GA/SHC/3583

THIRD COMMITTEE BEGINS CONSIDERATION OF ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN, INCLUDING IMPLEMENTATION OF 1995 BEIJING CONFERENCE

Assistant Secretary-General Angela King Notes Recognition of Women�s Equal Role in Conflict Resolution

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) began its consideration of issues related to the advancement of women this afternoon, including implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995) and the special session of the General Assembly entitled �Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century.�

In an opening statement, the Secretary-General�s Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, Angela King, said that, as part of the Millennium Assembly's commitment to the Millennium Summit Declaration, the Security Council would consider the question of women and armed conflict on 25 October. That meeting would be a recognition of women's equal role in conflict resolution and the need to expand that role.

It was also a recognition of the disadvantages women faced, she added. The impact of conflict, poverty and the continuing absence of women in decision- making positions should be a priority concern for the next five years. The focus should be on implementing successful practices. The Commission on the Status of Women was the only intergovernmental body concerned with women and it should evolve rapidly to meet the challenges.

Also this afternoon, Yakin Ertuk, Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women, presented an update of the Division's work. She highlighted the Division's coordination work and its mainstreaming of gender issues into the United Nations system.

Introducing the Secretary-General's report on the International Research and Training for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), the INSTRAW Director, Eleni Stamiris, said INSTRAW was the only United Nations body that uniquely planned, organized and delivered its work programmes by using new technologies to empower women in the twenty-first century. However, if it did not receive adequate funding for programmes during the critical 2001 time frame, it would have to close its doors.

Flavia Pansieri, Deputy Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), introduced the report on that agency�s activities. She said there

Third Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/SHC/3583 13th Meeting (PM) 6 October 2000

was a pressing need to concentrate on strengthening and stepping up implementation of national plans of action to achieve gender equality. Linking women to markets, and supporting greater access to and influence over new information and technologies, were strong and strategic priorities.

Aida Gonzalez Martinez, Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), reported on activities related to monitoring implementation of the Convention. She said a total of 250 periodic reports on State compliance had been reviewed, which augured well for implementation. The Protocol to the Convention was valuable for creating awareness of both gender equality and stereotyping.

Statements were also made this afternoon by the representatives of France, on behalf of the European Union, South Africa, on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Bangladesh, Japan, Senegal, Cuba, Lebanon, Iran and Chile.

The Committee will meet again at 10:00 a.m. Monday, 9 October, to continue considering issues related to the advancement of women.

Third Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/SHC/3583 13th Meeting (PM) 6 October 2000

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to begin considering issues related to the advancement of women. It will also consider the implementation of outcomes from the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995) and from this year's special session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century".

The Committee has before it the relevant sections of the Economic and Social Council's 2000 report and a report by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). It has reports by the Secretary-General on: follow-up to the Fourth World Conference and implementation of the Beijing Declaration; status of the Convention on eliminating discrimination against women; trafficking in women and girls; activities of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW); and improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat.

Also before the Committee is the Secretary-General's report on implementing the 1995 Fourth World Conference on women and this year's special session on women. A note by the Secretary-General transmits a report on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

Documents

The report of the Economic and Social Council for year 2000 (document A/55/3) is a preliminary version of the final report to be issued as document A/55/33/Rev.1. It covers matters calling for action by the General Assembly and matters brought to its attention, including advancement of women, social development, crime prevention and criminal justice and human rights.

Under the advancement of women, the Council adopted resolutions recommended by the Commission on the Status of Women on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan and the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women. The Council also adopted a resolution on revitalization and strengthening of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women.

The report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (document A/55/38) summarizes the work of that Committee during its twenty- second (17 January-4 February 2000, New York) and twenty-third (12-30 June 2000) sessions. The women's anti-discrimination Committee, the only United Nations human rights treaty body that deals exclusively with women's rights, is charged with monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

According to the report, the Committee, during its twenty-second session, held 22 plenary meetings and its working groups held 18 meetings. Among the many speakers that addressed the Committee during the session, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Gender Issues, Angela King, highlighted the work of the preparatory Committee for the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly entitled "Women 2000: gender, equality, development and peace in the twenty-first century", held in June.

