FOUR DRAFT RESOLUTIONS INTRODUCED IN WOMEN'S COMMISSION

20 March 1996

Press Release
WOM/915

FOUR DRAFT RESOLUTIONS INTRODUCED IN WOMEN'S COMMISSION

19960320 Texts Concern Middle East, Trafficking in Women and Girls, Eradicating 'Feminization' of Poverty, Women's Rights in UN Activities

The Commission on the Status of Women would condemn the recent terrorist attacks in Israel which sought to undermine the peace process and caused loss of life and injuries while expressing support for the statement of the Summit of the Peacemakers, by the terms of a draft resolution introduced this afternoon by the United States. The draft text was one of four introduced in the Commission.

Another draft would have the Commission call upon governments to prevent those who traffic in women and girls from misusing tourism and advanced information technology, including cyberspace. Other provisions of the draft call for addressing the root factors that encourage the trafficking of women and girls for prostitution and other forms of commercialized sex, and for allocating resources to provide comprehensive programmes designed to heal victims of trafficking. The text was introduced by the Philippines.

A draft resolution introduced by Costa Rica, on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, would have the Commission recommend a series of measures aimed at eradicating the feminization of poverty as set out in the Platform for Action adopted by the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995), such as promoting women's rights to access to economic resources, including inheritance. The Commission would stress that the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, should play a central role in enhancing assistance for developing countries in order to achieve the Platform's objectives.

Under the provisions of a draft resolution introduced by Australia, the Commission would stress the need to intensify efforts to ensure that the human rights of women and girls were integrated into the mainstream of United Nations activities. The Commission would emphasize the need for the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education to incorporate a gender perspective in its activities.

Also this afternoon, the Commission concluded its general discussion of follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women, hearing statements by the

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representatives of Angola, Malaysia, Colombia, Libya, Bahrain and Lebanon. The representative of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) also made a statement, as did representatives of the European Federation of Women Active in the Home, the International Women Count Network and the Latin American and Caribbean Non-Governmental Organizations.

The Commission will meet again tomorrow, 21 March, at a time to be announced, to hear the introduction of the remaining draft resolutions.

Commission Work Programme

The Commission on the Status of Women met this afternoon to continue its general discussion of follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995). It is also expected to hear the introduction of several draft resolutions. (For background on the Beijing Conference follow-up, see Press Release WOM/903 of 8 March.)

By the terms of a draft resolution sponsored by the United States, the Commission would urge members of the international community to include women in the Middle East peace process (document E/CN.6/1996/L.3). The Commission "condemns the recent terrorist attacks in Israel which seek to undermine the peace process and which have caused loss of life and injuries among women and their families, and supports the statement of the Summit of the Peacemakers in Sharm el-Sheikh on 13 March". Member States would be urged to assist the parties in the region and to support the peace process, especially with regard to women.

Under the provisions of another draft resolution, sponsored by Australia, Canada and Norway, the Commission would stress the need to intensify efforts to ensure that the human rights of women and girls are integrated into the mainstream of United Nations activities (document E/CN.6/1996/L.4). States would be urged to consider the gender composition of treaty bodies when electing States to them. The Commission would emphasize the need for the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education to incorporate a gender perspective in its activities. The Division for the Advancement of Women would be encouraged to provide information to the Special Rapporteur on violence against women. Both the Division and the Centre for Human Rights would be encouraged to explore the possibility of providing training on the human rights of women.

A draft resolution on the traffic in women and girls (E/CN.6/1996/L.5) would call for such measures as: ratification or enforcement of conventions on trafficking in persons and slavery; concerted law enforcement action aimed at dismantling trafficking networks; and the enactment of legislation aimed at preventing sex tourism and trafficking, with special emphasis on the protection of young women and children.

