PREPARATORY COMMITTEE TO REVIEW IMPLEMENTATION OF BEIJING PLATFORM HEARS REPRESENTATIVES OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
Press Release
WOM/1122
PREPARATORY COMMITTEE TO REVIEW IMPLEMENTATION OF BEIJING PLATFORM HEARS REPRESENTATIVES OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
19990318 The needs of poor and disadvantaged women should be addressed by governments during the 2000 special session of the General Assembly to review implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, the Commission on the Status of Women was told this afternoon as it met as the preparatory committee for the session.The Commission heard from the representatives of five non-governmental organizations as it continued its five-day session.
The representative of the South North Women of Color Caucus called on the Commission to bring to the forefront the issue of racism, stressing that that had not been addressed in the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women, the Platform for Action or any follow-up processes.
A representative of the Indigenous Women's Caucus, noting that indigenous women lived in a situation of extreme poverty, marginalization and vulnerability, said the special session should consider what mechanisms could be created to ensure that the views of indigenous peoples were heard.
Representatives of the World Blind Union and Disabled People International, International Women Count Network and African NGO Caucus also spoke.
The Commission will meet at 10 a.m. tomorrow to take action on a draft resolution.
Commission Work Programme
The Commission on the Status of Women met this afternoon as the preparatory committee for the special session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-First Century". It planned to hear statements from non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives on preparations for the special session.
Statements
PHOBE JONES-SCHELLENBERG, International Women Count Network, said the world must make efforts to measure unwaged work, an issue that should be on the agenda of the United Nations and other organizations. Accurate information on women's full working day was essential. Little was said about the physical and mental damage done from overwork and poverty. National accounts must measure how much time women put into carrying food and water and caring for children. Such data should be collected in a way that was non- discriminatory. Any assessment of women's progress must include the informal sector. Economic alternatives must be available so women would not be forced into the sex industry. Also, rape must be considered a form of persecution and grounds for asylum. With the new millennium, women needed new efforts to improve their lives and help them reach their potential.
KICKI NORDSTROM, World Blind Union and Disabled People International, said that in the disabled community the texts that were adopted on women with disabilities had given a point at which to unite forces, establish new priorities and "bring our male colleagues with us". There must be an effort to support and strengthen women in mainstream NGOs to acquire their fair share. In that context, she stressed an equal share of the decision-making power and responsibility. The NGO community had been, since the beginning of the Commission on the Status of Women, a powerhouse for the advancement of women. While governments held power, they were shaped by the NGOs. Those NGOs had been the training ground for many political leaders.
ESTHER CAMAC, Indigenous Women's Caucus, said indigenous women lived in a situation of extreme poverty, marginalization and vulnerability. They also lacked opportunity and access to education and health care and they were surrounded by violence. Indigenous peoples compose approximately 30 million of the world's population in 72 countries, half of which were women. They provided strength of work, ancestral knowledge and cultural diversity. Indigenous women were actively participating in NGOs and they were creating their own spaces to ensure that their specific needs as women were considered. The special session should consider what mechanisms could be created to ensure that the views of indigenous peoples were heard. It should also ensure that speeches and declarations could be turned into effective actions for indigenous women.
Women's Preparatory Committee - 3 - Press Release WOM/1122 4th Meeting (PM) 18 March 1999
FLEURETTE OSBORNE, South North Women of Color Caucus, said the proposed framework for further actions and initiatives would provide a means to carry out an audit of governments' actions to date on the Platform for Action. She wanted the Commission to bring to the forefront the issue of racism. That had not been addressed in Beijing, the Platform or any follow-up processes. Many spoke of globalization of the world economy and NGOs, governments and experts had agreed that women's poverty had increased. In the South, the women were poor, overworked and received little or nothing in return. The poorest of the world's women were women of colour, both in the South and North. Governments should exert all necessary efforts to ensure equal access and representation of marginalized groups in all stages of the preparation for the Beijing + 5 review. At future preparatory sessions for the special session, governments should make sure that delegations include representatives from those marginalized groups.
FATOUMATA DIAKITE, African NGO Caucus, said that African governments should ensure that NGO voices were heard in the context of the special session. One way they could accomplish that was to include NGO representatives in official delegations to the special session. African governments have supported human rights in all the various existing legal instruments and documents. It should be recognizing that, to protect human rights and the rights of women, governments needed to go beyond such legal instruments. Efforts should be taken to ensure that the provisions of the Beijing Platform for Action that protect women and girls in Africa were put into effect.
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