CURRENT GLOBAL ECONOMIC SITUATION NEGATIVELY IMPACTS WOMEN, SPEAKERS TELL THIRD COMMITTEE

Press Release
GA/SHC/3522

CURRENT GLOBAL ECONOMIC SITUATION NEGATIVELY IMPACTS WOMEN, SPEAKERS TELL THIRD COMMITTEE

The combination of poverty, women’s unequal rights and their lack of access to formal labour demanded comprehensive, macroeconomic solutions from the international community, the representative of Iran told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this morning as it met to continue considering issues related to the advancement of women and implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995).

Negative impacts of the current global economic situation could not be allowed to derail the progress made in the advancement of women, she continued. The international community had to ensure that women’s rights did not fall victim to a system that failed to consider the social impact of structural adjustment and contraction policies on them. A comprehensive analysis assessing the impact of globalization on women and recommending appropriate responses was urgently needed.

The upcoming Special Session of the General Assembly in June was an opportunity to look at the impact of economic conditions on plans made in Beijing, the representative of Indonesia said. It was a chance to study the effect that structural adjustments and market liberalization had brought to the situation of women. Women’s rights were nearly universally accepted, but women continued to be deprived of those rights. That was seen in the economic sphere, in continued violence against women and in their lowered access to education and health care.

The representative of Liechtenstein pointed to goals for women not yet achieved. The year 2000 was the goal-date for 50/50 gender representation in the Secretariat. It was also the five year review of the Beijing Platform for Action. Those goals would not be achieved but the Special Session was a good target in that direction. “What we need for next summer are not procedurally complicated and overloaded texts, but a concise, action-oriented document”, she said.

A number of delegates raised specific aspects of women’s continued inequality. The representative of Guatemala said discrimination against women had impeded the evolution of a true democracy in his country. The representative of Venezuela said steps were being taken in her country to eradicate all forms of violence against women.

Third Committee 1a Press Release GA/SHC/3522 8th Meeting (AM) 12 October 1999

Speaking on violence against women, the representative of the International Red Cross said significant steps had been taken by the international community in the battle against impunity regarding sexual violence against women. Accountability was key in bringing an end to such violations of women’s rights. Humanitarian law needed to evolve so that it would stimulate repression of the violence at the national level.

Also speaking were the representatives of South Africa, Croatia, Netherlands, Egypt, Syria, Ecuador and Peru.

The Committee will meet again at 3:00 p.m. this afternoon to continue considering issues related to the advancement of women and implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995).

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this morning to continue considering issues related to the advancement of women and implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995). (For background information, see press release GA/SHC/3521 of 11 October.)

Statements

CLAUDIA FRITSCHE (Liechtenstein) recalled the difficult conditions under which the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) operated. The Committee’s standards of quality should not be compromised and its recommendations should be recognized as a very useful tool for promoting women’s rights. The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the Assembly last week, was a cause for unreserved satisfaction. It was the expression of many compromises and a legally- sound document, sending a timely and important political message. The communication and inquiry procedures would enhance the relevance of the Convention and would serve an educational and practical purpose. Its speedy entry into force should be pursued. Her country was considering signing on Human Rights Day this year.

The year 2000 was critical for women’s issues, she said. It was the goal- date for the 50/50 gender representation in the Secretariat. It was also the date for the five year review of the Beijing Platform of Action. The prospect of universal ratification of the Convention was dim and the equal representation of women in the Secretariat had already been missed. Those goals, however, had to be pursued. The selection of women as Special Representatives of the Secretary- General and their involvement in non-traditional areas, especially in post-conflict peace-building and conflict resolution, remained of particular concern. The third target date of 2000 was the special session of the General Assembly next June. Those options could be completed by then. “What we need for next summer are not procedurally complicated and overloaded texts, but a concise, action-oriented document”, she said.

DUMISANA KUMALO (South Africa) said women in his country occupied prominent positions. More than half of South Africa’s cabinet was composed of women. Women represented more than 30 per cent of the parliament. Gender representation was stressed in every organ of Government. Even so, gender equality in South Africa was yet to be achieved, in part because of other conditions. It was up to the international community to accept that social ills such as absolute poverty remained a collective responsibility. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) had to become partners in the process.

Markets in the era of globalization needed conscious interventions, he continued. The renaissance of Africa would become an ever greater reality as the plight of rural women was addressed. At present, they were constrained by limited access to food, health, education, wages and financing of land. Rural women had to be given an active part in decision-making regarding projects that were sustainable, affordable and had the potential for generating income for their needs.