Other proposed measures in the text call for addressing the root factors that encourage the trafficking of women and girls for prostitution and other forms of commercialized sex, and for allocating resources to provide comprehensive programmes designed to heal the victims of trafficking. Governments would be called upon to prevent the misuse by traffickers of tourism and advanced information technology, including cyberspace. The Commission would also encourage the holding of an international conference on trafficking.

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That text is sponsored by Fiji, Ghana, Nigeria, Philippines and Thailand.

A draft resolution sponsored by Costa Rica on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China would have the Commission recommend a series of measures aimed at eradicating the feminization of poverty as set out in the Platform for Action (document E/CN.6/1996/L.10). Among the measures recommended are: implementing education, training and retraining policies for women and girls; promoting women's rights to full and equal access to economic resources, including the right to inheritance; developing national strategies for promoting employment and self-employment in order to generate income for women; and adopting policies to ensure that all women have adequate economic and social protection during unemployment, ill health, maternity, child- bearing, widowhood, disability and old age. The Commission would call for the urgent implementation of the outcome of all major United Nations conferences related to poverty.

Also by the text, the Commission would stress that the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, should play a central role in enhancing financial and technical support and assistance for developing countries in order to achieve the Platform's objectives. The Economic and Social Council would be requested to recommend to the General Assembly that the gender dimension of poverty be incorporated into the plan of action of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty.

Statements

HOESFA COELHO DA CRUZ (Angola) said her Government had carried out a nationwide campaign to disseminate information about the Women's Conference. It had also begun a project to support gender equality and promote women's issues as well as a seminar on the fight against poverty. Much had been said during the Commission's current session about coordinating efforts on gender mainstreaming. It was very important for Angola, as a young country, to have all United Nations agencies and bodies follow the same guidelines. Regional commissions should continue to support local initiatives. It was also important for the Commission to strengthen its mandate by making it clear and concise.

PUAN SRI FATIMAH HAMID DON (Malaysia) said that her country had made significant strides to reduce poverty, especially among women. Its target was to reduce poverty rates from 16.7 per cent to 7.2 per cent by the year 2000 and hard core poverty by 0.3 per cent. It was also making significant progress in policy formulation by governmental agencies and in the private sector for child and dependent care. Training programmes in entrepreneurship and in child care professional skills were being developed and implemented, with the help of non-governmental agencies and professional bodies. A

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campaign of legal literacy education for women aimed at preventing domestic violence had been launched, and a complaints bureau and temporary shelters set up for the victims of such violence.

CLARA I. VARGAS DE LOSADA (Colombia) said her country was working to disseminate the Platform for Action, in part through a series of four seminars that were being held in all parts of the country with the participation of government officials. Government structures had been strengthened, in order to incorporate a gender perspective in all public programmes and policies. A new law had been adopted to protect women, particularly poor and indigenous women, from losing their property. A special programme had also been established to protect the poor. "Our government is aware of its commitments in the Platform for Action, and will continue to exert its utmost efforts to guarantee the participation of women as actors and beneficiaries in the development process." National efforts must be complemented by new and additional international resources.

ESMAHAN EDDIB (Libya) said recommendations must be formulated on urgent problems facing women and then forwarded to the Economic and Social Council for action. Despite the efforts made so far, women did not fully enjoy their human rights. Their rights were violated individually and at the community level. Palestinian women suffered under Israeli occupation. That issue merited closer examination. Many women in developing countries suffered from poverty arising from the unfavourable international economic environment and coercive economic measures employed by developed countries. The Commission must adopt new approaches to those problems. Libya regarded the advancement of women as a critical component for development, and enacted laws that took account of women's special social and biological concerns.

EBRAHIM ALDOSARI (Bahrain) stressed that women's participation in the development process was critical to its success. Islamic beliefs called for the protection of women. Bahrain had sought to realize those beliefs through plans designed to improve the health and status of women. Population plans were geared to benefiting both sexes. Women could be found at all levels of government and at the helm of television and radio broadcast services. Bahraini women had reached the upper echelons of banking and business. They had also participated widely in international forums on issues related to the advancement of women.

