GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION "WOMEN 2000" CONTINUES GENERAL DEBATE; SEVENTEEN SPEAKERS DESCRIBE EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE GENDER EQUALITY

Press Release
GA/9720

GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION ‘WOMEN 2000’ CONTINUES GENERAL DEBATE; SEVENTEEN SPEAKERS DESCRIBE EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE GENDER EQUALITY

The twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, meeting to review implementation of the Platform for Action adopted at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, heard from an additional 17 high-level speakers this morning.

Describing their national programmes of action, many speakers outlined their Governments' legislative efforts to ensure gender equality, as well as the steps to empower women and increase their participation in decision-making processes. They also described the main obstacles encountered by their countries. Most delegates noted the wage gap between the sexes, saying that women were still concentrated in low-income sectors of labour markets. Unemployment was high among women, and many of them encountered difficulties in seeking credit and receiving adequate training and health care. Most Governments were making efforts to bring women into the mainstream of public life and increase awareness of women's issues.

The five-day special session -– entitled “Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-first Century” -– began Monday and is devoted to reviewing progress in the main areas of concern for women identified in Beijing and considering further actions and initiatives.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova, Lidia Gutu, said that although substantial progress had been registered in some areas, there still remained the challenge of developing and implementing effective gender-sensitive strategies to reach the objectives of the Platform for Action. The best way to achieve gender equality in the twenty-first century was to base future initiatives on best practices and lessons learned from the review and appraisal process. The principles of the Beijing documents and the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women constituted a valuable framework for action.

Stressing the negative impact of the lack of equal access to natural resources and opportunities on women, Zimbabwe’s Vice-Minister of National Affairs, Employment Creation and Cooperatives, Christopher Matumbike, said that any meaningful development was unlikely, unless gender inequalities were addressed.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Employment of Belgium, Laurette Onkelinx, said that it was crucial to develop international labour standards that would affect the attainment of equality in the workplace. Three other

General Assembly Plenary - 1a - Press Release GA/9720 Twenty-third Special Session 7 June 2000 5th Meeting (AM)

priorities included measures to combat violence against women; enforcement of sexual reproductive rights; and development cooperation. Further, the process by which the developed countries promised to contribute 0.7 per cent of gross national product to official development assistance to help eradicate poverty must be fulfilled.

The Vice-President of Uganda, Wandira Kazibwe, underlined the need to devote more attention to peace and conflict, literacy and skills for survival. Countries bedeviled by debt must cry out more about debt cancellation. Uganda had put part of its cancelled debt into social programmes that also affected women. It was also necessary to create programmes for women with disabilities.

Speaking about the need to get women more involved in decision-making and implementation of national programmes, the Minister for Social Affairs, Advancement of Women and Childhood of Guinea, Bruce Mariama Aribot, said that it was particularly important to involve women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts. As a result of mass flows of people into the country, Guinea had the largest per capita number of refugees in Africa, and that was negatively affecting the infrastructure and economy of the country.

Also speaking in the debate were: Ministers from Cambodia, Costa Rica and Nigeria (on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China), the Vice- President of the National Assembly of the Lao People's Democratic Republic; the Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Community Development of Singapore; General Coordinator of the National Commission for Women of Mexico; Chairperson of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women of the Philippines; President of the Council of "Comunidade Solidaria" of Brazil; Chairperson of the National Committee on Women of Sri Lanka; the First Lady of Lebanon; Uganda’s Minister for People with Disabilities and the Elderly; and the representative of Tajikistan.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Assembly took note of the fact that Antigua and Barbuda had reduced its arrears below the level specified by Article 19 of the Charter. [By the terms of Article 19, a member of the United Nations in arrears in the payment of its financial dues to the Organization for two years loses the right to vote in the Assembly.]

The Assembly will reconvene at 3 p.m. today.

General Assembly Plenary - 3 - Press Release GA/9720 Twenty-third Special Session 7 June 2000 5th Meeting (AM)

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this morning in its twenty-third special session -- “Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-first Century -– to continue its general debate on review and appraisal of progress made in implementing the 12 critical areas of concern in the Beijing Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995).

