THIRD COMMITTEE ADDRESSES ISSUES ON ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN

Press Release
GA/SHC/3521

THIRD COMMITTEE ADDRESSES ISSUES ON ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN

Political will and commitment at both the national and international levels were essential for achieving the goals of the Beijing Platform for Action, the representative of Guyana told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this afternoon. Speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China ,she addressed the Committee as it began its consideration of issues related to the advancement of women and the implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995.

The international community often overlooked the impact that economic policies had on women and children, she continued. Most particularly, structural adjustments affected those living in poverty.

The representative of Finland, speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said national governments had primary responsibility for creating an enabling environment for achieving equality between men and women. However, it was the international community that enabled governments to meet challenges.

There was a credibility gap between the legal standards of protection afforded to women by international human rights instruments and their implementation, the representative of New Zealand said. “The abuses of women’s human rights, in times of peace, as well as of conflict, show no signs of declining and there are disturbing indications of growing abuses”, she added.

Angela King, the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues, said international mechanisms for redress were essential in States accepting obligations concerning women’s human rights. Since international remedies were subsidiary to national, the value of international instruments was their influence at the national level.

Also addressing the Committee, the representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) recalled that tomorrow would be the Day of the 6 Billionth human born. One billion of those people lived without the basic elements of human dignity, most of whom were women.

The representative of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) said, with regard to the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), that in spite of financial hardships, the Institute needed to continue. It was the only research and training organ for the promotion of women and development.

Third Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/SHC/3521 7th Meeting (PM) 11 October 1999

Statements were also made by the representatives of Bangladesh, Norway, United States, Japan, Senegal, Brazil, Cuba, Chile and Burkina Faso.

Statements were also made by the Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women and the Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 12 October, to continue its consideration of issues related to the advancement of women and the implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to begin considering issues related to the advancement of women and the implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995.

The Committee has before it a report on the twentieth and twenty-first sessions of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. It also has reports of the Secretary-General on improving the situation of woman in rural areas; on the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Woman (INSTRAW); on violence against women migrant workers; on traditional practices affecting women and girls; on the status of the Convention on the Eliminating of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; and on improving the status of women in the Secretariat. Also, the Committee has before it two reports transmitted by notes of the Secretary-General, one by the Joint Inspection Unit on INSTRAW, and another by the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) regarding activities of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

On implementing the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Committee has before it a report of the Secretary-General covering the follow-up and implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action issued by the 1995 Conference. Also before the Committee and transmitted by a note of the Secretary-General is a report on the second session of the Commission on the Status of Women acting as the preparatory committee for the special session of the General Assembly on women to be held in 2000.

Documents

The report on the twentieth and twenty-first sessions of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (documents A/54/38 and Rev.1) contains two letters (one pursuant to the twentieth session and the other to the twenty-first) by the Committee’s Chairperson transmitting the report to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council.

According to the report, during its twentieth session (19 January-5 February 1999), the Committee elaborated a general recommendation on article 12 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. That article affirms that access to health care, including reproductive health, is a basic right. Article 12 specifies that States parties are in the best position to report on the most critical health issues affecting women in their country. In this connection, the Committee set forth detailed requirements for such reporting. It stated that measures to eliminate discrimination against women were considered inappropriate if a health-care system lacked services to prevent, detect and treat illnesses specific to women. Also, States parties should report on how policies and measures on health care addressed the health rights of women from the perspective of women’s needs and interests. Furthermore, the issues of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases were central to the rights of women and adolescent girls to sexual health.

The Committee recommends that governments implement a comprehensive strategy to promote women’s health throughout their lifespan, the report says. States parties should allocate adequate budgetary, human and administrative resources to ensure that women’s health receives a share of the overall health budget comparable with that of men. States parties should also place a gender perspective at the centre of all policies and programmes affecting women’s health; ensure the removal of all barriers to women’s access to health services, education and information; prioritize the prevention of unwanted pregnancy through family planning and sex education; monitor the provision of health services to women; require all health services to be consistent with the human rights of women; and ensure that the training curricula of health workers included gender-sensitive courses on women’s health and human rights.

