ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL TAKES ACTION ON ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN
Press Release
ECOSOC/5677
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL TAKES ACTION ON ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN
19960722 Acting on the recommendation of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Economic and Social Council this morning demanded that Israel, the occupying Power, comply with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1949 Geneva Convention on the Protection of the Civilian Persons in Time of War, in order to protect the rights of Palestinian women and their families.Continuing its general segment, the Council took that action by a vote of 46 in favour to 1 against (United States), with 1 abstention (Russian Federation). (For details of the voting, see Annex.)
Also on the recommendation of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Council adopted, without a vote, a text on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995), as well as two decisions of a procedural nature. Under other provisions of the resolution on Palestinian women, the Council called on Israel to facilitate the return of all refugees and displaced Palestinian women and children to their homes in the occupied Palestinian territory. Statements on the resolution on Palestinian women were made by the representatives of the United States, Australia and Israel.
By the resolution concerning the follow-up to the Beijing Conference, the Council decided that the Commission should have a catalytic role in mainstreaming a gender perspective in United Nations policies and programmes. The Council approved a multi-year work programme which would enable the Commission to consider critical areas of concern identified in the Beijing Platform for Action by the year 2000, beginning in 1997, with consideration of: education and training of women; women and the economy; women in power and decision-making; and women in the environment.
By its decisions, the Council renewed the mandate of the open-ended working group on the elaboration of a draft optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; and took note of the Commission's report and approved the provisional agenda for its forty-first session.
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Also this morning, the representative of the Czech Republic introduced a draft resolution on the need to harmonize and improve United Nations informatics systems for optimal utilization and accessibility by all States. In addition, the representative of Lebanon introduced a draft on assistance for the reconstruction and development of that country.
Speaking in the discussion on the advancement of women were the representatives of Costa Rica (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), Ireland (on behalf of the European Union), Czech Republic, Philippines, Chile, Jamaica, Romania, Turkey, Republic of Korea, Brazil, Bulgaria, United States, Côte d'Ivoire, Ukraine, Russian Federation and Iraq. Statements were also made by the representatives of the Inter- Parliamentary Union, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Zonta International.
Reports on matters related to the advancement of women were introduced by the Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women, and by the Acting Director of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women. The representative of Iran spoke in connection with the Council's decision to take note of documents under that agenda item.
Also this morning, the Council began its consideration of social development, hearing statements by the representatives of Ireland (on behalf of the European Union) and Costa Rica (on behalf of the Group of 77 and China). The Assistant Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development introduced the report of the Commission for Social Development.
The Council will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its general segment.
Council Work Programme
The Economic and Social Council met this morning to continue its general segment, focusing on social, humanitarian and human rights questions. The Council has before it reports concerning the advancement of women, social development questions, crime prevention and criminal justice and narcotic drugs. The Council was also scheduled to hear the introduction of two draft resolutions concerning international cooperation in the field of informatics and assistance for the reconstruction and development of Lebanon, respectively.
Drafts for Introduction
A 111-Power draft resolution on international cooperation in the field of informatics (document E/1996/L.27) would have the Council request its President to convene for one more year, within existing resources, the ad hoc open-ended working group on the need to harmonize and improve United Nations information systems for optimal utilization and accessibility by all States. The Secretary-General would be requested to extend full cooperation to the working group and report on the follow-up action taken in response to the resolution. Also by the draft, the Council would reiterate the high priority it attached to unhindered access for permanent missions to the growing number of computerized databases and information systems and services of the United Nations.
The draft is sponsored by Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The second draft resolution for introduction concerns assistance for the reconstruction and development of Lebanon (document E/1996/L.28). Under the provisions of that 14-Power text, the Council would appeal to Member States and the United Nations system to increase the disbursement of grants and soft
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loans for the reconstruction and development of Lebanon. It would request donor countries to participate in the work of the consultative group, now being formed, on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Lebanon. It would call upon the United Nations system to support national capacity-building and institutional renewal in Lebanon and would request the Secretary-General to report to it on implementation of the draft at its 1997 substantive session.
The draft is sponsored by Algeria, Argentina, Egypt, France, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Paraguay, Poland, Tunisia, Uganda and the United States.
Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
The report of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice on its fifth session (Vienna, 21-31 May) (document E/1996/30) contains 12 draft resolutions and two draft decisions for action.