Statements

SEPCIOSA WANDIRA KAZIBWE, Vice-President of Uganda: Something has been done in many countries, but many countries are still struggling to get women recognized. In many countries, the meaning of the word “gender” has to be explained. That word needs to be translated into all languages and all cultures. Many countries have said that they have the political commitment to implement the Platform for Action, but “political commitment” has to be defined.

My country believes that education is a very important area and that every girl and woman must have an education. Over 3.3 million girls are in school, thanks to a very progressive programme. But how do we keep those girls in school? The activists must continue asserting our ideas, so that the girls stay in school. A strong civil society is needed, and government should not fear it. A strong civil society is good for government. Civil society and government complement each other.

We should talk more about peace and conflict, about literacy and skills for survival. Those of us bedeviled by debt must cry out more about debt cancellation. Uganda has put part of its cancelled debt into social programmes that also affect women. We must look not only to women in general, but also to women with disabilities. Uganda has appointed a disabled woman as a minister who addresses problems of women with disabilities and elderly women. Those women are not represented by a country and I call on the President to break protocol and hear her.

FLORENCE NAYIGA SSEKABIRA, Minister of State, responsible for People with Disabilities and the Elderly, within the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development of Uganda: The leadership of women must make concerted efforts to involve women and girls with disabilities and elderly women at the international, regional and local level. The exclusion of those women is an abuse of their human rights. All players must commit themselves and ensure equal distribution of resources in the cause of women with disabilities and older women.

LAURETTE ONKELINX, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Employment, Belgium: Belgium is an example of a State in which gender inequality exists. Women are concentrated in low-income sectors and the average wage gap between the sexes is over 20 per cent. In addition, one of every five women has been a victim of family violence. Yet, Belgium’s equal opportunity policy has achieved several landmarks, particularly in education and in the political sphere. A campaign to protect women who experience sexual harassment, particularly in the workplace, has been launched and legislation developed. Presently, the Government is undertaking reform of the work week, so that members of both sexes could revamp their working lives to their convenience.

A number of other social areas still need to be addressed in the combat against injustice against women, including education, development policies, migration, trafficking in people and reproductive rights. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been useful in spreading information and in raising awareness on issues relating to equality for women. Also, labour organizations and partners have developed a number of successful employment policies. Belgium is convinced that the international instruments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and its Protocol, as well as the draft protocol on trafficking in people, would also be useful in achieving the goal of women’s equality.

It is crucial to develop international labour standards that will affect the attainment of equality in the workplace. There are also three other priorities: development cooperation, through the contribution of .7 per cent of gross national product (GNP) promised by developed countries towards fulfilling the goals for the eradication of poverty; national and international legislation to combat the scourge of violence against women, particularly those that concern cultural practices physically harmful to girls; and enforcement of sexual reproductive rights.

LIDIA GUTU, Deputy Prime Minister of Republic of Moldova: Although we register substantial progress in some areas of gender equality, there still remains the challenge of developing and implementing effective gender-sensitive strategies and methods to reach the objectives of the Platform for Action. My country believes the best way to achieve gender equality in the twenty-first century is to ensure that future initiatives are based on best practices and lessons learned from the review and appraisal process. The principles of the Beijing documents and the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women constitute a valuable framework for action.

The Republic of Moldova has adopted a national plan of urgent measures, setting up specialized committees to improve the status of women. Specialized structures have been created to address relevant issues in this respect. Projects on the advancement of women, health protection and reproductive rights are being implemented in cooperation with United Nations agencies and other international organizations.

The promotion of human rights and development of international legal instruments in this field have an important effect upon the development of gender equality. From this point of view, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, to which my country is a party, is one of the most important legal instruments. After the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action, the Republic of Moldova has focused its efforts on the development of long-term measures to implement the strategies regarding the creation of internal legislative and normative frameworks to ensure equal rights and opportunities.

At present my country, like other countries with economies in transition, is undergoing radical structural changes. Vulnerable segments of society, especially women, need increased social protection at this time. Limited financial and economic resources, however, have diminished the ability of State institutions to reach the objectives of the national plan. Unemployment has considerably increased, and unfortunately, 68 per cent of the unemployed are women. Violence against women and prostitution also represent a problem, for which we are trying to find a solution. The country has a high rate of maternal and infant mortality, and the level of medical assistance is still low.

