NEGATIVE IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION, EXTERNAL DEBT BURDEN ON WOMEN'S ADVANCEMENT DISCUSSED BY SPEAKERS IN THIRD COMMITTEE DEBATE

15 October 1998

Press Release
GA/SHC/3474

NEGATIVE IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION, EXTERNAL DEBT BURDEN ON WOMEN'S ADVANCEMENT DISCUSSED BY SPEAKERS IN THIRD COMMITTEE DEBATE

19981015 Trafficking in Women also Highlighted by Many Speakers

Obstacles to development hindered the advancement of women, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) was told this morning as it continued its consideration of issues related to the advancement of women and implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995).

The representative of Cuba said women represented a rising proportion of the poor, particularly in developing countries, where limitations to their development combined with foreign debt, neo-liberal structural adjustment programmes, as well as the negative economic and social consequences of globalization. Access to resources, at the national and international level, was key to achieving the goal of equality and development for women.

For a full realization of the Beijing commitments, political will, legislation and resources had to be guaranteed, said the representative of the United Republic of Tanzania. Her Government had the political will, but the external debt burden, coupled with the adverse structural adjustments prescribed by international institutions had undermined development policies and therefore the advancement of women. She called on the international community to help alleviate developmental problems and to review the external debt burden.

Trafficking in women was also highlighted by many speakers. Poverty, lack of opportunities, and political and economic instability led to trafficking in women and girls, said the representative of the International Organization for Migration. The often violent nature of transnational criminal networks involved in trafficking made women under their sway extremely vulnerable. Besides more effective criminalization of traffickers, he called for the victims to be dealt with more humanely.

The representative of Ukraine said the international community could not be indifferent to the trafficking and enslavement of women. Such trafficking

Third Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/SHC/3474 13th Meeting (AM) 15 October 1998

had increased from the countries of Eastern Europe, where until recently, state bodies had been constrained from acting as there was no criminal responsibility for such crimes. International information exchange on the trafficking in women and children, as well as cooperation at the bilateral, subregional and regional levels must be improved.

Statements were also made by the representatives of New Zealand, Lebanon, Algeria, Panama (on behalf of the Rio Group), Uganda, Ecuador, Argentina, Slovakia, Yemen, Côte d'Ivoire and El Salvador, as well as by representatives of the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. this afternoon to continue consideration of advancement of women and implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to continue consideration of advancement of women and the implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995). (For details of the documents before the Committee, see Press Release GA/SHC/3473 of 14 October.)

Statements

ROGER BALL (New Zealand) said the impetus the review of the implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Plan of Action had given to ensuring the full enjoyment by women of all human rights must be sustained. His Government hoped the strong involvement of non-governmental organizations, with their expertise and experience, would continue to develop action. The opportunities to develop strategies for overcoming barriers to their full implementation should be fully utilized. He noted that in its follow-up work to the Beijing Conference, the Commission on the Status of Women this year had identified the need for Governments to support research and collect gender and age disaggregated statistics on factors and barriers that affected the full enjoyment by women of their human rights.

Women's legal equality must be translated into reality, he said. That could happen only through the continued development of understanding of the causes and consequences of women's inequality. He acknowledged the contribution of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in that regard. He welcomed the creation of the International Criminal Court and the provisions in its Statute on the particular needs of women and children who had been victims of serious international crimes. He expressed concern at the obstacles in the Secretariat for achieving gender balance and urged all components of the United Nations system to act in concert to overcome that. Further, New Zealand regretted that the goal set by the Beijing Platform for Action and the General Assembly of 50/50 gender balance in the Secretariat by the year 2000 was unlikely to be met.

HASSAN KASSEM NAJEM (Lebanon) said the Beijing Conference had helped in the re-emergence of the question of the equality of women as an essential element in social development. Lebanon had established a national committee to follow up on the Conference. The committee's work addressed the contribution of women in economic work, support of rural women and support of women in the areas occupied by Israel. It was also coordinating at the regional and international levels with other countries, non-governmental and United Nations organizations.

