Subject: [fem-women2000 190] CSW - Daily News number 8
From: "takasaki.ayako" <ayako.takasaki@ntt.com>
Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 10:58:59 +0900
Seq: 190

To: Multiple recipients of list <b5ngonews@lists.sn.apc.org>
Subject: [B5NGONEWS] CSW - Daily News number 8 - English

NEWS
March 9th 2000 New York CSW Daily Number 8
Co-ordinated by WomenAction  2000 http://www. womenaction.org 
info@womenaction.org

EDITORIAL
In Memory of International Women's Day
8 March 2000 marked the first International Women's Day of the 21st
century. It was also the first Women's Day at which the president of the
Security Council was present. His presence marks an historical moment,
and an indication that gender equality is being spoken about on every
level at the United Nations. On a more sober note, Mary Robinson
reminded us that this is not only a day for celebration and reflection.
It is also a day when we should take action and protest against every
instance of violation of the rights of women. We need to celebrate the
paths walked for the past 50 years, but also remember that women have
been and are continuing to be victims. We need to devise strategies for
cooperation, and demand and create a space for women to work for
sustainable peace. The bottom line? It is no longer enough for women to
be charmed with words; we need to see the evidence of respect for the
human rights of women.
And it seems that the message the UN is sending out is that governments
can no longer put on a public relations show, but rather account
honestly for what they have done to promote gender equality. Will NGOs
and governments alike take up the challenge? We certainly hope so. May
we emerge bearing the flame of gender equality in the new millennium,
and perhaps some day celebrate the first Women's Day when the violation
of the human rights of women will be no more than a memory; a forced
lesson.

WomenAction 2000

APPROPRIATE ICTs
Defining Access
What do we exactly mean when we say access? Are we referring to
communication tools, language, information, or resources?  These were
the questions that participants at the Women and Media Caucus raised,
and deliberated on, in their discussions held on 7 March in conjunction
with the ongoing 44th UN CSW session. In the course of the discussion,
participants at the meeting agreed that access would specifically mean
women's access to appropriate information using all forms of
communication including radio, the new information and communication
technologies (ICTs) as well as traditional forms of media. This unified
understanding was deemed important by the Caucus members as this would
allow them to push for specific language in the Outcomes document of the
Beijing + 5 Review.  The participants discussed their specific concerns
with respect to the issue of women and media. These include AMARC's
(World Association of Community Broadcasters) interest in how the
International Telecommunications Union allocates broadcasting spectrums;
Nepali journalists need for modules on gender-sensitivity training for
media practitioners; and consumers groups concerned about the continued
use of media to promote smoking among women, particularly women from the
South.
It was agreed in the meeting that the Women and Media Caucus would
further explore these emerging issues in its regular meetings.

Mavic Cabrera-Balleza

INTERVIEW
Gender Mainstreaming within UN bodies
Carolyn Hannan is principal officer for gender mainstreaming at the
office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues and the Advancement of
Women, to the Secretary General of the UN. In other words, her task is
to follow-up on advice given by Angela King to managers in UN processes.
She work in the area of legal affairs, peace-keeping, disarmament and
political affairs.She works with the managers to develop competency in
gender equality issues. Gender mainstreaming in the Security Council
is, for example, not only being aware of the issues of soldiers raping
women. It is about treating women with respect, involving women in
reconstruction, in redeveloping the economy. In East Timor it is also
the gender perspective in developing the Constitution.One of the
resources she will use in developing the program, which she joined 6
months ago, are consultants.
Women's NGOs have experience in doing this work, but it is not well
documented. I would like to know who is doing what in the various
areas. NGOs working on disarmament have a wealth of knowledge to share.
Ms Hannan looks forward to collaborating to get access to information on
what expertise has been developed in this area. My task is catalytic; I
link the players to the right resources Contact Carolyn Hannan at
hannan@un.org

Lin Pugh, WomenAction 2000

NGO CAUCUS
Trade Union Coalition Launches Caucus on Working Women
The 500 NGO delegates at the morning briefing on March 8th stood silent
for a minute, to recognize the women's strike for unrecognized work.
Two days earlier the trade union coalition International Confederation
of Free Trade Unions/Public Services International/Education
International hosted a workshop on working women. The participants
initiated a Caucus Women and Work, to examine all the critical issues
for equality posed by the imperative for women's work, to be recognized,
valued, fairly remunerated and supported by an adequate legislative
framework of core labour standards in the global economy. The Caucus
will lobby, and will sustain a dialogue with unions and concerned NGOs
on the crosscutting issues of women and work, for the Special Session in
June, the ILO conference on the revision of the maternity convention,
and beyond. For a full text statement: www.womenaction.org