The report states that the Committee, at its twenty-second session, considered the reports of eight States parties to the Convention, including the initial reports of India and Myanmar, the initial and second periodic reports of Jordan, and the initial, second and third reports of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Committee also examined the combined second and third reports of Burkina Faso and Germany, and the third periodic report of Belarus and Luxembourg.

The report goes on to note that the Committee considered the reports of seven States parties to the Convention at its twenty-third session, including the initial reports of Cameroon and Moldova, the initial and second periodic reports of Lithuania, and the combined second and third report of Iraq. The Committee also examined the combined third and fourth periodic report of Austria, the fourth periodic report of Cuba, and the combined fourth and fifth report of Romania. That session marked the first time that the Committee examined fifth periodic reports.

A note by the Secretary-General conveys a report on the activities of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (document A/55/271). The report provides a review and update on the programme and activities of UNIFEM for the year 1999. The past year had been significant in a number of ways. The first UNIFEM Strategy and Business Plan for 1997-1999 ended and the next Strategy and Business Plan for 2000-2003 was developed. There was also intense activity in preparation for the review of the Beijing Platform for Action. UNIFEM continues to focus on three thematic areas: strengthening women's economic capacity; engendering governance and leadership; and promoting women's human rights, and eliminating all forms of violence against women.

Fallout from the Asian financial crisis, accelerating globalization and trade liberalization, the growth of information technology and the feminization of property have led UNIFEM to explore ways in which rights-based approaches can become the ethics to guide globalization on the macro-, meso- and microlevels. It concentrates on expanding access to the resources women need to create sustainable livelihoods; advocating for economic policies that take gender into account; and making visible women's economic contributions to policy makers and ensuring women's economic rights.

Although women's participation is critical to building democracy and fostering social progress, the report states that women are underrepresented in decision-making positions in virtually all countries. UNIFEM supports a growing movement of women leaders around the world and promotes women�s leadership in all sectors and across many different development forums. The objectives are to foster women�s leadership; engender laws, programmes and policies that advance national, regional and international human development agendas to guarantee women�s empowerment and rights; and expand women�s participation in peace-building and conflict resolution.

In the realm of women�s human rights, the Fund's work focuses on eliminating violence against women and girls by investing in prevention, protection and advocacy strategies; enhancing the ability of women and their organizations to advocate for women's human rights nationally, regionally and internationally; promoting gender in mainstream human rights machineries and organizations; and assisting effective implementation of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

Also before the Committee is a report by the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (document A/55/293). It provides information on follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women by intergovernmental organizations and is the third such report presented, on a rolling basis in 2000, to the Commission on the Status of Women, the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly.

Section II focuses on the results of the 2000 substantive session of the Economic and Social Council in the areas of advancement of women and the implementation of the Platform for Action and gender mainstreaming. In Section III, the activities undertaken by the United Nations system are elaborated, as well as the means of implementation, including human and financial requirements.

The report states that, during the period under review, the United Nations system continued to follow up on the Fourth World Conference on Women. The main priority remains the mainstreaming of a gender perspective into programmes and policies, and there has been increased cooperation within the United Nations system and with other international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) regarding gender programmes. Aside from preparations for and participation in the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, the United Nations entities continued existing programmes or implemented new activities to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

The Committee also had before it the report of the Secretary-General on the status of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (document A/55/308) which provides information about steps taken in several forums of the United Nations and at the regional and national levels to implement the recommendations for action contained in General Assembly resolution 54/137 on the Convention. That resolution urged States that had not ratified or acceded to the Convention to do so in order to achieve universal ratification by the year 2000. By that resolution, the Assembly also urged States parties to limit or narrow their exceptions and reservations to the Convention, and to take appropriate measures to ensure that no reservations are incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention or international law.

According to the report, the Convention was adopted by the Assembly in December 1979 and was subsequently opened for signature in March 1980. The Convention entered into Force in September 1981. As of 1 August 2000, a total of 165 parties had ratified, acceded or succeeded to the Convention. In addition, three further States were signatories to the Convention. The latest countries to ratify were Tuvalu and Niger on 6 and 8 October 1999, respectively.

