THIRD COMMITTEE APPROVES DRAFT ON POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES INVOLVING YOUTH

Press Release
GA/SHC/3526

THIRD COMMITTEE APPROVES DRAFT ON POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES INVOLVING YOUTH

The Second World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth should be organized under the aegis of the United Nations, the General Assembly would recommend by terms of a draft resolution approved without a vote today by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) as it concluded its current consideration of issues related to the advancement of women and the implementation of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1994).

That draft, on policies and programmes involving youth, had been recommended by the Economic and Social Council for adoption by the General Assembly. It had been orally amended by Portugal to contain a recommendation for youth representatives to be included in all delegations to the United Nations so that the voice of youth would be reflected in United Nations activities and programmes.

On issues related to the advancement of women, a number of delegations spoke on the need to improve women’s economic situation as a way of advancing their rights. The representative of Viet Nam said it was no coincidence that poverty was the first concern in the Beijing Platform for Action. More than 1.5 billion people in the world lived on less than $1 per day. More than half of those people were female. Charity would not alleviate poverty and improve their lives. They needed income generating activities and equal access to economic resources. Employment reduced poverty and also promoted equality.

Women’s equality had to be translated into reality, the representative of Armenia said. Governments and civil society had to take real actions to ensure all human rights for women. Gender equality was not merely about numbers and equal participation. It implied that women were no longer a separate group in society, and that their problems and needs were integral to social and economic development as a whole.

The representative of Afghanistan said the Taliban had caused great violations to the rights of women and girls by denying them access to health services and restricting their movement. The observer for Palestine said the unique situation of Palestinian women had affected the nature of their struggle, the level of their advancement and their ability to meet future challenges.

Third Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/SHC/3526 12th Meeting (PM) 14 October 1999

Statements were also made by the representatives of Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Qatar, Benin, the Maldives, United Arab Emirates, Armenia, Côte d’Ivoire, Kuwait, Haiti, Madagascar, Cameroon, Eritrea, El Salvador, Jordan, Burundi and the Philippines, Czech Republic, Portugal, Senegal, South Africa, India, United States and Turkey.

The Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women made a statement.

The Committee will meet again at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, 15 October, to begin considering questions of crime prevention, criminal justice and international drug control.

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to conclude its consideration of issues related to the advancement of women and to the implementation of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1994). (For background information see Press Release GA/SHC/3521 of 11 October.)

The Committee was also scheduled to hear the introduction of a number of draft resolutions. It would take action on one draft concerning policies and programmes for youth, which the Economic and Social Council had recommended for adoption by the General Assembly. (For background information, see Press Release GA/SHC/3517 of 6 October.)

By that draft text (document A/C.3/54/L.2), the Assembly would take note of the Secretary-General’s report on implementing the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 (document A/54/59). It would also take note of the 1998 World Youth Forum held in Portugal and would recommend that the Second World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth be organized under the aegis of the United Nations. That draft had been orally amended by Portugal on 8 October to include an operative paragraph recommending that youth representatives be included in all delegations to the United Nations to facilitate their participation and their voice in United Nations programmes and activities. (See Press Release GA/SHC/3519.)

Statements

YERZHAN KAZYKHANOV (Kazakhstan) said the Economic and Social Council had fulfilled its commitment to the 1995 Beijing World Conference by dedicating this year’s segment to the advancement and empowerment of women. It had formulated a system-wide plan for advancing women during the years 2002-2005. The Division for the Advancement of Women was important in elaborating worldwide effective strategies affecting women’s well-being. It was satisfying that the Office of Human Resources Management had undertaken a proactive process of holding meetings with heads of programmes and offices to improve the status of women in the Secretariat. That Office should take concrete actions to identify female candidates from unrepresented and under-represented countries to provide them an opportunity work for the Organization.

In his country, he said, globalization and transition to a market system had had a negative impact on women. The health of women had been affected, especially in areas where economies were dislocated. The situation was particularly acute in the severely degraded areas of the former nuclear test site of Semipalatinsk and the Aral Sea. The international conference on the problems associated with rehabilitation of the area that had taken place in Tokyo in September had expanded cooperation and broadened understanding with partner organizations.

