GA/SHC/3585

IN CONTINUED REVIEW OF PROGRESS ON WOMEN’S ISSUES, THIRD COMMITTEE HEARS VARYING ASSESSMENTS OF POST-BEIJNG PICTURE

While governments were responsible for implementing goals towards women's advancement, international cooperation was the indispensable tool for accomplishing it, the representative of Algeria told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) this afternoon as it met to continue considering issues related to the advancement of women. Also under discussion was implementation of follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women, including the five-year review at the 2000 special session of the General Assembly.

Continuing, Algeria's representative said the objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action had not been met for a variety of reasons in different countries, including economic imbalances, the adverse effects of globalization, economic adjustments or other problems. The mechanisms for implementing mandates already existed and coordination would make them effective.

The representative of Liechtenstein also said it was up to governments to create a gender-sensitive legal environment at the same time that women became involved in decision-making at all levels. She welcomed the new targets for achieving a fifty-fifty gender balance in the United Nations, including in peacekeeping missions and peace negotiations, appointments of special envoys and the pursuit of good offices on behalf of the Secretary-General. She emphasized that the point had been stressed at the Millennium Summit, while Namibia had brought the issue to the Security Council.

With so many outdated practices still dismissive of women, the representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea called on the international community to take responsibility for the human rights of women. He said priority should be given at the international level for nations to promote the proper attitude, enact laws and introduce social policies to improve women's lives and well-being. The atmosphere for women's advancement would also become more favourable as women became more involved in the United Nations system on terms of equality.

The representative of the International Labour Organization (ILO) said that from ILO's perspective, all women were working women. However, since much of their work was unpaid, it remained invisible in official statistics. Further, women were over-represented in precarious categories of employment and also among the un- and under-employed. In the formal sector, they were subject to gender discrimination in hiring and promotion. Finally, there was a risk of replicating

Third Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/SHC/3585 15th Meeting (PM) 9 October 2000

gender discrimination in the new information and communication economy, where the specialized new skills were often a male preserve.

Political parties in her country had introduced quotas for increasing participation of women at all levels of national politics, the representative of Nepal said. As a result, the situation of Nepalese women had improved.

Also stating their views this afternoon were the representatives of Nigeria on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, Brazil, Viet Nam, Ukraine, Andorra, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan and Iraq.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 10 October, to continue its consideration of women's advancement, along with implementation of the Fourth World Conference on Women, including the five-year review at the 2000 General Assembly special session.

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Third Committee Press Release GA/SHC/3585 15th Meeting (PM) 9 October 2000

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to continue considering issues related to the advancement of women and the implementation of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, including the 2000 five-year review at a special session of the General Assembly. (For background see Press Release GA/SHC/3583 of 6 October.)

SIMEON A. ADEKANYE (Nigeria) speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said that notwithstanding the positive developments in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, particularly the 12 critical areas of concern, some old obstacles still existed. The impoverishment of women remained a major obstacle due to the debt burden in developing countries. Regrettably, efforts at debt relief through such programmes as the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative had been ineffective. Women continued to bear the brunt of debt restructuring programmes. He believed that an urgent and definitive resolution of the debt problem, including outright cancellation, would free resources for development in poor countries. That, in turn, would strengthen the capacity of those countries to pursue development-oriented policies that would have a positive effect on women’s lives.

He said that globalization presented a new challenge to movements aimed at gender equality following Beijing. While that phenomenon did present great opportunities, its negative impacts tended to fall disproportionately on women. The combined effects of globalization and structural adjustment programmes had led to the feminization of poverty and had undermined efforts to achieve gender equality. That situation was further compounded by a decrease in the amount of funding for development available through international cooperation. There was an urgent need therefore to devise innovative approaches to achieving women’s empowerment. The international community should be more creative at finding ways to achieve gender mainstreaming and increase women’s access to education and skills training.

Finally, he said that the Group of 77 and China was most concerned with the situation of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW). As one of only three United Nations agencies located in a developing country, it must be provided with the resources to ensure its continued operation.

AN MYONG HUN (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) said violence against women had become a serious social problem at the international level. Trafficking in women, rape and prostitution were often committed under the sponsorship of organized crime. Systematic violence such as rape and forced pregnancies usually occurred in conflict-affected regions. It was a relentless encroachment on the dignity of women.

In that regard, he said Japan's continued evasiveness about its past crimes against humanity created deep concern. That was particularly true with regard to the "comfort women" issue and related actions against Koreans during the first half of the twentieth century. The Japanese Government's attitude gave rise to forms of violence against Korean women and girls living in Japan today. He called for a formal apology and due compensation as an expression of strong political will for ending all forms of domestic violence.