As of 1 August 2000, two States parties had deposited with the Secretary- General instruments of acceptance of article 20, paragraph 1 of the Convention. Turkey had deposited its instrument of acceptance in December 1999. From 1 August 1999 to 1 August 2000, reservations were entered by Niger to specific articles of the Convention. Objections were received from Finland and Germany to modified reservations entered by Maldives. There were withdrawals from Fiji and Turkey.

The report goes on to state that the Optional Protocol to the Convention, which entitles individuals and groups of individuals to submit communications concerning alleged violations of the Convention's provisions, was opened for signature, ratifications and accessions on 10 December 1999. On that day, 32 States parties signed the instrument. The Optional Protocol will enter into force on receipt of the tenth instrument of ratification by the Secretary-General. As of 1 August 2000, 43 States parties to the Convention had signed and five States parties had ratified or acceded to the Protocol.

The Secretary-General's report on trafficking in women and girls (document A/55/322) summarizes actions taken at the regional and national levels, as well as by the United Nations system, to confront the issue since the end of 1998. It describes the educational campaigns, protective measures and information initiatives adopted by States to curtail the practice. It also highlights specific legislation adopted by States to protect women and children from trafficking and pornography.

Within the United Nations system, the report states that the issue has been addressed through resolutions and recommendations aimed at preventing trafficking and enabling the reintegration of victims. At the operational level, those recommendations have been translated into action through a collaborative approach with United Nations partners and other organizations, including non-governmental ones. The issue was considered by a broad spectrum of the United Nations system this year, including by the special session of the General Assembly on women and the tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders in Vienna. The trafficking of persons, with an emphasis on women and children, is the subject of a protocol being drafted to the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime to be signed at Palermo in December.

Describing activities of the regional commissions, specialized agencies and other entities, as well as other international bodies such as the International Organization of Migration (IOM), the report states that the incidence of the practice remains unknown, but appears to be a growing problem. It recommends an address of the root causes, which include poverty, discrimination and inequality, which prevent women from exercising control over their lives. It also recommends adoption of measures at the international, regional and national levels to discourage traffickers while, at the same time, protecting the victims. Finally, it recommends sharing of information and best practices to determine the scale and operating methods of trafficking as a basis for legal and policy changes.

A report by the Secretary-General on the activities of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) (document A/55/385) outlines the efforts and progress made in the revitalizing of INSTRAW. It also highlights the persistent financial crisis the Assembly urgently needs to address. The report also contains a description of a feasibility study on the Gender Awareness Information and Networking System (GAINS). The study explains that, by using the GAINS system and methodology of work, INSTRAW would produce, manage and disseminate research-based knowledge to a wide range of stakeholders, users and beneficiaries. This would be done by means of a comprehensive, searchable, interactive database on gender-related issues; the actual conduct and production of collaborative research and knowledge generation by a network of professional researchers throughout the world; a think tank on emerging global issues and identification of research and training gaps and needs; and access to and delivery of online training and capacity-building. The feasibility study found that the transition of the INSTRAW programme of collaborative research and training on women to the global electronic network is both feasible and essential.

The Secretary-General continues to provide support to INSTRAW in setting up its new structure and method by encouraging voluntary contributions for the revitalization of the Institute. Efforts have been focused at several levels, such as the former and potential donors and interested Member States, permanent missions, national officials and United Nations organizations. Requests for support were also directed at private sector foundations and other sources.

At present, the Secretariat has not only complied with all requests of the Assembly to propose a strategy for the revitalization of INSTRAW, but has also exhausted all attempts to persuade donors to contribute adequate funds to the Institute. Despite all of the efforts undertaken, INSTRAW has not received the support and funds required to ensure its revitalization and long-term institutional sustainability. At this juncture, and in the absence of significant additional contributions, INSTRAW will run out of funds in the early part of 2001 and will be closed. The only alternative will be the immediate receipt by the Institute of substantial contributions by Member States, together with the assurance of sustained multi-year contributions that would ensure the full revitalization of the Institute over the long term.

