Report by Tania Pouwhare, National Collective of Independent Women's Refuges

I went to the Indigenous Women's Caucus, which ran all week and brought together indigenous women from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. The caucus presented opportunities for women to network, raise awareness of the issues facing indigenous women in their countries, share analytical and practical tools (aptly termed alterNATIVES) and celebrate our survival, resistance and visions for the future.

Some of the issues raised at IWC included the retention and promotion of our native languages, millennium land grabs by governments and corporations, displacement, the exploitation of women and children, the economic exploitation of natural resources, the ongoing effects of colonisation and self-determination. The lack of indigenous women in official delegations to the meeting, and at decision-making levels, was noted as a primary concern, particularly by the two Māori women at the caucus.

Lea Nicholas-MacKenzie, from the Assembly of First Nations (North America), said "First Nations women must have a visible and meaningful presence at the meeting in order to ensure their voices are heard. An important objective will be to secure a permanent mechanism for participation in the ongoing review process and any other process which will affect the lives of Indigenous Peoples".

We were also reminded that "we should not put our faith in the UN system, because this is still run by the governments which colonised us and still are re-colonising us. We should rely on ourselves, the wisdom of our elders, the energies of our youth, and our spiritual relationship with the Earth and all creation".

It was disappointing to see that no other indigenous Pacific women were present. However the caucus was able to develop and sign off the Declaration of the International Indigenous Women's Forum which made 14 international level recommendations to governments and the United Nations and also held a press conference to release the Declaration.

The Violence Against Women caucus was one of the largest. Unfortunately the size made participation very difficult. Issues raised included femicide, including anti-natal sex selection (abortion of female foetuses), honour killings, acid burning, family violence, forced and early marriages, rape and the use of rape as a systematic tool of war, pornography, sexual exploitation and trafficking of women.

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The Health Caucus session I attended was centred on health issues for young women but the discussion quickly turned to the Outcomes Document. Caucus members expressed concerns about the dilution of the document and the slow progress of the negotiations. There was also some discussion about whether or not NGOs should attempt to disrupt the talks and/or disassociate themselves from the document. This seemed to be a recurring theme throughout the NGO caucuses and panel discussions.

The Lesbian Caucus hosted an excellent panel discussion on sexualities and human rights at which advocates from around the globe discussed the ways in which women's bodies remain the primary site of oppression. The discussion ranged over issues of bodily integrity, sexual orientation, safe and legal access to abortion and contraception, laws and lore regulating women's sexual and reproductive rights, and femicide.

A group of young women advocates delivered a press release calling for adolescents' sexual rights, access to safe, affordable and legal contraception and abortion, and the right for young people to exercise bodily integrity rather than having their sexuality and sexual behaviour regulated by the state or guardians. They also called for the development of sexual and reproductive health programmes with full participation of adolescents and for international commitments to be honoured.

The Youth Caucus organised a special session for the presentation of young women's testimonies. The discussions were focused on access to sexual rights for young women. The Youth Caucus also organised an intergenerational roundtable on educational and institutional mechanisms, at which a group of young women questioned UNICEF about education and institutional developments in various countries.

In general I felt the caucuses were too short to be effective. Meeting space was very tight and caucuses were shuffled in and out of the main rooms. Caucus meetings were often dominated by the most vocal and those most proficient in English. The Indigenous Women's Caucus was the only caucus I attended that offered ‘real time' translation into French and Spanish.

The Austrian Mission hosted a breakfast meeting called "Voices for Change" at which a woman from Palestine and one from Bosnia-Herzegovina made presentations.

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The woman from Palestine discussed an investigation into the deaths of 108 women, three of which had been officially recorded as murder. The other 105 were classified as "fate and destiny". However, when these were investigated more closely evidence of femicide was clear: for example, one woman "fell" into a 40cm x 60cm well. She had first been forced to drink acid, enabling some decomposition of her body to make it easier for the perpetrators to stuff her body down the well. Another died of "old age" at 27 years. The presenter also talked about the role of the police who would often incarcerate women "for their own protection" if they attempted to lodge a complaint. She also discussed the lack of support and assistance available to women, the difficulties in obtaining information about the treatment of women, the dangers of advocacy, and the general lack of women's rights in a highly patriarchal society.

The presenter from Bosnia-Herzegovina discussed the issue of family violence in war-torn countries. She described the lack of services and facilities (such as safe housing) available to women and the reluctance of the government to recognise violence as an issue when it was not a tool of war and an act against the state.

The general feeling gauged from the various NGO caucuses was that certain countries were attempting to dilute the Outcomes Document and stall negotiations. Rather than moving forward with the Platform for Action, considerable time was spent ensuring that language already adopted at Beijing and in other conventions was retained.

NGOs wanted a strong Outcomes Document that could be used to lobby governments but some questioned the effectiveness of using government-centred, international forums to advance women's rights and development when vital indicators appear to describe women's status as worsening.

A primary issue discussed at the NGO Working Session was their frustration at the lack of access to the UN building and negotiations.

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