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CSD NGO Women's Caucus DECLARATION OF THE ASIAN WOMEN'S CONFERENCE ON GENDER, FINANCE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
October 26-30, 2001; Bangkok, Thailand Ninety-five
representatives of NGOs
and women business councils from Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines,
Nepal, Hongkong, Mongolia and the United States of America ; political and local women
leaders of the Philippines; and
representativesof regional and
international organizations came together
on 26-30 October this year, in
Bangkok, Thailand, for the Asian Women’s Conference on
Gender, Finance and Sustainable Development . The conference
primarily discussed the problems and
situation of women in the Asia-Pacific regioN, the Women’s Action Agenda for a Healthy Planet 2002 (WAA2002 ) Preliminary
Draft (October 23, 2001 ) and the negotiations and preparations
for the coming United Nations
International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico and the
World Social Summit (WSSD ) in
Johannesburg in 2002 . The
following document is the Declaration of the Conference
and represents the results of three
days of discussions: We, the women of the Asia Pacific, claiming our place as the majority of the world’s women, declare our resolve: To strive for sustainable societies where resources are sustainably used, equally shared between women and men and equitably distributed within and between States; where equal participation of all citizens, interest groups, stakeholders, creeds, and nations ensures global and gender justice; where women are active, creative and fully empowered ; where women’s rights are human rights and discrimination against women is absent ; where women are free to make decisions and choices and express themselves without fear of violence; where women participate equally in the definition of structures, systems and policies which determine the framework of our lives; and To
help build a sustainable region
in which militarism and terrorism find
no refuge; where there is peace and mutual respect between and among
nations eliminating gross
inequalities and disparities which have resulted from globalisation;
where cultural diversity is
celebrated, enriching and strengthening
the role of women in society; and where conflicts and practices
which cause irreparable physical, psychological and social harm
to women and girl-children are eliminated. We
reaffirm our commitment to the principles and to the general framework of Agenda
21, the
Beijing Platform for Action, CEDAW, ICPD, the Human Rights
Convention, Rio, Vienna and other UN declarations
for the achievement of equality, development and peace for all women. Although
we acknowledge that there are some gains, we deplore the governments’
failure to meet the obligations or fulfil the responsibilities which
they have committed themselves as many
national and regional assessment reports clearly indicate. Sustainable
development remains elusive for
most women in the Asia-Pacific
region: poverty is deepening, pressure on natural resources is increasing
and human security is diminishing . We
deplore the fact that approximately
ten years after the Earth Summit in Rio, a number of global environmental
problems are growing more severe : climate change, loss of biological diversity, land
degradation and desertification, deforestation and forest degradation,
pollution of fresh and marine waters, depletion of stratospheric ozone, and
accumulation of persistent organic pollutants leading to a
hapless situation where physical and biological systems may not be
able to meet human demands for adequate food and clean water, energy
supplies, safe shelter, and a healthy environment. We
object to the overwhelming dominance and acceptance of unsustainable development paradigms , the lack of education
and public awareness on and
excessive influence of national and transnational corporations over government
policy which
prioritizes economic growth and trade
liberalization over
social and environmental concerns ; we
support the view that development finance and the international
trading system must be thoroughly reviewed and reformed to support
sustainable development for all. We support a common vision of sustainable development and gender justice based on a shared set of values which guarantees equity between men and women in accessing natural resources and eliminates the gender divide relegating women marginalized, impoverished and propertyless. We
work for new systems of governance
which fully engage all stakeholders, and partnerships are a critical
tool. We
are distressed by
worldwide concerns on
the the failure of governments
to challenge the widespread adverse impact of of globalisation on peoples particularly
women and children and the
inability of governments to
ensure corporate accountability, where governments are
responsible for the framework within which corporations operate in a
global corporate accountability and liability convention that should
balance the power of corporations with citizens’ and workplace
rights, and secure
effective compliance with multilateral environmental and social
agreements; We
note that the developmental philosophy of globalization fostered by
multilateral institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) is
incompatible with the women's empowerment and human development philosophy
adopted by Rio, Beijing , ICPD
and otherUN conferences and convention . We demand that where there is
incongruence among these commitments, the government should uphold the
primacy of a holistic development of the majority of its people and not just
the immediate economic considerations of the powerful few that the WTO
intends to achieve. We deplore the lack of participation of women particularly , grassroots women in the decision-making processes of the World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other financial institutions and mechanisms; We
recognise the challenges posed by new trends that perpetuate injustices,
threaten world peace, and impede women’s
empowerment and sustainable development in the region. These
include: The
widespread negative impact of globalisation and structural adjustment
programmes on women’s sustainable development
which threaten to obliterate gains made so far ;
the damage caused by the restructuring of economies to maximise
profit without adequate safeguards for the resulting impacts on populations;
health sector reforms that reduce women’s access to quality, affordable
health care; the transformation of the media from a public utility to a
transnational enterprise; the increased feminisation of poverty;
decliningwork conditions, wages and labour rights resulting from
deregulation and the failure of governments to monitor and control foreign
investment; The
increasing influence of multi- and trans- national corporations in
international, domestic and local accountability and governance ; The
wresting of economic, legal and political control from local and indigenous
