GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM, OLDER WOMEN'S ISSUES ADDRESSED BY STATUS OF WOMEN COMMISSION
Press Release
WOM/1038
GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM, OLDER WOMEN'S ISSUES ADDRESSED BY STATUS OF WOMEN COMMISSION
19980305 The need for a systematic approach to gender mainstreaming and an active education process on its meaning was stressed this morning, as the Commission on the Status of Women reviewed gender mainstreaming in the United Nations system and emerging issues affecting the situation of women, particularly matters relating to older women.The representative of the United Kingdom, speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, welcomed the fact that some parts of the United Nations system were taking active steps to address the problem of mainstreaming and urged others to do likewise. Senior managers should be made fully accountable for that process, and the necessary training in that regard arranged, where appropriate.
On the emerging issue of older women, a representative of the American Association of Retired Persons, also speaking on behalf of HELP-AGE International and the Older Women's Network Europe, said the life-span approach to dealing with the problems of older persons, based on gender and age, offered an innovative policy framework, which permitted the identification and targetting of specific areas for action. The observance of the International Year of Older Persons in 1999 would offer a further incentive for the application of such a policy framework and integration of gender perspective fully in the work of the Commission, she added.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Israel, Republic of Korea, Canada, Dominican Republic, Greece and China. A representative of the European Community also spoke.
Also this morning, the Commission Chairperson, Patricia Flor (Germany), announced that the following members of the Commission had been appointed to serve on the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women: Dienebou Kaba Camara (Côte d'Ivoire), Sissel Salomon (Norway), Krystyna Zurek (Poland), and Fidel Coloma (Chile). A representative of the Asian Group of States would be announced at a later date. The Working Group considers confidential and non-confidential information sent to the Commission.
The Commission will meet again at 3 p.m today to hold a panel discussion on another critical area of concern in the Beijing Platform for Action -- violence against women.
Commission Work Programme
The Commission on the Status of Women met this morning to review gender mainstreaming in the United Nations system and to take up emerging issues affecting the situation of women. It has before it three reports and two notes by the Secretary-General on issues related to the review of gender mainstreaming.
The Secretary-General's report on mainstreaming a gender perspective and other follow-up activities by organizations of the United Nations system (documents E/CN.6/1998/2 and Adds.1 and 2) emphasizes efforts undertaken by the Secretariat to achieve that objective. It states that the Secretary-General conveyed agreed conclusions 1997/2 on gender mainstreaming, adopted by the Economic and Social Council, to all heads of departments, funds, programmes and regional commissions and to the heads of specialized agencies and international trade and financial institutions, stressing that gender mainstreaming was the responsibility of all staff and emphasizing the accountability of senior managers for implementing those conclusions.
According to the report, senior managers were invited to take a number of steps to ensure that gender issues were brought into the mainstream of activities of each senior manager's area of responsibility; the systematic use of gender analysis in the preparation of reports or in operational activities; and the preparation of medium-term plans and programme budgets in a manner that made gender perspective apparent. The Secretary-General also invited the convenors of the four executive committees to consider gender issues as part of their responsibilities. The Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women is cooperating with senior managers as they take steps to implement gender mainstreaming.
The report notes that the responsibility of the new Department of Economic and Social Affairs -- of which the Division for the Advancement of Women is a part -- for gender mainstreaming has been clearly established. An account of the various conferences and workshops on gender mainstreaming organized by specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the second session of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality, are included in the report. The replies of six governments -- Azerbaijan, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Oman, Panama and the Philippines -- to a note verbale on the release of women and children taken hostage in armed conflicts, including those subsequently imprisoned, are also included in the report, as are similar ones received from four entities of the United Nations system.
Addendum 1 to the report reviews the joint work plan of the Division for the Advancement of Women and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights providing an assessment of its implementation and of plans for 1998. It states that the exchange of information between the Division and the
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High Commissioner's Office regarding the work of the human rights treaty bodies serviced by them continued on a regular basis. The technical cooperation programme of the Office of the High Commissioner has prepared a project on the integration of a gender perspective into technical cooperation practices and procedures, currently being implemented.
Cooperation between the two on the work of treaty bodies and the preparation of the various optional protocols will be enhanced in 1998, according to the report. The Division, in cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner, will continue the targeted approach in all human rights activities of the United Nations. The Office has developed a tentative programme of activities for the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. One of the themes being considered is "Women's rights -- the responsibility of all". The contributions of the Division will include close collaboration in the organization of an expert panel, the preparation of a booklet and the development of a page on its website on how the Declaration might be interpreted in relation to the rights of women.