The report contains summaries and recommendations on seven States parties country reports that the Committee considered during its twentieth session. Those included three initial reports (Algeria, Kyrgyzstan and Liechtenstein); two combined second and third periodic reports (Greece and Thailand); one third and fourth periodic report (China); and a fourth periodic report (Colombia).

According to the report, during the Committee’s twenty-first session (7-25 June 1999), it was decided that it might sometimes be necessary to request exceptional reports from States parties in order to obtain and examine the information on an actual or potential violation of women’s rights. In that respect, the Committee adopted the following guidelines: there should be reliable and adequate information indicating grave or systematic violations of women’s human rights; such violations are those that are gender-based or directed at women; reports should focus on a particular issue or issues identified by the Committee; and States parties shall submit their reports for consideration at the session determined by the Committee.

At its twenty-first session, the Committee also considered reports submitted by seven States parties to the Convention. It considered three initial reports (Belize, Nepal and Georgia); one combined second and third periodic report (Ireland); the second and third periodic reports of one State party (Chile); and the third and fourth reports of two States parties (Spain and the United Kingdom).

The report of the Secretary-General on improvement of the situation of women in rural areas (document A/54/123) contains a review of issues pertaining to the situation of rural women, such as the question of access to productive resources and services, including land, water, technology and research, among others. It further contains an overview of the situation of rural women in relation to poverty, as well as their role in agricultural production. The report also contains conclusions and recommendations for improving the situation of women in rural areas.

According to the report, the process of globalization, which had caused deterioration in the terms of trade of commodities, has reduced income derived from rural women’s labour. It has also reduced the trade earnings of developing countries and, thus, in their capacity to invest in rural infrastructure and in building the human capabilities of those women.

The report states that women, particularly rural women, are poorer than men, as indicated by their lower levels of literacy, education, health and nutritional status, as well as their lesser entitlement to productive assets and resources.

According to the report, governments, specialized agencies and other United Nations entities are responding to the challenges facing rural women in different ways. Some governments have developed national poverty plans, while others have addressed poverty within the national planning framework. The United Nations entities are engaged in assisting governments to achieve those legal, institutional and policy objectives. The report also listed actions that might be called for by the General Assembly, including strengthened efforts to meet the basic needs of rural women, making gender perspective an integral dimension of policies and programmes in the global process of market integration and economic development.

The Secretary-General’s report on activities of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) (document A/54/352) states that two decades ago the international community identified the need for, and created an institute, to promote and conduct the specific research and training required for advancing the situation of women worldwide. At present, INSTRAW’s activities are an integral part of the overall efforts of the United Nations to achieve gender equality. Since the Institute’s establishment, member States have continuously reaffirmed their commitment to INSTRAW through the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly.

The Institute’s programme for the biennium 1998-1999 was built around three major research programmes and various training activities.

The research programmes were engendering the political agenda; temporary labour migration of women; and women networking for conflict prevention and resolution. The training programme was limited to statistics and indicators on gender issues; national training on women, environmental management and sustainable development; workshops on human rights and trafficking in women; and manuals for enhancing the use of computer-mediated communication.

The report contains information on the financial situation of the Institute. It is funded solely from voluntary contributions and has received contributions from 79 Member States, from both developed and developing countries. Income received for the 1998-1999 biennium was $1,046,007. That represented a lower level of contributions which reduced the Institute’s overall capacity to comply with its mandate.

In his report on violence against women migrant workers (document A/54/342), the Secretary-General recalls the numerous steps taken in recent years to gain increasing recognition for the growing vulnerability of migrant women workers to human rights abuses, including violence. He describes measures taken to address the situation by Member States, the United Nations system and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The Secretary-General concludes that, although violence against women in general is a clear concern of Member States, responses to questionnaires from States indicates that violence against women migrant workers is an issue yet to emerge. A number of States reported on measures to address aspects of the issue, including that of violence in the workplace. Some also reported on measures to assist migrants. Few, however, reported on specific measures to directly address the issue of violence against women migrant workers. The measures reported in that regard were primarily in the form of disseminating information to raise the consciousness of potential migrants and their employers.

It is clear, the Secretary-General states, that more extensive information and data are required on the situation so that concrete strategies can be devised and introduced. Responses of Member States to the questionnaire on implementing the Beijing Platform for Action would be considered as a basis for strategies, as should information obtained by the newly instituted Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants. The Special Rapporteur should take a gender perspective into consideration when requesting and analysing information, the Secretary- General recommends.