MU SOCHUA, Minister, Ministry of Women and Veteran Affairs of Cambodia: Cambodia is a country in the process of recovery after decades of war and destruction of its social structures. The need for the inclusion and participation of women of Cambodia in the development process is not merely political correctness, but rather prerequisite for the country’s economic and social regeneration, a fact that the Royal Government is well aware of and dedicated to the implementation of change.

The Royal Government has taken steps to address the social and economic destruction caused by armed conflict and the emerging challenges of the introduction of the free market economy and globalization, which impinge on the lives of the women of Cambodia and of society in general. A full-time female minister of the Ministry of Women’s and Veterans’ Affairs was appointed after the election of 1998. Neary Rattanak -– Women are Precious Gems, the five-year plan, launched on International Women’s Day 8 March 1999 is to direct the operations of the Ministry in the medium-term. The plan elaborates a nationwide effort to examine the status and rights of women and to devise the means by which to bring women into the decision-making process at all levels.

In order to educate all citizens on the devastating social and economic consequences of trafficking in women and children, recently the Ministry launched a major national campaign on the Prevention of all Forms of Trafficking in Women and Children. Further, the Ministry of Interior in order to improve the capacity of the police, judiciary and prosecutors, has launched a program on Law Enforcement against Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking of Children. Such capacity-building and educational campaigns are expected to have a deep impact on the societal values and the physical protection of girls and women in Cambodia.

With regard to civil society, the social inclusion of women has been addressed by the Royal Government in the active encouragement and participation of women in the planning and management of local development, through elected village and commune development committees. Forty per cent of the members of these local development committees are women. This commitment to the inclusion of women in the decision-making processes was evident by the large participation of women in the 1998 national election and the entry of 14 women members, an increase from five, into the National Assembly.

BRUCE MARIAMA ARIBOT, Minister for Social Affairs, Advancement of Women and Childhood of Guinea: Major efforts had been made by various actors to implement the Platform for Action. However, further efforts are needed. In Guinea, the implementation of the Beijing decisions has taken the form of strategy guidelines adopted by the Government for 1996 to 2001. It is a framework cross-sectoral programme revolving around law and empowerment, education and training, strengthening the institutional mechanisms and health care.

The Government is working together with civil society and other partners. Structures have been established to inform women about their rights and provide legal assistance. Some discriminatory legal provisions were amended. The country has also adopted programmes on the elimination of poverty and improving women’s access to resources. Efforts are underway to promote schooling for girls, as well as other kinds of training. Projects on HIV/AIDS and population and health are being implemented. However, we still face obstacles. There is a low level of education, and few women are involved in the governmental structures.

We have to get women more involved in decision-making and implementation of national programmes. We have to strengthen our partnership with other actors, including NGOs. It is particularly important to involve women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts. Guinea is surrounded by hotbeds of tension and difficult emergency situations. Mass flows of people into the country have caused an unprecedented population explosion. Guinea has the largest per capita number of refugees in Africa. This situation has an impact on the infrastructure of the country and is negatively affecting the economy.

Aware of these difficulties, the women of Guinea have been mobilizing to make their voice heard and participate in building the future of the country. In January, the African Women’s Network, together with the ministers and parliamentarians of Guinea, organized a regional conference in Conakry on conflict prevention and resolution. Women are also participating in the efforts to find a solution in Sierra Leone. I appeal to the international community to help Guinea in its efforts to restore peace and security in western Africa.

GLORIA VALERIN RODRIGUEZ, Minister for the Status of Women, Costa Rica: Costa Rica is proud of its policies to ensure gender equity, and particularly of a policy which has the objective of guaranteeing the rights of minors, including pregnant teenagers and teenaged mothers. The State also considers the grave problem of violence against women to be a serious one. The democracy has broadened and been enhanced by political participation of women, an important pillar in providing impetus in all the country’s victories. Moreover, many of the country’s political and judicial mechanisms are required to set aside 40 per cent of elected and high posts for women. The upward process for gender equity, based on the guidelines of Beijing, led to the development of a national institute for women.