NGUYEN THI THANH HA (Vietnam) said it was no coincidence that poverty was the first critical area of concern in the Beijing Platform for Action. More than 1.5 billion people of the world lived on less than $1 per day. More than half of those were women and girls. Charity was not enough to alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life for them. They needed to be actively involved in income-generating activities and to have equal access to economic resources. Employment reduced poverty and also promoted equality, she noted. The government played an important role in working out an effective strategy to enhance productive employment opportunities. In many developing countries, the majority of women worked in agricultural or informal sectors, she said. It was hard to gain a decent and stable income in that work. Measures were needed to improve access for them to productive resources such as credit, especially microfinance, technology and market techniques to facilitate entry into viable self-employment. Further, economic linkages should be strengthened between informal and formal sectors of the economy.

LULIT ZEWDIE G/MARIAM (Ethiopia) said her country had established a Women’s Affairs Bureau in the Office of the Prime Minister. The Bureau coordinated the activities in the different women’s affairs departments which were responsible for gender mainstreaming in the activities of their respective government structures.

Early marriage and female genital mutilation were some of the major causes of women’s health problems in her country. Intensive awareness campaigns to educate societey about the harmful impact of those practices were being conducted by her Government in cooperation with UNICEF and non-governmental organizations. Also, the trafficking of women to foreign countries through legal and illegal channels had become a concern to her Government. In order to control that problem, the National Working Committee on Trafficking of Women had been established. The latter assessed the experiences of other countries in dealing with that problem and held consultations to discuss how the rights of women who wished to work abroad would be protected.

PATRICIA DURRANT (Jamaica) said to date, more than 8 million children had lost their mothers or both parents to AIDS. That number, which was expected to reach 13 million by the year 2000, left the international community with very little time to prepare itself for the challenges ahead. She urged continued international cooperation to promote women’s issues and women’s rights.

Women in her country had long outnumbered males in enrolment at the primary and secondary levels, and more recently, at the tertiary level. In spite of that, existing gender stereotyping in education contributed to women still being largely trained for jobs which they had traditionally held. Those jobs were usually lower- paying than those of men. In addition, the unemployment rate among women was also higher than that of men. In health matters, her country continued to experience relatively high teenage pregnancy rates. Furthermore, domestic violence, including rape and other forms of violence, remained a serious concern. The Bureau of Women’s Affairs, the lead agency responsible for follow-up action to the Beijing Platform for Action, had taken various initiatives such as public education campaigns related to violence against women, women and health and women and poverty.

JASMI MD YUSOFF (Malaysia) said improvements had been made in achieving gender equality and in women’s social, economic and political empowerment around the world. Malaysia’s government’s development policies did not discriminate between genders, and women had been fully integrated into the development process. Several issues had been given priority for future action: increasing the participation of women in power sharing and decision-making; strengthening mechanisms encouraging the development of women at every level; promoting women’s economic potential; enhancing women’s legal standing; and eliminating violence against women.

Malaysia had placed great importance on the wider participation of women in the labour market, he continued. The government funded and gave technical assistance to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) playing an active and effective role in advocating equality of status for women and equal opportunities for their participation in development. Finally, it was addressing stereotyped attitudes towards gender roles of women and men, which were a major impediment to achieving gender equality. The laws and regulations providing protection and promoting women’s interests would not achieve their objectives if women were socially discouraged and discriminated against in efforts to advance their rights.

ALFONSO ORTEGA URBINA (Nicaragua) said the political constitution of his country recognized the equal dignity and rights of men and women. The constitution, therefore, upheld the struggle to gain full recognition of equal rights for women in those areas of the country where outmoded laws discriminatory towards women were still in effect.

He said that traditionally in his country, there were two antagonistic views of women. One elevated them in their role as mothers and wives. The other diminished the female body by such means as using it for advertising. The traditional education of boy and girl children had reinforced the stereotype. Woman’s restricted access to education and employment had also backed up justification for their lower status. That tendency in society was being addressed through educational campaigns and training programmes to reverse the stereotypes and conceptions by enlightening both boy and girl children. At the same time, programmes for women’s economic empowerment had been initiated to address another angle of the problem.

SOMAIA BARGHOUTI, of the Observer Mission of Palestine, said Palestinian women continued to face the harsh reality of the Israeli occupation and “its oppressive policies and practices on a daily basis”. The building and expansion of illegal Israeli colonial settlements, the confiscation of land and water, as well as the closures of the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, continued to have detrimental effects on the overall conditions of Palestinian women.

“This special situation of Palestinian women which stems from the uniqueness of the Palestinian question has affected the nature of their struggle, the level of their advancement and their ability to meet future challenges”, she continued. Moreover, more than half of the Palestinian population was composed of refugees. The National Strategy for the Advancement of Palestinian Women constituted the foundation for planning the work for the various women’s departments. However, the living conditions of Palestinian women were closely linked with the progress of the peace process. She hoped that the recent signing of the Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum would propel the peace process forward towards real progress.