The report of the Secretary-General on improving the status of women in the Secretariat (A/55/399) provides an overview of the current situation. It examines gender distribution, appointments and promotions of professional women and those in the general service, and related categories within the United Nations common system.

The report states that overall, women comprise approximately 39 per cent of the staff on appointments subject to geographical distribution, as opposed to 28 per cent ten years ago. Major shifts have occurred in the number of women at the P-5 to D-2 levels. There are now four women Assistant Secretaries-General. Over the past year, major increases in the representation of women overall were made in the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention. Issues of concern include the slowdown in which women are represented at the senior and policy-making levels (D-1 and above) and the decrease in the percentage of women appointed and promoted to the P-4 level.

Detailing developments since September 1999, the report examines the Steering Committee for the Improvement of the Status of Women in the Secretariat, the development of action plans to achieve gender balance in departments and offices, gender sensitivity and gender mainstream training, work/family agenda and the establishment of focal points for women in peacekeeping missions. In accordance with resolution 54/139, the Secretary-General wrote to heads of departments and offices to review their record in selecting women candidates in 1999 and to request their cooperation in the further elaboration of the gender component of departmental action plans on human resources management. Specific training programmes on gender issues in the workplace and gender mainstreaming have also been developed. The issue of spouse employment was singled out by the Administrative Committee on Coordination, at its session in October 1999, as a major concern affecting the ability to attract and retain women staff and was one of the issues identified for priority attention by the Quality of Work/Life Task Force.

In the coming year, priority will be assigned, in collaboration with the Office of Human Resources Management, to the identification of sources of women candidates for vacancies identified in departmental action plans, the evaluation of progress made in improving women�s representation based on the implementation of gender action plans, the refinement of strategies to increase the supply of women candidates and the examination of factors which impede the mobility of staff -- both Professional and General service -- across functions, occupations, departments and duty stations.

The Committee has before it a report by the Secretary-General on the implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women and of the 2000 special session of the General Assembly on women (document A/55/341). The report provides an overview of the provisions and recommendations for action contained in the Political Declaration and the final outcome document entitled, �Further actions and initiatives to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action�, adopted by consensus at the twenty-third special session for the General Assembly.

The report focuses on areas where the Platform for Action has been strengthened and reinforced, and on measures to implement it at the national and international levels by governments, the United Nations system, NGOs and other actors. It also focuses on recommendations that have immediate implications for action at the international level, including those requiring consideration by the General Assembly at its fifty-fifth session.

The report states that the Secretary-General intends to take a number of steps to follow up the implementation of the Platform for Action and the outcome document. These include ensuring adequate resources for gender training and for strengthening the Inter-agency Committee on Women and Gender Equality. Also, he will support the work of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and strengthen resources for gender mainstreaming throughout the United Nations system.

The General Assembly may also wish to request that governments, the United Nations system and all other actors take effective action on their political commitments to achieve full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Furthermore, the Assembly may wish to request that governments consider gender balance as well as competence and equitable geographical representation when nominating representatives to serve in intergovernmental bodies and committees. Governments should also provide adequate financial support to UNIFEM and INSTRAW, so as to enable them to carry out their respective mandates effectively.

Statement by Assistant Secretary-General

ANGELA KING, Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, said that the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly marked the culmination of a period of intense action on the part of Member States, United Nations entities, international organizations and NGOs to reaffirm their resolve to implement and strengthen goals aimed at social development, gender equality and the advancement of women. The Assembly also took place against the backdrop of the historic Millennium Summit and the consensus of world leaders on such fundamental values as tolerance, equitable distribution of costs and burdens, respect for nature and shared responsibility. It also took place at a time when the Secretary-General had called on the United Nations community to identify and act on the challenges ahead and reshape the Organization, so that it could make real differences to people's lives in the new century.