The State has recognized its obligation to guarantee equal rights since 1990. Since then, the achievements have resulted in a broad and coherent legal framework and in the past five years, legislation has been further developed to include issues relating to family violence, disabilities and pregnant women, among others. The commitment by the President to the protection of life is a reflection of the culture of Costa Rica and wishes of the people. The Government has also created a special standing committee that includes representation from the legislative assembly, the people’s tribunal, the committee on family violence and the judicial branch to work towards the common goals for achieving gender equity.

Those initial steps demonstrate that gender equity actions should not be limited to mechanisms and decisions, but must be part of overall policy areas. To ensure its longevity, it is imperative to develop institutional and budget capacities, and cooperate with civil society. Information systems should also be perfected so that gender equities could be clarified and determined and leaders must be accountable to society as is ensured in a democracy. Furthermore, women must be involved in highest decision-making spheres and be given options for better jobs.

ONECHANH THAMMAVONG, Vice President of the National Assembly of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, President of the Lao Women’s Union: Since the Beijing Conference, the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic has attached great importance to the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. The Lao Women’s Union is the national mechanism for the promotion of equal rights and the advancement of women. The Union has responsibility for overseeing the implementation of all Government policies and programmes related to women’s development and gender issues.

In the field of poverty eradication, women have developed their knowledge and abilities in planning, management, capital control and access to financial institutions. The health care sector has improved, with decreased maternal and child mortality rates and enhanced quality of life for mothers and children. In May 1999, the Government adopted the Population Development Policy, which emphasizes the need to promote the role and status of Lao women in the development process. Women have become aware of their rights and obligations and can now protect their rights and interests better than before. On the issue of female violence, measures have been taken to improve and disseminate penal laws to reduce and eliminate the use of violence against women. Activities to eliminate trafficking of women and children and prostitution have also been undertaken.

In the area of leadership, the number of female leaders has increased in the National Assembly. The percentage of female parliamentarians rose from 9.4 per cent in 1992 to 21.2 per cent today. While the implementation of these activities has brought success, the advancement and development of women continues to be thwarted by some obstacles, namely outdated traditions, the lack of qualified and competent female personnel and the lack of budgetary resources for women’s development. The Government has approved a Lao Women’s Development Plan, which seeks to promote women’s participation in economic development and poverty alleviation and to protect their legitimate rights and benefits. The Lao Women’s Union has a major strategic responsibility in achieving the long- term human resource development goals of the Government and in enhancing the participation of women in all levels of development, particularly at the grass- roots level.

AISHA ISMAIL, Minister for Women's Affairs and Youth Development of Nigeria, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China: For us in the developing countries, the implementation of the Platform for Action, in practically all the critical areas of concern, has been a remarkable experience. While progress has been recorded in certain areas, there have been difficulties in others. For developing countries today the quest for poverty eradication and improvement of education and health for women and girls remains a top priority. In pursuit of these goals, developing countries have reviewed and strengthened policies and programmes with a special focus on the needs of women.

Despite these achievements, its is imperative for us to recognize that our destination is still far away. New challenges have emerged and old obstacles still persist. Since Beijing, the world has witnessed a lot of radical transformation in the area of computer and information technology and the one word that captures that transformation is globalization. While the benefits of globalization have been recognized, the reality is that developing countries have been at a disadvantage. But, more importantly for this conference, it must be acknowledged that the negative impact of globalization is felt by women in developing countries. It is, therefore, necessary to critically examine how the issue of globalization is impacting on the empowerment of women in the developing world, to enable the development of appropriate programmes and harness the opportunities presented by this new trend.

A further impediment to the global commitment for gender equality is the debt burden, and the painful implementation of structural adjustment programmes, which hang like millstones around the necks of many countries in the developing world. Despite the willingness and cooperation of some countries of the developed world to relieve or cancel bilateral debt, and through such measures as the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC), the debt burden of the developing world, particularly in Africa, still remains very high. Certainly debt cancellation can release much needed vital resources and enable developing countries to commence the process of rehabilitating the totally destroyed social sector. Freedom from the debt burden will provide the means to positively impact on the provision of basic social services to the people.

