Sixty-first General Assembly

Informal Thematic Debate

AM Meeting

EMPOWERING WOMEN: NO OTHER CAUSE CAN HAVE SO MUCH IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF SO MANY,

SAYS GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT, AS THREE-DAY THEMATIC DEBATE CONCLUDES

“There is no other cause that we can commit ourselves to that can have as much an impact on the lives of so many,” General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa of Bahrain said today, calling on the international community –- Governments and individuals alike -- to muster the resolve to fully realize the shared goal promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women.

“We all stand to gain from women and men having equal opportunities […] we must move beyond words and deliver on the promises that we have made,” she declared as she wrapped up the Assembly’s informal thematic debate on gender equality and the empowerment of women, which opened Tuesday with an equally passionate call to action by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, and has featured the participation of nearly 80 United Nations delegations and some 28 Government ministers.

Sheikha Haya said that, during the debate, delegations had repeatedly emphasized that, without equality between men and women, the Millennium Development Goals would remain out of reach.  Speakers had also stressed the importance of a two-track approach to achieve gender equality and women’s economic and political empowerment.  First, gender equality needed to be mainstreamed into legislation, national budgets and in macroeconomic and social policies.  Second, targeted interventions, such as quotas for political representation, were needed to support women.  In particular, they had stressed the powerful role microfinance could play in empowering women economically and socially.

“However, though we have made progress in many areas, we must not forget the scale of the challenges that lay ahead,” she said, adding: “If we are to achieve gender equality in the twenty-first century, we must intensify our collective efforts.”  The international community had a collective duty to ensure that women and girls, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable, also had the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.

The special debate on women marked the second such event convened by Sheikha Haya.  The first, on “Partnerships towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals: Taking stock, moving forward”, was held this past November.  The next one, on “Civilizations and the challenge for peace” will be held 10 and 11 May.  This week’s meeting included panel discussions on such topics as “women and decision-making” and “empowerment of women, including microfinance”.  It also coincided with the fifty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women, also being convened at Headquarters, and International Women’s Day, which was commemorated today.

In his opening address, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that increased engagement of women, while “a goal in itself”, was “also a condition for building healthier, better educated, more peaceful and more prosperous societies”.  Despite global compacts and international legal instruments to shrink the gap between the genders, violence against women and girls, underrepresentation of women in decision-making positions, undervaluing of women’s work and unbalanced educational opportunities for girls still persisted, he noted.

“Changing this requires all of us -- women and men -- to work for enduring change in values and attitudes,” said Mr. Ban, who stressed that actions must be taken on several fronts immediately, including boosting male participation in the household and family care; ensuring women’s access to education, health care, property and land; and challenging stereotypes and practices detrimental to women and girls.

Both Mr. Ban and Sheikha Haya called on member States to study closely the recommendations issued earlier this year by the High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence, which they hoped would lead to the creation of an entity that could inspire country-level changes and spur stronger accountability on the part of individuals, communities and nations.

“We should be open to any options that can give the systematic and sustained attention needed to achieve the standards set out in the United Nations Charter, the Millennium Development Goals, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Platform,” Sheikha Haya said.

Statements were made this morning by the representatives of Fiji, Solomon Islands, Suriname and France.  The observer for the Holy See also spoke, as did representatives of the International Organization for Migration, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization.

The General Assembly will meet at a time to be announced.

Background

The General Assembly met this morning to conclude its informal thematic debate on promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women.

Statements

FILIMONE KAU ( Fiji) said the importance of the role and contribution of women in national development could not be overemphasized.  They were crucial to the eradication of poverty, elimination of diseases, conflict resolution and to the overall attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.  The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action deserved full support, as it provided effective mechanisms for the promotion of the principle of shared power and responsibility and women’s active participation in decision-making in all spheres of life.  Fiji was proud of its own progress.  The Government was working to review laws to give women equal rights in all areas.  Several mechanisms to promote gender equity had also been established.  Fiji was the first Pacific Islands Forum country to begin incorporating family-life education and reproductive health into its national secondary school curriculum.

He said the Government was also concerned with the plight of rural and disadvantaged women.  Specific programmes had been included in development plans and budgets to assist women in the fields of business, health and education.  The promotion of small and micro enterprises was key to providing employment opportunities for women.  The positive role women played in conflict resolution and peacebuilding could not be overemphasized.  With political commitment and strong effective partnerships, women’s empowerment could be realized.  Much of Fiji’s progress was largely due to the collective efforts of Government, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations and regional and international bodies.

HELEN BECK ( Solomon Islands) said that, as a country emerging from conflict, Solomon Islands believed that improving the welfare of women was a fundamental requirement for sustainable security and development. In her region, the 2005 Millennium Development Goals report showed that women remained disadvantaged in many areas. As many of the challenges facing women had existed long before the Beijing Platform for Action, she wondered if the international community had responded to the root causes of the problem over the years. Not enough attention had been given to economic empowerment of women. It was necessary to focus on the situation of rural women. Some 80 per cent of Solomon Islands’ women were located in the rural areas, participating largely in the agricultural sector of the economy. “We need a process that facilitates access to simple technology that enhances processing and export of raw agricultural products,” she said.