MOHAMMED ALMALKI (Qatar) said his country’s constitution ensured gender equality. New initiatives were being introduced, such as giving women the right to vote. Also, a family council had been established to promote the interests of the family in general, and women in particular.

Education in his country was free to all citizens, both men and women. Also, health services were free of charge to all citizens. In addition, widows, orphans and families received monthly salaries in order to preserve the stability of the family, which was the basis of society. In promoting the rights of women, differences should be utilized in a positive way since the international community was multicultural.

NICOLE ELISHA (Benin) said her country had hosted a regional seminar on promoting women’s rights, the results of which would be submitted to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Benin considered the family as the basic cell of society and the woman as the pivot of the family. The true challenge was to reflect in reality the political will that had been expressed on behalf of women.

She told the story of a woman who had received birth control assistance. Her husband had eaten the medicine to share the benefits. That was the condition of rural woman today, she said. They were at the heart of poverty, where illiteracy and ignorance also were.

Poverty in rural areas had to be eradicated, she said. Poor mothers had as much love to give as those not in poverty, but poor families had to give their children away to foster families in the hope of improving their lot, or, sometimes for money. Then they became prey to all sorts of ills, especially when they were given into strange environments. A law was underway to keep such children within national borders. Also, numerous laws had been introduced on issues affecting women, ranging from genital mutilation to termination of pregnancy. Once implemented, women’s situation in Benin would improve enormously. However, the major impediments to women’s advancement in Benin were sociological inertia, weak militancy, illiteracy and domestic duties. The worst was illiteracy. In a word, she said, “the cost of advancing a woman was what it cost to educate her”.

AHMED KAHLEEL (Maldives) said a new constitution in his country provided a comprehensive legal framework for advancing the rights of women. It had also paved the way for his Government to modify its reservation to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Her country was working closely with its neighbours to redress economic and social inequalities in South Asia under the framework of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The Maldives Government had been instrumental in designating the period 1991-2000 as the “SAARC Decade for the Girl Child”. Furthermore, it was working towards the adoption of a regional convention on combating the trafficking of women and children. That convention was expected to be adopted at the eleventh SAARC summit scheduled to be held in Kathmandu next month.

YOUNIS AL-SHAMSI (United Arab Emirates) said it was important to reach practical and substantial solutions to existing disputes so that women could be integrated into sustainable development efforts. The current economic disparities between developing and developed countries made that difficult. Field research and studies on women were necessary in poor areas. The situation of Palestinian women went counter to international law and the international community needed to stop the on-going aggressive practices against them. Special attention was paid to women in his country. Women had effective participation in regional and international conferences. Also, they received education and social care. National laws guaranteed women’s rights.

ANNA AGHADJANIAN (Armenia) said women’s equality had to be translated into reality. Governments and civil society had to commit themselves to taking real actions towards ensuring all human rights for women. Gender equality was not merely about numbers and equal participation. Rather, it implied that women were no longer to be regarded as a separate group in society, but that their problems and needs were integral to social and economic development as a whole.

Armenia had been implementing fundamental economic and political reforms, she said. Women were most vulnerable to the hardships of economic crises, wars or natural disasters. The government had initiated programmes to assist refugees and residents in an area hit by an earthquake. Numerous measures had also been undertaken on behalf of women’s equality. However, the situation of women in her country remained paradoxical. They did not occupy high-level positions in decision-making; they tended to occupy traditional women’s jobs, without becoming involved in law enforcement or foreign policy positions. As at the United Nations Secretariat itself, strategies to support gender equality needed to be translated into affirmative action.

CLAUDE STANISLAS BOUAH-KAMON (Cote d’Ivoire) said the rate of illiteracy in rural areas was 79.5 per cent in his country, compared to 39 per cent in urban areas. Rural women provided most of the agricultural output. Their income, however, was less than 22 per cent of that of men. Measures to bring about women’s equality had to be worked into development programmes. His country had taken numerous steps to bring that about.

Despite the great effort of his country and international partners, he said there was inadequate correlation between research and the sociological context. A national action plan for women had been dovetailed into national development plans. It was based on various action programmes adapted to the first approach in implementing the Beijing Platform for Action. While adapted for regional needs, the Government’s efforts were impeded by reality. His country allocated 52 per cent of its budget to servicing debt, money which could have been turned towards programmes for advancing women’s rights.