With all that in mind, the opportunity for decisive action and speedy progress had never been better, she continued. There was now a clearer understanding of the economic and social consequences of discrimination and the disadvantages women faced. The Committee, therefore, had a contribution to make to the work of the Millennium Assembly, to ensure that the decisions and recommendations of the World Social Summit (Copenhagen) and, particularly, the Fourth World Conference of Women (Beijing) were fully integrated into the work of other Committees. That was most important, as Beijing +5 had reaffirmed the Platform for Action as a blueprint for women's equality while updating the Platform in many areas including violence against women, empowerment, health, education, human rights, armed conflict and debt relief. It had been said that if governments demonstrated the necessary political will and allocated the human and financial resources required, the goals of gender equality, development and peace would become a reality very early in the twenty-first century.

She said that there was, indeed, cause for such optimism, as there had been significant advances in the area of women's human rights during the period since Beijing. But satisfaction with some progress should not distract the international community's attention from the many challenges that remained. With gender issues, along with social and human rights now being discussed within the broader context of global development, it was clear the �dominating trend� of globalization perhaps posed the primary challenge in the period following Beijing. And while globalization certainly had productive forces, there was an absolute need to ensure that women did not bear the brunt of its negative effects. Critical to ensuring that globalization was a �force for good� was the integration of broadly shared values and practices that reflected global social needs, as well as strategies to ensure that all the worlds people shared its benefits.

She went on to say that globalization produced related challenges that included the impact of conflict, trafficking in girls and women, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the continuing absence of women in decision-making positions. A formidable challenge was also poverty. �We must be aware that without reducing women's poverty in particular, our goal towards alleviating and eliminating poverty would be flawed�, she said.

Continuing, she said that, although the recognition of women as equal partners and actors in conflict prevention and settlement was among the greatest achievements of the recent past, women�s roles as peacemakers and peace-builders must be expanded. On International Women�s Day, the Security Council recognized the central role of women in conflict resolution. Now, Member States had to ensure that such momentum was further accelerated. The debate in the Council on 24 October on women in armed conflict was greatly anticipated. The Windhoek Declaration and the Namibia Plan of Action on Mainstreaming a Gender Perspective in Multidimensional Peace Support Operations had set the framework for what could be done. The work to implement the Report on United Nations Peace Operations �- the Brahimi Report -- needed to incorporate the Windhoek Declaration Plan of Action.

Implementation of successful practices should be a priority concern for the next five years, she said. Nothing could be achieved, however, unless the focus and working methods of the Commission on the Status of Women -- the only intergovernmental body concerned with women -- evolved rapidly in order to meet the challenges ahead. �The challenges facing us are enormous. It will take the concerted action of all partners -- new and traditional -- to overcome them.� The United Nations had done an enormous amount of work to place gender issues on the policy agenda, and the Organization -- along with its agencies -- had the potential to provide the world with a credible forum for addressing the problems.

YAKIN ERTUK, Director, Division for the Advancement of Women, made an introductory statement with an update of the Division's work. Touching on the documents before the Committee, she noted the Division's coordination work, its participation in the special session on women earlier this year and its activities for mainstreaming gender into other sectors of the United Nations system.

ELENI STAMIRIS, Director of the International Research and Training for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), introduced the report of the Secretary-General on the revitalization and strengthening of INSTRAW. She said that it could now be said that a very promising, �new� INSTRAW had been achieved. INSTRAW had become the only United Nations body that uniquely planned, organized and delivered its work programmes by making use of new technologies, as the ultimate tool to promote women�s empowerment in the twenty-first century. The concrete mechanism to accomplish that empowerment was Gender Awareness Information and Network System (GAINS). It was important to note, however, that unless INSTRAW was provided with sufficient resources to ensure the sustainability of its new programmes during the critical 2001 time frame, the agency would close its doors.

FLAVIA PANSIERI, Deputy Director of UNIFEM, highlighted priorities for UNIFEM that required strong commitments and collaboration from the global community to propel the work on gender equality forward. There was a pressing need to concentrate on the priority of strengthening and stepping up implementation of national plans of action to achieve gender equality. As an operational agency, UNIFEM's most valuable contribution in ensuring the goal of gender equality was its support to national and local level efforts. The programme was designed to support action by governments, civil society and United Nations agencies. UNIFEM undertook that support by focusing on three thematic areas: strengthening women�s economic capacities and rights; engendering governance and leadership; and promoting women�s human rights and the elimination of violence against women.