Addendum 2 to the report examines the situation of Palestinian women and assistance provided by organizations of the United Nations system. It states that their condition has not improved in the period under review. Considerable efforts were being made by the Palestinian authorities and civil society to improve their economic and social conditions, including legislative revisions. In the follow-up to the Beijing Conference, the international community, including the United Nations system, has provided assistance at various levels to implement the recommendations contained in the Platform for Action, the report states. It adds that the status and living conditions of Palestinian women are closely linked with the progress of the peace process. The report indicates that women in the occupied territories continue to be directly affected in injurious ways by security measures and the overall effects of occupation.
Information provided by the United Nations system shows that an increasing number of programmes and agencies paid attention to gender aspects in development and continued to provide support to Palestinian women, in particular in the field of conference follow-up, income generation, health, education and training.
The report of the Secretary-General on a mid-term review of the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women, 1996-2001 (document E/CN.6/1998/3) outlines efforts of United Nations system entities in 1996 and 1997 to carry out the plan. The report was prepared in response to Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/34, in which it endorsed the plan and called for a mid-term review to be undertaken by the Commission at its session in 1998. The plan is structured around the 12 critical areas of concern contained in the Beijing Platform for Action. It largely addresses activities targeted to women, but also included gender-responsive activities that were planned as part of mainstreaming programmes and projects.
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The information is based on a survey of 33 entities in the United Nations system. Some of the bodies noted that most of their activities are still in the implementation stage. However, despite considerable progress, a number of obstacles have been encountered, including lack of data, and of methodologies and indicators for monitoring progress; a lack of tools for tracking expenditures for cross-sectoral activities at both headquarters and field levels; inadequate human and financial resources; low levels of commitment, both politically, in some countries, and at the level of management in some agencies of the United Nations; and cultural and other constraints and delays in the delivery of technical assistance.
The recommendations suggest action that would further a coordinated and cohesive approach to the work of the United Nations system in relation to the system-wide medium-term plan and the Platform for Action. They include: support for the coordination, collection, packaging and dissemination of data disaggregated by sex, as well as gender-sensitive studies, and the development and testing of women's empowerment indicators; encouraging efforts for a workable methodology for quantifying and tracking budget allocations made towards achieving gender equality; and ensuring that staffing policies throughout the United Nations system fully reflect the needs for gender competence and gender equality.
A report of the Secretary-General on improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat (document E/CN.6/1998/8) updates information contained in his reports on the same subject (document A/52/408) and the composition of the Secretariat (document A/52/580). The present report includes statistical data and follow-up on measures taken to achieve gender balance, and sets forth forecasts and alternative actions.
The statistics on the status of women in the Secretariat show slow but steady improvement, the report states. In the overall workforce over the last year, the percentage of women at the Professional level on posts subject to geographical representation has increased from 35.5 per cent to 36.8 per cent, as of 1 January 1998. Although progress in achieving the 50/50 goal has been modest, gains have been made at a time when the Organization is undergoing significant restructuring and downsizing, the report stresses, adding that it was a small but positive step towards reaching the mandated targets set by the Assembly. Over the same time period, the percentage of women staff in higher- level positions (D-1 and above), where their representation has traditionally been low, has increased from 18.5 per cent in December 1996 to 22.6 per cent as at 1 January 1998.
The Secretary-General's commitment to bringing gender balance to the United Nations has been unequivocal, as recently demonstrated by his appointment of a woman as the first Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization, the report further states. While the median (fiftieth percentile) grade of men was that of P-4 between December 1987 and April 1997,
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over the same period the median grade of women was P-3. As of 1 January 1998, there was one woman Under-Secretary-General as compared to 17 men, and three women Assistant Secretaries-General as compared to nine.
The report also gives an update on measures taken for the achievement of gender equality, including measures for the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat. It states that training incorporating gender mainstreaming has now been completed in the Division for the Advancement of Women. It was intended to expand the training to other departments and overseas offices.
Also before the Commission is a note by the Secretary-General transmitting information provided by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 50/166 on the Fund's role in eliminating violence against women (document E/CN.6/1998/9). The UNIFEM report states that it has worked to implement activities towards the elimination of violence against women through gender training for legal administrative, governmental and non-governmental personnel; assistance to women's organizations to analyse and change legislation; production and dissemination of information on violence against women directed at change of social and policy attitudes towards the problem; and other innovative strategies being piloted by NGOs and governments.
In 1997, the Fund's agenda in the area of violence against women was implemented to a large extent through the Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women. During 1997, funds were allocated to 36 projects selected from almost 200 proposals submitted for consideration. An additional 19 projects, also approved for funding, are awaiting additional contributions to the Trust Fund. Over 20 of the projects are already being implemented, while the rest were slated to begin by the end of January 1998. Those projects reflect the recommendations of the Beijing Platform for Action and represent a wide range of strategies undertaken by national and regional groups to eliminate gender-based violence.
