Empowering women: ten years after Beijing; Commission on the Status of Women reviews intentions and actions.

On International Women's Day in 2003, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: "There is no time to lose if we are to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the target date of 2015. Only by investing in the world's women can we expect to get there."

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In 1995 in Beijing, China, the Fourth World Conference on Women adopted the Platform for Action--an agenda for women's empowerment, which stands as a milestone for their advancement in the twenty-first century. The Millennium Declaration, approved at the 2000 Millennium Summit, reinforced this Platform and has focused global efforts on achieving by 2015 the eight measurable and internationally agreed MDGs. These Goals have linked the implementation of the Declaration and the Platform for Action's twelve critical areas of concern (see box on page 13), both focussing on equal rights for women and empowering them, which benefit not only women but also their families and communities. When women have knowledge of and access to agricultural inputs, farm productivity increases; educating girls reduces not only malnutrition but also mortality rates; and a strong correlation can be proven between women's literacy and lower HIV/AIDS infection rates.

Reports such as "Beijing Betrayed", published by the Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), and of the Expert Group Meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, issued by the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, show how macroeconomic thinking, which ignores the structural nature of poverty and gender inequality, must be challenged if the Platform for Action and the MDGs are to be realized. Growing militarization and rising fundamentalism have created an environment that is increasingly hostile to women's human rights. Since Beijing, the market-driven policies, particularly changes in trade and finance rules, and the deregulation and privatization of public goods and services have in some instances increased poverty and intensified inequalities between and within nations, with women being the major victims. These growing inequalities caused a rise in both legal and illegal migration. While this has brought about new employment opportunities for women worldwide, it has largely been in the context of deregulated labour markets and expanding informal economies, which can mean insecure and exploitative work.

In the new millennium, transnational corporations have enormous power. Beijing Betrayed argues that it is becoming more difficult for the United Nations, as the most universal and legitimate global institution, to play its role, since international trade and financial institutions are becoming very powerful. This difficult climate does not increase the Government's political will to enforce the commitments made in Beijing. Women need action, resources and Governments that protect and advance their human rights effectively, Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, stated in March 2005 at the forty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The critical areas of concern are even more complex and intertwined, but the major dimensions of gender equality and women's empowerment remain economic empowerment, well-being and decision-making, she said.

Poverty cannot be eradicated without gender equality and women's empowerment, and this would require a change of traditional and cultural gender norms, Mirjam van Reisen of the Europe External Policy Advisors indicates in her report. Governments must encourage the harmonization of work and family responsibilities. But since 1995, the situation of women has actually worsened, with increasing unemployment and less access to social protection and public services. Statistics show that women in the United States are 40 per cent more likely than men to be poor, while in Latin America women's income amounted to only 39 per cent of men's.

While failing to effectively address the impact that macroeconomic policies have on national poverty, Governments often view microcredit as the solution to women's poverty, because they have a strong track record as prudent savers and borrowers in micro-finance programmes. But results are not always positive. In Bangladesh, for example, women get microcredit for economic support that is actually used by male family members, and are responsible to pay it back. Another crucial point for poverty eradication is women's access to land, which becomes more difficult with growing privatization. In most cases, traditional gender roles hold them responsible for ensuring family needs. Not only in the developing world do labour market discrimination and cultural and political mechanisms demote ethnic minority and migrant women to low-waged and low-skilled sectors; even developed countries seldom provide women with effective policies that reconcile family and working life. Although legislation exists in most regions to protect women against discrimination in the workplace, there is no policy to meet family needs and responsibilities with respect to flexible working hours and conditions. Equal pay and women's integration in non-traditional sectors are still an exception to the rule.

When it comes to overcoming certain obstacles to women's advancement, health is one of the most critical issues. "Nothing illustrates the disastrous effects of gender discrimination more starkly than the HIV/AIDS pandemic", UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louis Arbour said. In the last ten years, the number of women and girls living with HIV has rapidly increased. Director Desmond Johns of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) alleged that many of the traditional responses to the epidemic that focused on altering the way people behave did not work for women. In addition, "an estimated 529,000 women die each year during pregnancy and childbirth, with 98 per cent of those deaths in developing countries", said Jennifer Nadeau of the Alan Guttmacher Institute. The improvement of sexual and reproductive health was essential to achieving all the MDGs. The key service areas would be contraception, maternal health and sexually transmitted diseases.

