PRESS CONFERENCE BY COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN

 

Some 91 Member States, 2,000 non-governmental organizations and 130 girls –- a new feature this year -– had participated in the fifty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women, Carmen María Gallardo Hernández ( El Salvador), its Chairperson, said at a Headquarters press conference this morning.

She said that, besides the formal debate, panel discussions and high-level round tables held by the Commission, more than 200 side events had taken place during the session, which was expected to conclude today.  The two-week session –- devoted to the priority theme: “The elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child” -– saw the Commission continue to emphasize national-level implementation of commitments made at the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly.  The Commission’s consideration of substantive thematic issues was central to its work in defining a global policy framework for gender equality and contributed to the implementation of its recommendations at all levels.

Also speaking at the press conference was Vice-Chairperson Adekunbi Abibat Sonaike (Nigeria), who said the Commission had also taken up an emerging issue, “The elimination of all forms of violence against women” and evaluated progress made in implementing agreed conclusions on a critical area of concern already considered by the Commission at a previous session -- reviewing the role of men and boys in achieving gender equality.

At the end of its session, the Commission was expected to adopt its agreed conclusions on discrimination and violence against the girl child, which were envisioned as a comprehensive package addressing many issues, including poverty, education and gender stereotypes.  Should Member States agree on the text, it would provide practical measures to eliminate discrimination against the girl child.

Ms. Sonaike said the Commission had before it draft resolutions on women, the girl child and HIV/AIDS; ending female genital mutilation; forced and early marriage; and the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women.  The texts on early marriage and female genital mutilation were new and in line with the main theme of eliminating discrimination and violence against the girl child.

Ms. Gallardo Hernández said that, should anyone ask why the final conclusions were not ready on the last day of the session, she could say the Bureau did not wish to put additional pressure on the participants.  Hopefully, the session would conclude this afternoon, but should the Commission need more time, the main thing was to reach overall consensus on the topics under discussion.

Responding to a question about the proposed reform of United Nations gender entities, she said the Commission was part of the entire United Nations system reform process.  One of the Commission’s high-level round tables had touched on last year’s report by the High-Level Panel on System-Wide Coherence, which called for the Organization to greatly augment the prioritizing of women’s issues, including through a single, high-level agency dedicated to women’s human rights, gender equality and empowerment.  Commission members had taken that proposal seriously and expressed their views on the matter.  “The United Nations gender architecture is part of the framework where the Commission will have a possibility to enhance and carry on many of its own ideas, its own vision throughout the United Nations system and outside the UN.”

She said the High-level Panel had permitted the Commission to create awareness of the fact that, beyond the session, Member States needed to get together, according to their respective regional perspectives, and come up with a coherent vision of what they wished to see, as far as the Organization’s gender architecture was concerned.  That would be one of the main issues in the coming weeks, so that Member States could present their positions to the Secretary-General.

Asked about the theme of the girl child, Ms. Sonaike said the right of girls to equal treatment and opportunities had been on the international agenda for many years.  While the girl child question had traditionally been treated as part of the larger problem of discrimination against women, it must be seen on its own merits and as part of the 12 critical points of the Beijing Platform for Action.  Thus, the onus was on the Commission to ensure that the girl child was given her rightful position and to address discrimination and violence.  As of last year, the Commission had decided that one agreed conclusion would be negotiated during each session, to emphasize the importance of a particular topic.  Thus, the girl child had been the theme for this year.

Ms. Gallardo Hernández highlighted the strengthened ties between the Commission and the Economic and Social Council, emphasizing that, in the future, the two bodies must ensure even greater harmony in order to maintain momentum on gender-related issues.  The Commission would be “present and active” when the restructuring of the Economic and Social Council started in Geneva next July.

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For information media • not an official record