Subject: [fem-women2000 628] NGO Statement on "Beijing+10"
From: lalamaziwa <lalamaziwa@jca.apc.org>
Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 21:49:16 -0500
Seq: 628

Following is NGO Statement on "Beijing+10" 
statement made on March 9th.

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Statement from NAWO, the National Alliance of Women's Organizations (UK); WIDE, Women in Development, Europe; the Finnish NGO Coalition on Beijing+10, and women gatherd together in New York at the UN CSW, 2001, from NGOs in Europe, Africa, North and South America and Asia.

1. The Political Declaration of the Special Session on Beijing+5 sets out provision for the bringing together of all parties ot review progress in the advancement of women in the year 2005.

2. NGOs have been holding discussions at CSW2000, at the Special Session on Beijing plus 5 and here at CSW2001, as well as via a global internet network - 2005@lineone.net - set up following the meetings in 2000.

3. NGOs are concerned that the resources should not be wasted, that what has already been agreed must be implemented, and that the opportunity should be taken to address new issues that have since emerged.

4. NGOs are clear that the four major world conferences on the advancement of women have:
  * improved womne's status in directly attributable ways
  * been an essential tool in the empowerment of women
  * provided an essential forum for the democratic accountability 
    of governments.
  * enabled women to meet together and hear each other's voices, 
    especially those from the South
  * focused an mobilized the resources of governments and UN Secretariat
    on women's empowerment an dgender equality.

5. NGOs gathered here therefore urge that the proposed event should be
   a World Conference to include an NGO Forum. The conference must not
   reopen the Beijing Global Platform for Action for negotiation, but 
   should:
   * focus on new issues such as:
     * globalization and trade;
     * a rise in the number of women and girls who constitute the 
       majority of displaced persons as a result of increasing conflicts 
       around the world;
     * women who seek asylum as a result of conflict;
     * the role of these and other women in the resolution of conflict;
     * new communication technologies; and
     * other new and emerging issues at that time;

   * assess the impact of the other major UN conferences that form
     part of the Global Agenda for Development (Vienna, Cairo, Rio, 
     Copenhagen in particular) on women, and assess whether a gender 
     perspective has been adequately reflected in the implementation 
     of those conferences. This analysis would constitute a major 
     initiative in the gender mainstreaming of UN work.
   * resouce women's NGOs globally, South and North, to do the work 
     required, bring local and grassroots women together, and engage 
     in the preparatory process at regional level;
   * support and resouce the proposed NGO Forum at the 2005 conference,
     so enabling increased NGO participation, especially of women from 
     the South;
   * implement thorough-going gender mainstreaming: produce clear 
     benchmarks; timebound targets where none already exist; gender 
     disaggregated statistics, and indicators of progress towards 
     meeting the goals of the Beijing Global Platform for Action.

Also with contributions from Action Aid, Uganda,
March 9 2001




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