Subject: [fem-women2000 775] Women's GlobalNet #188: CSW Report
From: iwtc <iwtc@iwtc.org>
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 22:15:23 +0000
Seq: 775
IWTC WOMEN'S GLOBALNET #188 Initiatives and Activities of Women Worldwide By Anne S. Walker March 26, 2002 REPORT FROM THE 46TH SESSION OF THE UN COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN (UN/CSW) BACKGROUND: The UN/CSW met in New York from March 4-15, 2002. The Commission, which began in 1947 with 15 members, now consists of 45 members elected by the Economic and Social Council for a period of four years. Members, who are appointed by Governments, are elected on the following basis: thirteen from African states; eleven from Asian states; four from Eastern European states; nine from Latin American and Caribbean states; and eight from Western European and Other states. 2002 UN/CSW BUREAU: For the 46th Session of the CSW, the Bureau was made up of the following members: Mrs. Dubravka Smonovic (Croatia), Chairperson; Mrs. Kirsten Geelan (Denmark), Vice-Chairperson; Ms. Atsuko Nishimura (Japan), Vice-Chairperson; Ms. Loreto Leyton (Chile), Vice-Chairperson; and Mr. Mankeur Ndiaye (Senegal), Vice-Chairperson. 2002 UN/CSW MEMBERSHIP; Argentina, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chile, China, Croatia, Cuba, Democratic People專 Republic of Korea, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Gabon, Germany, Guatemala, Guinea, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States. Representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), as well as many non-governmental organizations, also participated in the session. ADOPTION OF AGREED CONCLUSIONS: The Commission adjourned with the consensus adoption of draft agreed conclusions on its themes for the session: 1) the eradication of poverty, including through women's empowerment; and 2) incorporating the gender perspective in the mitigation of natural disasters. It also adopted without vote a draft resolution on women and children hostages in armed conflicts. The Commission was not, however, able to complete the remainder of its work the adoption of a draft resolution on women and girls in Afghanistan -by the 6 p.m. meeting deadline recently set by the Secretariat. 1. The Eradication of Poverty: The Commission recognized that globalization had left many women marginalized and deprived of basic social protections and that special attention must be given to women and children who often bore the greatest burden of extreme poverty. It affirmed gender equality and women專 empowerment as important strategies to eradicate poverty. Governments and relevant UN funds and programmes, civil society, international financial institutions, and the private sector were urged to take action to accelerate implementation of strategic objectives to address the needs of all women. Those actions included taking all appropriate measures to address obstacles to the empowerment of women and to the full enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms throughout their life cycle, with a view to eradicating poverty. Global actors and other stakeholders were further urged to ensure that both women and men are involved in decision-making, political agenda-setting and in allocation of resources. Further, the Commission urged governments and relevant UN funds and programmes, civil society, international financial institutions, and the private sector to undertake socio-economic policies that promote sustainable development and support and ensure poverty eradication programmes -- especially for women -- by providing, among other things, skill training, equal access to and control over resources, credit including micro-credit, information and technology, and equal access to markets to benefit women of all ages, in particular those living in poverty and marginalized women, including rural women, indigenous women and female-headed households. 2. Environmental Management and the Mitigation of Natural Disasters: The Commission recognized that women played a vital role in disaster reduction, response and recovery and in natural resources management, and that some women faced particular vulnerabilities during disaster situations. Recalling that the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action recognized that environmental degradation and disasters often have a more direct impact on women, the Commission invited governments, the United Nations system, civil society and the private sector to take action on 22 issues to accelerate implementation of strategic objectives to address the needs of all women, such as: To pursue gender equality and gender-sensitive environmental management and disaster reduction, response and recovery as an integral part of sustainable development. Global actors were further urged to develop and implement gender sensitive laws, policies and programmes, including on land-use, environmental management and integrated water resources management, to provide opportunities to prevent and mitigate damage; and to include, at the design stage of all relevant development programmes and projects, gender analysis and methods of mapping hazards and vulnerabilities in order to improve the effectiveness of disaster risk management, involving women and men equally. In a resolution approved on the final evening, the Commission requested that ECOSOC condemn violent acts in contravention of international humanitarian law against civilian populations and call for an effective response to such acts, in particular, the immediate release of women and children taken hostage or subsequently imprisoned. ECOSOC was also requested to condemn the consequences of hostage-taking, in particular, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as well as rape, slavery and trafficking in women and children for the purpose of their sexual exploitation, forced labour or services. For the full text of the Agreed Conclusions, please go to the web-site of the Division for the Advancement of Women at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/46sess.htm IWTC Women's GlobalNet is a production of: International Women's Tribune Centre 777 United Nations Plaza 3rd Floor New York, NY 10017, USA Tel: (1-212) 687-8633 Fax: (1-212) 661-2704 Email: <iwtc@iwtc.org> Web: <http://www.iwtc.org> PLEASE NOTE: For back issues of IWTC Women's GlobalNet, go to our website at <www.iwtc.org> and click on either Women's GlobalNet under Resources, or What's New? You can subscribe to this list at any time by sending a blank message to: <iwtc-womensglobalnet-subscribe@igc.topica.com> You can unsubscribe to this list at any time by sending a blank message to: <iwtc-womensglobalnet-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com> WOMEN, INK. For quality, cutting-edge publications on women and development by, for and about women worldwide, see Women, Ink's 2001 catalogue at : <http://www.womenink.org>. Or contact Women, Ink. at 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA. Tel: Yasna Uberoi (1-212) 687-8633 ext 212 or Mary Wong (1-212) 687-8633 ext 204. Fax: (1-212) 661-2704. E-mail: <wink@womenink.org> To subscribe to the Women, Ink. monthly bulletin "BookLink", which features new titles added to the Women, Ink. collection, write to: <wink@womenink.org> WOMEN, INK. IS A SERVICE OF IWTC ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: fem-women2000@jca.apc.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://igc.topica.com/u/?aVxinV.aVF16V Or send an email to: iwtc-womensglobalnet-unsubscribe@igc.topica.com T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================ _________________________________________________________________________ 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