Two draft resolutions would be transmitted by the Council to the General Assembly for adoption.
Draft resolution I, on action against corruption, would have the Council recommend to the Assembly the adoption of a text containing in an annex to it an international code of conduct for public officials.
By the draft, the Assembly would adopt the code of conduct. The Secretary-General would be requested to continue collecting information and legislative and regulatory texts from States and organizations in the context of his continuing study of the problem of corruption.
The draft code covers such issues as conflicts of interest and disqualification, disclosure of assets and the non-acceptance of gifts of favours that might influence official's judgement or the performance of their duties.
Draft resolution II, on a United Nations declaration on crime and public security, would have the Council recommend to the Assembly the approval of the draft declaration, which is annexed to the text. By the 11-article draft declaration, States would pledge a range of crime control measures aimed at protecting all persons within their jurisdictions, secure their borders against smuggling and money laundering, and strengthen the professionalism of their criminal justice, law enforcement and victim assistance systems.
Provisions include commitments by States to combat serious transnational crimes, including terrorist crimes, money laundering and trafficking in drugs and weapons; to prevent those who engage in such crimes from finding a safe haven on their territories; and to ensure that law enforcement authorities can cooperate effectively on an international basis.
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States would also agree to adopt effective laws and procedures for the seizure and forfeiture of criminal proceeds, to obtain the cooperation of financial institutions in the detection of money laundering and to enforce applicable national laws against bribery and corruption. They would also commit themselves to strengthen international cooperation and technical assistance to combat a broad range of offences, including smuggling of persons, gunrunning and passport forgery.
Ten other draft resolutions are before the Council for adoption.
Draft resolution I, on the role of criminal law in the protection of the environment, would have the Council request the Secretary-General to seek the views of Member States to determine the feasibility of applying criminal law to the protection of the environment. The Council would call on States to cooperate in preventing environmental crime and include penal provisions in their laws.
Draft resolution II, on international cooperation in the management of the criminal justice system, would have the Council urge the creation of an advisory steering group, administered by the Secretary-General, for strengthening of the technical cooperation capacity of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme. The Council would identify a pool of experts for implementing technical cooperation activities and would actively participate in the United Nations Crime and Justice Information Network and the United Nations On-line Crime and Justice Clearing-house.
By the terms of draft resolution III, on the elimination of violence against women, the Council would urge Member States to ensure that all forms of violence against women were legislatively proscribed and that women were treated fairly by criminal justice systems. The Council would note the document on practical measures for the elimination of violence against women produced by the Commission at its fifth session, and request the Secretary- General to solicit the views of Member States, institutes, United Nations entities, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations regarding those practical measures.
Draft resolution IV, on measures to prevent illicit international trafficking in children, would have the Council invite governments to ensure that all persons involved in such trafficking were subject to prosecution. It would request the Secretary-General to seek the views of governments regarding the elaboration of an international convention on the traffic in children. It would also decide that the Commission should include an item on the elaboration of a legally binding international instrument on the illicit traffic in children onto the provisional agenda of its sixth session.
By the terms of draft resolution V, on implementation of the Naples Political Declaration and Global Action Plan against Organized Transnational
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Crime, the Council would take note of the Buenos Aires Declaration on Prevention and Control of Organized Transnational Crime, adopted by the Regional Ministerial Workshop on Follow-up to the Naples Outcome, held in Buenos Aires in November 1995. It would request the Secretary-General to assist in the implementation of the Naples Plan, establish a central repository for information on transnational crime, and continue his consultation with governments on the possibility of elaborating a convention or other instrument against transnational crime. It would also ask him to provide technical assistance to requesting Member States and develop training manuals for specialized law enforcement and investigative personnel.
Draft resolution VI, on follow-up action on firearms regulation for the purpose of crime prevention and public safety, would have the Council welcome progress made by the Secretary-General in undertaking a study on regulating firearms and would request him to pursue that study. The Council would also endorse a questionnaire for the preparation of the survey and the preparation of country reports on firearms regulation, and would request the Secretary- General to consult with Member States and to analyse information obtained.
The Council would welcome progress made with regard to the elaboration of a programme of action to promote the effective application of international standards and norms in juvenile justice, by the terms of draft resolution VII on the administration of juvenile justice. It would invite him to strengthen coordination and technical assistance in that regard, and would request him to organize, in cooperation with the Government of Austria and using extrabudgetary resources, a meeting of an expert group on the elaboration of a programme of action on juvenile justice. It would also decide that the Commission, at its sixth session, should consider the draft programme of action.