In addition, he said, since there were many outdated practices that disregarded and humiliated women, the international community should take responsibility for ensuring the human rights of women. Only a proper attitude would enable the overthrow of outdated social practices, the enactment of practical laws to protect women, and the introduction of social policies to improve women's lives and well-being. Priority should be given to women's issues at an international level, and assistance should be increased for their advancement. Also, the international atmosphere for women's advancement would become more favourable as women became more involved in the United Nations system at a level of equality within that system.

CLAUDIA FRITSCHE (Liechtenstein) welcomed the new targets set out in the outcome document of the recent special session on women for achieving the fifty- fifty gender balance in all posts of the United Nations system. She said the involvement of women in decision-making at all levels was of particular importance. That applied to peacekeeping missions and peace negotiations, appointments of special envoys and the pursuit of good offices on behalf of the Secretary-General. The point had been stressed at the Summit, and Namibia had brought the issue to the Security Council, where it would be considered this month.

She said the outcome document of the special session had reaffirmed the responsibility of governments to design and implement policies promoting women's enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. It was up to governments to create a gender-sensitive legal environment. The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women would enter into force on 22 December, meeting one goal of the Beijing Platform of Action. The communication and inquiry procedures would enhance the relevance of the Convention. The Committee must be given the resources to carry out its broadened function, including in terms of staffing and facilities.

MARCELA MARIA NICODEMOS (Brazil) said that the feminist revolution was one of the greatest movements of the last twenty-five years. Indeed, since the First World Conference on Women in 1975, societies worldwide had experienced, in varying degrees, profound changes stemming from the women’s movement towards equal rights and opportunities. Therefore, despite the obstacles that persisted in achieving universal equality, she believed that there was reason to take pride in the accomplishments of the international community in its efforts to address the plight of women around the world. The role of the United Nations had been invaluable. The Organization had contributed to raising awareness on women’s issues, as well as promoting the idea of integrating the gender perspective into all areas of human activity.

Brazil, she continued, had been an active partner in the international efforts to draw a new paradigm for gender equality. The new dynamics for human rights launched by that country’s Government, together with open dialogue with civil society, had framed actions taken at the national and international levels. There was no doubt that Brazil’s women and girls were better off today than in 1995. They had greater access to quality education and healthcare, increased participation in the labour market, and better means of protecting themselves against domestic violence. However, many challenges remained. Women’s salaries still lagged behind men’s. Maternal mortality rates were high. There was also a need to recast the relationship between men and women on an equal footing, and to re-evaluate those functions traditionally defined as "women’s roles”. Most of those changes required the most difficult change of all: changing people’s minds and perceptions of the world around them.

BHUWAN DHURGANA (Nepal) said it was well known that without concerted efforts to uplift women, overall development of society could never be possible. In fact, the empowerment of women was the primary prerequisite for poverty eradication. It was therefore impossible to ignore that, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, the overall situation of women was far from satisfactory. Women, particularly in developing countries, faced daunting barriers to progress due to high levels of illiteracy, poor health, and traditionally stereotypical attitudes. The overwhelming majority were deprived of property rights, access to quality education and the opportunity to address their special health needs. It was important to recognize that the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action constituted a fundamental framework for national and international action aimed at gender equality and the empowerment of women.

She went on to say that as a party to the Convention, Nepal had enacted or revised laws in conformity with the provisions of that instrument. That process was still ongoing, but some areas that had been identified as priorities for the empowerment of women included adequate legal provision for the protection of women’s rights; education and skill training; and effective social awareness. Nepal also encouraged the active participation of governmental and non- governmental organizations, as well as local bodies, in preventing all forms of violence against women. Political parties had taken steps to increase the participation of women at all levels of national politics by providing quota stipulations in hiring and appointment policies. Because of those and other initiatives, the situation of women in Nepal was improving. And while some challenges persisted -- particularly the gender gap in education -- by emphasizing the important role of the family, Nepal would continue to make progress toward the full empowerment of women.

DALILA SAMAH (Algeria) said the objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action had not been met for a variety of reasons in different countries, including economic imbalances, the adverse effects of globalization, economic adjustments or other problems. It was up to governments to implement the goals for women's advancement, but international cooperation was the indispensable tool to accomplish that.

The means necessary to carry out the Beijing and special session mandates existed, she said. Between the compass of the Committee, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission on the Advancement of Women, the mechanisms were already at hand. However, better coordination between their activities would make for more effectiveness. For her country, the priorities for implementing the Beijing Plan were in the areas of healthcare, education, training and the inclusion of women at decision-making levels of society.

