Subject: [fem-women2000 374] WOMENS' DELEGATES REACH AGREEMENT
From: lalamaziwa <lalamaziwa@jca.apc.org>
Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 06:45:32 -0500
Seq: 374
Forwarded by lalamaziwa <lalamaziwa@jca.apc.org> ---------------- Original message follows ---------------- From: Liz Probert <liz@gn.apc.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <b5ngonews@lists.sn.apc.org> Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 11:39:20 +0200 Subject: [B5NGONEWS] WOMENS' DELEGATES REACH AGREEMENT -- >X-From_: women2000@ccmc.org Sat Jun 10 12:15:26 2000 >From: women2000 <women2000@ccmc.org> >Subject: Women 2000/Beijing+5 Update >Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2000 11:49:07 -0400 > >According to UN Assistant Secretary-General Angela King's staff, the >negotiations ended at 5:59 am Saturday morning with an agreement on the >Outcome Document. The General Assembly is reconvening at 3pm. > >Message-ID: <307FFAF55024D411BCE300A0C9A941EA03E591@COMMSRVR> >From: Ketayoun Darvich-Kodjouri <kdarvich@ccmc.org> >To: women2000 <women2000@ccmc.org> >Subject: June 10, 2000: Associated Press: Womens' Delegates Reach Agreem > ent >Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2000 11:16:38 -0400 > >Associated Press; June 10, 2000; Saturday 8:57 AM, Eastern Time > >HEADLINE: Womens' Delegates Reach Agreement >BYLINE: EDITH M. LEDERER > >Delegates from 180 countries reached agreement this morning on a new U.N. >plan to accelerate progress toward women's equality after an all-night >debate over abortion, sexual rights and other key issues. > >''It was absolutely worth it,'' said U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Angela >King, a special adviser on the advancement of women. ''I feel that all those >millions of women who are looking at us are totally vindicated, and they >have something to grasp to assist them for their battles for equality.'' > >The new document reaffirms the 150-page platform for action adopted at a >landmark 1995 U.N. women's conference and moves forward with tougher >measures to combat domestic violence and trafficking in women, and tackle >the impact on women of HIV/AIDS and globalization. > >But attempts to move beyond Beijing on the contentious issues of abortion >failed and proposed references to sexual rights and sexual orientation were >dropped from the final text by delegates meeting in committee. > >The final text maintains language from Beijing on women's reproductive and >sexual health. > >''I'm very happy that the dire predictions that there would be a rollback of >Beijing have proven false,'' King said. ''Instead for all the world to see, >we have a very strong document which not only reaffirms Beijing and other >relevant conferences on human rights and social development but also moves >forward.'' > >The agreement was reached shortly after 5 a.m. and delegates were told to >return two hours later to wrap up the conference. But when they arrived many >not having slept U.N. officials informed them that the General Assembly >session to formally approve the document by consensus was delayed further >because translators needed more time. > >During the night, several issues were resolved including a dispute between >the United States and Cuba over the effect of U.S. sanctions against the >communist island nation on Cuban women. > >The final text calls on governments to set a target date of 2005 to >eliminate the gender gap in primary and secondary education. It also moves >''substantially beyond Beijing in the roles men and boys can play to achieve >gender equality,'' King said. > >Delegates also agreed on strong planks calling for prosecution of all forms >of domestic violence, now including marital rape. The traditional practices >of forced marriage and honor killings are addressed for the first time in an >international consensus document, with the draft text calling for laws to >eradicate these human rights violations. > >Many of the issues that stalled negotiations here also dominated the Beijing >conference sexual rights, sexual orientation, abortion, sex education for >adolescents and family values. > >After a lengthy fight in Beijing, references to sexual orientation which the >Vatican and several Islamic and Catholic countries vehemently oppose were >dropped from the platform. > >The term ''sexual rights'' was never included in the Beijing platform, >though it does state that women have the right to ''decide freely and >responsibly on matters related to their sexuality ... free of coercion, >discrimination and violence.'' > >Conservative activists fear that sexual rights could be broadly interpreted >as condoning homosexuality. > >The battle lines for the current conference known as Beijing Plus Five >mirrored those at Beijing: the Vatican and a handful of Islamic and Catholic >countries against the West and hundreds of pro-Beijing women's rights >activists. > >Cuba and the United States, meanwhile, clashed for days over Havana's >insistence on referring to the negative effect of U.S. sanctions, especially >on women and girls. > >King said the dispute was settled early today when both countries agreed to >compromise language taken from a previous U.N. conference. It notes that >''in some countries, advancement of women is adversely affected by >unilateral measures not in accordance with international law ... that create >obstacles to trade relations among states.'' > >Several organizations issued a joint statement registering disappointment >with the final document but reaffirming their commitment to work for >implementation of the Beijing platform. > >''We regret that there was not enough political will on the part of some >governments and the U.N. system to agree on a stronger document with more >concrete benchmarks, numerical goals, time-bound targets, indicators, and >resources aimed at implementing the Beijing platform,'' said the statement, >which was issued by the Center for Women's Global Leadership at Rutgers >University and the Women's Environment and Development Organization. _________________________________________________________________________ fem-Women2000@jca.apc.org for Women 2000, UN Special Session on Beijing+5 Searcheable Archive http://www.jca.apc.org/fem/news/women2000/index.shtml visit fem-net HomePage for other mailing lists http://www.jca.apc.org/fem