By draft resolution VIII, on the use and application of the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power, the Council, noting with appreciation the work of the Expert Group Meetings on Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power in the International Setting, held at Vienna in December 1995, would recognize the desirability of preparing a draft manual on the use and application of the Declaration, to be elaborated by expert group meetings convening with extrabudgetary funds, for submission to the Commission at its sixth session.
Draft resolution IX, on safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty, would have the Council note that between 1990 and 1995, an increasing number of countries abolished the death penalty while others reduced the number of capital offences. The Council would call on Member States which had not yet abolished capital punishment to apply safeguards guaranteeing protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty and would encourage such States to ensure that each defendant facing a possible death sentence was given a fair trial.
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Draft resolution X, on United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice, would have the Council invite governments to promote the widest possible dissemination of the standards and norms and to publish the Compendium of United Nations Standards and Norms in Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. Governments would be urged to reply to questionnaires on crime prevention and criminal justice, and the Secretary- General would be requested to report to the Commission on the desirability of establishing an intersessional working group, as well as to continue to coordinate activities related to the use and applications of the standards and norms.
By draft decision I, the Council would approve full interpretation services for 12 informal consultations of the Commission, and by draft decision II it would take note of the Commission's report and approve the provisional agenda and documentation for its sixth session.
Narcotic Drugs
The report of the Commission on Narcotics Drugs on its thirty-ninth session (Vienna, 16-25 April) (document E/1996/27) contains six draft resolutions and four draft decisions for action.
By draft resolution I, the Council would recommend that the Assembly convene in special session to consider the fight against illicit drugs for three days in 1998, on the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. The special session should promote adherence to relevant United Nations conventions, increase law enforcement cooperation, prevent the diversion of chemical precursors, promote drug abuse control programmes, prevent money laundering, cooperate to eradicate illicit crops and strengthen United Nations system coordination. The Council would request the Commission to act as the preparatory body for the special session and would recommend that the session be financed through the regular budget of the United Nations. It would also request the Secretary-General to report to the Assembly, at its fifty-first session, on organizational aspects of the proposed special session.
By draft resolution II, on a draft declaration on guiding principles of demand reduction, the Council would request the Executive Director of the United Nations International Drug Control Programme to continue developing the draft declaration and to convene a working group in that regard, to be financed by voluntary resources made available by Member States. It would also request him to report to the Commission at its fortieth session on progress made regarding the draft.
Draft resolution III concerns action to strengthen international cooperation to control precursors and their substitutes used in the illicit
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manufacture of controlled substances, in particular, amphetamine-type stimulants. Under its provisions, the Council would call upon States to enact legislation to implement chemical controls recommended by the 1988 Convention. It would call on the Drug Control Programme and the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) to establish a limited international surveillance list of non-scheduled substances for which information exists regarding their use in illicit drugs trafficking. The Council would urge States to report suspicious movements or thefts of such chemicals, take action against suppliers, deny export permits to brokers or intermediaries who facilitate illicit trade, require importers and distributors to provide evidence of legitimacy and reinforce international arrangements against chemical diversions.
In addition, the Council would request the Board to compile data on significant-volume transactions in those chemicals and report irregularities to competent authorities. It would recommend that governments obtain early notification of proposed legitimate transactions and would request that they alert other governments of suspected diversions. The Council would reiterate its request to the Secretary-General to convene a second expert meeting of drug-control authorities
Draft resolution IV, on measures to combat the diversion of psychotropic substances and to establish effective control over operations carried out by intermediaries in international trade of those substances, would have the Council invite governments to establish authorities to control such substances, exercise vigilance over their import and develop import/export authorizations over substances listed in schedules III and IV or the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Governments would be called upon to make use of pre-export declarations and establish control measures over intermediaries. They would be invited to reinforce bilateral contacts in that regard and to exchange information.
The Council would urge governments to maintain a balanced licit supply and demand of opiates for medical and scientific needs, supporting traditional supplier countries, by the terms of draft resolution V. It would urge producer countries to adhere to the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and consumer countries to advise the INCB of their needs regarding opiates. The Council would commend the Board for its work in urging governments to adjust opiate production to actual licit needs.
