From DEBRA@oln.comlink.apc.orgTue Aug 22 02:32:23 1995 Date: Sun, 20 Aug 1995 10:10:00 +0100 From: Debra Guzman Reply to: beijing-conf@tristram.edc.org To: beijing95-l@netcom.com, beijing-conf@tristram.edc.org Subject: USA on Beijing 4 [The following text is in the "ISO-8859-1" character set] [Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set] [Some characters may be displayed incorrectly] U.S. Department of State 95/06/16 Focus: 4WCW Update on Preparations Bureau of Public Affairs Focus on 4WCW Update on Preparations The UN Fourth World Conference on Women(4WCW),to be held in Beijing, China, September 4-15, 1995, is intended to stimulate increased activity at all levelsfrom local to global--to improve the status of women and promote equality between women and men. At the conference, the U.S. delegation will be discussing ways to ensure that women are full partners in their families, communities, and nations, as well as on a worldwide basis. The UN Fourth World Conference on Women is important to Americans because women everywhere want strong families, economic security, access to basic and better education and health care, participation in all levels of decision-making, personal safety, legal rights, and basic equality. U.S. Priorities At the conference, the United States aims to promote the advancement and empowerment of women and to build on the commitments made at other important UN conferences: the 1985 Women's Conference in Nairobi, the 1992 Environment and Development Conference in Rio, the 1993 Vienna Human Rights Conference, the 1994 Cairo Population and Development Conference (ICPD), and the 1995 Copenhagen Social Summit (WSSD). The U.S. will provide leadership on the following issues: -- Human rights of women, including actions to end violence against women; -- A life-span approach to health and education; -- Efforts to balance work and family responsibilities of both women and men; -- Economic security; -- The importance of the participation of the non-governmental sector as partner in building communities--locally, nationally, and internationally; and -- The full participation of women in political and economic decision- making. U.S. Delegation The U.S. Government has appointed a strong team to lead the official delegation to the UN Fourth World Conference on Women. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will serve as Honorary Chair of the Delegation; no decision has been made about her attendance at the conference. Ambassador Madeleine K. Albright, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, will chair the Delegation; Donna Shalala, U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services is Co-chair. Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Timothy Wirth is Alternate Chair, and former Member of Congress Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky is Deputy Chair/Director of the Delegation. Veronica Biggins, former assistant to the President, will serve as Vice Chair. Other members of the delegation currently include Lynn Cutler of Washington, DC, Maria Antonietta Berriozabal of Texas, Arthenia Joyner of Florida, Dorothy Lamm of Colorado, and Linda Tarr-Whelan of Washington, DC. The White House is expected to name the full delegation by early summer. Global Prepcom The final preparatory committee negotiating session, or "Prepcom," concluded its pre-conference work in New York City on April 7, 1995. During the three-week session, delegates discussed the platform, to which they added a section on girls and young women and a one-page Declaration to accompany the draft Platform for Action (see box). The current draft of the Platform for Action contains distinct elements that reflect a developing worldwide consensus that the only way to bring about equality, development, and peace is to empower women by integrating them into mainstream society where they can work in partnership with men. Such a consensus did not exist 10 years ago at the Nairobi conference. Non-governmental organization (NGO) accreditation to the conference also was deliberated at the prepcom. There are now more than 2,700 NGOs eligible to send representatives to observe the World Conference. The status of the additional 1,500 NGOs still seeking accreditation will be determined at the 1995 Substantive Session of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, during June and July. NGO Forum Site Traditionally, there has been an effective working relationship between NGOs and governmental delegations at intergovernmental world conferences. In recent years, NGOs have organized parallel meetings known as "NGO Fora" that are held in conjunction with these conferences. The fora normally are located near official conference sites, thus facilitating dialogue among governmental and non-governmental representatives, and resulting in strengthened action plans. On June 8, Supatra Masdit, Convener of the NGO Forum, signed an agreement with the China Organizing Committee finalizing the site details for the NGO Forum. The official opening will take place at the Olympic Stadium (located across from the Beijing International Convention Center, site of the 4WCW) on August 30. The majority of NGO Forum activities will take place in Huariou at the Scenic Tourist Area, about 33 miles from Beijing. The agreement also calls for a satellite facility in Beijing near the conference site for participants at the NGO Forum to meet with Observer NGOs to the conference and government delegates. The U.S. Government