A report of the Secretary-General on traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls (document A/54/341) recalls the General Assembly’s request that States ratify human rights treaties and report to the committees established under those instruments on measures taken to eliminate traditional practices affecting the health of women and girls.

The Secretary-General's report covers measures taken at the national and regional levels, and measures taken within the United Nations system.

According to the report, since December 1998, several States had introduced specific legal measures aimed at the eradication of traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls, in particular, female genital mutilation. Also, education and public awareness-raising campaigns had been launched or were being continued and their impact assessed.

Research activities to determine the extent and effect of such practices affecting the health of women had also been established or continued in many States, the report noted. In addition, important regional activities, including the Ouagadougou Declaration, had taken place. That Declaration, adopted by parliamentarians, government ministers, and members of the Inter-African Committee in May, called, among other things, for the adoption of national legislation condemning female genital mutilation; ratification of relevant human rights treaties; the creation of national networks to set up subregional networks; and the establishment of special services to control the migratory flow of circumcisers.

The Secretary-General’s report on the status of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (documents A/54/224 and Corr.1) indicates that the Convention, opened for signature in 1980 and entering into force in 1981, had been ratified by 163 States as at 1 August 1999. The Committee on the Discrimination against Women, concerned with regard to overdue country reports and the number of reports awaiting consideration, issued standards and guidelines for exceptional reports. A draft optional protocol to the Convention, concerning the right of individual appeal, was approved by the Economic and Social Council in July.

The report describes technical assistance provided to States parties in preparing reports. Also, it describes activities in June 1999 related to the twentieth anniversary of the Convention’s adoption, including two round tables emphasizing the catalytic role of the Convention and its critical contribution to the quest for equality between women and men. Much progress had been made, particularly with regard to equal franchise and political participation, but much more was required. Finally, the report contains an enumeration of activities related to disseminating information about the Convention.

A report of the Secretary-General on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat (document A/54/405) states that, since the submission to the General Assembly of the last report on the subject, notable progress was made in improving the representation of women at the D-1 level. In spite of that, women continue to account for less than 50 per cent of the appointments made at levels other than P-2 and D-2. For that reason, work has begun on developing action plans on human resources management for individual departments and offices, where specific targets would be established for improving gender balance.

According to the report, other elements to be pursued in the coming year for improving the situation of women in the Secretariat is to review the pool of women candidates for projected vacancies by departments and occupations; and to identify external sources of women candidates, particularly in Member States which were un- or under-represented.

The report states that the framework for action must include support to programme managers through the design of innovative recruitment strategies to identify and attract women candidates; the close monitoring, by the Office of Human Resources Management and the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, of the implementation of the special measures for women and the progress made by departments in meeting the goal of gender balance; and the encouraging of women candidates, both internally and externally, to submit applications for posts for which they were qualified.

In spite of the work that remains to be done, significant progress has been made in improving the status of women in the Secretariat, the report states. Milestones include the elimination of provisions discriminatory to women from the Staff Rules; the establishment of policies governing the equal treatment of men and women in the Secretariat; and the institution of special measures governing the recruitment, placement and promotion of women.

The Committee has before it a note by the Secretary-General transmitting to the Economic and Social Council the report of the Joint Inspection United (JIU) entitled an evaluation of the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (document A/54/156-E/1999/102). The JIU recommends, among other things, that Member States resolve the immediate financial crisis of the Institute by making resources available; and to strengthen the financial support in the medium term, thus, giving it the opportunity to build on its achievements through the realization of its strategic plan and work programme for 2000-3000.

Other recommendations in the report relate to the Institute’s financial situation, including for it to take a more active role in fund raising through the regional networks of individual Board members. Also, a full-time fund-raising post should be added. With regard to recommendations related to staffing, the report states that, as a matter of urgency, an experienced professional should be appointed as Acting Director at the Institute’s headquarters in Santo Domingo. Also, the original plan to have three substantive units should be implemented, with the Research Unit, the Training Unit and the Information, Communication and Documentation Unit, each headed by a senior officer.