By the terms of draft resolution VI on strengthening the role of the INCB and development of a unified information system for the collection and analysis of data concerning the nature, patterns and trends of the global problem of drug abuse, the Council would encourage the Board to continue ensuring implementation of international drug control treaties and would request States to accede to them. It would also invite the Board to take into account the Global Programme of Action adopted by the Assembly at its seventeenth special session of 1990. The Executive Director of the INCB would
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be requested to consult with governments and to report to the Board on progress achieved. The Council would encourage the Board to intensify its country programmes and would request the Assembly to allocate sufficient funding, within the regular budget, to enable the Board to carry out its functions.
By the terms of the four draft decisions proposed by the Commission, the Council would: approve the provisional agenda and documentation for the Commission's fortieth session; approve the applications of Kazakstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan for membership in the Subcommission on Illicit Drug Traffic and Related Matters in the Near and Middle East; and take note of the 1995 reports of the INCB and of the Commission.
For background information on the Council's consideration of matters related to the advancement of women and social development questions, see Press Release ECOSOC/5675, of 19 July.
Introduction of Draft Resolutions
KAREL KOVANDA (Czech Republic) introduced the draft resolution on the need to harmonize and improve United Nations informatics systems for optimal utilization and accessibility by all States.
HICHAM HAMDAN (Lebanon) introduced the draft resolution on assistance for the reconstruction and development of Lebanon.
Discussion on Advancement of Women
ANGELA KING, Director, Division for the Advancement of Women, Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, introduced the reports of the Secretary-General under the Council's consideration of the advancement of women. She said the reports included the revision of the system-wide medium- term plan on advancement of women, an interim report on violence against women migrant workers and an interim report on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted by the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women.
She said the revised plan was the result of an extensive collaborative process that involved the focal points on women and gender issues of a large number of entities of the United Nations system. The revised plan followed the structure of the Platform for Action adopted at the Beijing Conference. It neither replaced agency-specific planning and programming on women and gender issues, nor did it affect the individual responsibility and accountability of agencies for implementing parts of the Platform within their specific mandates.
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MARTHA DUEÑAS-LOZA, Acting Director of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, introduced its report to the Council. She said that in light of the large amount of work done by a variety of institutions on the status of women, the Institute carefully chose a very limited number of themes as part of a multidisciplinary process. The Institute was at the forefront of proposing new methods of comparative studies, thus, broadening analysis on the situation of women. Topics which used to be taboo were now being dealt with, including quantifying the social value of women's work; measuring non-remunerated work in national accounting systems; and analysing the relationships between the status of women and their access to natural resources, as well as that between social insecurity and women's migration.
She said the Institute had proposed four criteria for mainstreaming the concept of gender, as follows: empowerment, equality, productivity, and sustainability. Mainstreaming the concept of gender was critical to meeting emerging challenges, including those brought on by the globalization of economic production; scientific and technological advancement; and the spread of incurable diseases. The Institute's work should be viewed favourably in light of the challenges which the coming century would bring to the participation of women in the development process.
EMILIA CASTRO DE BARISH (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, reiterated the Group's commitment to the goals of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The Commission on the Status of Women should act as a catalyst in support of mainstreaming a gender perspective in policies and programmes. She stressed the traditional importance of non-governmental organizations in the advancement of women and encouraged them to participate in the work of the Commission and in the process related to monitoring and implementation of the outcome of the Beijing Conference.
There was a need for the Secretary-General to make appropriate arrangements to ensure full utilization of existing channels of communications with non-governmental organizations in order to facilitate broad-based participation and dissemination of information, she said.
JOHN BIGGAR (Ireland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, stressed the importance of ensuring adequate resources for the system-wide follow-up to the Beijing Conference. Within the Commission on the Status of Women, the Union favoured a shorter general debate which would enable more time for focused and action-oriented dialogue in the panel format. He stressed that the reports prepared by the Secretariat should be action- oriented and should contain specific recommendations. In addition, the panel discussion would be facilitated by having a relatively small number of panelists with in-depth knowledge of their subject.
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He also emphasized the need for improving the methods to reach agreed conclusions. In addition, the Commission should consider ways in which civil society, including non-governmental organizations, could contribute more fully to its debates, including in the panels. The European Union had welcomed the establishment of the Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality and looked forward to the start of its activities. The overall objectives of the Committee should go beyond operational and field level activities to reflect the cross-cutting nature of gender issues.