ADELA HACHEMI FARHADI (Afghanistan) said the situation of women in her country was extremely serious under the Taliban occupation. Great violations of the rights of women and girls, including all sorts of discrimination, were taking place. The Taliban refused to allow women access to health services and did not allow for their free circulation in the country.

The Taliban had done everything to constrain women, she continued. Women had no right to work and could not leave their homes. Widows with children did not receive assistance, nor could they work. The situation had worsened since the military occupation of the Mazar-e Sharif a year ago where the last University where women could still study was closed. A new tragedy had occurred only two months ago when the Taliban had attacked the territories in the north of Kabul. According to United Nations estimates, about 40,00 had been deported to Kabul and some 75,000 people had sought refuge in the northern area of the country. In that area the Taliban forces were not present, but those displaced persons lacked medicines. Those displaced needed greater assistance from the international community.

AYADAH AL SAIDI (Kuwait) said his Government was giving women access to University. The rate of women who attended University had risen above 50 per cent. A decree had been signed which gave women full political rights to vote and to stand for elections. More laws were being promulgated to improve the status of women. Women in his country had equal rights to those of men.

Many women in his country were having psychological problems due to the consequences of the Iraqi occupation. Many had lost their relatives and others had family relatives in Iraqi prisons. There were still 605 prisoners in Iraq, seven of whom were women. The Iraqi Government had not given any information on their fate.

GUERDA AMAZAN CANTAVE (Haiti) recalled actions taken by her government and by women’s organizations in her country to address the twelve priorities set out in the Beijing Platform for Action. Even so, she said women were disadvantaged. Seventy per cent of the country’s women, who comprised 52 per cent of the population, were heads of families who earned less than their male counterparts. Stereotypes were the major problem and they were passed on in school and through cultural acceptance. They were also upheld by laws. For example, with regard to adultery, laws were much more clement to men than to women. While women could sue for divorce on the basis of their husbands’ adultery, adultery with regard to men only applied if the man had kept the mistress in his home.

Awareness-raising and redrafting of laws were being implemented, she said. The problem of women’s inequality, however, was very complex. International cooperation was needed to overcome that inequality because some cultural and social values were very difficult to eradicate or alter. Laws did not change hearts, and only with difficulty did they change attitudes, she said.

JEAN DELACROIX BAKONIARIVO (Madagascar) said efforts had been made in his country to advance women’s rights, including changes in legislation. With the assistance of United Nations agencies, numerous mechanisms and forums had been established for building awareness about women’s rights. Educational programmes had been undertaken to elevate women’s position and to advance the integration of women into the development plan. Yet despite all those actions to promote social integration of those women, success had been limited.

It was hoped that solutions would be found to INSTRAW’s problems, he said. The special session of the General Assembly on women would reaffirm the role of governments and other players in implementing the Beijing Platform. The Preparatory Committee for the special session should take up such issues as mobilizing resources and giving women access to technologies and markets.

MARTIN BELINGA EBOUTOU (Cameroon) said women performed several roles in society -- as wives, mothers and daughters as well as agents of development. Their great value to humanity had not been recognized and their contribution to society had been undervalued. A normative framework that would allow for women’s full development needed to be established. The international community needed to give particular attention to women’s issues.

The UNIFEM’s activities in central Africa had been very helpful, he said. His Government had taken several measures to integrate the problems of rural women in national political programmes, and had adopted a multi-sectoral declaration entitled “Women and Development”.

Everything must be done for women and by women, he emphasized. The harmful impact of globalization on the advancement of women could not be overlooked. His Government had implemented policies aimed at improving the living and working conditions of women. Non-governmental organizations had greatly supported such efforts.

ELSA HAILE (Eritrea) said her Government had addressed major issues related to women through a series of legislative modifications which were necessary for societal change. For example, a macro-policy which addressed the causes of equality, poverty and backwardness of the majority of the population had been adopted by her Government. Also, Eritrea’s current constitution empowered women and ensured their right to participate in the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of national life.

While women in her country were increasingly using the legal system to safeguard their rights, lack of awareness of the existence of those rights was still an obstacle that prevented women from fully enjoying what they were entitled to as human beings. The national union of Eritrean women had been created to help tackle that problem.

