From DEBRA@oln.comlink.apc.orgFri Sep 22 13:41:10 1995 Date: Thu, 21 Sep 1995 11:44:00 +0100 From: Debra Guzman Reply to: beijing-conf@tristram.edc.org To: beijing-conf@tristram.edc.org Subject: UN5732: WCW: SG WOMENS CONFERENCE [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] ## author : unic@peg.pegasus.oz.au ## date : 19.09.95 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This information is provided by the United Nations Information Centre in Sydney for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. For further information, please call 283 1144. SG/SM/5732 WOM/869 18 September 1995 SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL IS ESSENTIAL FOR CONSTRUCTION OF JUST, DEMOCRATIC SOCIETIES FOR NEXT CENTURY (Received from a UN information officer.) BEIJING, 15 September -- Following is the text of the closing statement by United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, delivered by his Special Representative, Under-Secretary-General Ismat Kittani, to the closing meeting in Beijing of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Although I cannot be with you today, I have followed the developments of this Conference, with the closest attention. From New York, I say to all of you, delegates, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and the secretariat: Congratulations! All of us owe a debt of gratitude to the People's Republic of China. China has hosted one of the largest global conferences ever held, with some 17,000 participants, including 6,000 delegates from 189 countries, over 4,000 representatives of accredited non-governmental organizations, a host of international civil servants and about 4,000 media representatives. More than 30,000 people also participated in the NGO Forum. Thank you, China, for being hosts to the world. My special thanks go to the President of the Conference, Madame Chen Muhua. Over the years, as we met in Cairo, and Beijing, every encounter with Madame Chen Muhua strengthened my admiration for her calm efficiency and her capacity to solve problems almost before they arose. Madame Chen Muhua: you are the model of the strong and committed woman who will ensure the lasting and influential success of this Conference. I thank the Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Mrs. Gertrude Mongella. She has been the driving force of this Conference. In the difficult days of the preparatory meetings, in negotiations with national delegations, Mrs. Mongella, through her commitment to the cause of women, through her experience as a negotiator, kept the world on track to Beijing. I am confident of her continued devotion to this cause, as we go forward to implement the decisions reached in Beijing. Now the momentum of Beijing must be translated into concrete action. We must all ensure that the decisions reached here will change the world. The commitments made in Beijing are not only the result of diplomatic negotiation. Behind them lies the strong and organized power of the women's movement. The entire continuum of global conferences and summits has been shaped by the growing influence, passion and intellectual conviction of the women's movement. At Rio, Vienna, Cairo and Copenhagen the importance of issues related to the improvement of the status of women was stressed. From each of these global conferences emerged a more powerful recognition of the crucial role of women in sustainable development and protecting the environment; of the human rights of women as an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights; of violence against women as an intolerable violation of these rights; of health, maternal care and family planning facilities, and of access to education and information, as essential to the exercise by women of their fundamental rights. In the United Nations, the women's movement has a staunch ally. Starting from the assertion in the Charter, calling for full equality of men and women, the United Nations has worked with the women's movement to realize this goal of our founders. The Commission on the Status of Women was one of the first bodies established by the United Nations after its foundation. Over the past 20 years, world conferences on Women, held in Mexico City, Copenhagen and Nairobi, have contributed to the progressive strengthening of the legal, economic, social and political dimensions of the role of women. In 1979, the General Assembly adopted the landmark Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. The movement for gender equality the world over, has been one of the defining developments of our time. I am proud and honoured that the United Nations has been part of this movement. Despite the progress made, much, much more remains to be done. While women have made significant advances in many societies, women's concerns are still given second priority almost everywhere. Women face discrimination and marginalization in subtle as well as in flagrant ways. Women do not share equally in the fruits of production. Women constitute 70 per cent of the world's poor. The sign at the entrance to the NGO Forum at Huairou calls on us to "Look at the world through women's eyes". For the past two weeks, the world has done just that. We have seen that, despite the progress made since the First World Conference on Women, 20 years ago, women and men still live in an unequal world. Gender disparities and unacceptable inequalities persist in all countries. In 1995 there is no country in the world where men and women enjoy complete equality. The message of this Conference is that women's issues are global and