NADEZDA HOLIKOVA (Czech Republic) said her country had experienced many changes lately regarding the position of women in society. A concentrated and systematic approach to promoting the advancement of women was needed. "We believe the Platform for Action and the Beijing Declaration might provide us with some useful advice and guidance in this regard." The Government had recently started to prepare a study on harmonizing the family and work roles of women. It was also focusing on the question of providing equal opportunities for women and establishing funds for non-governmental organizations helping women in need.
RUTH S. LIMJUCO (Philippines) said the report on violence against women migrant workers contained information on the United Nations expert group meeting on that subject held in Manila from 27 to 31 May. Since 1992, the Philippines had been calling attention to the plight of women migrant workers, who often ventured from developing to more developed countries at the cost of the relative security of their houses and families. "Because they are women, because they are foreigners in the countries of their employment and because they are very often employed as domestic workers and entertainers -- occupations in the lowest rungs of most societies -- these women migrant workers are frequently subjected to all kinds of abuse and maltreatment, totally deprived of any human dignity."
She said the Manila meeting had recognized that the share of women migrant workers in the international labour market was growing in two unprotected sectors: domestic helpers and entertainers. The final report of the expert group meeting should concentrate on the victimization of women migrant workers, the violation of their human rights, and ways and means of promoting and protecting those rights, including the development of concrete indicators for that purpose.
FIDEL COLOMA (Chile) said the medium-term plan should address the relationship between the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission for Social Development. The two should be working together to create an integrated gender perspective in United Nations activities aimed at eradicating poverty. He welcomed the creation by the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) of a task force on implementation of the Platform for Action. Such mechanisms complemented national efforts towards the advancement of women.
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CHERRYL GORDON (Jamaica) said the various reports of the Secretary- General demonstrated the challenging nature of the follow-up to the Beijing Conference. She noted the recent work of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as well as of the Commission for Social Development and the Commission on Sustainable Development. Jamaica remained concerned about poverty and illiteracy affecting women. She also stressed the need for efforts to counter violence against women and girl children.
VICTORIA SANDRU (Romania) said that at the Beijing Conference her country had voiced the desire to host a subregional conference to appraise the implementation of the outcome of the Beijing Conference in central and eastern Europe. That event would take place in Bucharest from 12 to 14 September. It would be jointly organized by the Division for the Advancement of Women, the Regional Bureau for Europe of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE).
SELMA ACUNER (Turkey) said the proposed system-wide medium-term plan provided a solid overview for the implementation of the Platform for Action. The report would have been more useful if it had provided charts outlining specific activities and outputs required by each organization. Concerning institutional and financial arrangements, she said that any reforms should be undertaken only within the overall restructuring process. She welcomed the establishment of the inter-agency task force on women. Activities at the field level were also critical. Turkey had benefited from the activities of the UNDP at the field level, she added.
EUN HA PARK (Republic of Korea) said her country welcomed the innovative methods employed by the Commission on the Status of Women to engage members of civil society in its work. Future sessions of the Commission should proceed in a more action-oriented manner, with the active participation of non- governmental organizations in panel discussions. Regrettably, many women still suffered violations of their rights. In particular, violence against women and sexual abuse in situations of armed conflict must be denounced as flagrant violations of human rights and international law. The Republic of Korea was pleased that the United Nations had taken steps to combat violence against women, including through the appointment of a special rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on that theme.
A concerted international effort was also needed to eradicate poverty among women, she said. The provision of financial and technical assistance was critical in order to end the feminization of poverty. The United Nations must actively work to integrate a gender perspective into all aspects of its work. Governments, for their part, must also make efforts to include more women in their delegations to the United Nations.
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EDGAR TELLES RIBEIRO (Brazil) said it was impossible to look at the reports of the United Nations on the advancement of women without pride at the progress achieved in the field. Brazil had no hesitation in admitting the crucial role played by the United Nations in its society in themes as diverse as the prohibition of any type of discrimination against women, sexual or otherwise; the equality between sexes and the protection of non-legalized family structures and single mothers. The fact that some countries were changing their legislation regarding women bore witness to the fact that a growing number were becoming aware of interdependence between previously isolated themes such as health, education and justice.
