UN World Summit Agreements on Gender Equality
but stand-still on human rights, poverty and peace
17.09.2005 |Cayetana Carrion, WEDO
United Nations,New York City,September 14, 2005
After months of pressuring governments on women's rights, advocates from around the world have achieved some gains on gender equality in the World Summit outcome document, despite the lack of meaningful action on the total package under debate.
Advocates ensured that women's rights issues were not casualties of theSummit's high-stakes poker game. In fact, the Millennium Development Goal on gender equality (#3) has been expanded from an original focus on primary education to include the following:
· An end to impunity for violence against women
· The goal of universal access to reproductive health
· The right to own and inherit property
· Equal access to labor protections
· Increased representation of women in government decision-making bodies
In addition world leaders agreed to repeal all laws that discriminate against women and promised to implement the landmark Security Council Resolution 1325, which promotes women's increased participation in peace and security processes.
One of the most significant achievements of theSummitwas a historic agreement on the responsibility of states and the international community to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Another concrete gain is a commitment to double the budget for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
However, women's groups have been dismayed by a shameful lack of political will on the part of governments to tackle poverty, foster peace, and ensure human rights. The grand bargain envisioned for the World Summit has failed. This bargain called for a serious commitment to trade reform, debt relief and financial resources for development in exchange for a Human Rights Council, Peace-building Commission, and UN management reform. Instead, countries deferred these issues to the General Assembly, where the same political divisions prevail.
TheUSwas rebuffed on its top priority of UN management reform, because of its refusal to agree to any substantial compromise on development issues. With the arrival of Ambassador Bolton, theUSshifted into high gear, issuing ultimatums, insisting on hundreds of amendments and reneging on past commitments.
No progress was made on the key demands of developing countries-The US and a few other wealthy nations refused to commit to deadlines for giving 0.7 percent of GNP for official development assistance. Agreements on trade were virtually meaningless. The "agreement" on climate change was a step back from what the G8 agreed to at their recent meeting in Gleneagles, which was already weak. Furthermore, the permanent members of the Security Council retain their veto power, even in cases of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Women expected more from their governments. Once again they have missed an opportunity to take meaningful and bold action on the world's most critical problems. But women's advocates will not be deterred. We will continue to press for our rights and to hold governments accountable for their commitments to the world's women.
Statement by:
- ActionAid International
- Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development Gender Program
- Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL)
- Choice for Youth and Sexuality,Netherlands
- Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)
- Family Care International
- Forum on Women and Development (FOKUS)
- Gender and Education Office (ICAE)
- Girls PowerInitiative,Nigeria
- Inform,Sri Lanka
- International Council on Adult Education
- International Institute for Cooperation Amongst People
- MADRE
- Milenio Feminista
- Red de educacion popular entre mujeres deAmericaLatinay el Caribe (REPEM)
- United Methodist UN Office
- Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)
- Youth Coalition
Please find herewith enclosed the address from which you can download the Outcome Document for the World Summit 2005 currently underway in New York. Negotiations on the Outcome Document by Member States were completed just before the opening of the World Summit.
You can also consult the NGLS web page covering the UN Summit to find links to the official summit website offering documents, speeches, photos and webcasts. You will also find the latest NGO and Civil Society documents relating to the Summit.
The Outcome Document can be accessed directly from the following address.
WOMEN'S GROUPS EXPRESS SHOCK AND DISAPPOINTMENT AT UN SPEECHES BY BUSH AND BLAIR
Women's organizations at the World Summit are shocked and disappointed by the statements made yesterday by President Bush and Prime Minister Blair before the UN General Assembly.
President Bush thanked the international community for its assistance with post-Katrina rescue and reconstruction. Yet he personally unleashed Ambassador John Bolton on the Summit negotiations three weeks ago, dealing a severe blow to international cooperation and the final result. President Bush claimed that the US has a moral obligation to help poor countries. But Ambassador Bolton made it clear throughout the negotiations that the US will not adopt the target of 0.7% of national income for foreign aid, and he even tried to prevent other rich countries from mentioning it in the Summit agreement. President Bush can no longer speak with a straight face about his commitment to defeating HIV/AIDS, when his Ambassador refused to allow language that would have ensured full funding for the Global Fund on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and TB. Neither can President Bush continue to point to his "Millennium Challenge Account" program as an alternative to concrete targets for foreign aid - the MCA has proven to be an exercise in public relations that has disbursed little money to poorer countries.
Prime Minister Blair called the Millennium Development Goals "a specter." Instead of reiterating Britain's commitment to these goals, he only referred to the weaker agreements reached at the G8 summit in Gleneagles. But "doubling of aid" that is already paltry amounts to much less than meeting the 0.7% target. Bush and Blair talk about trade as a critical strategy in poverty eradication. But until the EU and the US eliminate the millions of dollars spent for farm subsidies to their own agribusiness, this is just one more empty promise. "Opening trade" will also hurt the poor unless the EU and the US stop using patents to prevent affordable access to essential HIV drugs. Farm subsidies and patents were to be included in the agreement for this Summit, but the US successfully got them off the table. Britain should stop the race to the bottom began by the US, not acquiesce to it.
Statement by:
- ActionAid International
- Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development Gender Program
- Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL)
- Choice for Youth and Sexuality, Netherlands
- Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)
- Forum on Women and Development (FOKUS)
- Gender and Education Office
- Girls Power Initiative, Nigeria
- Inform, Sri Lanka
- International Council on Adult Education (ICAE)
- International Institute for Cooperation Amongst People
- Milenio Feminista
- Red de educacion popular entre mujeres de America Latina y el Caribe (REPEM)
- United Methodist UN Office
- Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)
- Youth Coalition
