Report from Jane Pritchard, NGO representative, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

Convenor Association of Presbyterian Women of Aotearoa New Zealand and a Pacific sub-regional member of the Asia-Pacific Women's Watch Steering Committee

within this section:

• Introduction
• The outcomes document
• Inclusion of New Zealand women's priorities
• Gains for the Asia-Pacific region in the Outcomes Document
• Conclusion
  
  

Introduction

The lead-up to the special session had been a period of intense activity for many of the 60 per cent of the world's women who inhabit the Asia-Pacific Region. They saw the special session on women as a chance to have recognised in the Outcomes Document text some very deep-seated, stubborn and alarming issues which had not been well heard during the Beijing Conference.

These were issues which governments had not wanted to hear about in 1995, but which had continued to ferment in societies where impediments to women's advancement were embedded within cultural and religious practices.

New Zealand women, while enjoying a higher level of social and economic development than women in some countries of the region, still faced a variety of discriminations and barriers to their advancement.

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Role of New Zealand NGO representatives

The NGO group aimed to: learn more about how to use special consultative status with the ECOSOC to best advantage: work to encourage more New Zealand women's organisations to apply for their own consultative status; and define issues where New Zealand women could use the Beijing Platform for Action and the Outcomes Document to implement advances in their status and find a commonality in some emerging issues that affect all Pacific nations.

My more specific goals were to ensure the women with me learned as much as possible that they could use when they returned home, and to participate as a member of the Asia-Pacific Watch Steering Committee. My responsibilities for the committee included helping to convene a daily caucus meeting to report progress, demonstrating the regional review process in a workshop, seeking NGO opinion about the ongoing review and supporting the regional lobbying team.

The Asia-Pacific review strategies in the lead-up to the special session were considered a model by NGOs in the other regions, none of whom had produced the same high quality of documentation and focused lobbying.

Reviewing progress

Because of funding constraints and problems with visas there was a smaller number of women attending than had been expected. This was useful in that it relieved some of the space restrictions imposed by the UN and allowed us to have all three of our representatives attend sessions at the same time.

Alongside state representatives, NGOs lobbied vigorously to have the views of ordinary women included in this five-year review of the Beijing Platform for Action. The Outcomes Document adopted by the special session will be the blueprint for the programme to achieve acceleration in the next five years for the advancement of women world-wide.

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The Outcomes Document

Negotiating the text for the Outcomes Document was a slow and often abrasive process and was likened to "a long, hard labour". When almost 180 states agreed on text, decisions were often held up by a few nations who would not join the consensus. In fact the text was to have been finalised at the Preparatory Meeting held in New York in March 2000, but when we arrived at the end of May, a good proportion of the paragraphs had yet to be finalised, and even by the last day of the special session around 10 per cent was still under discussion. The document was completed only after an all-night session and an extra day.

The very many first-time participants were not impressed by this slow and uncertain process. This may result in some repercussions as women reassess the value of this method of formulating statements about the advancement of women. There was also a feeling that the UN could not allow a failure to reach consensus as its integrity was at stake.

NGOs wanted a strong document which focused on women's human rights, provided strategies to overcome the adverse effects of globalisation and recognised the devastating results for women and children of armed conflict.

Other issues of concern were equal parliamentary representation for women, more and better jobs for both women and men, better co-ordination of development programmes and the growing impoverishment of women and children.

The document finally adopted contains tougher measures to combat domestic violence and sex trafficking and to tackle the impact of globalisation. It does not backtrack on the work done at Beijing, but there is still evidence that political will is lacking in some areas.

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Results from Asia-Pacific preliminary actions

The most important experience for all of us who had been concerned with the whole process of review since the planning of a strategy during the Preparatory Committee in March 1999 was seeing how much, with meticulous preparation and focused team work, could be achieved for women in the Outcomes Document.

Inclusion of New Zealand women's NGOs' priorities

From two rounds of responses by the National Council of Women's affiliated societies and branch members in September 1998 and March 1999, along with results from the Association of Presbyterian Women's pilot survey of 250 grass roots women carried out in urban, provincial and rural centres from Auckland to Invercargill in June-July 1999, a New Zealand report was presented at the Asia-Pacific Regional Symposium in Thailand in September 1999. This report also included government action since Beijing.