LUDMILA BOJHKOVA (Bulgaria) said the Commission on the Status of Women should act as catalyst in mainstreaming gender perspective. Bulgaria attached great importance to the fact that in the selection of experts for the Commission, the principle of equitable geographical representation be taken into account. She also stressed the importance of the participation of non- governmental organizations, adding that sufficient time should be set aside for the general debate. Moreover, an integrated approach to the adoption of the results of the United Nations conferences was important.
LUCY TAMLYN (United States) said the Commission on the Status of Women's new programme of work had great potential, but some suggestions could further improve it. The panel discussions should provide a forum for experts to discuss what had worked and what had not worked in a variety of national situations. Member States should include experts on their delegations. Less time should be spent on reaching agreed conclusions, and more on the free exchange of information on how to implement the Platform for Action. The Commission must identify trends and new approaches to issues affecting the status of women.
The United States supported the merger of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, which could help reduce administrative costs and could be a model for restructuring efforts, she added.
DIENEBOU KABA CAMARA (Côte d'Ivoire) said it was critical to ensure that all United Nations agencies adopted a gender perspective in their work. Strategies must be employed to implement the recommendations in the Platform for Action's critical areas of concern. It had been disappointing that the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative on Africa had not mentioned the important role of women in eradicating poverty. Rather, it had mentioned their role only in terms of food security, neglecting the important potential of African women to contribute to implementing the Special Initiative.
YEVHEN V. KOZIY (Ukraine) said the United Nations system could and must play a leading role in mainstreaming women's concerns. The Commission on the Status of Women would conduct discussions that would yield concrete results in
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the implementation of the Platform for Action. The medium-term plan was welcome, as it contained important provisions on the specific conditions in countries in transition. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women should, in addition to its regular mandate, also consider implementation of the Platform for Action. The Committee had recently positively reviewed the report of Ukraine, and had made recommendations which the country was working to implement.
IVAN KHRYSKOV (Russian Federation) said his delegation viewed positively the fortieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. He stressed that the United Nations documents should contain proposals and recommendations to be used at the national level. He also suggested that periodically United Nations bulletins on the implementation of Conference recommendations at the country level be issued. He informed the Council that, on 18 June and then again in the beginning of July, the Russian President had signed decrees enhancing the role of women.
KHALED AL-HITTI (Iraq) said in his country women enjoyed equal status with men. Enumerating steps taken for the advancement of women, he said the Ministry of Health had opened a number of centres for women and children, and university departments had been created for disabled women. The Iraqi Union of Women had underlined the importance of enhancing women's status in the socio-economic sphere. The number of women elected to the Iraqi parliament was now over 20. However, most efforts at further advancement of women had been hampered due to the blockade which affected the most disadvantaged sections of the society most acutely.
He underlined the lack of food and medicine in Iraq and said scores of children and the elderly had died as a result. Millions of Iraqis suffered from malnutrition and disease. The number of dead in Iraq had exceeded the number of deaths as a result of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima. He asked the international community to put a stop to the "killing of Iraqis under the garb of international law".
ANDREW VARCHAVER, of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), said the commitments undertaken at the Beijing Conference must be implemented at the national level, including through parliamentary action. The IPU had participated in the preparatory process for the Beijing Conference and was now working on follow-up to the recommendations of the Platform for Action. Among the actions it was taking, the IPU had launched a new world survey on the participation of women in political life. The survey should result, by the end of the year, in a world comparative study on that important subject. The IPU was also preparing a symposium on the partnership between men and women in politics. A round table for the media was also being organized to examine the portrayal of women politicians in the media. In a few weeks, the Union would hold a symposium on the role of women in eradicating poverty.
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NINA SIMBAL, a representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said UNESCO was undertaking a wide-ranging programme of activities in support of the proposed 1996-2001 system-wide medium-term plan. Special projects were being implemented in a variety of areas, including promoting girls' and women's education in Africa; women, science and technology; women and water supply and use; empowerment of women through community development programmes; training of craftswomen in Africa and Central America; and women in the service of civil peace. Such projects had been initiated in addition to the mainstreaming of a gender perspective in all programmes. The UNESCO's budgetary allocations for women and gender had increased by 22 per cent over the previous biennium.