Recommendations with regard to administrative arrangements with the United Nations Secretariat include the speeding up of the international recruitment process when professional post vacancies open at the Institute. With regard to other matters, the report recommends that the division of labour between the Division of the Advancement of Women, INSTRAW and UNIFEM be carefully monitored to avoid overlap and duplication. Also, the Institute should reinforce its cooperation with the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Turin, and seek closer relations with other research and training institutions of the United Nations system.

The report includes sections relating to the achievements of the Institute, as well as its financial and staffing situation. It further contains administrative arrangements made by the Institute with the United Nations Secretariat and a vision to its future.

The Secretary-General comments on the report in an addendum to the JIU report on INSTRAW (document A/54/156/Add.1-E/1999/102/Add.1). Overall, he endorses the recommendation that INSTRAW continue its work and acknowledges that INSTRAW’s survival depends on the commitment of Member States, whose support it urgently needs. He also suggests an analysis of why fund-raising initiatives had failed; lifting service limitations so as to address INSTRAW staffing problems; and consideration of amending the INSTRAW statute to ease financing restrictions. The Secretary-General fully supports the JIU’s recommendations for increased coordination with other United Nations bodies, as well as with academic and training institutes outside the United Nations system.

Also transmitted by a note of the Secretary-General is the report of the UNDP Administrator on the UNIFEM (document A/54/225). With regard to strengthening women’s economic capacity as entrepreneurs and producers, the report states that UNIFEM focused on activities on the policy level, capacity-building of women's organizations on the institutional level, and organizing women around the collection/growing, processing and marketing of products to enable them to take control of resources and improve their bargaining power on the individual level. The goal of engendering governance and leadership to increase the participation of women in the decision-making process was pursued by promoting women’s transformational leadership and political participation, facilitating gender- sensitive national planning and promoting women’s participation in peace-building and conflict resolution.

The report notes that, although some figures regarding basic health and education are encouraging, women continued to be the target of physical and psychological violence on a scale not known to any other group. To promote the realization of women’s rights and the elimination of all forms of violence against women, the UNIFEM Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women approved 29 new projects for implementation during 1998. The annual income for the Trust Fund doubled in 1998 over its size the previous year, to approximately $1.8 million.

On implementing the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Committee has before it a report of the Secretary-General on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (document A/54/264). The report summarizes actions taken by intergovernmental bodies, the United Nations system and non- governmental organizations (NGOs) to mainstream a gender perspective in line with the Platform of Action.

The report states that the Economic and Social Council, for example, stressed the role of operational activities in promoting capacity-building and resource mobilization to enhance the participation of women in development. The Council also highlighted gender inequalities in poverty-eradication efforts and stressed the need to integrate and promote a gender perspective in the planning and implementation of activities concerning humanitarian emergencies. Also outlined are extensive efforts by bodies of the United Nations system to incorporate a gender perspective into substantive work.

The report also states that the responses of 89 governments were being analysed and assessed with regard to trends in achieving gender equality and women’s advancement. The NGOs and other institutions of civil society, reporting informally to the Secretariat, indicate widespread follow-up to the Conference, particularly by electronic means and in connection with planning for the General Assembly’s special session on women in 2000. The means of implementing gender equality and women’s advancement strategies are also outlined.

A note by the Secretary-General (document A/54/354) transmits to the General Assembly the report on the second session of the Commission on the Status of Women acting 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 (documents E/1990/60 and Add.1).

Statements

ANGELA KING, Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, said international mechanisms for redress were essential for ensuring implementation of freely accepted State obligations concerning women’s human rights. Those, however, would always remain subsidiary to national remedies. The value of international procedures was their influence at the national level. The Optional Protocol to the Convention on eliminating discrimination against women would inspire Governments to examine the effectiveness of current domestic remedies for preventing and redressing violations of women’s rights.

Women’s empowerment was both a means and an end in the fight against the ancient enemy of poverty, she continued. The nature of conflict had changed over the last years. Women were increasingly the targets of hostile actions by warring factions unconstrained by international humanitarian and human rights standards applicable in conflict situations. The concept of security needed to be expanded. People’s well-being, that of men and woman alike, needed to be monitored for early signs of tension and social exclusion and preventive and remedial measures taken.