universal. Deeply entrenched attitudes and practices perpetuate inequality and discrimination against women, in public and private life, on a daily basis, in all parts of the world. At the same time, there has emerged a consensus that equality of opportunity for all people is essential to the construction of just and democratic societies for the twenty-first century. The fundamental linkages between the three objectives of the Conference -- equality, development and peace -- are now recognized by all. The Platform for Action has emerged from a preparatory process more participatory and inclusive than any in history. Never before have so many women, representing both governments and non-governmental organizations, gathered to share experiences and chart the way ahead. The United Nations has provided the venue and the framework to move issues of gender equality to the top of the global agenda. The women of the world have been the driving force to shape this agenda and move it forward. The Platform for Action is a powerful agenda for the empowerment of women. It calls for the integration of gender perspectives in all policies and programmes. It focuses on concrete measures to address the critical areas of concern world-wide. The Platform for Action must be our guide and constant point of reference. I ask that it receive wide dissemination globally, regionally and locally. The implementation of its goals, objectives and measures must be actively monitored. And it must be further strengthened, as needed, to take account of new developments as they emerge. As we set out on the road from Beijing, the Platform is a call for concrete action to make a difference: -- Action to protect and promote the human rights of women and the girl child as an integral part of universal human rights; -- Action to eradicate the persistent and increasing burden of poverty on women; -- Action to remove the obstacles to women's full participation in public life and decision-making, at all levels -- including the family; -- Action to eliminate all forms of violence against women; -- Action to ensure equal access for girl children and women to education and health services; -- Action to promote economic autonomy for women, and ensure their access to productive resources; and -- Action to encourage an equitable sharing of family responsibilities. The Platform for Action places heavy responsibilities on the United Nations system. It calls upon United Nations organizations to play a key role in follow-up, implementation and monitoring. It poses a challenge to the capacity and commitment of the United Nations. As Secretary-General, I accept that challenge. I will ensure that the recommendations addressed to me are implemented swiftly and effectively. I am committed to placing the gender perspective into the mainstream of all aspects of the work of the Organization. I will work with my colleagues, the executive heads of the United Nations specialized agencies and the United Nations programmes and funds, to ensure a coordinated system-wide response, integrating the follow-up of this Conference with that of other global conferences. And I will keep Member States regularly informed of the progress that is made. Executive heads of the organizations of the United Nations system have expressed their commitment to the advancement of women in the secretariats of the system as a policy priority. They have all committed themselves to developing specific policies and monitoring mechanisms to improve the status of women and, in particular, to increase the number of women in senior and policy-making positions. The United Nations system is already active on a number of fronts which will prove critical to the implementation of the Platform. Reversing the trend towards the feminization of poverty. Raising the educational levels and health standards of women and girls. Expanding legal protection for women in the home. Establishing stronger protection for women in times of war. All these must be given priority. I call on all governments that have not yet done so, to accede to and ratify United Nations human rights instruments and labour conventions -- in particular the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In conclusion, let me emphasize the institutions of civil society which have played such an important role in preparing for this Conference. Since I assumed the office of Secretary-General, I have spoken often of the evolution of civil society and its importance for economic, cultural and democratic advancement. More effective mechanisms to ensure partnership between governments and civil society will contribute significantly to the implementation of the policies and measures that are called for in the Platform. The United Nations will intensify the close ties and working relationships that already exist with the non-governmental community at the global and national levels. The United Nations will be prepared to support governments in their endeavours to foster and strengthen the institutions of civil society. In a few weeks, the leaders of the world will meet at United Nations Headquarters in a summit of heads of State and government. There they will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. As the world celebrates this anniversary, let us work together to ensure that the equal rights of men and women, enshrined in the Charter, become a reality. Let us work together to implement the Platform for Action adopted here at Beijing. Let us tell the world -- and let us tell it with pride: The empowerment of women is the empowerment of all humanity!