The note by the Secretariat on the high-level plenary review in the year 2000 (document E/CN.6/1998/10) requests the Commission to consider the report of the Secretary-General presented to the Assembly's fifty-second session (document A/52/789) on the convening of a high-level plenary review in the year 2000. The review is expected to assess the progress achieved in the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women and the Beijing Platform for Action, and to consider further actions and initiatives.
The Secretary-General's report on older women and support systems: new challenges (document E/CN.6/1998/4) provides a substantive basis on which the Commission can discuss the status of older women and make relevant recommendations. The discussion on the issue is also expected to contribute to the ongoing preparations for the International Year of Older Persons (1999). The
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report focuses on support systems for older persons, which include both financial support for those who do not earn a regular income and psycho-social support and assistance for dependent older persons. It also gives an overview of the new challenges those support systems face, highlights the situation of older women and suggests gender-sensitive policies and programmes to address the situation. The report proposes recommendations in the areas of research; economic security; education and empowerment; and the well-being of caregivers.
Statements PAULINE BARRETT (United Kingdom) spoke on behalf of the European Union and Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The Union stressed the need for systematic approach to gender mainstreaming and agreed that the process of education on the meaning of gender mainstreaming needed to be pursued more actively. It also welcomed the fact that some parts of the system were taking active steps to address the problem and urged others to do likewise. Senior managers should be made fully accountable for that process and the necessary training arranged, where appropriate.
The Union welcomed the progress made since the Beijing Conference, but was concerned that the gender focal points had, in some cases, been a victim of the financial constraints facing the United Nations system, and that their role and responsibilities were not always fully understood and supported, she said. The Union was disturbed to learn that significant problems remained in the area of political and cultural obstacles, despite the commitment by all governments to the policies and principles in the Platform for Action. It would welcome a fuller analysis on the problem in future. She stressed the need for inter-agency coordination, adding that the executive committees should integrate gender equality and women's empowerment goals in their work.
ZIVIA COHEN (Israel), addressing the review of gender mainstreaming, said she welcomed the Secretary-General's emphasis on the urgent implementation of the plan for improving the status of women in the Secretariat by appointing more women to high-level positions. However, there should be more appointments of women from countries that were underrepresented in the Secretariat. In her country, a law had been passed to promote the representation of women on all boards and commissions. It was being implemented and had resulted in an increase in the number of women on such bodies. The numbers were expected to increase gradually until there was 50/50 per cent participation of men and women.
She went on to say that the incorporation of NGOs into the work of the United Nations should be enhanced. Non-governmental organizations should be considered the "third power" (to governments and international organizations), and could offer assistance to governments by working on projects in a less formal way than governments did. Such increased cooperation would ensure that, through the NGOs, governments reached the people. By working together, they could ensure a better understanding of the status of women throughout the world.
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JAE HONG YUH (Republic of Korea) welcomed the progress made in improving the status of women in the Secretariat. However, the goals so far had been modest, and he wished to see more progress. In particular, there should be more appointments of women from countries that were underrepresented. He welcomed the appointment of the new High Commissioner for Human Rights. The format, timing and duration of the high-level plenary review in the year 2000 should be agreed on during the session so that the Commission could make recommendations to the next session of the Economic and Social Council, he concluded.
SOLEDAD BLANCO, Head of the Equal Opportunities Unit at the European Commission, speaking on behalf of the European Community, said it was firmly committed to gender mainstreaming, which had been formalized in February 1996 through the adoption of a communication called "Integrating a gender and equal opportunities dimension in all Community policies and activities". Since then, significant progress had been achieved and shortcomings identified. She introduced to the session the first progress report of the European Commission on the implementation of its mainstreaming strategy at European Community level. A working group of mainstreaming officials had been set up as a support structure in the mainstreaming process. A guide to gender impact assessment of Community policies and measures was now being widely used.
She said the European Commission had yesterday adopted a progress report which noted the progress made since 1996 in employment policy, the Community's internal cohesion policy, external relations, including development cooperation, and women's human rights, education, training and youth policies. Main barriers to further progress identified in the report included the lack of awareness of gender issues at decision-making levels, the need for further allocation of human and budgetary resources to that task and the lack of gender expertise. The report looked at steps to be taken to overcome the barriers and improve the organizational and methodological framework for gender mainstreaming. It also looked at a number of policies for specific attention in 1998 in accordance with the political priorities set by the European Commission's work programme for the year.
SHEILA REGEHR (Canada) welcomed the Secretary-General's report and said she was pleased with its analysis. For Canada, the issue of unpaid work was of particular interest. Canada supported the life-cycle approach, particularly the caregiving relations. It had taken steps to improve child-support systems following divorce. It was engaged in helping women learn about financial issues and financial planning, as they very often left household planning to husbands and were unable to handle it when they were on their own. Canada supported continued support for all aspects of needs of older women. She stressed the need for greater sharing of responsibilities between women and men.