For Solomon Islands -- as a small island developing State, one of the least developed countries and a recipient country under international cooperation -- Goal eight on international partnership laid the foundation for implementing all other Goals. In that connection, she acknowledged the contribution of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands. At the international level, the United Nations system and regional institutions had much to offer. She called for closer coordination among United Nations agencies, with clear demarcation of responsibilities and accountability. 

The United Nations must remain the catalyst of change at the international level, reinforcing national efforts, she said. However, emphasis on governance must not be at the expense of creating economic opportunities for women. A fair and just trading system would assist small island developing States and least developed countries. Her delegation would also like to see closer engagement between international and regional processes.

ASHA BURKHARDT ( Suriname) said that her delegation was explicitly focusing on implementing the Beijing Platform for Action and the Millennium Development Goals in the existing framework of human rights instruments.  It was also necessary to pay special attention to the role of boys and men in achieving gender equality.

On taking concrete steps, she cited several, including the recent launching of the second Integral Gender Action Plan 2006-2010 and the establishment of a special committee for gender legislation.  There had also been, among other steps, the appointment of gender focal points at every ministry, the organization of workshops and training courses for public servants on gender awareness and the creation of special structures through the Gender Bureau.  In addition, women had become more visible in high diplomatic positions -- 41 per cent of ambassadors appointed were women and 18 per cent of cabinet ministers were women, she said.

JEAN-PIERRE LACROIX ( France) said that his delegation placed particular importance on the efforts of the United Nations to improve the status of women and ensure gender equality worldwide.  In March 2004, the French Government had joined with non-governmental organizations to improve the status of women in public, professional and private life, in line with the Beijing Platform for Action.  The initiatives, which had been written into the French Charter for Men and Women, sought, among other things, to ensure parity in political life for women, as well as men.  The Government was also pursuing a deliberate policy to ensure the highest possible participation of women in the labour force.  To that end, it had also boosted its child- and health-care programmes and encouraged women to return to work.

Nevertheless, women held just one quarter of the executive positions in the private sector, their wages were lower and their jobs were largely grouped in a few lower-paying sectors, he continued.  Women were often held back by pregnancy and family responsibilities.   France had enacted legislation to address some of those problems with concrete action.   France was also keen to promote equality in the private sector and in the work place in general and, to that end, had launched several programmes aimed at acknowledging and promoting innovative ideas and initiatives to boost women’s status, participation and advancement in the workplace.  Such ideas, plans and programmes would benefit both women and men and enhance economic and social development nationwide.

BERNARDITO AUZA, observer of the Holy See, said that the quest for equality between men and women needed to be accompanied by the awareness that equality went hand in hand with the recognition of both the differences and similarities between men and women.  Without such recognition, the struggle for equality would not be authentic.  He said that it seemed that the gender equality debate often seemed to be grounded in antagonism, pitting men against women, exalting one’s role and diminishing the other’s.  There was also the tendency to blur, if not entirely deny, the difference between men and women. True gender equality would only be achieved when the differences between the sexes were acknowledged and seen as a positive, he said, adding that the cultural elements of gender should also be understood in the proper context.

He said that empowerment of women meant increasing their social, political, economic and spiritual strength, both individually and collectively, as well as removing the obstacles that penalized and prevented women from being integrated into their respective societies. It also meant addressing the discrimination that excluded women from decision-making processes.  But women must be involved in decision-making, not only for reasons of equality, but for the insights they could bring to the process. That “feminine genius” would prove most valuable, since women played a major role in finding ways to solve some of the world’s major challenges. He said that empowerment meant equal pay for equal work, fair opportunities for career advancement and equal rights in the family.  It also meant that women who chose to be mothers were protected, not penalized.  Micro-finance schemes, such as the Catholic Relief Services programme, had led to wide-ranging improvement in the status of women, from achieving better family health to and taking a lead role in poverty eradication, he said.

ANKE STRAUSS, International Organization for Migration (IOM), said that it was imperative to seriously consider the great potential of all women, and more particularly of migrant women, who constituted almost half of the entire migrant population worldwide.  When the issues of gender equality and empowerment were transposed to the field of migration -- and poverty, as well as the vulnerability of women to abuse and exploitation, were added to the equation –- one could understand the dilemma of migrant women.

Successful migration was today a reality for millions of women, she continued, allowing them to move from a disadvantaged position within society to one where control over their own environment was possible.  In that way, it was one of the most effective ways of empowerment.  Furthermore, and particularly in the context of professional migrant women, despite living abroad they would often strive to contribute to the development of their country by associating themselves as investors with local partners, thereby creating jobs and stimulating all types of initiatives and projects.  The value of that was priceless.

KAREEN JABRE, Inter-Parliamentary Union, said a key measurement of women’s empowerment in society at large was their participation in politics.  In 1995, women had accounted for 11.3 per cent of parliamentarians worldwide.  Today, they represented nearly 17 per cent of legislators, representing a gain of some 50 per cent.  In 1995, Sweden had topped the ranking of women in parliament.  Today, Rwanda was in the lead, with nearly 49 per cent.  While the gradual progress over the past 10 years was encouraging, parity was far from being reached.  If current rates of progress continued, the Beijing Platform for Action target of 30 per cent women in parliament would not be reached until 2025, and parity would have to wait 50 more years.   The global increase, moreover, concealed significant contrasts from region to region.  The Nordic countries continued to lead the field with the highest number of women in parliament, followed by the Americas, which had reached a 20 per cent average of women in parliament. 