At the national level, in the field of education, the percentage of registration of girls in educational institutions had been raised, as had the participation of women in economic work, and there had been a modest increase in representation of women in politics, he said. The Israel occupation of

Third Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/SHC/3474 13th Meeting (AM) 15 October 1998

south Lebanon and Western Bekaa had also had a negative impact on women, who had been arrested and tortured by Israeli forces, sometimes simply for refusing to leave their homes. The Beijing Conference had confirmed that foreign occupation often denied women of their basic rights. He called on all peace-loving people who endorsed the rights of women to support the plight of the women of south Lebanon and Western Bekaa.

MELLE DALILA SAMAH (Algeria) said if women were in a position to exercise their rights, they would have a chance to overcome the grave injustices to which they had historically been subjected. It was undeniable that the implementation of the Beijing outcome was, first and foremost, a business of governments, and the United Nations could play a role by helping them to remove obstacles in that regard. Also, human and financial resources were needed for the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action not to be jeopardized.

Algerian women were resolutely committed to education and to work, in factory or field, to build a new Algeria, she said. Women were active partners in the economic, social and political processes of the country. In addition to Constitutional guarantees, the Government allowed for cooperation and participation by women in society. Algerian women could vote and be elected. They had participated fully and had been elected to various public offices. There had been substantial results in that regard, and there was a priority put on girls going to school, though that was more difficult to achieve in rural areas. Algeria would continue to fight for the efforts enumerated in the Beijing Platform for Action on the eve of the new millennium.

MARY MORGAN-MOSS (Panama), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, said the leaders of the Group had expressed their firm support for the rights of women and girls. At a preparatory meeting for the Beijing Conference in September 1994, a regional programme of action for women in Latin America and the Caribbean had been approved. The adoption of the Santiago Consensus in November 1997 by a conference held in the Chilean capital, had identified goals in the advancement of women, notably in the area of increasing their participation in the decision-making process. Although the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which had been ratified by Panama in 1981, was 20 years old, there was still a great deal of work to be done.

In parallel to the Beijing Conference, an impressive forum of non- governmental organizations had been held, she noted, adding that the forum had attracted more than 2,000 organizations and a great deal of interest from the media. She called on the media to correctly inform the public on women's issues, and to change the stereotypes on women that were disseminated.

The members of the Rio Group would spare no efforts to implement the commitments that had been made in Beijing, she said. On the national level,

Third Committee - 4 - Press Release GA/SHC/3474 13th Meeting (AM) 15 October 1998

in Panama in 1992, a forum on women in rural development had been established, articulating a common view of improving the status of women, and a national plan for women in development based on the needs that had been articulated by women themselves. Women from various political parties had worked together to formulate plans for action in Panama that covered, among others, action against domestic violence and protection for pregnant women.

HAROLD ACEMAH (Uganda) said Ugandan traditional society, like other African societies, was patriarchal. Tradition, culture and customs had for a long time hindered the advancement of women. Women's role was limited to domestic chores under extremely difficult circumstances and to date women only constituted 20 per cent of formal employment in Uganda.

Over the past decade the Government of Uganda had adopted policies and programmes to achieve the speedy advancement of women and correct the gender imbalances, he said. The new 1995 Constitution provided temporary affirmative action in favour of women in many fields of the economy as well as in Uganda's domestic laws. In the area of education, female students were given an extra 1.5 points to enroll at the university level, which had raised the enrollment of female students to 33 per cent of the total number. Uganda had also launched an education programme in 1997 that had increased the number of female students attending school by 80 per cent and should significantly reduce illiteracy levels among women.

Uganda believed that having more women participate in the decision- making process would ensure that women's interests at all levels would be taken care of, he said. Currently, the Vice-President of Uganda, along with 12 per cent of the cabinet ministers, were women. Moreover, at the local level, women were entitled to one-third of the membership of executive committees. Ugandan women could also own property. The Government, along with non-governmental organizations, was making credit more available to women to enable them to participate effectively in the economic and social development of Uganda.

Due to rebel activities in some parts of the country, women continued to be caught up in situations or armed conflict, he said. The Government was committed to finding peace and a lasting resolution to those conflicts.

MONICA MARTINEZ (Ecuador) said her country had a new Constitution this year which included provisions on women's rights and constitutional guarantees. The Beijing Platform for Action had become a reference document to her Government, whose policies included a gender perspective in programmes for education, training, and pedagogical and publishing institutions. The Government had also taken measures to avoid stereotyping women's roles. In addition, it had plans to reduce maternal mortality and had passed laws against domestic violence.

