrepreneurial skills, improving their management capabilities, and increasing their access to technology.

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NINA KAUPOVA (Kazakstan) said efforts were being made to promote a comprehensive support system for women. A council had been formed for that purpose. Her country was working to improve health care for women based on the Platform's recommendations, including through the provision of modern contraceptive methods and sex education. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was supporting those efforts. The health of women and children had suffered because of environmental damage caused by past nuclear testing, and work was under way to explore the role of women in environmental protection. In the current transition period, special attention was being paid to the role of mass media in changing perceptions about women and promoting gender equality.

AFSANEH NADIPOUR (Iran) said the eradication of poverty was a critical concern. Iran's national development plans aimed to eradicate poverty by providing women with better access to employment, income, health care and nutrition. The President of Iran was planning to establish a headquarters for preparing and formulating poverty eradication strategies. Enhancing the status of women by presenting a positive image of them was of the utmost importance. Avoiding the commercial exploitation of women in the media could greatly contribute to the cultural advancement of societies. "To this end, the Iranian bears a responsibility, based on moral values, to present an appropriate image of women for the enhancement of their constructive role in social development, while avoiding the portrayal of women in an inappropriate manner."

KHADIGA HAG HAMED (Sudan) said her Government based its actions on religious values, which it always enshrined even during the time when women were being bought and sold. It had an overall strategy that laid down the framework for the direction of its various bodies. Women and the handicapped were given special interest in national action. The international media must stop exploiting women who were, in a sense, cheap merchandise at a time then they were also subject to violence. The media must deal with women as women, rather than turning them into men or asking them to be just like men.

Her Government confirmed the importance of the Beijing Conference and held its own national women's conference, which discussed their role in the international media, she continued. It also aimed to implement the Beijing Platform. The rich countries of the North should reconsider the problems of the South. All must stand together and unite views on the interests of men and women on an equal basis. The values and cultures of various countries must be taken into account.

The problems of children and the handicapped should be taken care of in the family, she continued. Men and women must work together to care for their children, and men must provide for the material needs of women. Her Government accorded a special place to children and the handicapped, providing day care centres and clubs for children. It also surveyed the needs of

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orphans and strengthened the role of the family in educating women. It had also implemented a legislative framework for the protection of children.

YETUNDE TERIBA, of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), said it recognized the need to adopt a global approach, while acknowledging that the main responsibility for implementing the Platform was with countries. Poverty was the most critical concern of Africa, and the OAU called for a reorganization of priorities to combat it. International efforts must be coordinated with national efforts. Poverty had increased in rural areas and cut across all age groups and both sexes. Greater attention was needed to achieve lasting solutions to poverty. More assistance must be provided to the productive sectors, including agriculture. Resources were also needed to focus on the education of women, which would increase their chances for gainful employment and lessen the effects of poverty.

BOUBACAR TOURE, of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said that 70 per cent of the 1.3 billion people considered to be living in absolute poverty were women. They worked longer than men, but received only a fraction of their income. Women's vast potential could be used to help future generations. The FAO would hold a World Food Summit in Rome in November, which would bring world leaders together to focus on ways to eliminate hunger and malnutrition and make food security a universal goal. The Summit would act to advance women in the rural sector, so as to ensure an adequate food supply for their families. Nearly 800 million people in the developing world suffered from chronic malnutrition, but the level of aid was decreasing. Forests were being destroyed and water resources were being over-exploited.

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