There were three areas of follow-up in which UNIFEM stood ready to provide support: the undertaking of applied gender analysis of local and national budgets; bringing women to the negotiating table; and the elimination of gender- based violence. There was a need to improve national level data collection on the extent and nature of gender-based violence and for stronger mechanisms for enforcing new laws, as well as preventive and protective measures. Also, linking women to markets, and supporting women's enlarged access to and influence over new information and communication technologies remained strong and strategic priorities. Achieving gender equality represented a challenge that was too large to be the responsibility of any single institution or government. It was an undertaking that required the pooling of all human strengths and sources of creativity, and it was a responsibility that men and women must share equally, she said.

AIDA GONZALEZ MARTINEZ, Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), introduced the report on CEDAW�s work. She said that the Committee, the only United Nations human rights treaty body that dealt exclusively with women�s rights, was charged with monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Committee had thus far held 23 meetings and considered 250 periodic reports from States parties on their compliance with the provisions of the Convention.

The new year, she continued, had been fruitful for the Committee and augured well for implementation of the Convention, as well as the equitable development and human rights for women. The Protocol to the Convention provided women with a further mechanism to protect rights in all spheres. It was also an excellent instrument for creating awareness for promoting equality and highlighting the negative effects of stereotyping. While the Committee was determined to carry out its best efforts, it was important to realize that it would need extra support. She appealed to the Secretary-General for increased human and administrative resources to help its members carry on their work.

Question and Answer Segment

The representative of Cuba asked what aspects of the situation of women would be brought before the Security Council. She expressed concern about the Council's involvement in social and humanitarian issues, and about the possible closure of INSTRAW.

Ms. KING, Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the Secretary- General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, said the Security Council would consider the question of women and armed conflict. The format was still being worked out. There would be two meetings, one of an open consultative nature on 19 or 23 October. The other meeting, on 24 October, would be a formal meeting. With regard to INSTRAW funding, she said development funds could be used only for projects and not for the core fund. Contributions to the core fund could only come from Member States.

Ms. STAMIRIS, Director of INSTRAW, said her funding machineries were intended to mainstream gender issues and could not be used for INSTRAW core funding.

Ms. PANSIERI, Deputy Director of UNIFEM, said it was a good opportunity for the Security Council to look into the issue.

Statements

CAROLINE MECHIN (France), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that, in June at the General Assembly special session �Women 2000�, governments had strongly reaffirmed their commitments to the Beijing Conference and the Platform for Action. It was decided that the Platform must be the basis for all actions aimed at promoting and ensuring gender equality. She attached great importance, in that regard, to the Platform�s 12 critical areas of concern as essential in advancing the idea that women�s rights should be considered human rights. Of those areas of concern, several deserved particular consideration: violence against women; women�s participation in decision-making; the eradication of poverty; and education, identified as the key to women�s advancement.

She went on to say that, repeatedly during �Women 2000�, representatives of world governments, as well as member States of the Union, had reiterated the notion that gender equality was not a concern only of women. In order for equality to be successfully achieved, the participation of both men and women was required. Both men and women should be able to share the same rights and participate in decision-making in all spheres. Indeed, gender equality required equitable distribution of responsibilities -- not just at the political level -- but the domestic level, as well. The most important challenge, in that regard, was reconciling private life with work life.

While the Union welcomed the progress made at the special session, there had been some disappointment that the outcome document did not mention sexual rights, nor did it take into account the progress made at the special session on population and development on such issues as reproduction and abortion. The Union also regretted that the document did not mention the legislative measures taken by a number of States to end discrimination based on sexual orientation. It was important to note that the advancement of women went beyond the strict framework of Beijing +5. Those concerns transcended the work of all world conferences implemented under the aegis of the United Nations. It was necessary, then, to ensure that the main summits and conferences were followed up in a coordinated and integrated fashion.