Since 1995, the international community has made progress in building consensus on girls' education and the fight against poverty. Yet, the current situation calls for intensified efforts, as only 52 of 128 countries for which there are data would achieve gender parity in primary and secondary education by 2005, according to Saniye Gulsar Corat, Chief Coordinator for Women and Gender Programmes at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. "Gender equality issues are central to ongoing debates about the relationship between culture and development." Marco Ferroni of the Inter-American Development Bank considered that women's political participation was on the rise, but assured that "while the gender gap in education has narrowed, severe gaps in the quality of education remained, especially for indigenous populations". Despite progress in basic education, girls and women still face inequality, particularly as far as access to higher education. According to WEDO, other problems are related to school dropout, high illiteracy rates, and gender stereotyping.

There are still many steps to be taken to ensure women's access to information on an equal basis, encourage elimination of gender stereotyping in the media and favour their participation and access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). Sophia Huyer of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development asserted that access to new technologies "is difficult for many women". Referring to the promotion of e-learning as a critical point for women's inclusion in the ICT world, she said that this could be a very positive approach in both formal and non-formal education, as well as a strategy in segregated cultures.

Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Green Belt Movement (see UN Chronicle, issue 4, 2004), told the Commission that linking peace and the environment was critical to reaching peace and sustainable development. "One way to invest in peace is to take care of the environment, to manage our resources in a responsible, sustainable way, to share these resources equitably." She called on women to embrace the slogan, "reduce, reuse, recycle and repair", as they continued in their efforts for gender equality. Guatemalan Rigoberta Menchu, the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner, noted that the Mayan Quiche of her homeland had struggled for decades to gain rights as indigenous peoples, which included rights to their land. The number of women being trafficked in Europe is steadily rising. Unfortunately, protection is lacking and Governments are making only minor efforts to combat these crimes.

The UN Security Council adopted resolution 1325 (2000), which for the first time addressed the immense impact of war on women and called for an end to impunity for gender-based abuses during and after conflict. It demands the integration of a gender perspective in peace-making and peacekeeping activities, and for equal participation of women at all levels of decision-making in different stages of peace processes. However, Governments have barely started to integrate gender perspectives in conflict prevention and women are still underrepresented in foreign policy and at the decision-making tables. In keeping with the Beijing Declaration, most nations--90 per cent of UN Member States--have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. However, Beijing Betrayed reports that most Governments have not yet translated the Convention into concrete measures.

RELATED ARTICLE: Women and the UN: 1995-2005

1995 The Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing, China, in September, reviews and debates critical areas of concern and adopts the Platform for Action; the World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, in March, reflects a full range of women's issues and adopts the Copenhagen Declaration containing commitments that include achieving equality and equity between women and men.

1996 The second system-wide, medium-term plan for women and development outlines further ways of strengthening the work of the United Nations for women's equality, including the Organization's hiring practices, policies and programmes.

1997 The UN Secretariat achieves its target of placing women in 35 per cent of the posts subject to geographical distribution; the Secretary-General appoints a Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women.

1998 The Secretary-General endorses a family leave programme to help balance work/family life; a system for inter-agency mobility of female staff members is developed to increase experience and as an effective means of making available the resumes of spouses and/or significant others to UN organizations.

1999 A UN administrative instruction on "Special measures for the achievement of gender equality" applies to recruitment, promotion and placement of women and gives special exemptions to newly-hired women during a recruitment freeze; any post vacancies that fall short of the 50/50 gender distribution target should be filled up by a female, provided that her qualifications meet the requirements and are equal or superior to those of competing male candidates.

2000 The objective of improving gender balance is included in action plans on human resource management; the Secretary-General requests the cooperation of all departments and offices in the implementation of the administrative instruction on special measures and in the performance of managers in improving gender balance as a critical factor of appraisal.

2001 Training and evaluation service for peacekeeping operations is developed in a mission training package on "Gender and Peacekeeping"; administration and personnel chiefs at offices away from UN Headquarters are encouraged to actively pursue options for spouse employment.

2002 The Secretary-General decides to include in the performance appraisal of managers information on opportunities for the selection of women candidates and on progress made in improving women's representation, including efforts made to identify candidates.

2003 New objectives: attain a 50/50 gender distribution by 2006; a commitment to set concrete goals for the appointment of women as the Secretary-General's special representatives or special envoys in order to reach the 50/50 gender balance by 2015; and establish procedures for dealing with sexual harassment.

2004 At the 48th session of the Commission on the Status of Women: in a verbal update in response to General Assembly resolution, "Improvement of the status of women in the UN system", the United Nations Industrial and Development Organization extended the circulation of vacancy announcements to include associations for professional women throughout the world, contacts in the UN Development Programme's field offices in Asia and the Pacific, Africa and the Arab region, and specialized agencies with pools of expert candidates; the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reduced the seniority requirements at the P-3 level and above; and flexible, family-friendly policies were introduced.