CHRISTOPHER MATUMBIKE, Vice-Minister of National Affairs, Employment Creation and Cooperatives of Zimbabwe: Any meaningful development is unlikely as long as gender inequalities are not addressed. The lack of equal access to natural resources and opportunities has a negative impact on the social and economic development of women. Zimbabwe has drawn up comprehensive programmes to address the critical areas of concern identified in Beijing. The Government has recognized the need for partnership with civic and other non-governmental organizations to attain equality between the sexes.

Although the country has not as yet overcome the barriers in the way of full equality between the sexes, there has been great improvement in the legal situation in most sectors. The current land reform and resettlement policy identifies the objective of resettling families in a gender sensitive manner. Most development programmes have made a few strides in recognizing women in their own right with regard to land redistribution, agricultural training and access to credit. Increased efforts are still needed, however, not only in lobbying, but also in women’s participation in all economic reform programmes. The poverty alleviation programme has also been introduced.

With the assistance of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Government has embarked on a project on women in politics and decision-making. It is sad to note, however, that apart from an insignificant increase of 3 per cent in the number of women in local government and parliamentary positions, women in Zimbabwe are still relatively invisible in decision-making positions. Efforts are also being made to improve education of women, and the numbers of retention of girls at all levels of the education system have improved. A gender curriculum in favour of the girl child has been introduced.

While the concurrent crises of AIDS and the economic decline are critical challenges, it is important to keep achievements in mind. A successful programme of primary health care has reduced infant mortality and increased the use of modern birth control methods. Ninety per cent of pregnant women receive prenatal care. The rate of adult mortality from AIDS, however, has increased markedly. The impact of the epidemic on women’s health cannot be underestimated.

ANDRÉE EMILE LAHOUD, First Lady of Lebanon: In the last decade, we witnessed an alarming disparity in the development of large segments of the world population. The reasons reside in the sorry fact that the exploitation of humans by other humans became quasi institutionalized. And as always, humans exploited and denigrated others on political, economical, sectarian and ethnic grounds. These disparities were magnified further by the inequalities that existed between the genders. A drastic reassessment and, hence, a reappraisal of our positions, behaviours and policies vis-à-vis gender inequalities is long overdue.

Decades ago, we acknowledged the anchoring role of women in society. But, a genuine implementation of this ideal remains utopian at best. It goes without saying that women are the source of all humanity and, as such, the support of their causes becomes a support to humanity as a whole. Men and women have different but complementary roles to play. The Lebanese legal system guarantees the rights of women, but awareness of those guaranteed rights appears to be a privilege of the educated. The National Commission for Women Affairs and other NGOs are prompting women, especially at a younger age, to achieve levels of education.

The Israeli occupation of parts of Lebanon over many decades has pushed scores of widowed, imprisoned and displaced women to drop reluctantly out of school in order to earn a living and support their households. However, the ultimate price Lebanese women had to pay was the loss of a child or husband. Therefore, the Lebanese women played a crucial role in the liberation of Lebanon from decades of occupation and are once again called upon to participate in the formidable task ahead, namely that of rebuilding a wounded nation.

A quick review of the scope of dislocation and destruction in South Lebanon would make you aware that we are in dire need of assistance. Villages have been destroyed. There is no water, there are no roads, industries or even agricultural activities. Most homes have been destroyed. I call to all to please organize help as soon as you can for the region of south Lebanon, thus balming the insurmountable pains of this region and, by the same token, preventing these pains from overflowing into new catastrophes and strife.

RASHID ALIMOV (Tajikistan): The improvement of the status of women has been complicated by global changes, particularly globalization. Civil wars, international terrorism, inter-State conflicts, and other scourges have prevented any solution to the problem. Worse, a solution has not yet been found to the alleviation of poverty. The five-year long inter-Tajikistan conflict has caused about $7 billion damage to the country’s economy and the burden of that is being borne by the most vulnerable women and children -- 20,000 widows and an even greater number of orphans.