With regard to INSTRAW, she said, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for that issue had met with donors and interested others. A Gender Awareness Information Network System would be established, based on a central website to provide information on gender issues. There would be a meeting on INSTRAW donors and others on 18 October.

Finally, she said that of all the challenges remaining for implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, the one requiring the most concerted effort could not be tackled by laws and regulations, and yet it needed to be addressed. That was the persistence of stereotypical attitudes towards the gender roles of women and men, which created a pervasive climate of discrimination and discouraged women from entering public life and from seeking employment outside the home. Those stereotyped attitudes also persistently undermined and impeded achievements in other areas of work. Further, they trapped women and their families in poverty and social exclusion.

NOELEEN HEYZER, Executive Director, United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), said there was a link between the work done at Headquarters and the meaningful change achieved on the ground to bring about women’s empowerment and gender equality. General Assembly resolutions had been critical in leading to policies and programmes at the country level. One of those (General Assembly resolution 50/166) had established UNIFEM’s Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women. Another (General Assembly resolution 52/94) had endorsed UNIFEM’s role in strengthening women’s economic capacity and had also focused on accountability to the world’s women.

The Beijing Platform of Action had been the blueprint underpinning UNIFEM programming, she said. There were many encouraging signs of progress. Last week, the General Assembly adopted the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. Near that same time, UNIFEM had signed a memorandum of understanding with Mongolia to help implement its national plan in support of the Beijing Platform of Action. The challenge was to strengthen implementation and accountability. Organizations such as UNIFEM gave life to General Assembly resolutions in their programmes and initiatives by changing resolutions into realities.

AIDA GONZALEZ, Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, said even though much progress had been made with regard to women’s equal participation in public life, much more remained to be done, especially in relation to stereotypical attitudes towards the gender roles of women and men. Such attitudes perpetuated traditional practices and customs prejudicial to women, such as violence against women, forced marriage, son preference and honour killings. “These attitudes also create a pervasive climate of discrimination, incorporating rigid social codes that entrench stereotypical ideas relating to the role of women in the family, and their participation in public life”, she emphasized.

There had been a response from States parties to the call of the General Assembly reiterating the petition made by the Fourth World Conference on Women to limit the extent of any reservations they lodged to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, she said. She urged States parties to review regularly their reservations with a view to withdrawing them.

Overdue reports from States had been the main concern of the Committee, she said. For example, as of 1 October 1999, there were 54 initial reports that had not been received, 57 second periodic reports still pending as well as many other third, fourth and fifth periodic reports. The Committee looked forward to the entry into force of the optional protocol by which a procedure of communications was established. It would allow communications to be submitted by or on behalf of individuals or groups of individuals claiming to be victims of a violation of any of the rights in the Convention. It also established a second procedure by which the Committee could inquire into reliable information on grave or systematic violations by a State party of the rights in the Convention.

HOMERO HERNANDEZ, of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) introduced the report on INSTRAW. Expressing regret that the Institute faced great financial problems, he said the Institute was very important in achieving quality balance of the sexes. “Our assessment has led JIU conclude that the Institute must continue and we must safeguard the only research and training organ for the promotion of women and development”, he said. Measures to enhance the visibility of the Institute, such as fund-raising activities at the regional level, needed to be taken.

The Institute had become an “innocent victim” of the struggle for funds, he said. It was financed entirely through voluntary contributions and it would be beneficial for Member States to analyse the unfairness of the situation, he concluded.

MARJATTA RASI (Finland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the Central and Eastern European countries associated with the Union, including Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, as well as Cyprus and Iceland, also aligned themselves with the statement. The Beijing Platform for Action was a fundamental framework for national and international action to bring about gender equality and non- discrimination. The EU would welcome a forward-looking, analytic summary of national reports by the Secretariat. The European Union would also welcome a dialogue on issues it had presented to the Preparatory Committee in March concerning obstacles to implementing the Platform of Action. It would welcome a dialogue on those issues during the preparatory process for the special session to be held in 2000. The special session should adopt a short political declaration to reaffirm its commitment to Beijing and it should endorse strategies to overcome objectives in a concrete, focused and action-oriented manner.

