44th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women New York

44th Session of the Commission on
the Status of Women (Beijing +5 PrepCom)
New York, 28 February - 17 March 2000

Highlights from Tuesday, 29 February

On the second day of the 44th Session on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-44), delegates met throughout the day in Plenary to hear country and NGOs statements on the follow-up to the Beijing Conference and the review and appraisal of the implementation of the PFA.

On Wednesday, delegates will reconvene in a morning Plenary to hear a panel presentation on emerging issues, trends and new approaches affecting women's. In the afternoon, delegates will introduce proposals under all agenda items and meet in informal consultations.

CSW-44 Chair Dubravka imonovic, Croatia

F.R.B. Oeri, Kenya (listen to her speech)

Kenya affirmed her country's commitment to, and actions toward, implementing the PFA. She said Kenya will build on lessons learned, and underscored the need for resources to monitor and evaluate progress.

Linda Tarr-Whelan, United States (listen to her speech)

She called for a holistic, human-rights based approach to the FWCW and PFA review, and highlighted the issues of, inter alia: women's leadership and political participation; women's economic empowerment; violence against women; trafficking in women; and women in armed conflict. She supported a resolution on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan. She emphasized the importance of NGO participation in review and implementation.

Brenda Katten, Israel (listen to her speech)

She stressed the importance of women's participation in the political process, including at high levels. She noted that women's empowerment often begins at the grassroots and local levels and underscored the importance of training for political leadership. She concluded that women need to act as a group, promoting each other.

Yemen drew attention to the increase in poverty precipitated by the Gulf crisis and the drop in official development assistance. She underscored the effects of poverty in rural areas and described efforts to improve basic services through economic reform, direct support programmes, and NGO partnerships with the private sector.

<<Mohammed Al-Humaimidi, Iraq (left)

South Africa stated that poverty eradication is not only a possibility, but a global imperative, and called for courage and commitment in addressing human rights and equal rights for women.

Paimaneh Hastaie, Iran, called for efforts to focused on efforts to identify and meet the needs of women through a five-year national development plan. She presented statistics indicating progress on literacy, education, life expectancy, maternal mortality, enhancement of the health services network, and improvement of public perception of women.

The Asia Pacific Regional Caucus said governments report de jure rather than de facto realities of women. She noted the feminization of poverty and the impact of economic structures propounded by international corporations and Bretton Woods institutions, as well as the failure of the international community to regulate these new centers of power. Delegates applaud after her statement (right)

The African Regional Caucus (right) highlighted globalization and HIV/AIDS as reasons for African women's deteriorating status. Calling on African governments to harmonize their laws with international commitments, she added that both creditor and debtor countries share the responsibility for reversing the feminization of poverty.

(Not pictured) The Arab Regional Caucus said armed conflict and economic sanctions pose the most serious threats to the well-being of Arab women. She lamented that despite the support of NGOs and an increase in government expenditures, progress has been minimal, and concluded that only a just and sustainable peace agreement would alleviate suffering.

The Latin America and Caribbean Regional Caucus expressed dissatisfaction with the follow-up to the Beijing Conference. She said most governments have not reoriented policies and budgets to fulfill their commitments and resources have been confined to a few issues such as health and violence. She concluded that women need democratic societies where they can participate in determining public policy and demand accountability.

<<The Europed and North America Caucus called for a Fifth World Conference on Women and the political will necessary to allocate resources and move the agenda forward. (left)

>>Aster Zaoude, UNDP, reflected on 20 years of exponential growth in the world's overall resources, but cautioned that it masks disparities, including between men and women. Stating that UNDP works for equal opportunities for women and men, she pointed to the agency's efforts to mainstream gender issues. (right)

ENB Summary of CSW-43
Linkages Coverage of the Fourth World Conference on Women
Linkages Coverage of CSW-43
Secretariat web site with official documents and information for NGO participants
ENB's Background Information on CSW-44
Other links (NGOs, research institutes, etc)