DUBRAVKA SIMONOVIC (Croatia) said her Government was involved in the preparations for the General Assembly's special session “Women in 2000" aimed at evaluating the progress made in the implementation of the strategic objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action. Among such preparations were the establishment of a commission for issues of equality; the adoption of a national policy for the promotion of equality; and the promotion of cooperation between NGOs and the commission.

In spite of her country’s efforts in improving the national status of women, lack of sufficient funds had impeded the full implementation of such programmes. In addition, the lack of quality statistical data had been noted. The latter was necessary for the systematic monitoring of trends and the objective evaluation of results. Her Government was examining the possibility of introducing a quota system whereby a specified number of female members of parliament would be ensured.

ALICE BOUMAN-DENTENER (Netherlands) said her dream was that in the twenty- first century, the Commission on the Status of Women would become redundant as this would imply that gender equality had truly been achieved. However, in reality, international efforts to promote gender equality still had a long way to go. Even though the number of female government ministers world-wide had more than doubled over the last 10 years, the global average was still a mere 7 per cent.

Her country had now four women ministers, including deputy prime ministers. It had reached “a critical mass of 30 per cent women in ministerial posts”. However, looking beyond those senior posts in ministries, the situation was pretty bleak. “Women constitute 9 per cent of all directors and secretaries-general, 5 per cent of university professors and only 1 per cent of the board members of leading private companies”, she added. Gender mainstreaming was not merely about numbers and equal participation. It was about women not being regarded as a separate group in society. Their views and needs should form part of the general social and economic development. She hoped that the Second World Water Forum and Ministerial Conference of March 2000 in the Hague would reflect the interests and concerns of women.

WAEL IBRAHIM (Egypt) said it was important to eradicate poverty, especially in rural areas, to ensure that the socioeconomic equality of men and women was achieved. Socioeconomic changes had to be undertaken at the national level. Achieving equality for women was not restricted to such activities as passing legislation and resolutions. It needed empowerment of women. Support for the rights of women was well underway at the legislative and legal levels, for example giving them rights to education, jobs and ownership of property. Nevertheless, there was an inextricable link between socioeconomic conditions and development.

Egypt had a national plan that took into consideration all the human rights instruments, he said. It had conducted programmes that emphasized the link between health and development, for example. It had held seminars on women’s rights that had included both men and women, and it had closed the educational gap between boys and girls. It had taken many steps, but there was still more to be done in terms of mobilizing resources and receiving technical support. The goal of the General Assembly special session should not be to produce more documents, but rather to translate the Platform of Action into practical plans that would help to implement the goals set in Beijing.

ABDULLAH CHOLIL (Indonesia) said there was a near universal acceptance of women’s rights, even as women continued to be deprived of those rights. That was evident in the economic sphere, where women performed work disproportionate to their pay. It was also seen in violence against women and in their lowered access to education and health care. The upcoming General Assembly special session would be an opportunity to review and assess the impact of economic conditions on plans made in Beijing, he said. It would be a chance to study the effect of structural adjustments, as well as of the benefits that globalization and market liberalization had brought to women.

In Indonesia, he said, the situation of women had improved. They had participated in national development and had enjoyed the benefits of sustained economic growth. Indonesia had made implementation of the Beijing Platform, a priority even though the advancement of women had been adjusted to the dynamics of the economic situation. A woman would be a contender in Indonesia’s next presidential election and a national campaign was underway to confront violence against women at all levels.

TAMMAM SULAIMAN (Syrian Arab Republic) said women’s rights needed to be asserted by “opening up the horizons of knowledge” so women could play their rightful role in society. The advancement of women was a priority of his Government and a strategy of educating women was underway. Women fully participated in all social, political, economic and cultural aspects of life, and all actions of the Beijing Platform for Action were emphasized.

National legislation had been upgraded to support the changes of women’s role in society, he said. The proportion of women lawyers in his country was already 20 per cent of the total number. In addition, 15 per cent of the judges were women. Furthermore, the proportion of women working in public health had greatly increased. Women were also playing an increased role in the media and other activities. The foreign occupation in the occupied Golan and Palestinian territories had created a tragic situation for Arab women living there. Because of that Israeli occupation, women could not fully exercise their rights. He hoped for an end to that occupation.