NGUYEN THI THANH HA (Viet Nam) said the two events providing the major impetus for the Committee's work were the special session of the General Assembly on women earlier this year, and the Millennium Summit of last month. The most critical aspect of those events was the strong reaffirmation, at the highest level, of the commitment to women's advancement. The Committee's role in carrying out the mandate included the continued analysis of national practices and concerns to help define appropriate global policies and measures.

She said Viet Nam had a National Plan of Action for advancing women by this year, and it was developing a new plan to the year 2010. However, the country was poor. Its per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was $352. It was facing tremendous challenges due to globalization. Women coped with great hardships in daily life, particularly ethnic minority women living in isolated rural areas. The Government took all those negative indicators into consideration for its national plans. It cooperated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to integrate the advancement of women into development policies. As those policy and legislative initiatives continued, Viet Nam continued to increase awareness of women's rights and to promote their participation in all aspects of life.

MYKOLA MELENEVSKY (Ukraine) said that with democratic reforms under way, Ukraine believed that gender equality would indeed be a platform for democracy. Gender equality would also ensure social justice and safeguard human rights. Under Ukraine’s Constitution, equality between men and women had been ensured by providing women with equal opportunities in social, political and cultural activities. Ukraine also endeavoured to create a national legislative base in compliance with generally acknowledged international norms in the field of human rights. With that in mind, Ukraine had adopted a Declaration on general principles of State policy concerning the family and women. He was also pleased to note that his country had recently adopted the Optional Protocol of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Despite continuous efforts to combat violence against women, much remained to be done. Recent polls had shown that almost 12 per cent of the nation’s women were effected by violence in their private lives. An important aspect of the issue of violence was trafficking in women and girls. The criminal laws of Ukraine provided punishment for such crimes by imprisonment. He called on the international community to recognize that Ukraine needed increased technical and financial assistance to continue its valiant efforts at stemming the tide of trafficking. Trafficking was an international problem, however. He therefore welcomed the work of United Nations agencies aimed at reducing and eliminating that challenge to women’s empowerment.

Finally, he said that without active participation by women in the democratic process and economic development, the objectives of gender equality would remain merely a dream. Equally, as long as men were not directly involved in practical activities to integrate gender perspective into all areas of everyday life, an equal society would never be possible. What was required was persistent and coordinated work on the part of the international community in order to build a free society based on equality and the full participation of both men and women, enjoying tolerance and a healthy respect for women’s rights.

ROSER SUNE PASCUET (Andorra) said that a milestone of the international community’s work in the area of women’s rights was the General Assembly special session “Women 2000”. That historic event had been dedicated to the further analysis of the Beijing proposals and identification of new strategies to promote the advancement of women. In that regard, Andorra was working towards implementing the provisions of the Convention and the Optional Protocol. Her country would continue to work diligently to diminish the violence that affected women, through programmes aimed at global awareness-raising and placing women on an equal footing with men. Education would be most important in that regard.

Turning to the situation of women in conflict, she said that both victors and vanquished were victims, and women and girls were almost always disproportionately affected. It was most important for the international community to work to reduce trafficking, and to increase access to quality health care -- with particular attention to HIV/AIDS -- when establishing policies on trafficking. She was in favour of an international action plan aimed at enhancing the lives of those suffering from AIDS. The international community should strive towards real equality, not just concessions laid down in text. A sure way to achieve such a reality was to increase women’s participation in political decision-making.

AICHA AFIFI (Morocco) said deeply rooted practices still deprived women of their rights in many countries of the world. Those living in deeply indebted countries were at a disadvantage in fighting such impediments to women's rights. Morocco had actively participated in preparations for the special session, in line with the importance it placed on the issue of women's rights. The King himself had affirmed that issue's priority during his very first speech from the throne in 1999.

Mindful of the need to promote the rights of women at both the national and international levels, she said Morocco had combined legislative and legal approaches to incorporate international instruments into its national policies and programmes. It had strengthened its national institutions and established a commission for women whose participants included ministers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Her country's firm political will to advance women's rights had manifested itself in numerous ways. It cooperated with agencies, gathered data and conducted studies, such as one on women in politics and another on the image of women in the media.

MUSMA MUSA ABBAS (Indonesia) said women comprised half of humanity and could no longer be denied their rights. The most important targets from the outcome document of the special session concerned those related to education, training, health and access to economic resources. A basic need was to mainstream a gender perspective into national environmental policies and programmes, including through income-generating activities, if the persistent problems of environmental degradation were to be overcome.