Creating an enabling environment for development and general equality was primarily the responsibility of national governments, she said. However, a supportive international environment was necessary. Violence against women constituted a major concern and the Secretary-General’s report on violence against women migrant workers highlighted the recent trend that migration was steadily becoming more feminized. Concerted international action was needed to fight against trafficking. Also, cultural, religious or traditional practices could not be invoked as justifications to violate human rights of women and girls.

Finally, she said, the link between employment and work, poverty eradication and the advancement of woman all had to be made in an integrated way. The majority of those living in poverty were women and children. A gender perspective had to be integrated into poverty eradication strategies. Creating productive employment was a crucial factor for the well-being of individuals and the society as a whole. The empowerment of women was central to their advancement, but it benefited both men and women and society at large. Both women and men were needed to achieve gender equality and to change traditional gender patterns.

Question-and-Answer Session

ALI CHERIF (Tunisia) said all should come together for the INSTRAW donor meeting on 18 October.

INGE JOHANNE WREMER (Norway) said stereotyped attitudes could not change without the active involvement of men.

MERCEDES DE ARMAS GARCIA (Cuba) said donors were important, but funds from the regular budget had to be provided to INSTRAW, as that would support the participation of Governments.

SONIA ELLIOTT (Guyana) said agenda item 109 on advancement of women should remain open. When would the Secretary-General’s report on revitalizing INSTRAW be issued?

Ms. KING said she was gratified that so many supported the meeting. There would be a report before 18 October. It would be preliminary because the Secretary-General was awaiting input from the meeting. In addition, she said, it was absolutely essential that men be involved in women’s issues and that they not see advancement of women as a step against them. Achievements for women were for the betterment of women, men, children, and society as a whole.

Statements Continued

SONIA ELLIOTT (Guyana), speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said violence against women persisted. The growing phenomenon of substance abuse among women, the health risks of female genital mutilation, poor nutritional, physical and mental health care, as well as the infection of women with the HIV/AIDS virus, remained a source of deep concern.

She called for INSTRAW to be a primary focal point for the diverse research being undertaken on gender issues. She further urged all countries to provide the Institute with financial resources to enable it to emerge from its current financial straits.

Political will and commitment at both the national and international levels were necessary prerequisites for achieving the goals of the Beijing Platform for Action. The international community often overlooked the impact of economic policies, including those of structural adjustment, on women and children particularly those living in poverty. “The recent financial crisis in Asia has indicated that women were the first to be affected by the changes to the economy”, she said. In most developing nations, unfavourable terms of trade, inadequate markets for national products and high debt had meant reduced investment in the social sector. Nevertheless, social services remained vital for women, especially those who were heads of households. In addition, women in rural areas bore a disproportionate burden in any shortfall of resources.

“The Group of 77 and China would appeal to the international community to be cognizant of the pivotal role of sustained domestic economic growth and an enabling international environment for the advancement and empowerment of women”, she said. The Beijing Platform for Action required a strong partnership among governments, the civil society and the international community.

BARRISTER RABIA BHUIYAN (Bangladesh) said discrimination, denial of rights, and marginalization of women was still the rule and not the exception worldwide. “It is in implementation that we have faltered”, she emphasized.

The effects of globalization and liberalization, coupled with declining international cooperation in development, had resulted in increased marginalization of women in rural areas throughout the developing world, she said. Actions to improve the situation of rural women would include education, health, and nutrition programmes; their effective participation in rural institutions at all levels of decision-making; and international cooperation to offset the negative impact of globalization.

Women migrant workers suffered human rights abuses, as well as physical and sexual violence, which were often the result of racism and xenophobia, she said. Those who were illegally trafficked and those employed in the sex, entertainment and tourism sectors and as foreign domestic workers were especially vulnerable. The dissemination of information on migrant workers’ rights to both sending and receiving States would be very helpful. “National legislation needs to be gender sensitive and should address comprehensively issues of legal, as well as illegal, migration”, she added.

INGER JOHANNE WREMER (Norway) said the special session of the General Assembly in June of next year on the five-year review of the Beijing Platform for Action should reaffirm and not either add to, or supplant, the Beijing document. Implementation had to be given the highest priority. Consideration should be given to how national governments, as well as the United Nations system, had mainstreamed a gender perspective into policies and programmes.

