Subject: [fem-women2000 328] WA:5 June 25 Years of Journeying - from Mexico to Beijing+5 (fwd)
From: lalamaziwa <lalamaziwa@jca.apc.org>
Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2000 09:01:21 -0400
Seq: 328
Forwarded by lalamaziwa <lalamaziwa@jca.apc.org> ---------------- Original message follows ---------------- From: karen banks <karenb@gn.apc.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <b5ngonews@lists.sn.apc.org> Date: Tue, 6 Jun 2000 06:47:59 +0200 Subject: [B5NGONEWS] WA:5 June 25 Years of Journeying - from Mexico to Beijing+5 -- 25 Years of Journeying from Mexio to Beijing +5 by Gabrielle le Roux & Sonja Boezak On Saturday, 3 June at the NGO Working Session, Devaki Jain, feminist economist, writer and activist, reflected on the $BEX(Bomen$BCT(B conference journey$B(B(B $Bfrom(B $BMexico(B $Bto(B $BBeijing.(B $BAs(B $Bthbeginninof(B $Bthwome$BCT(B decade, the conference in Mexico was a time of innovation, invention and perhaps the beginning of the world-wide women$BCT(B movement. And now, here in New York, we are evaluating the gains made since the Beijing Conference in 1995. It has been a long struggle since 1975, and the questions we ask are not much different from where we started: what will be the outcome for women? Will women be less poor, less violated? Or will this conference result in a bigger gap between rhetoric and action? The realities are, however, that poverty has increased, so have the numbers of girl children dropping out of school; there is a rise in women$BCT(B unemployment and the acts of violence against women are more cruel. What does this say about the enthusiasm with which women went to the conference in Mexico? Devaki Jain claims that between the conferences in Nairobi and Beijing $BEB(B different ethos emerged. To some extent it could be called the bureaucratisaton of the women$BCT(B movement.$B(B(B $BThfact(B $Bthat(B $BNGOs(B $Barnoable(B $Bto(B $Bparticipatin(B $BUN(B $Bconferencefrom(B $Bwithinanarno(B $Blonger(B $Btrying(B $Bto(B $Blobbtheigovernment(B $Bdelegationin(B $Bforums(B $Boutsidthesconferences,(B $Bis(B $Bgain(B $Bthat(B $Bis(B $Bnoto(B $Bbe(B $Bdiscounted(B $BWome$BCT(B NGOs now have access to their government delegations in open forums. But it seems that in the struggle to get into the house the message was somehow forgotten. The issues are still being discussed, but the roles of NGOs have, in many cases, gradually switched from activist to archivist. Jain admits, however, that there have been marked achievements. Firstly, women$BCT(B stories are being recorded in a way that they had never been before. And secondly, there is an increase in the visibility of the plight (and sometimes, strengths) of women. But perhaps the most significant achievement has been the awareness that has been cultivated within governments and government systems. But still the challenge remains to have these achievements turn into more than $BAQ(Baper gains$B(B(B $Banrights(B $BIt(B $Bis(B $Bnoenough(B $Bto(B $Bspeaaboupoverty,(B $Bviolence(B $Bagainswomen,(B $Beducation,(B $Banthotheareaof(B $Bconcerwithouconsiderinhothesrights(B $Bca(B $Bbecome(B $Breality.(B $BPerhapit(B $Bis(B $Btime(B $Bto(B $Brevisiwhat(B $Bit(B $Bmeanto(B $Bbe(B $Ban(B $BactivistThat(B $Byes,(B $Bit(B $Bis(B $Bvitato(B $Braisthissues(B $Banspeaabouthem(B $Bbuit(B $Bis(B $Bimperative(B $Bto(B $Bgo(B $Bto(B $Bthnext(B $Bleveanmove(B $Bto(B $Baction(B $BJain(B $Bsuggests(B $Bthat(B $Bwe(B $Bperhapneed(B $BED(Bommittee of 10 wise women to gather information on women$BCT(B mass struggles$B(B(B $BafteBeijing+5.(B $BThis(B $Bcommitte(B $Bcouldrafproposalfoaction(B $Bwhiccoulbecome(B $Bpowerful(B $Btool(B $Btoward(B $Bsocial(B $Bjustice.(B $BWome$BCT(B NGOs need to move away from the $BES(Beport card approach$B(B(B $Banform(B $Bsocial(B $Bmovementthat(B $Bsharexperiences,(B $Bworkable(B $Bstrategies(B $Banact.(B $BPostulatingovernment(B $Bas(B $Bthmain(B $Bplayer(B $BanthEX(Bomen$BCT(B movement as the reporter of progress; a monitor$B(B(B $Bmeanthat(B $Bneithetakeresponsibility(B $Bfochange(B $BantransformationNGOsas(B $Bciviactors(B $Bhave(B $Bas(B $Bmuch(B $Bresponsibility(B $Bas(B $Bgovernment(B $Bto(B $Bensure(B $Bthwell-being(B $Bof(B $Bthcommunitie(B $Bthey(B $Bserve.(B $BDemocracmeanspeaking(B $Babouchangeas(B $Bwell(B $Bas(B $Bacting(B $Bas(B $Bagents(B $Bfochange(B $BPerhapthis(B $Bweek(B $Bis(B $Ban(B $Bopportunitfous(B $Bto(B $Bevaluate(B $Banreinvigorate(B $Banacas(B $BNGOs(B $Bangovernments,(B $Bnomerely(B $Bdocumentinanmonitoring(B $BeventsThquestion(B $Bis(B $BwhetheNGOs(B $Bangovernmentalikwill(B $Btake(B $Bup(B $Bth(B $Bchallenganbreathrougthbarriers(B $Bof(B $Bbureaucracy.(B $BAnthchalleng(B $Bis(B $Bto(B $Bleave,(B $Bnoonly(B $Bwith(B $Byemore(B $Bconference(B $Bpapersbuwith(B $Bthsame(B $Bexuberance(B $Banhope(B $Bas(B $Bat(B $Bthbeginninof(B $Bthdecade(B $Bof(B $Bwomen,(B $Bstrategizing(B $Bfoaction(B $BSo(B $Bwhat(B $Bhathwome$BCT(B movement learned from the past 25 years? $BE5(Bhe conference journeys $B(B(B $Bhave(B $Bshowus(B $Bhoto(B $Busthinternationaplatform(B $Bthboys(B $Bclub(B $Bto(B $Brecovethspirit(B $Banspirituality(B $Bof(B $Bthesrebelsto(B $Bgenerate(B $Bmore(B $Bfocusepoliticaresistance(B $Bwhicclaims(B $Brevaluatioof(B $Bwomen,(B(B $Bsays(B $BJain(B $BAs(B $BSoutAfrica$BCT(B called for a long time during the struggle against apartheid: Aluta continua! The struggle continues$B(B(B $B====================================================================(B $BGreenNet(B $BLimited/GreenNet(B $BEducationaTrus(B $BBradleClose,(B $B74-7WhitLion(B $BStreetLondonN1(B $B9PF,(B $BEnglan(B $Be-mailsupport@gn.apc.org(B $Btel:(B $B+44/171-713-1941(B $Bfax:(B $B+44/171-837-5551(B $B====================================================================(B $B________________________________________________________________________(B $Bfem-Women2000@jca.apc.orfoWome2000UN(B $BSpeciaSessioon(B $BBeijing+(B $BSearcheablArchivhttp://www.jca.apc.org/fem/news/women2000/index.shtm(B $Bvisifem-neHomePage(B $Bfoothemailinlisthttp://www.jca.apc.org/fem(B