Third Committee - 5 - Press Release GA/SHC/3474 13th Meeting (AM) 15 October 1998

The report on traditional practices harmful to women and children provided a clear vision of that problem, she said. Her country had no custom of genital mutilation, and supported the banning of all such practices wherever they took place. Her Government supported all efforts to end violence against women, she said, stressing the importance of the working group of the Commission on the Status of Women working on a protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women on that issue.

MERCEDES DE ARMAS GARCIA (Cuba) said that in today's world, with the rapid breakthroughs in science, technology and communications, it was inconceivable that 25 per cent of the globe's population still lived in poverty. The situation was particularly hard for women, who represented a rising proportion of the poor in both developed and developing countries. In developing countries, women faced war, diseases and limitations to their development combined with foreign debt, neo-liberal structural adjustment programmes and negative -- economic and social -- consequences of the inevitable and unstoppable globalization process.

Access to resources, at the national and international levels, continued to be the key to success, and an everyday concern in attaining the goal of equality, development and peace for women, she said. Cuba had proved, with the actions of almost 40 years of social transformations, that a different life for the benefit of the human being was possible. The situation of women could be radically transformed if there was the political will to make it happen, and specific programmes were devised and implemented.

She said that in Cuba, 36.8 per cent of women were economically active, and that women represented 27.6 per cent of the members of Parliament, 41.7 per cent of science researchers, 60.6 per cent of university students, and 30 per cent of senior officials in economic, social and political spheres. She added that women in Cuba also faced the criminal and illegal economic, financial and trade blockade that the United States had unilaterally imposed on the country.

OKSANA BOYKO (Ukraine) commended the role played by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and said the full implementation of its norms should become a priority in national, regional and international activities. New approaches to the advancement of women must be based on partnership and better cooperation among international bodies for maximum result. Ukraine was about to complete the formation of a national mechanism to ensure equal rights and opportunities. Guided by the provisions of the Fourth World Conference on Women, her Government was undertaking efforts within the National Plan of Action for 1997-2000, aimed at improving the situation of women and upgrading their role in society.

The international community could not be indifferent to the ongoing trafficking and enslavement of women, which were increasing in countries of

Third Committee - 6 - Press Release GA/SHC/3474 13th Meeting (AM) 15 October 1998

eastern Europe, including Ukraine, she said. Unfortunately, until recently, state bodies did not possess full information on the trafficking of women and children because there was no criminal responsibility for such crimes. Thus, it was important to improve the cooperation at the bilateral, subregional, regional and international levels, including the international information exchange on trafficking of women and girls. That could be done by setting up a data collection centre within Interpol and regional national law enforcement and police offices. Her Government had enacted a bill on the criminal responsibility for traffic of people, which punished by imprisonment those involved in sexual exploitation or pornography; punished those who adopted children for commercial purposes or used them in armed conflicts; penalized the trade of children and the abuse of official position in such activities.

ANA MARIA RAMIREZ (Argentina) said education was crucial for the advancement of women and for society as a whole, as borne out by the commendable report of the Secretary-General. Perhaps such efforts were not adequate. There were people in even highly developed countries who were not aware of the problem. Where trafficking of women and children was concerned, there was a need for reinforced measures to eliminate it. She stressed that urgent action must be taken globally.

The Women's Anti-Discrimination Committee's seventeenth session had looked at the Argentina report, and recognized that her country was taking initiatives to foster gender equality, she said. A few months ago, her Government had provided for women to have equal access to employment. It was fighting for work training. Also, it was creating a national system of women's information, with production and dissemination of information on women so that there was reliable data. She expressed support of the Commission's working group responsible for the optional protocol, hoping that it would complete its work by 2000. She called for measures to implement the 50/50 proposal to balance women's representation in the Secretariat.

EVA KIMLIKOVA (Slovakia) said that during the last years the status of women in society had changed a lot and that the gender balance in all spheres of social life was recognized by the international community, first of all within the United Nations. She welcomed the efforts of the international community targeted at the protection of the rights of women. The joint special meeting between the Commission on Human Rights and the Commission on the Status of Women was a demonstration of the efforts towards reinforcing the links between the two commissions and also helped to incorporate the gender balance issue into the integral United Nations system of work.