2005 The Review and Appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women was held during the 49th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. In the Political Declaration adopted by the General Assembly at its twenty-third special session in June 2000, Member States agreed to "assess regularly further implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, with a view to bringing together all parties involved in 2005 to assess progress and consider new initiatives, as appropriate, ten years after the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action".

RELATED ARTICLE: Commission on the Status of Women Adopts New Resolutions

The Commission on the Status of Women, at its forty-ninth session in March 2005, held its 10-year review and appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. It adopted 10 wide-ranging resolutions on improving women's status, including six new texts on gender mainstreaming in national policies and programmes, the possible appointment of a special rapporteur on discrimination against women, trafficking, integrating a gender perspective in post-disaster relief, particularly in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, indigenous women and women's economic advancement. It also adopted four traditional texts on: women, the girl child and HIV/AIDS; the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW); the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan; and the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women.

The 45-member functional body of the UN Economic and Social Council earlier in the session, which focused on gaps and challenges in implementing the Beijing agenda, also held a ministerial-level debate that culminated in the consensus adoption of a declaration by which Governments emphasized that the full implementation of the Beijing documents was essential to achieving internationally agreed goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In a comprehensive draft text on mainstreaming gender perspective into national policies and programmes, the Commission reiterated that gender mainstreaming was a tool for effective policy-making and not a substitute for targeted, women-specific policies and programmes. Under a draft resolution on a special rapporteur on laws that discriminated against women, it urged Governments to intensify their efforts to revoke any remaining laws that discriminated on the basis of sex.

The Commission also called on Governments to conclude bilateral, sub-regional, regional and international agreements to address the problem of trafficking in persons, especially women and girls, and to adopt specific measures aimed at reducing demand, as appropriate, to complement the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. On indigenous women, the Commission recommended that Governments, intergovernmental agencies, the private sector and civil society adopt measures that ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous women in the implementation, follow-up work and monitoring of the Beijing Platform for Action and the MDGs.

By a new draft text on integrating a gender perspective in post-disaster relief efforts, particularly in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean, the Commission urged Governments to integrate a gender perspective in disaster preparedness, while a draft on economic advancement for women had the Commission, among others, called on Member States to eliminate discrimination, provide equal access and encourage women's and girls' participation in education at all levels.

In one of the four traditional texts adopted, on women, the girl child and HIV/AIDs, the Commission stressed that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls were fundamental elements in reducing their vulnerability to the disease, and emphasized that their advancement was key to reversing the pandemic. Another draft text would have the Commission welcome the active participation and contribution of INSTRAW to the review and appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome documents of the 2000 General Assembly special session. It also invited voluntary financial contributions to the United Nations Trust Fund for INSTRAW and stressed the importance of such contributions to enable it to carry out its mandate.

A draft text on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan would have the Commission welcome the Government's commitment to the full enjoyment by women and girls of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, the restoration of the active participation of Afghan women in political, economic and social life, the education of both girls and boys, and the opportunity for women to work outside the home. The Commission also welcomed the provisions of the new Constitution, the ongoing security sector reform processes, the peaceful and successful presidential election of 9 October 2004, the candidacy of Afghan women in both the presidential and vice-presidential ballots, and the recent publication of a report on transitional justice.

However, not all resolutions were adopted without a vote. The text on Palestinian women, sponsored by Jamaica on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, had a recorded vote of 38 to 1 (United States), with 2 abstentions (Canada, Iceland). By it, the Commission reaffirmed that the Israeli occupation remained a major obstacle for Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self-reliance and integration in the development planning of their society. It called for measures for the tangible improvement of the difficult situation on the ground and the living conditions faced by these women and their families.

--Vikram Sura 

Twelve Critical Areas of Concern for Women

1. Poverty eradication. Provide equal access to affordable housing, land, natural resources, credit and other services.

2. Education. Close the gender gap in both primary and secondary education by 2005.

3. Health. Strengthen health services to reduce maternal mortality ratio.

4. Violence. Take legal and social measures to prevent violence and eliminate trafficking in women.

5. Armed conflicts. Increase women's participation in conflict resolution.

6. Economic disparity. Ensure equal pay and treatment; provide equal access to resources, employment, markets and trade for women.

7. Power-sharing. Achieve gender balance in government bodies and women's equal participation in power structures.

8. Institutions. Integrate gender perspective in all legislation, public policies, programmes and projects.

9. Human rights. Encourage ratification and promote implementation of international human rights treaties.

10. Mass media. Ensure women's access to information, and eliminate gender stereotyping in the media.

11. Environment. Involve women in environmental decision-making and integrate gender concerns in sustainable development policies.

12. Girl child. Ensure that girls have equal access to education and health care, and develop a positive self-image.