Indeed, she said, gender mainstreaming was a main element of her country's national development policies. Each department and agency reviewed the gender impact of current policies and filled gaps by involving women in ways giving them access to national development. The first priority was to expand economic growth so as to reduce unemployment and poverty. She endorsed the activities of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and called for an international "zero tolerance" policy regarding violence against women.

SHAMSHAD AHMAD (Pakistan) said that despite the international community’s achievements since Beijing, violence and the exploitation of women in various forms and to varying degrees remained endemic to all societies. Regrettably, increased wealth and widening poverty both contributed to that phenomenon, while affluence had contributed to the promotion of sex markets and sex tourism, poverty made women susceptible to exploitation. That fact was amply reflected in reports which stated that every year, nearly 700,000 women and girls became victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation by affluent societies. It was imperative for the international community to address those problems in the spirit of cooperation and solidarity and without recrimination or finger pointing.

Pakistan, he continued, attached high priority to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Women in his country had risen to the highest level of political office. Today, there were seven women Ministers in positions in agencies covering women in development, as well as education and health, and law and justice. Since Beijing, Pakistan had focused its attention on strengthening institutional and administrative actions for the advancement and empowerment of women. Some of the steps the Government had taken since “Women 2000” in June included establishing the permanent National Commission on the Status of Women. The Commission’s mandate included examining the measures taken by the Government aimed at gender equality, monitoring the mechanisms and institutional procedures for redress on violation of women’s rights, and developing and maintaining an interactive dialogue with non-governmental organizations. The Government had also reinforced its effort to reduce the incidence of poverty in the country. Finally, he was convinced that universal access to quality education was the most effective vehicle to for achieving empowerment and equality.

FELA HESAN AL-RUBAIE (Iraq) said that, undoubtedly, the equality of women and the eradication of all forms of violence against them were of vital importance to the international community. Equally important was increasing women’s participation in decision making, thus ensuring a comprehensive view of human rights. Throughout the ages, women in Iraq had enjoyed extensive human rights in law. In the course of social and economic developments, the Government had promulgated legislation based on tradition and heritage, recognizing the rights of women to equal education and health services. All that was aimed at improving their economic and social status. Iraq’s achievements in that regard were crowned by its adhesion to all international conventions that addressed violence against women. Iraq had also established a national plan of action to ensure women’s empowerment.

All those achievements had been destroyed by the United States and United Kingdom embargo and destruction of Iraq’s infrastructure. That embargo was

having a most deleterious impact on women and children -- a fact that could be confirmed by international organizations such as the Red Cross, as well as United Nations humanitarian agencies. Studies had indicated that under the embargo, the present rate of maternal mortality had risen dramatically. Thyroid trouble, premature births, hepatitis and respiratory ailments were also on the rise. Pollution of the environment as a result of the use of depleted uranium ordnance had led to an increase in reports of various forms of cancer. The Iraqi Government had reported the severity of those situations to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women this year. It hoped that the international community was now aware of the disruption to Iraq’s development capabilities due to the “narrow political and economic interests” of the embargo by the United States and the United Kingdom.

YOUYOUN ZHANG, Director of the Bureau for Gender Equality of the International Labour Organization (ILO), said that from ILO's perspective, all women were working women. However, since much of their work was unpaid, it remained invisible in official statistics. Further, women were over-represented in precarious categories of employment, and also among the un- and under- employed. They bore the brunt of social costs and human suffering in times of economic crisis and armed conflict, with little or no social protection. In the formal sector, they were subject to gender discrimination in hiring and promotion. Finally, there was a risk of replicating gender discrimination in the new information and communication economy, where the specialized new skills were often a male preserve.

She recalled that the outcome document of the special session had advocated meeting women's basic needs at the same time as promoting their rights. The document called for national and international action to respect, promote and realize the principles contained in ILO conventions. The most recent, adopted in June, concerned maternal protection. It was a global consensus between governments, employers and workers on related issues of women's social security, human rights, occupational safety, employment and industrial relations.

She said the “Beijing+5” review had shown that gender equality and women's rights had gained recognition and that the discussion of gender issues had deepened. She endorsed Angela King's exhortation to focus on links between poverty and gender equality. Social progress could only be achieved if the global economy enabled all men and women to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. "We are concerned not only with increasing the number of jobs, but with the quality of jobs and whether they comply with core labour standards", she said, adding that ILO aimed to combat the vulnerability of workers falling outside the realm of existing social protection schemes.

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