A limit has been reached in the State’s political and social upheaval and a new creative stage has arrived. With international support, the Government is taking steps to overcome the consequences of the civil war. The restoration of peace and security has opened up new opportunities for realizing social and economic goals. The Government has been indexing pensions, increasing educational opportunities and rebuilding its infrastructure, all of which are having a positive impact on the situation of women, who comprise the majority of the population. Furthermore, the new Constitution guarantees equal rights for women and men, and legal rights are enshrined in the family, health and education codes. Women have a free choice in reproductive health areas and this has led to a drop in maternal deaths from abortions.

A special approach is being undertaken, which is being implemented under the leadership of a woman. This approach has become the catalyst for introducing new initiatives, including the development of women’s intellectual and political potential. Women are becoming increasingly active, alongside men, in the restoration of peace to Tajikistan. During the past five years, some 54 NGOs have been established and 34 per cent of those are headed by women. Also, the Government is currently working on developing a market economy, which is opening up new opportunities for women. In collaboration with the UNDP, programmes are available for financing women’s entrepreneurship ventures and relevant micro-credit schemes have been set up. However, because of extreme poverty, many women are lowering their standards and allowing criminal elements to involve them in illegal activities, particularly drug trafficking. Also in the health sector, many qualified personnel, including doctors, have left the country and many hospitals have been destroyed.

YU-FOO YEE SHOON, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development and Sports, Singapore: The Platform for Action served as the guide in the State’s continuing process of formulating Singapore’s policies. In that light, in 1997 Singapore amended its Women’s Charter and its Penal Code to protect women from violence, to expand the legal rights of married women and to protect migrant domestic workers, who are mostly women, from abusive employers. Also, the State has adopted an equal opportunity policy that provides for equal access to basic social services, including education and health. In 1998, the literacy rate of Singapore's women was 89 per cent and in 1992 ownership of public housing by women was at 51 per cent.

Recognizing that working women face many challenges, the Government is giving those mothers generous tax incentives and employers are encouraged to grant them special leave if their children fall ill. By implementing other similar measures, the female labour participation rate increased to 53 per cent in 1999. There has also been an increase of professional women and more were now occupying higher positions of authority. Last year, for the first time, a woman became commander of a police division, a permanent secretary in the Civil Service, as well head of a statutory board. Many more new opportunities await women in Singapore, as technology will help them to better themselves. Moreover, in 1999, the Singapore Professional and Business Women’s Association launched a resource mechanism for female entrepreneurs.

GUADALUPE GOMEZ-MAGANDA, General Coordinator of the National Commission for Women of Mexico: Mexico, consistent with its foreign policy, has always tried to comply with its international commitments. These include the Belem do Para Convention and the Convention to Eliminate All Types of Discrimination against Women. And under the framework of this meeting, it is appropriate to mention the efforts to implement the Beijing Platform for Action.

In the educational sector, efforts have been made to eliminate inequities in the access for girls and young women to schools, and also to fight against sexist attitudes and contents in education. Additionally, programmes aimed at helping the rural, urban marginal and indigenous population of which women are a substantive fraction, are being implemented. This has led to an increasing presence of women in basic, technical and professional education. The feminization of certain disciplines should be noted, although there still persists high rates of female illiteracy persist. In the area of health, evidence of the achievements in this sector is the higher life expectancy of Mexican women, which is now 77 years. The rate of prevention and control of cervical and breast cancer has increased and family planning and reproductive health services have been expanded. Special attention has also been given to the prevention of pregnancy among adolescent girls.

Five years after Beijing, the situation of Mexican women has been substantially improved in every area. Nonetheless, we are still far from reaching our objectives. We still have to double our efforts to significantly reduce the maternal death rate and to eliminate poverty, especially among indigenous women, the disabled and the old. We will go on striving to incorporate the gender approach in the economic and social policies of Mexico. We hope to increase the presence of women in the decision-making process, so they will have the opportunity to participate in the construction of the nation.

AMELOU BENITEZ REYES, Chairperson, National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, Philippines: Since Beijing, the lives of Filipino women have been seriously affected by the financial crisis that hit the region. Globalization and its negative consequences have exacerbated the pressures on our energies, material resources and our capability to effectively implement the commitments made in the Platform's 12 critical areas. What has sustained our capacity to cope with the social, political and economic demands of an ever-growing population has been our commitment to strengthening the national machinery for the advancement of women, the first in Asia. Against the backdrop of the harsh realities that confronted us during this period, our Government, in partnership with NGOs and key civil society institutions, has endeavoured to honour its commitments as best it could.