communities and the progressive control of natural resources, science and
technology including the patenting of life forms by multinational and
transnational actors; The
alarming increase in armed and other forms of violent conflict and the
perpetuation of the systematic use of violence against women, including
rape, mutilation, forced pregnancies and sterilisations, trafficking and
forced prostitution and other forms of violence by State, para-State and
non-State actors; The
increasing militarisation and nuclearisation of the region; Among
political systems in the region, an escalation in the use of religious,
ethnic, cultural and other forms of identity-based constructs to deny women
equality, enjoyment of rights, access to resources and a voice, particularly
through the use and threat of violence; The
continued existence of regressive elements and attitudes towards women’s
empowerment; The
failure to provide high quality, affordable services addressing the primary
health needs of women and the persistent, narrow approaches to reproductive
and sexual health which have resulted in the failure to ensure effective
programs in these areas by many governments; The
lack of comprehensive, gender sensitive educational policies that would
contribute to the elimination of attitudes towards women which act to limit
their role in society; The
continued degradation and depletion of the environment and the failure to
develop effective national, regional and international policies to protect
natural resources and ensure their sustainability; The
actual and potential effects of modern biotechnology and information and
communications technology which lead to health and environmental hazards,
the globalisation of western, consumer culture and value systems and the
concomitant exploitation of our lands and resources; The
inadequate attention given to the needs of women and girls who are
marginalised because of their disability, or because of race, language,
ethnicity, culture, religion, or socio-economic status or because they are
indigenous people, refugees or displaced persons, migrants or migrant
workers, or because of their sexual orientation, reproductive choices or
marital status; The
inadequate mechanisms for ensuring that governments are responsive and
accountable to citizens for the fulfillment of their international
obligations to implement commitments to sustainable, social and economic
development that empowers women, eradicates poverty and safeguards natural
resources; The
lack of
gender-fair projection
and greater role and
participation of women in politics (in both appointive and elective
positions) , in public policy,
media, science, and technology; the failure
to consider gender as a
high-impact factor on income,
education, power / decision-making, access to credit, division of labour;
access to, ownership and control of natural resources, etc. Despite
these grave challenges and obstacles to women’s empowerment and
sustainable development, we draw inspiration and strength from: The
growth of NGOs , peoples organizations
and civil society councils
for sustainable development working for women’s empowerment; A
growing acceptance and commitment towards addressing women’s needs by
groups within civil society, governments and international organisations;
and The
partnerships which have developed between NGOs working for women’s
empowerment facilitated by the International Instruments and Conventions and
other advocates in civil society, governments and the UN system. We
therefore commit ourselves to translating our vision for the world, our
region and ourselves into a sustainable
reality. To achieve
these goals, we must: Acknowledge
the diversity of our circumstances as women and communities, celebrate and
find strength in the richness of our plurality and ensure meaningful spaces
for each of our voices; Ensure
that our differing realities replace an abstract, undifferentiated concept
of women and that these differences are reflected in legislation, policies,
programs and initiatives and in the articulation of human rights
issues; Ensure that the areas of concern addressed by Agenda 21 and other international instruments and conventions are based on a holistic approach to women’s human rights rather than fragmented, sectoral views and that gender mainstreaming policies and monitoring mechanisms are fully integrated into the work of all government ; strategies towards gender balance in governance and sustainable development encourged ; Protect women’s access to the power of science and technology and RICE (Research, Information, Communication and Education) ensuring women’s participation in whatever regional RICE-based structure that will be formed in the Asia-Pacific Region e.g. Regional Research, Information, Communication and Education Center; Ensure that governments, societies and individuals adhere to non-violent forms of conflict resolution and respect the human dignity and rights of women affected by conflict and violence ; and that governments ratify International agreements that regulate the arms race and protect humanitarian rights: the Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War (1949), and its additional protocols (1977) which provide that women be protected against any attack on their honour, in particular against humiliation and degrading treatment, rape, enforced prostitution or any form of indecent assault; and also the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, 1995 which decided that “violations of human rights of women in situations of armed conflicts are violations of the fundamental principles of international human rights and humanitarian law.” Furthermore,
we call upon governments, the UN system and civil society: To reaffirm their commitment to equality, development and peace in a sustainable community of nations through the effective implementation of Agenda 21, the BPFA, CEDAW and other human rights instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights; Convention on the Rights of the Child; Declaration on the Right to Development; To
ensure that women have control over all aspects of their lives including
their sexuality as well as equal representation in decision-making at all
levels and in all spheres, including leadership positions and governance
structures; To
re-examine and re-orient macro economic and development policies to ensure
the protection of women’s human rights and to redress the growing
feminisation of poverty. Finally,
as we confront the problems and challenges of
this century of great
turmoil, rapid change and development, we call upon the governments of the
world to have the courage and commitment to translate the high hopes of
all women in the Asia-Pacific region into concrete actions that help
us move from conflict, inequality and injustices which characterise our
region towards mutual respect, equality and justice as reflected in the
vision shared by the women of the Asia Pacific region. ADOPTED
ON THIS 29th
DAY OF
OCTOBER TWO THOUSAND AND
ONE IN
BANGKOK , THAILAND. |