JULIA TAVARES DE ALVAREZ (Dominican Republic), addressing the issue of population ageing, she said the social, economic and psychological impact of caregiving would be enormous, especially in developing countries. She noted
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that women would make up more than half of those being cared for, and they would likely bear an inordinate amount of the task of caregiving. Gender, as well as geography, was again likely to colour the picture when one looked at who the caregivers for old people were likely to be -- mostly adult daughters and daughters-in-law. The issue of caregiving -- from the point of view both of the person being cared, as well as that of the caregiver -- had far-reaching socio-psychological, as well as economic implications. It challenged the way people perceived themselves within the nexus of social relationships, particularly with issues related to dependence and independence.
ANASTASIA SOTIRIADOV (Greece) said there was a need for full implementation of gender mainstreaming in the United Nations system. In that process, it was important to follow democratic values and political will to achieve the goals of mainstreaming. Education and management issues should be addressed in implementing mainstreaming at all levels. Different types of mechanisms were needed to fulfil those goals. Relevant data collection was also essential. A conference held in Greece last week had focused on the mainstreaming issue throughout the country. It was an example that decentralization of the approach to mainstreaming was important.
SONG WENYAN (China) said that in the economic and environmental areas in the United Nations system, there should be further attention to the issue of gender mainstreaming. The issue should also be addressed more fully in developing countries. Ms. BARRETT (United Kingdom), speaking on behalf of the European Union, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway on the status of older women, said the report on the matter could have been more widely focused, putting its recommendations more in the context of preparations for the International Year of Older Persons in 1999. While the focus on women as caregivers was important, it was only part of the wider issue of the status of older women across the board, on which the report should focus. Older women must be seen as active and competent resource persons. They were one pillar to forming the bridge between the generations.
At the same time, however, the report should have had a more substantive analysis of caregiving issues, she said. It was based on the assumption that traditional social support systems were breaking down, but the evidence for that was not fully developed in the report. The European Union, therefore, considered that a more detailed analysis was needed before the Commission could endorse particular recommendations for future policy. Research and development should be improved by governments and organizations concerned with older people. There was a lack of gender-sensitive expertise and research on support systems for older persons. An analysis of pension and health-care provisions should focus on wider questions of affordability and sustainability of pension schemes. Where disaggregated data was available, it should be fed effectively into the policy-making process.
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Discrimination against older women, including in pension schemes, should be eliminated, she said. Special attention should be given to the different needs and problems that older men and women had to face, so that the autonomy of older women was ensured. Men and women should be involved on an equal basis when designing and implementing those policies. The key aim of recommendations on caregiving must be to promote an equal sharing of caregiving responsibilities between men and women and a better reconciliation of working and caregiving responsibilities. National polices in support of caregivers needed to be based on careful analyses of specific local conditions.
MICHAL CAFREY-YARDENI (Israel), speaking on emerging issues, trends and new approaches to women's issues, said the feminist revolution had been one of the twentieth century's major success stories. Women had succeeded in changing the political, economic and social structure of societies of which they were a significant part. With the first stage of elementary rights and recognition behind them, women should now realize society's commitment and achieve political, economic and social equality. The status of women's rights was dealt with in Israel in an outstanding way in the country's political arena, and she believed it could serve as a model to feminists worldwide.
A number of significant bills were to be passed in the Knesset on the occasion of International Women's Day, which would be celebrated in the Knesset on 10 March, she said. Among those bills were one on the establishment of an authority for the equality and advancement of women's rights and another dealing with sexual abuse of women in the workplace. She expressed certainty that those steps would bring about a revolution in the treatment of one of Israel's most painful social phenomena -- sexual harassment. Affirmative action had been implemented in governmental boards of directors and there had been a rise from 3 per cent to 30 per cent of women on those bodies. The progress was not achieved easily and had necessitated an appeal to the high court of justice. Legal procedures should be made use of to achieve equal opportunity for women.
IRENE HOSKINS, of the American Association of Retired Persons, speaking on behalf of HELP-AGE International, and the Older Women's Network Europe, all NGOs, said the care of older persons was too often viewed as a cause for alarm due to rising health costs. Examining the important gender dimensions of both care recipient and caregiver provided an important policy perspective. Their organizations were encouraged to see that the Commission on the Status of Women was applying such a perspective in its ongoing deliberations on the girl child.
That was particularly important as the discrimination of girls and women experienced throughout their lives led to an accumulation of disadvantages in their later years. A life-span approach based on gender and age offered an innovative policy framework, permitting identification and targetting specific areas for action.
She said the observance of the International Year of Older Persons in 1999 would offer a further incentive for the application of such a policy framework and integration of gender perspective fully in the work of the Commission.
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