New York (ECA) — The Ist Plenary Meeting of the Twenty-third Special Session of the General Assembly, entitled "Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-first Century", popularly known as Beijing +5, opened on 5 June 2000 in the General Assembly Hall of United Nations Headquarters.
Participants at UNHQ and at NGO venues in the city represent 189 countries and some 1,200 NGOs. The speakers in the plenary sessions are a complement of executive- and ministerial-level men and women from all regions of the world.
They have been presenting high-level country assessments of implementation of the twelve critical areas of concern in the Beijing Platform of Action. The gains made are a source of pride and optimism, and information and best practices are being shared in plenary, and in the parallel NGO activities taking place at various other sites in New York.
Tanzania was elected Chairperson of the Session. The report of the Commission on the Status of Women highlighted the major issues by critical area of concern in the Beijing Platform, while the first three national assessments of on-the-ground implementation were delivered by Gambia, Gabon and Namibia, which put African presence and perspectives at the forefront.
The clear consensus of speakers on the first day of the Session WAS that substantial progress HAD been made in advancing the status of women but significant obstacles remained and recommitment was needed for accelerated implementation.
Informal consultations and working groups are a part of the process being used by the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole that has spent the last week or so writing the draft consensus document for submission to the General Assembly, after removal of bracketed changes and reservations and discussion in the plenary.
Various ambassadors and permanent missions in New York have joined the process and have been holding briefings and consultations with arriving national representatives to update the in-country situation and ensure the reflection of priority regional concerns in the outcome document.
The Africa Group in New York has been meeting formally and informally with national focal points and representatives of institutions to summarize Africa's interests and ensure their reflection in the outcome document. The priority issues consistently referred to by African delegations include globalization, poverty, health especially the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the crippling debt burden, the refugee problem and the need for peace.
The 1995 Beijing Conference unleashed a progressive force of shared values and shared objectives for addressing women's concerns locally, regionally and globally. That spirit of Beijing has spread in the last five years and the Beijing Platform has functioned as a roadmap and blueprint for action by governments, civil society and UN and other international organizations.
The Beijing + 5 process is showing that despite the gains made, much remains to be done and recommitment to full implementation of the Beijing Platform is being stimulated and inspired at all levels, against a background of heightened awareness of the concept and practice of gender equality. Beijing + 5 entails assessment and also planning for fresh initiatives, setting new targets and time frames, and selecting monitoring and evaluation benchmarks for targeted and accelerated implementation in various priority areas selected by member States.
The spirit of Beijing has inspired tremendous movement forward on many fronts, and although five years is a relatively short time period, there has been marked increase in political commitment and public awareness and gains have been made on many fronts. Sectors cited where advances have been made include education, health, political, legal and economic empowerment, increased budgetary allocations for gender mainstreaming and targeting of gender-specific activities. There is also increased awareness of the need to acknowledge the contribution of women and girls in the household economy to national accounts and national wealth. The call for gender equality is not just one of social justice but involves structural transformation of politics, law, economics and civil society.
Many countries have announced legal reforms, from the level of the constitution to the level of local government and grassroots participation through civil society activities. Affirmative action has helped to enhance women's participation in government and institutional bodies in many countries, although all countries still have a long way to go in achieving 50/50 gender parity. National gender policies have been established in most countries, at least on paper, and national machineries exist at various levels and are being upgraded and strengthened with human, technical and financial resources.
The consequences of armed conflict on women and children have heightened in Africa since Beijing, with millions of women and children victims. The need to involve women in conflict resolution and education for a culture of peace has been an urgent call from numerous delegations, especially from conflict-torn countries of Africa. The refugee problem in Africa is still largely unresolved, given the chronic nature of certain conflicts, and the slow response of the international community to assist Africans in distress.
Enhanced government and people partnership is more in evidence as part of the democratization momentum and the growth of civil society advocacy and action. This enhanced partnership represents one of the new paradigms guiding transformation and development of world civilization in the twenty-first century. CEDAW and other international legal instruments are increasingly setting the standards and gaining recognition in national legislation.
The growing feminization of poverty - poverty with a woman's face - is a concern noted by almost all delegations as an area requiring accelerated action, through education and training, job creation and income-generating opportunities, with a special stress on micro credit and village-level banking services, and access to land. It is now acknowledged that women head more than half of the world's households and need reliable economic bases. The effects of globalization and the marginalizing impact on women in many economies were also noted. Systematic review and planning are needed to maximize benefits and opportunities for women and girls in the globalized, liberalized world economy for which most Africans are not prepared.
The "women's rights is human rights" debate continues, but five years after Beijing, the concept is not in question, merely the modalities for institutionalizing respect for human rights for all. Continuing systematic discrimination against women in various sectors including the job market and access to decision-making positions, investment and credit, and access to land among others was reported by most countries despite significant gains recorded. Respect for human rights is being linked by many speakers to good governance and sustainable development and has been cited as the core issue at the heart of discrimination, inequality and conflict.
Many delegations are highlighting action being taken to prevent and punish violence against women and girls in the household and especially in conflict situations where rape and other sexual violations and mutilations are used as weapons of war to degrade women and girls, and rob them of dignity and life. Wider action against sexual trafficking and enslavement of women and girls by organized networks has been repeatedly called for because the evidence indicates that incidence of such enslavement and torture have increased instead of decreased.
The role of government in providing guidance, public assistance and resources has also been cited as vital to transformed societies. The Beijing Platform and the follow-up plan of action to the Beijing +5 Special Session is still the best option for a navigation chart to guide public policy and civil society commitments.
The role of men and boys in ensuring effective and sustainable social transformation was highlighted by many delegations. Each country has a social debt to women to fulfill in the new millennium. Both sexes need determination to work in partnership to build nations where equality before the law and in practice is extended to all.
Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Minister of the Public Service and Administration in South Africa has been one of the most courageous and creative speakers in the first day's plenaries, breaking the taboo of silence on the issue of racism and xenophobia. She said that the problem of the colour line and the racial divide is preventing true partnership and collaboration in the purpose and spirit of the Beijing Conference and Platform for Action. She cited racism as a major cause of the gap between developed and developing nations and between rich and poor in the global family, especially when combined with gender-based discrimination against women. Ms Fraser-Moleketi stressed the need for restructured international development policies and institutions if globalization is not to be associated with poverty, destabilization and increased inequality in the developing world.
Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, First Lady of the Republic of Ghana and Chairperson of the Ghanaian delegation summed up the situation of women with a simple analogy. Progress made can be seen as "a glass half-full or as a glass half-empty".
Daily updates by the ECA Communication Team, related links on the Special Session on Beijing + 5 and the contents of a new CD-ROM launched by the African Centre for Women are available on the ECA Website at: http://www.un.org/depts/eca
For more information about ECA's participation in the Special Session, please contact: Lorna Davidson, Sophia Denekew or Mercy Wambui C/o Regional Commissions New York Office 31st Floor UN Secretariat New York Tel: +1-212-963- 6905 Fax: +1-212-963-1500 Email: cteca@yahoo.com