Reported gains included:

Funding of $2.25 million for a diary-based time use survey over a whole year -

New employment programmes directed at women, Māori and Pacific people

Publication of The Full Picture, Guidelines for Gender Analysis

Funding for improved statistical information about women's lives, in particular a survey on child care, and a longitudinal survey of income dynamics.

Other government progress that was noted included:

The Domestic Violence Act 1995 targeting family violence

Strategy on sexual and reproductive health with two oral contraceptives available free of charge

Implementation of a national breast screening programme

Making the practice of female genital mutilation illegal in New Zealand

Tax credits for new parents

A new 24-hour telephone "Healthline"

Extra funding for out-of-school child care services in low-income communities

Free doctor's visits for children under 6 years of age.
In addition a number of firsts for women in decision-making roles were celebrated by NGOs.

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Barriers for women identified by NGOs included:

Women's economic advancement continues to be impeded by family commitments and unpaid work in the home

Poor access to affordable, appropriate childcare and affordable housing

High fees for tertiary education impacts more on women, who are lower paid than men

Male-dominant cultures in legislation, law and business - "a fat layer of men"/ "a layer of fat men" rather than "a glass ceiling"

Employment issues, job insecurity, casualisation of the workforce in female-dominated industries

The gender pay gap, which is steady and stubborn with women paid 20 per cent less than men overall.

NGOs identified the following persistent and emerging issues:

The male culture, particularly within the justice system

Unmet needs of diverse cultural and ethnic groups, which are becoming numerically larger

Communication issues about how to make the Platform for Action understandable; also barriers about the language and processes used in courts

Personal safety for women in the home, workplace and community is often in doubt

NGOs are losing members and have fewer resources.

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The Association of Presbyterian Women's pilot survey of 250 grass roots women revealed:

< 61 per cent had less money in their pockets than five years ago

47 per cent were unable to save for retirement

Women's impoverishment is increasing

Many women were working under a collective employment contract they had never seen.

These gains, barriers and emerging issues became integral elements in the overall regional report presented to the special session as an NGO report. They helped to frame key regional statements on women and the economy, continuing human rights abuses of women, institutional mechanisms to promote equality for women, and political participation and decision-making.

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Gains for the Asia-Pacific region in the Outcomes Document included:

Specific mention of "honour killings"

Trafficking in women and children specifically mentioned, also the definition of war crimes to include rape, enforced prostitution and other forms of sexual violence

Rights of refugee and displaced women more fully recognised

Linking of negative impacts of globalisation with feminisation of poverty.

Ongoing review by NZ women of their status

Reporting by NGOs for the Beijing + 5 Review was not well enough co-ordinated to achieve real consistency. Wide consultation through workshops and dialogue was lacking. It is to be hoped that for any future review - and Beijing + 10 is already being mentioned -the resourcing and energy can be found for real engagement with grass roots women and women of our many New Zealand cultures.

Similarly, reporting from the Pacific sub-region was not even or consistent, with three separate reports presented from Australia, Pacific nations and New Zealand. The establishment of Pacific Women's Watch to co-ordinate monitoring and review throughout the Pacific sub-region which is ongoing and sustainable aims to ensure a voice in solidarity is presented in the future. Processes in the other four sub-regions are already well developed to give solidarity of voice.

When there are emerging issues of common concern it is now recognised that all the 19 members and associate states of the Pacific sub-region must support each other.

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Conclusion

Many challenges remain. How to raise awareness of all women of what still needs to be done is an ongoing challenge. Development of indicators, assessment strategies and benchmarks to gauge progress in implementing the Beijing Platform For Action is not well advanced.

These challenges must underpin ongoing work over the next five years and are very real issues for New Zealand women as they strive towards full equality. There is also responsibility to provide solidarity of support in the wider region.

The Beijing + 10 Review will surely see New Zealand and Pacific women together bringing a co-ordinated and equal voice in company with the women of the other four Asia-Pacific sub-regions. To that end I believe it is important that more women's NGOs start working towards gaining consultative status with the United Nations, as this will allow them a greater level of input into the process.

The Association of Presbyterian Women, having gained special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, would be happy to provide advice to other organisations looking to achieve this goal. Appendix 6 has some more information about this.

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