FADI KARAN (Lebanon) said that his Government hoped to be able to learn in advance about the programmes of work by the specialized agencies and the results of their past projects. He urged them to coordinate their work so it would reflect the efforts of the Commission. He urged the international community to cooperate their efforts for countries in need, including those that had signed the major international conventions. Certain provisions of the Beijing Platform stated that foreign occupation had a negative impact on

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women. He drew attention to the suffering of Lebanese women under Israeli occupation, which was a contravention of human rights, including women's rights.

THELMA KAY, of the Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific, speaking on behalf of the United Nations Regional Commissions, said they were focusing their efforts on regional monitoring, mainstreaming, providing technical assistance and building partnerships in the overall follow-up to the Beijing Conference. The biggest challenge was to monitor regional and global implementation. Meetings had been held with regional commissions to ensure coordinated follow-up. For example, the European Economic Commission had started regional monitoring with 27 United Nations bodies and agencies and other international organizations active in the region, such as the Council for Europe. The mainstreaming of women's issues and gender perspectives had been initiated into respective work programmes.

Other post-Beijing activities were under way and many countries had started to develop national plans of action or were adapting existing plans to implement the regional and global platforms for action, she said. Regional commissions had been helping some countries in developing those plans. The Economic Commission for Africa was focusing efforts on poverty eradication and economic empowerment, women's education and training, their human and legal rights and their participation in decision-making, as well as improving female health.

BRIGITTE POLONOUSKI VAUCLAIR, of the European Federation of Women Active in the Home, said that it was critical to promote equality in education, so that girls would gain the same skills as boys and enter the labour market on the same terms. Brothers and sisters must respect each other and learn tolerance in the home. They must know their bodies and not hesitate to speak about issues related to sexuality. Women must have access to technical progress so as to be able to fully participate in economic and social activities. Fathers and mothers had a critical role in providing spiritual training for their children.

ANNE NEALE, of the International Women Count Network, said her organization encouraged governments to measure and value unpaid work. The issue of child and dependent care raised questions about women's unpaid work in the home and in the community, as well as the low-wage work women did in institutions and in private homes. Women who went to work had to calculate how much they would earn and how much they would have left after paying others to replace their care at home. All cuts in social programmes led to a drop in income for women doing waged work.

She said the International Labour Organisation had estimated that women did two thirds of the world's work but received only 5 per cent of the income.

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Women's unpaid and undervalued work were at the base of all questions of poverty. Solutions must get to the heart of women's overwork and must involve short- and long-term approaches to alleviating the burden borne by women. There could be no equality without the full recognition of women's work -- both paid and unpaid -- and without proper remuneration.

MAYRA PASOS, Coordinator of the Latin American and Caribbean Non- Governmental Organizations, said it was critical to implement the recommendations in the Platform for Action. "We cannot go backwards on what was agreed upon in Beijing or we will lose credibility." In particular, an optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women should be adopted. Governments and international financial organizations should encourage the participation of women in the formulation and implementation of economic policies. The Bretton Woods institutions should incorporate a gender perspective in their analyses. Non- governmental organizations had a central role to play in implementing the Platform for Action, and their status within the international community should reflect their importance.

Introduction of Draft Resolutions

MELINDA KIMBLE (United States) introduced the draft on the integration of women Middle East peace process, as orally revised.

SHIRLEY LITHGOW (Australia) introduced the draft on mainstreaming the human rights of women. She announced that the following countries had joined in sponsoring the text: Argentina, Congo, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Finland, Ghana, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland and Togo.

EMELIA CASTRO DE BARISH (Costa Rica) introduced the draft on implementing the Platform for Action's recommendations on poverty, as orally revised.

RUTH S. LIMJUCO (Philippines) introduced the draft on traffic in women and girls. She announced that Cote d'Ivoire, Israel, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Panama and Argentina had joined in sponsoring the draft.

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