The special session would be an opportunity to address new and emerging issues, she said. It would also be an opportunity to look at issues in regard to which there had been dramatic changes in the past five years, for example, in the complex situation of women affected by armed conflict. More attention had to be given to the role of women in conflict prevention, in peacekeeping operations and in reconstruction and reconciliation. Her Government had commissioned a study on the interrelationship between women and armed conflicts.

LINDA TARR-WHELAN (United States) said implementation of a holistic, human rights approach to gender equality had, as its core, the recognition that society as a whole benefited from women’s equality. The Beijing Platform for Action had shown the essential link between advancing the status of women and girls, human rights and economic well-being. The five-year review should be a celebration and reaffirmation of the original document. It was an important milestone for the world community, and delegations should reflect that importance. It should bring forth the views of NGOs and should include women around the world.

The five-year review should focus on addressing actions and initiatives in regard to a number of issues, she said. Those included: women’s leadership and political participation; women’s economic empowerment; the role of women in peace- building and conflict resolution; trafficking in women and girls; older women; and HIV/AIDS. Also, a closer look needed to be taken to examine how political will, capacity-building, accountability, cooperation and partnership could lead to further implementation of the Platform for Action.

Her country was preparing for the five-year review in a number of ways, she said. Under the leadership of the President’s Inter-agency Council on Women, chaired by the Secretary of State, the country’s First Lady, serving as co-chair, was conducting a five-year review of United States government actions and achievements in implementing the Platform for Action. In addition, the President’s Inter-agency Council on Women was working in partnership with all facets of society to convene outreach events throughout the United States. Those events would celebrate progress and would offer opportunities to share best practices, achievements and lessons learned, as well as to identify obstacles still to be overcome.

SONOKO NISHITATENO (Japan) said her country had enacted, as well as revised, several laws in conformity with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. For example, it had revised an employment law which had come into effect last April. It included the obligation by companies to create sexual harassment-prevention measures and it also provided women with easier access to Labour Ministry arbitration over disparities in areas such as job assignment and promotion. In addition, her country’s Basic Law had been enacted last June. The latter promoted the formation of a gender-equal society where both women and men were able to enjoy political, economic, social and cultural benefits.

Laws could not change people’s attitudes, she said. Thus, in order effectively to eliminate discrimination, it was necessary to disseminate information, raise social awareness, and mobilize public opinion through education, the media, as well as through the promotion of seminars and international conferences. During 1999, her country had held a number of meetings in order to change people’s attitudes. One of the meetings had been the National Conference on the Creation of a Gender-Equal Society.

IBRA DEGUENE KA (Senegal) said his Government had combated violence against women. Each year, a prize was awarded to women’s groups which stood out due to their positive activities. The situation of rural women should be taken more into account. Demographic growth, desertification and problems related to access to land had made the situation of those women in his country more grave. Rural women played a very important role in African societies. Women needed to have equal access to land and to credit as that of men.

His Government had carried out a mid-term review (1997-2001) on the situation of women. That document focused on the promotion of education of women and girls, as well as on improving their levels of education and their health standards. In addition, it focused on strengthening women’s participation in politics.

In his country, 15.6 per cent of government members were women. An enormous campaign to promote women’s rights in his country was under way. The political will to translate such rights into action did exist. However, the mobilization of resources to fund ambitious national programmes was necessary. Furthermore, debt needed to be taken into account in all matters relating to the improvement of the situation of women in developing nations.

MARCELA MARIA NICODEMOS (Brazil) said the United Nations had established the Commission on the Status of Women in 1947, soon after its own founding. This year, the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was memorably celebrated by the adoption of the Optional Protocol to the Convention just last week in the General Assembly. That major accomplishment would benefit women all over the world whose rights were still violated.

The United Nations had played a crucial role in integrating women into the political, social and economic life of communities and nations, and in raising awareness about women’s rights and incorporating a gender perspective into all areas of human activity, she said. Brazil had launched a new dynamic for human rights in 1995. That had been accompanied by an open dialogue between civil society organizations and the Government. The Brazilian Government Constitution prohibited any kind of discrimination among people and, therefore, upheld the principle of non-discrimination on the grounds of gender.