LUIS F. CARRANZA (Guatemala) said the work of the General Assembly special session on women in 2000 should not yield to the temptation of making new commitments. The session should focus on the tasks already decided upon. The principles of the Beijing Platform for Action should not change. The session needed to review the goals achieved and should evaluate new initiatives to resolve the obstacles that countries faced in that respect. The NGOs needed to participate in the special session, he said. How they would participate must be decided but it needed to be done promptly.

Discrimination against women had impeded the evolution of true democracy in his country. There was a mechanism in place intended to assure the participation of women in public office. Also, quotas to include women in the political aspects of life had been proposed. While a favourable legal framework towards women existed in his country, in practice, women still faced discrimination. In order to end that situation, legislation to consider sexual harassment a crime was underway.

AGHDAS TAMJIDI (Iran) said substantive issues had to be considered during the preparatory process for the General Assembly special session. The question of genuine international cooperation to protect the rights of women needed to be addressed in earnest. It was a legitimate concern of the international community and a priority objective of the United Nations.

The increasing integration of the global economy through globalization and liberalization had the potential to generate wealth, she said. In reality, the gap had grown between rich and poor countries. Poverty had been accentuated, including women’s poverty. The combination of poverty, women’s unequal rights and their lack of access to formal labour demanded comprehensive, political, macroeconomic, social and legal solutions. The international community had to ensure that the negative impacts of the current global economic situation did not derail the progress made in the advancement of women. Women’s rights must not be allowed to fall victim to a multipolar system that failed to consider the social impact of structural adjustment and contraction policies. There was an urgent need for comprehensive analyses assessing the impact of globalization on women and recommending appropriate responses.

ZORAN IVANOVIC, International Red Cross (IRC), said the International Committee of the IRC had repeatedly expressed condemnation of rape in armed conflicts which was considered a serious violation of humanitarian law. Sexual violence had been considered a war crime by the ad hoc Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda as well as by for the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Those were significant international steps in the battle against impunity. “Accountability is essential to bringing an end to such violations” and developments in the evolution of humanitarian law should stimulate repression at the national level.

“The occurrence of these violations of humanitarian law directed at women is not due to any shortcomings in the laws protecting them, but to the lack of -– or insufficient -– respect for these rules”, he said. The protection to which women were entitled needed to become a reality. States were obligated to promote and disseminate the norms of humanitarian law treaties by which they were bound in order to protect women. They were also under the obligation to prosecute suspected war criminals in their national courts or to extradite them.

The issue of missing relatives was another problem for women who had survived armed conflicts, he said. Humanitarian law recognized the need and right of families to obtain information regarding the fate of their missing relatives. The IRC "urges all States and parties to armed conflicts to lend their cooperation in the tracing of missing persons, in order to alleviate the unspeakable suffering of their family members”, he stated.

MONICA MARTINEZ (Ecuador) said international attention should be given to older women who should be retired but were still working. Also, attention should be given to girl children who were handicapped and yet were not incorporated into society.

Rural women world-wide needed particular international attention, she said. Programmes to satisfy their needs were crucial. Those women needed to be provided with clean water, good health services and nutrition as well as with education. There was a need for men and women around the world to work together to achieve a change in attitudes so that equality of genders would prevail.

LYDA APONTE DE ZACKLIN (Venezuela) said her country had a national council of women. Its fundamental approach was to seek equity for women by instituting social programmes that systemized a gender approach on a cross-sectoral basis. The idea was that of looking at a country through a woman’s eyes. It brought to the fore issues including protection of women and the need to overcome poverty through such measures as creating microeconomic enterprises. Venezuela was also strengthening regional councils and was creating open forums involving rural women. The idea was to reverse discrimination through institution building and educational programmes.

Poverty was of particular concern, she said. Steps had been undertaken to address the impact of poverty on women in terms of education and health. Rural and indigenous women were important groups in her country. Special steps were also being taken to eradicate all forms of violence against women. "The feminization of poverty must now be changed into the smiling face of women by the thousands", she said.

CARMEN ROSA ARIAS (Peru) said expansion of all human rights was important for moving forward in line with the Beijing Platform for Action. It was time to acknowledge that extreme poverty and inequality were inextricably tied together. Providing women with better tools was the equivalent of empowering them and thus empowering the entire society. A broad cultural change must be brought about wherein men and women would share the rights of society. Women needed to gain wide access to the armed services; that would end their exclusion from an important part of society.

She said Peru had made considerable efforts in terms of advancing women’s rights, but it was still not enough. Further measures would continue to implement the Platform for Action and to initiate new strategies. Actions taken at the national level had to be enriched and applied on the international level.

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