In contrast, women continued to be the least adequately represented in the parliaments of the Arab States and the Pacific Island States, she said.  There had been some progress, however, in the Arab States, much of which was attributable to stronger political will in favour of women’s participation in politics.  Women continued to face persistent challenges to their participation in politics. Several countries had implemented candidate quotas and other special measures to guarantee a minimum presence of women.  The overall increase in the number of women in decision-making bodies had been the result of strong political will; the adoption of electoral quotas and reserved seats; a sustained women’s movement; and political party commitment at the national level.  The first challenge for women in politics was gaining access to decision-making.  The second challenge was making a difference.  It was not only a question of rights, but also a question of effective and representative political functioning.

HANNAH BIBLE, of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization to the United Nations, said her organization was committed to strengthening legal policy, administrative and other measures for the prevention and elimination of all forms of gender inequality, including harmful traditional practices, abuse, early and forced marriage, rape and lack of equal access to education, health care and employment.  National gender equality policies existed in more than 120 countries, most of which, unfortunately, were rarely integrated into national development plans.  Her organization was a strong advocate for incorporating gender equality into laws and policies.  Without concrete integration plans and programmes, such efforts merely amounted to legal rhetoric.

In addition to an increased need for proliferation of women’s equality within national legislation was the need for such recognition within international law, she said.  Many violations of human dignity failed to be acknowledged as perversions when they were separated upon gender lines.  Regarding national legislation, the complex and often arduous work of articulating responsibilities and developing mechanisms for enforcement of gender equality legislation and redress had shown progress, yet it was still far from full realization.  State policies entrenched in law or custom, which upheld gender discrimination regarding land, inheritance and economic rights not only repressed women’s potential, but also hindered overall development. 

In closing remarks, General Assembly President SHEIKHA HAYA RASHED AL KHALIFA ( Bahrain), wrapped up what she said had been a “very productive” three-day debate, which had featured the participation of 76 Member States, including 28 ministers, and numerous observer delegations.  She also recognized the “relentless efforts” that non-governmental organizations and women’s groups had made to increase the visibility of the discussions on gender equality and the empowerment of women, including at the United Nations.

During the debates, she said, delegations had been reminded that without gender equality and respect for women’s human rights, there would be no progress in the area of peace and security. Participants had also heard that, without the empowerment of women, the Millennium Development Goals would remain out of reach. She recalled the stories of groundbreaking progress that had been shared during the debates, noting that many delegations had referred to their gender equality action plans to promote women’s economic and human rights. Many had also reported concrete progress in increasing women’s political participation in both public and private sectors.

She said the discussions had also highlighted the importance of a two-track approach to achieve gender equality and women’s economic and political empowerment. First, gender equality needed to be mainstreamed into legislation, national budgets and in macroeconomic and social policies. Second, targeted interventions, such as quotas for political representation, were needed to support women. In particular, delegations had stressed the powerful role microfinance could play in empowering women economically and socially.

“However, though we have made progress in many areas, we must not forget the scale of the challenges that lie ahead,” she said, adding: “If we are to achieve gender equality in the twenty-first century, we must intensify our collective efforts.” The international community had a collective duty to ensure that women and girls, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable, also had the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.

“There is hope in small gestures,” she said, referring to a video presentation yesterday during a panel discussion, which told the story of a young Bangladeshi woman whose life and dignity had been dramatically changed by just $10. She also stressed that gender equality had taken the biggest steps forward when it had been part of the advancement of broader human rights.

During the past three days, she continued, the Assembly had heard many demands to strengthen the role the United Nations played in efforts to uplift women.  Many had considered the current gender structures to be too weak to cope with the scale and urgency of the issues women faced today.  The international community should be open to any options that could give systematic and sustained attention needed to achieving the standards set out in the United Nations Charter, the Millennium Development Goals, the women’s anti-discrimination Convention and the Beijing Platform, she said.

She added that many delegations had endorsed the relevant recommendations that had been put forward by the High-Level Panel on System-Wide Coherence and encouraged all Member States to consider those suggestions in due course. “The Organization’s biggest constituency is, of course, women,” she said.  But, however much the international community learned from best practices and the challenges that had been overcome, the real issues lay in implementation. “We all stand to gain from women and men having equal opportunities,” she said.  “We must move beyond words and deliver on the promises that we have made.”

The promises that Governments had made so far to eliminate all discrimination against women needed to be realized, she said.  If the world was to achieve the changes that everyone wanted to see, there was no better motto than something Mahatma Gandhi had once said: “Be the change that you want to see in the world.”  There was no other cause that people could commit themselves to that had so much impact on the lives of so many.  “This can renew our hope and optimism for a better world, where all women have equality of opportunity to pursue their dreams and to claim their rights,” she said.

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For information media • not an official record