Women in Slovakia were emancipated on the basis of civil principle, she said. However, it was clear that surviving the traditional view on the role of women in society still created certain tensions that were not easy to bridge. That problem was not only in Slovakia, but indicative of a worldwide phenomenon. The situation today provided far from equal participation in the political process, and did not express a well balanced sharing of women in

Third Committee - 7 - Press Release GA/SHC/3474 13th Meeting (AM) 15 October 1998

positions of political power. It looked as if solving that problem was much more complicated than enlarging the number of women in political parties. It was also a question of faith in the ability and power of women themselves to solve their problems in society, and, at the same time, the willingness of society to create adequate, non-discriminatory conditions for higher participation of women in political life.

NORIA AL-HAMAMI (Yemen) said discussion of the question of women, championing their legitimate rights and highlighting their successes, would remain an overriding concern and an imperative of her country. Caring for the affairs of women and examining economic problems were important issues. The Government of Yemen was convinced that Yemeni women could become a major political force. Its Constitution gave women the same rights as men in various spheres. In order to be successful, women must enroll in the various educational institutions so that they could compete for posts on the level of true equality and capability. That could not be achieved overnight, and needed effective political support. The political support of the Government had already greatly advanced the participation of women in many fields. Until a few a years ago it would have been inconceivable to think of women in the judiciary, but there were now more than 30 judges. Similar leaps had been made in other fields, including the foreign service.

Yemen had complied with various international instruments and had acceded to most international treaties calling for an end to discrimination against women, she said. Yet, there was still far to go. Women in Yemen still suffered from high rates of illiteracy and poor health conditions. Illiteracy, disease and poverty still plagued many of them and hindered their development and the exercise of their human rights. There had recently been clear exercises for the advancement of women through a variety of efforts by United Nations agencies, friendly governments and non-governmental organizations.

DIENEBOU KABA CAMARA (Cote d'Ivoire) said that in the context of the current financial crisis, many countries had to face serious problems as a result of general impoverishment. In that international environment, could there be hope to act on the Beijing Platform for Action or on the Convention on the Elimination for All Forms of Discrimination against Women? she asked. The Beijing Platform had suggested two categories -- those favouring an international environment and those requiring political will. A lack of resources had harmed sectors on reproductive health and education, among others. Impoverishment hit women first. In times of cutbacks, their jobs were hit first. It was finally a matter of political will and the action of civil society.

The fact that 162 States were party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women showed that it was realistic to achieve universality by the year 2000, she said. The main obligations were to promote equality between men and women, equality before law, in education, in

Third Committee - 8 - Press Release GA/SHC/3474 13th Meeting (AM) 15 October 1998

access to health services, legal and civil equality, and equality within the family. The implementation depended on political will. There was a need for active and devoted people to fight violence against women and traditional and harmful practices affecting women. Her Government had passed legislation against female genital mutilation and other forms of violence, including sexual violence; legislation had also been passed on education, literacy for women and on eliminating poverty, with social funds made available to encourage women in business.

NIPANEEMA MDOE (United Republic of Tanzania) said it was necessary at this time to take stock of the achievements made and the shortcomings that had been encountered since the Beijing Conference. The Conference accelerated the momentum in the democratization process in Tanzania, where a quota system in elections ensured that women were elected into political office. According to legal stipulation, at least 15 per cent of members of Parliament must be women. The community development policy of 1996 mobilized local communities to identify their problems and devise ways of dealing with them; it addressed issues aimed at eradicating gender discrimination. The Sexual Offenses Special Provision Act adopted this year imposed a life sentence on anyone convicted of sexual abuse, and stringent laws had been enacted to combat violence against women. Female genital mutilation had also been made a criminal offence.

For a full realization of the commitments made in Beijing, three key elements -- political will, legislation and resources -- had to be guaranteed, she said. Her Government would not fail in its political will, but it was seriously constrained by immense economic difficulties. The great burden of servicing the external debt had severely undermined the capacity of the government to carry out its well-intentioned policies aimed at the advancement of women. The debt burden, coupled with the adverse structural adjustment programmes prescribed by the international financial and monetary institutions severely limited its ability to provide basic needs such as education, nutrition, health care, water and sanitation. The impact had been felt mostly by women and children. She called on the international community to take concrete action to alleviate developmental problems and to review the external debt burden.