A 30-year plan presented in Beijing facilitated the realization of the Platform through six-year implementation schedules that coincided with the Government's medium-term plan. This has served as an operational guide to the Government and all institutional partners in implementing the strategic objectives of the Philippine commitments to the Platform. Unlike other plans that failed for lack of resources, the Government also took the bold step of initiating an affirmative action in the area of budgeting, by legislating the Gender and Development Budget Policy through the annual General Appropriations Act. This Act directs all government instrumentalities to allocate no less than 5 per cent of their total budgets to implement the long-term development plan for women's empowerment.

Unless new sources of funds and resources are made available for national machineries, either at the global or at the national level, the prospects of achieving the objectives of the Platform in the next five years remains dim. A $1 billion trust fund could be established by an appropriate United Nations agency, such as the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank or other financial institutions, specifically for this purpose. National machineries should be given the authority by their respective governments to borrow at low interest rates for the continued implementation of the critical areas of the Platform.

RUTH CARDOSO (Brazil): The Beijing Platform for Action enshrines an ideal and a set of innovative guidelines that have exercised a decisive and motivating influence on women and on Brazilian society as a whole. Government support, the responsiveness and dedication of Brazilian congresswomen, the active and organized action of women and the media have all been influential in enhancing the quality of life for Brazilian women. In 1999, the Government established a national committee to identify specificities of that society in relation to the Beijing Platform. Working with civil society, the committee identified successes in a number of areas, including human rights, violence against women, education, health and effective poverty alleviation policies.

However, although there is a significant percentage of women engaged in the workforce, their pay still lags behind that of men, regardless of their educational level. To overcome that discriminatory practice, the Government has encouraged training programmes for the female labour force and an equal opportunity programme has been introduced in the civil service. Also, access to power has been slow, but women in Brazil have gained increased access to the media where their views are increasingly aired and there is growing editorial interest in their specific agenda. They also occupy key positions in that sector. Almost a half of all Internet users in Brazil are women and they are at the helm of 25 of the best cyber sites in the country, which suggests that there are new opportunities for self-expression and communication.

These successes are all indications that the work of the national committee has already borne fruit. The Government has decided to review the institutional status of the women’s rights programme by bringing it directly under the purview of the Office of the Minister for Justice. That Ministry has also been entrusted with the task of monitoring public policies as they relate to women’s issues.

MANEL ABEYSEKERA, Chairperson of the National Committee on Women of Sri Lanka: Historically and culturally, women in Sri Lanka have had a role of significance in society and enjoyed a high degree of equality, visibility and decision-making in the home and in society. We have a woman President, a woman Prime Minister and a woman Minister of Women’s Affairs. Women also provide the key financial inputs into the economy, when we consider the agriculture sector, the plantation sector, the migrant workers’ remittances and the garment sector. Girls have enjoyed free education with boys since 1945.

However, the unemployment rate for women is 17.5 per cent, as compared with 6.4 per cent for men. Women only have 0.9 per cent of senior official and manager functions in all major occupational groups, and violence against women continues in both domestic and public spheres. This picture of gender imbalance is not unique to Sri Lanka. The question arises, what more should be done to achieve gender equality and equity. We must accept women’s equality and equity as a human right. If women are to be equal, it implies a sharing role for both men and women, in the home and outside. Gender equality and balance cannot be

promoted piecemeal. It must be approached holistically through gender mainstreaming in every sphere of life.

Violence –- from domestic violence to terrorism and armed conflict -– has been a major deterrent to the advancement and empowerment of women. It is incumbent on us all -– men, women and the international community -– to eradicate the scourge of all forms of violence from the face of the earth, not only for the sake of the advancement of women, but also for the dignity and worth of all human beings. Let us, therefore, at this special session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, rededicate ourselves to sincerity of effort in a cause that simply cannot be ignored if humanity is to progress, and accept a new paradigm of shared male and female styles of leadership, responsibility and action for the good of all.

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