Subject: [fem-women2000 608] Onsite Report from 45th Session of the UNCSW - No. 1
From: lalamaziwa <lalamaziwa@jca.apc.org>
Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2001 18:41:17 +0900
Seq: 608

---------------- Original message follows ----------------
 From: kathy clarin <kathy@isiswomen.org>
 To: apwomen2000@isiswomen.org
 Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2001 15:23:36 +0800
 Subject: [apwomen2000] Onsite Report from 45th Session of the UNCSW  - No.=
 1
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knowledge, engendering change
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Subject: Onsite Report from 45th Session of the UNCSW  - No. 1
source:   Mavic Cabrera-Balleza <mavic@isiswomen.org> <fgballeza@yahoo.com>
date: 03.07.01
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06 March 2001 Onsite report from the 45th Session of the Commission on the 
Status of Women.

The 45th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) opened 
today at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Ms. Dubravka Simonovic of Croatia was elected as Chair of the Session. The 
four Vice Chairpersons are Kirsten Geelan form Denmark; Loreta Leyton from 
Chile, Mankeur Ntiaye from Senegal and Otsuko Nishimura from Japan. Ms. 
Nishimura will also serve as the Session=92s Rapporteur.

Ms Angela E.V. King addressed the event.  She credited the UN General 
Assembly Special Session for the Review of the Beijing Platform for Action 
that took place in June 2000  for providing a forum for governments, 
international organizations and civil society to review progress and 
reaffirm their commitment to finding effective and lasting solution to the 
problems women and girls face.

Ms. King asked the delegates to think in terms of finding strategic entry 
points for integrating gender perspective into the work of the UN and its 
member states. According to her, this can be done by linking gender 
equality with the main intergovernmental expert events such as the General 
Assembly Special Sessions on Habitat + 5; HIV/AIDS; and on children which 
are all taking place within the year. The other events include conferences 
such as the one on the Least Developed Countries in May; on Illicit Trade 
in Small Arms and Kight Weapons in July ; and on Racism, Racial 
Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in August/September, the=
 
Commission on the Status of Women.

The other way through which strategic entry points for integrating gender 
perspective into the work of the UN and its member states may be done is by=
 
incorporating gender into the critical themes with which the UN is 
concerned such as development, globalization, poverty, HIV/AIDS, and peace.

Ms. King stressed that one factor which plays a critical role in 
development is the escalation of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the developing 
world. According to her, 36.1 million men, women and children around the 
world were living with HIV or AIDS by the end of 2000 and 21.8 million had 
died from the disease. She cited a study conducted by the International 
Labour Office  (ILO), that points out that if women are economically 
vulnerable, so are those who depend on them, from the household to the 
national economy. =93The economic vulnerability of women to HIV/AIDS 
disproportionately more than men, is a matter of serious and urgent concern=
 
in addressing the economic impact of the epidemic,=94 Ms. King added furthe=
r.

In addition, Ms. King drew attention to a report by Femmes Africa 
Solidarite that illustrates the connection between women=92s increased 
vulnerability to the virus, and the prevalence of violent conflicts in many=
 
African countries and the diversion of much needed funds from basic 
preventive health measures to the purchase of arms.

The others who addressed the opening of the 45th CSW Session were Ms. Yakin=
 
Eturk, Director of the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, Ms. 
Noeleen Heyzer, Director of UNIFEM. The delegates made their presentations 
according to blocks such as G77 + China; European Union, Latin America and 
Africa.

The opening session took place despite some anxieties on the part of some 
government and NGO delegates caused by bad weather conditions in New York. 
A number of delegates were unable to come because of 
this.

The other events that took place during the day were the NGO orientation 
organized by the NGO Committee on the Status of Women aimed at providing 
NGO participants particularly those who are attending the CSW Session for 
the first time, with information on how to participate fully; and the 
launching of the books =93With an End in Sight: Strategies fro UNIFEM Trust=
 
Fund to Eliminate Violence Against Women,=94 =93Engendering Peace: Reflecti=
ons 
on the Burundi Peace Process=94 and the =93Chrysallis=94 gender training ma=
nual 
published by Winrock International.


- 30 -

Prepared by Mavic Cabrera-Balleza
Isis International-Manila
06 March 2001, New York


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