CARLOS ENRIQUE GARCIA GONZALEZ (El Salvador) noted that considerable progress had been made in advancing the equality of women. The courageous Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, to which his country was a party, was one of the legal instruments that had helped to advance the cause of women. It encouraged an exchange of information on the equality of rights in different countries, and had been very useful in his country. El Salvador's family code, which helped to protect the rights of women, was one of the policies that had been influenced by the Convention.

Third Committee - 9 - Press Release GA/SHC/3474 13th Meeting (AM) 15 October 1998

The Government of El Salvador had responded to the Beijing Conference by initiating a strategic process to improve conditions and equality for women, he said. Policies that had been implemented included the provision of soft loans so that women could work and support their families, and measures to protect women from domestic violence. Such efforts had been encouraged at the regional level through regional conferences, including the adoption of the Santiago Consensus in Chile in 1997. El Salvador shared the concerns of the international community about trafficking in women, and had instituted policies to control such illegal activities. It was also reviewing national legislation and municipal codes to provide greater protection of women against such activities.

JOHN POWELL, speaking on behalf of the World Food Programme, said that one out of five persons go hungry every day, adding up to 850 million worldwide. More than 200 million people died of starvation every year. Despite the right to food, the operational content of that right needed greater clarification, especially for women. Women shouldered greater responsibility for household food. Experience showed that women were more effective in using resources. Thus, resources for women were resources for the family, benefiting households and communities. It led to better nutrition and security for all.

The WFP put the issue of hunger at the centre of the development agenda as a precondition to exercising other rights, he said. In crisis, women were affected disproportionately, even though they shouldered the heaviest responsibility. The Programme had launched commitments in 1995 to enhance gender-related equality, while providing women opportunities for education and employment. Three out of four affected by crisis situations were women and children. The WFP was committed to assisting families and communities to attain a permanent sufficiency. Ultimately, it was not the volume of food shipped, but whether they could feed themselves over time that was most important.

ROBERT PAIVA, International Organization for Migration, said trafficking in women and girls was part of a larger irregular migration picture. Poverty, lack of opportunities, scarce resources and political and economic instability drove irregular migration as a whole -- and trafficking as well. Trafficking in women was also linked to organized crime and lax or corrupt law enforcement. The gap between the considerable demand for migrant labour and the diminishing legal channels of migration in most countries provided the opening that organized crime was quick to exploit. The often violent nature of transnational criminal networks made women under their sway extremely vulnerable. While trafficking in women was often linked to prostitution, many were also traded as domestic and construction workers, or even as beggars.

The International Organization for Migration concentrated on four main activities, he said. It provided a forum for the sharing of information and experience; it conducted policy-relevant research; it assisted governments in

Third Committee - 10 - Press Release GA/SHC/3474 13th Meeting (AM) 15 October 1998

both developed and developing countries to strengthen their capacity to deal with trafficking; and it carried out practical programmes to assist the victims. At the Beijing Conference, it had highlighted trafficking in women as a priority area for international attention. The organization had consistently advocated, along with more effectively criminalizing the actions of traffickers, dealing more humanely with the trafficked. Measures such as permission to remain on humanitarian grounds, witness protection programmes, and return assistance were among those routinely put forward by the organization.

BREDA PAVLIC, Director, Unit for the Promotion of the Status of Women and Gender Equality, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said it was urgent to assist the majority of UNESCO's Member States in their efforts to make gender mainstreaming a reality. The recently held World Conference on Higher Education, showed once again that in spite of the Secretariat's serious efforts to integrate the gender component in all aspects of the Conference, the role of women in higher education and in development remained a "separate issue". Moreover, in spite of an explicit appeal in the Director-General's official invitation to Governments to include women in their delegations (suggesting between 30 and 50 per cent), women in fact constituted only 20 per cent of the delegations.

She said UNESCO had chosen to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by widely popularizing the text of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women which UNESCO had printed in the format of a personalized wallet-sized "Passport to Equality", available so far in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. The UNESCO was encouraged by the wish of some sister agencies, along with some government and private foundations, to help produce that passport in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Swahili and Urdu.

Speaking on the implementation of the Beijing Conference on Women, she said UNESCO continued to promote literacy and basic education, including adult education, as a fundamental prerequisite for the empowerment of women. She stressed that promoting women's role in, and their contribution to developing a culture of peace facilitated their access to information and enabled them to share such information among women within a country and across borders.

* *** *