Peace Caucus
At the 8 March morning briefing, NGOs learnt that the Peace Caucus has
two demands for the delegates and NGOs. The first is to help lobby the
Security Council for gender sensitive inclusions. Secondly, the Security
Council should hold an open special session on women and armed conflict.
The Caucus has several priority areas of lobby: the prevention of war by
building an environment of human security; ratification of ICC to put,
amongst others, an end to impunity; devote significant resources for
women's peace organizations; and increase the age of soldiers to 18.

REGIONS
Asia-Pacific Women Push for Priority Issues
As part of its continuing engagement in the BPFA + 5 process, the Asia
Pacific Women's Watch  (APWW), the coalition of women's groups in this
region that are involved in monitoring the implementation of the Beijing
Platform, further pushed for their priority issues in the ongoing 44th
UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) session.
These issues are:
1. Women and the Economy Addressing the negative effects of
globalization, World Trade Organization (WTO) Policy and the burden of
debt on many women in the region.
2. The Continuing Human Rights Abuses of Women and Girls addressing
violence against women, rape, trafficking, forced prostitution, honor
killings, the marginalization of minority groups and denial of land
rights and reproductive rights.
3. Women in Armed Conflict addressing the increase of militarization and
involvement of women in situations of conflict across the region.
4. Institutional mechanisms to Promote Equality for Women addressing the
need for a much stronger focus on strategies such as gender
mainstreaming, educational reform to ensure access and equity for women
to enable their participation in mainstream institutions
5. Political participation and decision making addressing the continued
low participation of women in politics and decision-making.
The coalition came up with specific language on these five points and is
currently lobbying to have this language inputted into the official
Outcomes document.

Mavic Cabrera-Balleza

AGENDA
Central Eastern Europe + Commonwealth of Independent States Caucus 9
March 10.45-12.45, UNIFEM conference room, 15th flr 304 East 45th St
Alternative reports on the Implementation of the PfA in Central and
Eastern Europe 9 March 3-5, Church Center 2nd floor
船econstructing Masculinity: A focus on boys? Panel discussion, 9 March,
 10.00am-12.00pm, Dag Hammarskjold Aud.

SPECIAL EVENTS
Youth for Women's Rights
At the end of the 8 March briefing, 30 young women and one man, evenly
spaced throughout the room, stood up and put on their colorful T-shirts
with the text: Celebrating International Women's Day, Youth for Women's
Rights. They unfolded banners describing the obstacles to women's
freedom and began to chant while dancing Women Celebrating Rights in
Spanish, French and English at the same time. The rest of the room
joined in and the celebration ended in a loud shout: Touth for Women's
Rights It was moving and motivating at the same time.

Women In Black demonstrate in Peace Session
Members of  Women In Black held a powerful demonstration during the
International Women's Day session on Women Uniting for Peace Dressed
in black and holding a banner that identified them, they called
attention on the situation of women in many parts of the former
Yugoslavia, the militarization of society and the need to reject war and
violence at every level, whether domestic, commercial,
institutionalized, global or multi-national. One of their members read a
document in which they pointed the needs and struggles of women
resisting war. They also called participants in the session to hold a
minute of silence in memory of war victims in those countries.  More
information: www.igc.org/balkans/wib/index..html

Women's Day Demonstration
Women's groups and NGOs attending the meeting of the Commission for the
Status of Women at the UN headquarters, organized a Women's Day
demonstration at midday, right across the UN building. With banners of
protest and flowers in their hands, women called attention on the need
to go struggling for equity and justice, not only in gender issues but
also political, economic and social.

RESOURCES
For information on what is going on during the CSW Informals, read the
Earth Negotiations Bulletin: www.iisd.ca/4wcw/csw44

Speech by Ambassador Chowdury, President of the Security Council, on the
International Day of Women at: www.womenaction.org

WomenAction 2000 is a global information, communication and media
network that enables NGOs to actively engage in the Beijing+5 review
process with the long-term goal of women's empowerment, with a special
focus on women and media. M Bjork, Sonja Boezak, M Cabrera-Balleza, B
Finke, M Galimberti, S Hackett, I Leon, D Plou, L Pugh, L Simerska, J
Were

Regards;
TAKASAKI AYAKO
ayako.takasaki@ntt.com
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