The energy displayed at the special session must not abate, she said. The States must remain vigilant and ensure the particular aim of equality which would, in turn, ensure forward movement in the areas of violence, discrimination and the enjoyment of fundamental rights when policies were elaborated and budgets were drawn up. She called on all States to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its Protocol. Advancing women�s rights and guaranteeing equality between men and women were priorities for the Union. In that regard, steps had been recently taken to bring equity fully into existence in all the Union�s activities.

DUMISANI S. KUMALO (South Africa) said that it was intolerable that women had to bear the brunt of poverty, particularly in Africa. The empowerment of women was a priority for South Africa and, for a number of years, the subregion had been actively implementing an institutional framework for gender. A unit had been established to monitor the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Gender Plan of Action. Last year, SADC heads of State adopted special measures, such as legislated quotas, to ensure women�s political empowerment and have them occupying 30 per cent of the positions in political decision-making structures by 2005. In the area of access to economic resources, a gender analysis of the SADC Trade Protocol had been carried out, aimed at ensuring that women benefited from trade liberalization and globalization.

In addition to the HIV/AIDS crisis, sub-Saharan Africa continued to face the impact of other diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis. Malnutrition, deteriorating health services, lack of resources, natural disasters and conflicts had further aggravated the lives of women and children. The majority of the SADC members were parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The SADC called on all Member States to collectively work towards signing and ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention as soon as possible. The international community must accelerate the implementation of the numerous resolutions on the advancement of women, and translate shared values into action, particularly in view of Africa�s special needs in the face of poverty, the scourge of HIV/AIDS and underdevelopment.

PANNA KAISER (Bangladesh) said Beijing and its five-year follow-up plan of action offered a blueprint for empowering women. To translate words into deeds, several issues needed to be addressed.

First, poverty would have to be eradicated, she said. The feminization of poverty was still too real. Microcredit had proven successful in fighting poverty. Now, collective efforts between governments and civil society partners were needed. Also, international financial institutions needed to reorient poverty eradication approaches. Second, the destabilizing effect of poverty on women and the family, in the context of globalization, needed to be reversed. Also, anti-trafficking initiatives should be undertaken at the national, regional and international levels.

In addition, she said women's role in peacekeeping should be enhanced. Their peace-building initiatives in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Northern Ireland and Cambodia had proven the value of their contribution to peace. Further, women's human rights must be ensured using the guidelines of international norms. Women�s participation in policy-making at all levels must also be facilitated.

TSUNEKO YANAGAWA (Japan) said that the provisions of the Beijing Platform for Action, which set out the basic structures necessary for the promotion of worldwide gender equality, could only be successfully implemented with strong political will, serious efforts and intense dialogue among all concerned members of the international community. Five years after Beijing, it was important to re- emphasize that the Platform remained crucial to the empowerment of women, particularly those in developing countries. In that regard, Japan had taken the initiative in supporting the projects and programmes of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which sought to empower women in developing countries through the Japan Women in Development Fund.

She went on to share several of her country�s other initiatives in the field of the advancement of women. Japan was now formulating a Basic Plan for Gender Equality as a new national plan for action beyond 2000, she said. As a part of administrative reform of the central government, in January 2001, a new Council for Gender Equality would be established in the Cabinet. She noted that Japan recognized the importance of developing a legal instrument that would address the problem of trafficking, particularly of women and girls. In that regard, her country had been actively participating in discussions on the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its three protocols.

IBRA DEGUENE KA (Senegal) said issues concerning women, such as their participation in decision-making and preventing crimes against them, were of the highest priority. All discriminatory acts must be addressed. A forum on education for all, held in Senegal in April of this year, had resulted in a document setting out priorities for his country.

Since the forum in Dakar, he said, the importance of women's participation had been recognized. Women had been given decision-making roles in the Government and revolutionary measures had been instituted with regard to women and land. Microcredit programmes had been established. Women's civil and political rights had been strengthened, and steps had been taken to ensure equality between the sexes. To fight violence against women, a monitoring body would be established within the government at the national level. Its mandate and functioning would be based on the anti-discrimination Convention.

