Beijing+5: Final Wrap page 1, 2
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U.N Press Release: Conference Review
The twenty-third special session of the General Assembly "Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-first Century" concluded with governments reaffirming their commitment to the goals and objectives contained in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995.
In his closing statement to the session, the President of the Assembly, Theo Ben-Gurirab (Namibia), praised the outcome and noted that there had been "no backward movement on any of the Beijing language" in the final document. The Platform remained fully valid for national and international actions. Further, the new text updated the Platform in the areas of violence against and trafficking in women, health, education, human rights, poverty, debt relief and globalization, armed conflict, sovereignty, land and inheritance rights for women, political participation and decision-making. If governments demonstrated the necessary political will and allocated required resources, the goals of gender equality, development and peace would become a reality very early in the twenty-first century, he said.
NGO's Respond to Outcomes Document
The Linkage Caucus
"While there have been positive aspects to this review process, we want to register our disappointment with the Outcomes Document agreed to by governments at the United Nations today. We appreciate the hard work that many have put into this process and applaud those delegations that have fought to defend and advance commitments to women. However, we regret that there was not enough political will on the part of some governments and the UN system to agree on a stronger document with more concrete benchmarks, numerical goals, time-bound targets, indicators, and resources aimed at implementing the stronger document with more concrete benchmarks, numerical goals, time-bound targets, indicators, and resources aimed at implementing the Beijing Platform."
North Shares Responsibility for Slow Progress in Beijing+5
Women's International Coalition for Economic Justice
"Much has been written in the press about the intransigence of a small group of conservative countries assisted by the Vatican, who, in the name of preservation of cultural and religious tradition, seek to roll back gains made in Beijing by reopening debates about the universality of women's rights, including leadership roles, reproductive health and the definition of the family. However, these are not the only UN difficulties in reaching consensus on women's rights. The fact is all nations, including the rich nations of the North, have refused to budge on certain issues. For the North, these include issues related to the erosion of women's economic and social rights in the context of corporate globalization. Pointing to conservative developing countries becomes an easy means of avoiding scrutiny of their own shortcomings in protecting the economic well-being of women."
Media Coverage
Exhausted Delegates Finish Women's Rights Plan
Reuters/Yahoo!
After marathon negotiations, 180 countries at a U.N. women's rights conference on Saturday completed a plan on practical measures toward achieving equality of the sexes, including combating violence against women in the home. The one-week conference also broke new ground on battling HIV/AIDS and took a strong stand against ``trafficking'' -- the luring of women and children across borders for prostitution or domestic slavery. It also called on governments to close the "gender gap" in primary and secondary schools by 2005, and so-called "honor" killings of female relatives who have "shamed" their families, as well as forced marriages, were addressed for the first time.
All Night Negotiations Produce Final Document
CNN.com
After all-night debate, delegates from 180 nations at a U.N. conference hammered out a broad plan Saturday that aims to enhance and protect the rights of women worldwide. Negotiating paragraph by paragraph, participants at the conference in New York agreed on a document that calls for tougher measures to combat domestic violence and trafficking in women.
Women's Conference Delegates Reach Agreement
AP/Yahoo!
Five years after a landmark U.N. conference set women's equality as an achievable goal, more than 180 nations agreed Saturday on new measures to accelerate the international campaign to reach it. But women's rights activists and several countries including the United States, South Africa and Norway said the new initiatives didn't go far enough to speed implementation of the 150-page platform of action adopted in Beijing in 1995. Despite fears that delegates would chip away at the Beijing platform, the weeklong U.N. Women's Conference ended Saturday with no backtracking - a fact welcomed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who urged delegates earlier in the week to protect and advance the gains made by women five years ago.
Reference Materials
Closing Statement by President Theo Ben-Gurirab
In his closing statement to to the Assembly’s twenty-third special session “Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-first Century” the President of the General Assembly, Theo Ben-Gurirab (Namibia) commended the delegates for a job well done, and looked forward to the upcoming Special Session on Social Development in Geneva.
Closing Statement Summaries
Summaries of the final statements made by delegates, NGO's and other representatives prior to the adoption of the final document.
Overview of Outcome Document
A short overview of the structure and key points of each section of the Outcome Document.
Final Outcome Document
Note, this document is in .pdf format, and requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. This free utility can be downloaded from the Adobe website.
Daily Highlights
Your Guide provides highlights from the official sessions, and keeps an eye on the media.
Conference Facts
Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (CONGO) Beijing+5
The official website of the CONGO delegation to Beijing+5
NGO Events
A complete listing of NGO and NGO host committee sponsored events.
U.N. Division for the Advancement of Women
The official website of the DAW includes links to participating NGOs, the draft version of the "outcome document" and a provisional list of speakers.
Draft Political Statement
First draft of the Political Declaration submitted by the Chairperson of the Preparatory Committee on Feb. 28, 2000.
Background & More Information
Beating the Backlash
Village Voice
A U.S. Negotiator Details the Fight to Expand Feminist Gains at the UN's
Special Session on Women by Jennifer Gonnerman
Going After Globalization
Village Voice
Feminists Trade Strategies for a Woman-Friendly World Economy by Lenora Todaro.
A Girl's World
Village Voice
Young Tackle Issues From Playing Fields To Sexual Atrocities by Sharon Lerner.
Rewiring the World
Village Voice
Technology Sparks Debate at Beijing+5, by Meg Murphy.
Beijing Platform For Action
The Beijing Platform for Action shifted the focus of global women's concerns from helping individual women to empowering all women to become equal participants in policy and political decisions.
Concerned Women of America
Coverage of Beijing+5 plus commentaries from this conservative women's group, which views feminism as a threat to "traditional family values."
Country Reports
Links to Government Reports, Alternative Reports, and Reponses to the DAW Questionnaire are listed against countries in alphabetical order.
Double Take: International Women's Rights
An article on the Kuwaiti refusal to allow women to vote meets an article about the U.S. House of Representatives debating the ratification of CEDAW. The comparison provides more "illumination" than several paragraphs of commentary ever could. From your Guide.
Historical Perspective: Four Global Women's Conferences
A review of the previous four Global Women's Conferences: 1975, Mexico City; 1980, Copenhagen; 1985, Nairobi; and 1995, Beijing.
Human Rights Watch: Beijing +5 Background
Human Rights Watch, using its own research into violence against women across the globe, provides a summary of the problems that still exist, and lists several specific reforms governments should undertake immediately to end impunity for and tolerance of violence against women.
Ratify the Women's Rights Treaty
Amnesty International provides a "take action" page for you to contact your legislators to urge them to ratify CEDAW.
USA Response to the DAW Questionnaire
The US response primarily focuses on the work of the President's Interagency Council on Women, Chaired by Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright.
World Conference on Women, Five Years Later
World News Guide Keith Porter covers the news media's coverage about the Beijing+5 conference.
Women's Issues - 3rd World
Third-world Women's Issues Guide Cecil Marie Cancel covers progress for - and abuses of - women around the world.
Women's Rights
Human Rights Guide Kevin Reid's comprehensive collection of links to organizations concerned with international women's rights.