is pleased that the UN, China, and NGO planners have reached agreement on what promises to be the largest gathering of its kind ever held. Recognizing a successful NGO Forum as an integral part of the World Conference, the U.S. will continue to work together with the UN, other member states, and the NGO community to encourage this outcome. Conference Logistics and Contact Information NGOs eligible to send representatives to the World Conference are receiving notification from the UN. After receiving notification, groups should immediately forward the names and addresses of designated individuals (up to two for national NGOs and five for international) to the Secretariat for the World Conference (see address below). The UN will mail confirming letters to all individual representatives in mid- August. All deadlines for application for accreditation to the official conference and registration for the NGO Forum have passed. NGO observer representatives can register for photo identification badges near the Beijing International Convention Center beginning August 28 upon presentation of a photo ID and individual confirmation letter from the UN. A photocopy of the UN's letter stating that the NGO has been accredited along with an original letter from the NGO stating that the individual is one of the group's designated representatives will also suffice. Visas to China will be issued by the Chinese embassy and consulates. Visas are valid only for three months and, therefore, should not be requested until late June at the earliest for NGO Forum attendees; early July for those participating in the conference. See box for information about visas to China. It is recommended that Forum and Conference participants consider purchasing travelers insurance to cover all reasonable contingencies for canceling your trip. Due to the change of site to Huairou, all Forum participants are required to fill out a "New Hotel Reservation Form" that is being sent out by the NGO Forum. The deadline for returning this new form to the China Organizing Committee is July 5, 1995. The address for the committee is: China Organizing Committee Fourth World Conference on Women and NGO Forum on Women Beijing '95 No. 15 Jianguomen St. Beijing 100730 P.R. China Phone: 861-5221133, ext: 3006 Fax: 861-5225329 State Department. Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Timothy Wirth established the Global Conference Secretariat to coordinate all U.S. Government preparations and follow-up for the conference. Ms. Theresa Loar is the Director of the Global Conference Secretariat. Contact: Global Conference Secretariat Room 1318 2201 C St. NW Department of State Washington, DC 20520 Phone: 202-647-3129 Fax: 202-647-4787 United Nations. Ms. Gertrude Mongella of Tanzania is the Secretary General of the Conference. Contact : UN Secretariat of the Fourth World Conference on Women Division for the Advancement of Women DC2-1234 Two United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-963-8385 Fax: 212 963-3463 NGO Forum. Ms. Supatra Masdit is the Convenor of the NGO Forum. Contact: NGO Forum on Women, Beijing '95 211 E. 43rd St., Suite 1500 New York, NY 10017 Phone: 212-922-9267 or 922-9268 Fax: 212-922-9269 (###) Public Participation The Global Conference Secretariat of the U.S. Department of State is sponsoring monthly public meetings to discuss preparations for the Women's Conference. All interested individuals are invited to attend. The meetings will be held 3:30-5:00 p.m. at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) auditorium in Washington, DC, 1900 E St. NW, on the following dates: July 11 and August 1. In addition, a series of substantive discussions on specific sections of the conference's Platform for Action are open to the public. These discussions will be held in room 1350 at OPM 3:30-5:00 p.m. on the following dates: Education/Girl-Child: June 19 Poverty/Economics: June 22 UN Systems/Resources: June 23 Diversity: June 30 There will be an additional meeting in New York on Thursday, June 22 to be held from 2:00-3:30 p.m. in UN Conference Room 2.(###) Other Information Sources Information Hotline. Department of State Global Conference Secretariat hotline for recorded information on public meetings and other special events related to the 4WCW is 202-663-3070 or, for the hearing impaired, TDD 202-647-3750. Special Needs Information. U.S. participants with special needs should contact the Global Conference Secretariat on 202-647-3129 several weeks prior to scheduled events so that reasonable accommodation can be made. Print Sources. Copies of the draft Platform for Action are available from the Conference Secretariat at the United Nations. Requests may be made by fax (dial 212-963-3463) or by writing to: Secretariat for the Fourth World Conference on Women Division for the Advancement of Women, Room DC2-1234 United Nations New York, NY 10017 Visa Information. The Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs publication "Foreign Entry Requirements" lists the address of the Chinese embassy along with all consulates in the United States. To request a copy by fax, dial 202-647-3000 and enter publication number 10007 at the appropriate prompt. Copies of this publication are also available at U.S. passport offices, listed in the blue pages of your local telephone directory. The information in this publication is not copyrighted; we encourage you to reproduce and disseminate this Focus to your colleagues and other interested parties. (###)