CARLOS ENRIQUE GARCIA GONZALEZ (El Salvador) said subregional efforts supplemented national efforts in improving the situation of women who were at a disadvantage because of poverty. The human development index of a region and a country tended to suffer because of women’s disadvantages. Also, employment figures gathered from his region made it clear that gender inequalities existed. His region was environmentally vulnerable. The conditions resulting from that vulnerability were a reminder to all societies of their own fragility and vulnerability.

The international community had to help overcome such vulnerabilities, he said. Regional mechanisms were needed, as were conferences, meetings and regional plans. The Central American countries were committed to helping themselves, among other things by bettering the situation of women through development. That would be done through dialogue and coordination with agencies and non-governmental organizations.

SAMER NABER (Jordan) said substantial progress had been achieved in his country in regard to improving the status of women, much of it in the area of education. Access to schools was almost universal with enrolment rates at primary and secondary school levels slightly higher for girls. In addition, illiteracy among women had been reduced from 49.5 per cent in 1979 to 18.2 per cent in 1997. Positive improvements had also been reported in the health sector, including better maternal health and lower infant mortality.

Social obstacles still hindered the empowerment of women, as well as their full political participation in his country. However, those obstacles were not legislative in nature but could be attributed to gender stereotypes and psychological mindsets. Numerous workshops, seminars and training programmes which promoted women’s political and legal rights had been organized.

JUSTINE BIHOTORI (Burundi) said her country had set out priorities with regard to advancing women’s rights and equality. Those included the involvement of women in a culture of peace, in eradicating poverty, in education and in establishing institutional mechanisms for implementing their rights, including through the dissemination of information. The government had also set out goals at all levels of social life including goals in education and health. Despite the problems that had afflicted the country, programmes had been implemented to promote the rights of women.

The steps taken to implement the Beijing Platform for Action were encouraging, he continued. Burundi was putting the recommendations into action at the constitutional level. Laws were being changed for numerous issues affecting women’s life and welfare, such as a code of succession and statutes dealing with property rights. Much remained to be done, however, in terms of mobilizing resources to advance those steps

VIOLETA V. DAVID (Philippines) said her Government’s Social Reform Council, which was the highest policy-making body implementing the anti-poverty programme, had included the national women’s machinery among its members. Within the anti- poverty alleviation framework, programmes included land distribution and settlement, enterprise development and credit assistance. As part of the national action plan, some 70 government agencies had developed gender and development plans that covered activities including the conduct of gender sensitiviy training, anti- trafficking measures and the empowerment of women.

Violence against women, particularly migrant women workers was of special concern to her country. Women in poverty usually migrated and worked in lands that held promise of a better or more confortable life. “The international community should persevere in ensuring that these women migrant workers are provided adequate protection so that they are not exploited and abused nor their rights violated”, she emphasized. The issue of women migrant workers could be improved only through international cooperation and the world’s acceptance and implementation of international instruments that promoted and protected their rights.

VLADIMIR GALUSKA (Czech Republic) said that on 7 October, Niger had become the 165th Member State to ratify the Convention on the elimination of discrimination against women.

AIDES GONZALES MARTINEZ, Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), said she was pleased with the ratification of the Convention, which was one of six major instruments governing human rights.

Action on Draft

The representative of Portugal read the amendment she had already introduced regarding youth representatives in the delegations to the United Nations. That would be included as an operative paragraph after paragraph 15 of the draft, should the Committee approve it.

The representative of Senegal said last February his country had offered to host the fourth session of the World Youth Forum of the United Nations system in 2000. That offer had been accepted and a mission had been sent to his country to assess the facilities. The report was expected to be favourable and the date for the session had been set to be 26 November to 1 December 2000. Youth organizations had requested that the Forum be held in 2001 to give more time for preparation. To that end, he proposed an amendment that would change the date in operative paragraph 10 from 2000 to 20001.

The representative of South Africa thanked Senegal for acceding to the youth groups’ requests.

The representatives of Portugal and India said they supported the amendment proposed by Senegal.

The Committee then approved the draft without a vote. The representative of the United States said, for the record, that her country had joined consensus on the draft based on the understanding that its activities would be funded outside the regular budget and that the decision to hold the next conference of the Ministers of Youth in Turkey would be decided at a later date.

The representative of Turkey said his Government had offered to host the second World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth together with the fifth session of the Forum. He had said in his statement on the agenda item that his country was ready to organize those events in 2002. Details of the important occasions had not been finalized. He said he regretted the statement by the representative of the United States.

The representative of South Africa aligned himself with the statement made by the representative of Turkey.

* *** *