MERCEDES DE ARMAS GARCIA (Cuba) said a consensus had been reached at the special session on which of the Beijing targets had been achieved. The document produced at the session was revolutionary in setting out the conditions of women in the developing world. She listed data regarding poverty-related conditions and said a first priority was to counter violence against women. Subtle forms of violence -- such as domestic abuse -- must be eradicated, along with obvious ones -- such as genocide, which had special implications for women.

The document resulting from the special session was a complement to that adopted at Beijing, she said. National efforts must be complemented by international support in a policy without discrimination and without interference in the sovereignty of countries. Cuba had been one of the first to sign the anti- discrimination Convention. However, efforts were still ongoing, since economic and social goals had not been achieved. The special session had reaffirmed that food and basic needs should not be political tools. The Beijing document and the special session follow-up were a good blueprint for women's betterment, if they were implemented with humanity.

MOHAMED ISSA (Lebanon) said that he would focus his statement on his country�s efforts to ensure the promotion of women in all spheres and their involvement in decision-making positions, including at the political and diplomatic levels. Indeed, Lebanon�s First Lady had been the country�s representative at the special session, �Women 2000�. In compliance with the Beijing Platform, a law had been passed to create an agency for Lebanese women that had a cooperative, consultative function to the Presidency. That agency had played an important role in the struggle combating all forms of violence against women in the country. There had been amendments to national laws to ensure that women could transmit nationality to children who were not of Lebanese birth. Lebanon had signed and ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Government was in the process of reviewing policies on labour, social security and trade to bring them in line with that important legal instrument.

He went on to say that women�s progress was evident throughout the country. Women participated in all areas of the workforce, but the greatest numbers could be found in the public sector and education. Their numbers continued to improve, however, in the legal and diplomatic fields. Appointments of women judges and diplomats were on the rise. Their numbers were also increasing in the information sector. That had the effect of contributing to public awareness about women�s affairs. Finally, he said that his country was continuing to work tirelessly to do away with negative traditional cultural practices that reinforced stereotypes and encouraged inequality.

PAIMANEH HASTAIE (Iran) said that the five-year review process following Beijing had been a significant step forward in the international community�s collective endeavours to address various aspects of gender equality and equal rights for women. The outcome of that process had represented a delicate compromise between various political and cultural systems. As a testament to the determination and political will of Member States and other key actors to

implement the strategic objectives of the Platform, that outcome suggested further action and initiatives. At the same time, it highlighted obstacles and current challenges affecting full implementation of the Platform.

Several issues that had gained prominence since 1995 and now posed threats to the full implementation of Beijing included globalization, the continued spread of HIV/AIDS, lack of access to technological advances, increased drug abuse and the decreasing level of official development assistance. All those were indicators of persisting inequalities. It was, therefore, imperative to find practical ways and means to create an enabling and supportive environment, nationally and internationally, to overcome those indicators. Iran, in its turn, would continue to vigorously pursue implementation of the Platform for Action. Indeed, it had taken steps aimed at promoting respect for the human rights of women, thus elevating their status in a real sense and facilitating meaningful participation in all aspects of social life.

JUAN GABRIEL VALDES (Chile) said that situations still existed that were disadvantageous to women. Those were the areas in which the international community must focus its work in the immediate future. The information contained in the report of the World Population Survey 2000 was rather discouraging. It revealed that one third of the pregnancies each year were unwanted. That showed that, even though forums had been created to discuss the most varied issues, women in their day-to-day lives did not have the right to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive lives. They were deprived of the basic right to plan their family life.

The 12 critical issues identified in the Beijing Platform for Action continued to be critical, he said. The question was how to speed up the processes in order to ensure that women did not continue to suffer disadvantages. In that connection, Chile had begun a new phase of work through the "Plan for Equality of Opportunities between Men and Women 2000-2010", which sought to strengthen gender policies in public institutions. Over the past decade, the Government of Chile had identified as the following key thematic areas: education; work; participation; poverty; and family. While those areas were still valid, the agenda must now include challenges peculiar to the new century. Those included access by women to new technologies and the incorporation of women into the communications media.

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United Nations