Mercy Global Concern - 2005

Mercy Global Concern: Briefing Paper Number 2, March 2005

Overview and Link to In-depth Analysis Over the Past Decade

Amidst the glorious countenance and celebration of the presence of 6000 women wrapped in their finest native costumes are serious discussions and critical strategizing for the betterment of women in their communities, normally the poorest of the poor.
Quickly the glamorous feeling of being at a United Nations meeting flickers giving rise to a fire of passion about the injustices and absolute poverty two-thirds of our sisters and brothers experience daily.

The 49th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women well underway, is being dubbed by members of the Commission (official/political representatives of nation states) as Beijing Plus Ten, and by NGO’s (Non- Governmental Organizations of civic society wherein Mercy Global Concern belongs) as Beijing Betrayed!
The betrayal is in the facts:

That despite well meaning and well crafted political statements, most women are actually worse off than they were ten years ago. Most NGO conferences have spoken of the lack of governments to actually implement the Beijing Platform for Action inclusive of 12 steps for the advancement of women worldwide.

(For the Bejing Platform for Action Documents including the 12 critical areas visit website:www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/beijing/platform/index.html)

The loudest cry at this 49th CSW conference among both governments and NGO’s is implementation. We have the words, now we need the deeds. For example the WEDO report states that with just $105 billion dollars – about one ninth of the global military spending – shelter and clean water could be provide to all those needing it : that is approximately 2/3rd of the world’s population who have no access to usable, drinkable, clean water—that ‘s 4 Billion people! Furthermore with this same 105 billion dollars, starvation, malnutrition, nuclear weapons, landmines, and illiteracy would be eliminated! What is needed is simply the political will of governments to care for their people.

Secretary General Kofi Annan in his opening remarks alluded to the following advances he acknowledges member states have made over the last decade including:

• Increased awareness of gender equality as necessary in the development and peace of every nation;
  
• Life expectancy and fertility rates have improved;
  
• More girls are enrolled in primary education
  
• More women are earning an income than ever before. Yet he acknowledges that new challenges have emerged including:
  
• Trafficking of women and children has increased
  
• the global community is experiencing a terrifying growth of HIV/AIDS among young women.

NGO conferences confirm the above, while adding that violence against women and girls (rape, and other forms of sexual violence; physical and emotional violence; economic violence- such as poverty and absolute poverty, lack of access to markets for indigenous goods, lack of access to capital; and political violence-lack of access to participation in political structures that define one’s life) has increased in every sector of women and girls lives- home, school, work and villages. Violence during military conflict at the hands of UN and USA peacekeeping forces was especially denounced. Both the Secretary General and the NGO’s agree about the lack of implementation of the Beijing 12 Critical areas of strategies to improve woman’s lives.

The Secretary General states “a large gap remains between policy and practice in the promotion of gender equality; the NGO CSW reports “a large gap between gender sensitive laws, policies and machineries and their implementation on the ground.”

Both emphasize the connection of the Beijing Platform for Action to the Millennium Development Goals, continued NGO pressure on governments to sign and ratify and implement UN agreements and protocols in their own countries, and continued aggressive action on the parts of both governments and NGO’s to ensure gender mainstreaming in all global, national, economic, political and cultural policies.

Further study/analysis: To view an in-depth analysis of the 10 year achievements and the future challenges of the 12 Points of the Beijing Platform for Action please visit “Beijing at 10: Putting policy into action” found at website:

www.un-instraw.org/en/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=930&Itemid=204

This research is provided by the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (instraw) www.un-instraw.org, Spanish and French translation is available on Instraw’s homepage.

Tina Geiger, rsm