DORIS W. VAUGHN, of Zonta International, said her organization represented executive women in all five continents from countries at all levels of development. It had a long record of cooperation with the United Nations, funding many projects of UNIFEM and others. Zonta International was committed to addressing global concerns with a single voice and a combined effort. Its areas of operation related to the critical areas of concern in the Platform for Action. Violence against women was addressed by Zonta in its 1996-1998 programme goals. Inequality in health care and related services, and the rights of the girl child, were also addressed in the programme goals.
Action on Advancement of Women
Before the Council took note of reports before it, the representative of Iran said he wanted the Secretariat to take note of his country's concerns about references in the proposed system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women, 1996-2001. Iran had called for references to "under parental supervision" to be inserted in the medium-term plan. A number of delegations had proposed deleting certain references to individual rights. Attention should be paid to those and other concerns.
JEAN-MARIE KACOU GERVAIS (Côte d'Ivoire), the Council President, said note would be taken of Iran's concerns.
The Council then took note of the following documents: report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (document A/51/38); report of the Secretary-General on the proposed system-wide medium- term plan for the advancement of women, 1996-2001 (document E/1996/16); note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Board of Trustees of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (document E/1996/56); report of the Secretary-General on violence against women migrant workers, including the report of the expert group (document E/1996/71); and report of the Secretary-General on progress made in implementation of the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women on ways to enhance the capacity of the United Nations to support follow-up (document E/1996/82).
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The Council then took up the draft resolution on Palestinian women recommended by the Commission on the Status of Women.
The representative of the United States requested a recorded vote.
The resolution on Palestinian women was adopted by a vote of 46 in favour to 1 against (United States), with 1 abstention (Russian Federation). (For details of the voting, see Annex.)
Speaking after action, the representative of the United States said her country had voted against the resolution since the Council was not the proper forum for discussing the situation in the Middle East. The resolution did not reflect the great progress achieved in the peace process, and complicated the ongoing search for peace.
The representative of Australia said her country was committed to peace in the Middle East. She stressed that finding ways to implement the United Nations resolutions relating to peace in the region was in the interest of both the parties. The peace process had to be sustained by both sides. Australia was concerned about some parts of the resolution. Among others, it had reservations to references to the return of refugees. While it supported the Palestinians' right to return, it believed that the question should be addressed in an overall peace settlement.
The representative of Israel said basically the issue before the Council had little to do with women and more to do with Middle East politics. The proper place for addressing those questions was not in New York, but in the peace process. He stressed that it was up to the Palestinians whether they wanted to grab the bull by the horns in the Middle East or merely tickle it to the United Nations arena. He stressed that the matter should not have been taken up in either the Commission on the Status of Women or the Council.
The Commission's draft resolution on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women was then adopted without a vote.
Also acting without a vote, the Council adopted the two decisions concerning, respectively, the mandate of the open-ended working group on the elaboration of a draft optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; and on the provisional agenda and documentation for the forty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
Discussion on Social Development
ANDRZEJ KRASSOWSKI, Assistant Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development, Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, introduced the report of the Commission for Social Development.
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Mr. BIGGAR (Ireland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, welcomed the new framework of functioning of the Commission for Social Development. He stressed that the task forces established by the ACC for the follow-up to the 1995 World Summit for Social Development and other international conferences would greatly assist system-wide coordination. He also welcomed the efforts made to stimulate informal dialogue in the Commission. Moreover, the Union believed that the role of civil society in the follow-up and implementation process was important.
The Union believed that the annualization of the Commission's meetings would facilitate an intensified consideration of issues, he added.
Mrs. CASTRO DE BARISH (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77, said the Group had been pleased about the role it had played, together with the European Union and other partners, in expanding the membership of the Commission for Social Development to 46 members elected from among Member States. The Commission had also decided to annualize its sessions. "Given the support that this decision received from most delegations, it was clearly understood that leaving unchanged the same 32 members and biennializing the sessions was inconsistent with the expanded mandate of the Commission in following up the World Summit for Social Development." The Group urged delegations to maintain that important decision so as to enable the Commission to fulfil its mandate. The Group fully endorsed the drafts recommended in the Commission's report for adoption by the Council.
(annex follows)
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ANNEX
Vote on Palestinian Women
The draft resolution on Palestinian women, contained in the report of the Commission on the Status of Women (document E/1996/26), was adopted by a recorded vote of 46 in favour to 1 against, with 1 abstention, as follows:
In favour: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.
Against: United States.
Abstain: Russian Federation.
Absent: Congo, Guyana, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, Togo.
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