PRESS CONFERENCE BY COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN

The Commission on the Status of Women, one of the oldest functioning bodies of the Economic and Social Council, had a long record of achievements in the advancement of women and women's human rights, its Chairperson Patricia Flor (Germany), told correspondents this morning at a Headquarters press conference.

Joining Ms. Flor was the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women, Assistant Secretary-General Angela King, and the Chairperson 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, Aloisia Woergetter (Austria).

Ms. Flor reminded correspondents that the Commission had elaborated the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It had also served as the preparatory body for the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and the resulting Platform for Action. The programme of work for its current session, from 2 to 13 March, included the human rights of women, the girl child, women and armed conflict, and violence against women. Consideration of women's human rights was especially important in this year of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Commission was in full swing today with the final adoption of agreed conclusions on all those critical areas, she said. A number of individual draft resolutions were also still pending. The Commission had so far completed two weeks of hard, constructive work that was expected to produce action-oriented, concrete recommendations on how Governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other actors in civil society could better facilitate implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.

An important outcome of the current session would be the recommendation to the General Assembly that it convene a special session from 5 to 9 June in the year 2000 to review the Platform's implementation and to promote discussion of further actions and initiatives, Ms. Flor said. The timing of the special session, during the passage from one century to the next, should facilitate a lively debate on ways and means to promote gender equality. The members strongly felt that one of the real obstacles to the full enjoyment of women's human rights was a lack of awareness, and they were expected to adopt an agreed conclusion on the need to raise awareness through global human rights education. "A woman who does not really know what her rights are has no chance to claim them, no chance to demand that they are being respected", she said.

The Commission was also expected to suggest that the statute on the proposed International Criminal Court, currently being negotiated, reflect a gender perspective, she said. Attention should be paid to the gender aspect of crimes, particularly in areas of armed conflict. The Commission was also expected to adopt a resolution on women in Afghanistan, which was a subject of great concern given the persistent human rights violations there. It would call on all parties in the conflict in Afghanistan to respect the human rights of women and to grant them equal access and equal rights in that country. Ms. Woergetter said that the Working Group on the Elaboration of the Draft Optional Protocol was mandated by the 1993 World Conference in Vienna and reaffirmed by the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing. During its current session, the Group focused on elaborating a protocol that would establish a right of petition for individual women to appear before the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The protocol would also trigger an inquiry procedure by which the Committee could address serious or systematic women's rights violations in States parties. Although the Working Group had striven to finalize the optional protocol as a gift to the Commission in this anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it had been unable to do so, she said. Nevertheless, it did achieve a breakthrough by forbidding reservations to the protocol, particularly given the large number of reservations to the Convention as a whole. The Working Group would hopefully conclude its work next year. Ms. King said that two aspects of the Commission's work during the current session dealt with demographics, focusing on the needs of the girl child, particularly adolescents, and of older women. Those issues had evolved, not only through the United Nations system, but also through a deepened partnership with the NGO community. For the first time in its 51-year history, the Commission, during its current session, heard testimony from young girls. By articulating the problems they faced, the girls brought them home to the Commission. There had also been a definite push towards gender mainstreaming. Special emphasis was given to the joint efforts being undertaken by her Division and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human rights, as well as by all the treaty bodies. The Commission was expected to conclude its current session this evening with a very strong call on Governments, the United Nations system, the international community and civil society to promote the achievement of women's rights and human rights. Asked whether the discussion of women in conflict had focused primarily on civilian victims or women soldiers, Ms. Flor said the Commission had emphasized civilian women as victims in armed conflict, as well as the active participation of women in peace-building activities. Women and girls who participated in armed conflict formed a relatively minor aspect of the debate; the main thrust centred around ensuring the protection of women and their participation in all discussions on conflict resolution, conflict prevention and peace-building.

Commision on Women Briefing - 3 - 13 March 1998

How could United Nations Headquarters accommodate the tens of thousands of participants from around the world for a special session in the year 2000? a correspondent asked. Mr. King said the question was pertinent, particularly given the increase by three times in the usual number of NGOs in attendance at the current Commission session. The question would be taken up in the forthcoming preparatory meetings. Another correspondent asked about the Commission's discoveries concerning the experiences of the girl child and what measures would be recommended to improve their situation. Ms. Flor said that the girl child faced particular discrimination -- in some instances even before birth, owing to prenatal sex selection. In the early years, girls might suffer discrimination again in terms of nutrition. In many countries, they were less well nourished than boys. Raising awareness and educating parents and community members on human rights equality issues was crucial. The Beijing Platform for Action had not fully covered the problems of adolescent girls, who faced particular difficulties in the areas of health and reproductive rights. In many countries, adolescent girls did not have any information to facilitate that very difficult phase of their lives. Questions concerning adolescence, including early marriage, would remain on the agenda. Although work on the right of petition had not be concluded, how would it work? a correspondent asked. Ms. Woergetter said that a woman who felt that her rights had been violated would seek redress through her national institutions. After exhausting such remedies, she would be able to petition the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the Convention's monitoring body. The Committee would then evaluate the admissibility of the complaint according to the criteria set forth in the optional protocol and would request the State party to address the merits of the case. It would then present its views and recommendations to the State concerned. Those might include revising discriminatory legislation or promoting a policy change to enable the State to fulfil its Convention obligations, or compensation might be sought for the complainant. To a question about the Commission's criteria for membership, Ms. Flor said that the Economic and Social Council, which established the Commission, originally named fewer than 45 members, later increasing the membership to 45. The members were elected in Council for five-year terms, after which they could be re-elected. The Commission, in its consultation process, sought consensus among the United Nations members and observers, not just the Commission members. Its conclusions therefore reflected a consensus that was much broader than its own membership. Only in the case of a vote, which was an exceptional event, would the specific membership make a substantive difference. Asked if the Commission's conclusions would include a strong request to governments to curtail trafficking in women and girls, Ms. Flor said that while the Commission had not drafted a separate text against trafficking, several of the measures on combatting violence against women broadly applied to trafficking. Those measures also contained some specific paragraphs concerning trafficking, such as requesting cooperation among governments to curb that phenomenon, which crossed countries and borders. Efforts to ensure better coordination would facilitate the prosecution of organized bands of traffickers. * *** *

Commision on Women Briefing - 4 - 13 March 1998