MERCEDES DE ARMAS GARCIA (Cuba) said the situation of women on the threshold of a new millennium remained particularly dramatic in developing countries. Women were precisely the most excluded by today’s neoliberal globalization. Women made up 70 per cent of the nearly 2 billion of the world’s poor. “Poverty today for the most part has a woman’s face”, she said.

National efforts, especially those of the developing countries, needed the complement of a new climate of international cooperation which mobilized new and additional resources in favour of education, training and other activities aimed at the advancement of women. Those additional resources should be allocated by the United Nations, and they should be charged to the regular budget. Cuba had taken many steps and had made progress in advancing the rights of women. It was far from satisfied, however. It wanted more women in leadership posts. Further, the unilateral coercive measures by the United States against Cuba had particularly sensitive consequences for the Cuban woman, particularly in areas of health.

JUAN LARRAIN (Chile) said his Government, as Chairman of the Regional Conference on the Integration of Women into the Economic and Social Development of Latin America and the Caribbean, had continued its support of the various initiatives contained in the Santiago Consensus.

At the bilateral level, the Presidents of his country and Argentina had agreed that ties of cooperation would be established between the women’s division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of Argentina, and the National Women’s Service in his country.

Among the most important national gains in regard to women had been the increase in the participation of women in the active population, he said. The gap in incomes earned, respectively, by male and female heads of households had been reduced. A gender gap in access to education was non-existent. In addition, in the health sector, the availability of primary health care had led to a reduction in the rate of maternal mortality from 0.4 per 1,000 to 0.2.

In the area of legal reforms, article 1 of the Constitution had been amended, to ensure the use of the language reflecting equality between men and women. Furthermore, significant progress had been made in ensuring equality of legal rights by adopting a domestic violence act, as well as a law recognizing the legal equality of the children born within or outside marriage.

SARAH PATERSON (New Zealand) said there was a credibility gap between the legal standards of protection afforded to women by international human rights instruments and their actual implementation. “The abuses of women’s human rights, in times of peace, as well as of conflict, show no signs of declining, and there are disturbing indications of growing abuses”, she said. The credibility gap needed to be addressed at the international, regional and national levels.

Much remained to be done to fully realize the Beijing agenda, she said. The efforts of the United Nations would be fruitless unless the international community committed itself to working alongside all players in civil society. Non-governmental organizations, in particular, had a critical contribution to make in that regard.

SERAPHINE TOE (Burkina Faso) said her country, one of the poorest in the world, considered women as central in its development programmes. In recent years, women had gained access to credit and to job creation programmes and a national plan of action provided services to them. The Government was particularly concerned with the advancement of rural women.

A country’s development was judged by the status of its women, she said. No development could be attained without equal development of the country’s men and women. Regarding the JIU’s report on INSTRAW and the Secretary-General’s comments on the JIU’s recommendations, she commended direct awarding of microcredit grants.

LAURA LASKI, Senior Technical Officer of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said women and girls continued to suffer from the consequences of gender- based violence and discrimination, harmful traditional or customary practices and poverty, especially in rural areas. “In commemorating the Day of the 6 Billion on 12 October, we should remind ourselves of the lives and the human beings behind those numbers”, she said. In the midst of great wealth, a billion people still lived without the basic elements of human dignity, such as clean water, enough food, secure housing, basic education and health care, including reproductive health. The greatest proportion of that billion people were women.

Women’s reproductive roles could not be allowed to continue as a major contributor to their ill health, she said. “Pregnancy is not a disease and childbirth should not condemn women to death”, she emphasized. Women who lived both in rural and in urban areas or in the midst of conflict and emergency situations needed to be provided with the necessary information and services to ensure a decent life. The UNFPA was unrelenting in its efforts to provide quality reproductive health services and to support the elimination of all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls. With that organization’s support, a number of countries had taken bold steps towards the prevention and eradication of harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation. Alternative rites to replace traditional ceremonies related to genital mutilation had been promoted in countries such as Kenya and Uganda. “These initiative stress that negative practices can indeed be changed without compromising cultural values”, she said.

Innovative and participatory strategies that had been developed addressed the reproductive and sexual health needs of adolescents, especially of young girls, she said. Through peer education on self-awareness, life and career planing, information on reproductive and sexual health, as well as responsible parenthood, girls had been enabled to postpone commencing sexual activity, while boys had learned that sexuality meant responsibility.

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