EU Presidency Statement - Women in development

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) and the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey as well as Iceland and Liechtenstein, EFTA countries belonging to the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

Mr. Chairman,

1. The European Union would firstly like to thank the Secretary-General for his report on the participation of women in development. This report sheds an interesting light on the subject, and should be taken into account in preparations for the two major conferences which will shortly address development in an integrated fashion, namely the International Conference on Financing for Development and the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development, and also in our efforts to achieve the international development goals set by the major world conferences and the Millennium Declaration.

Mr. Chairman,

2. The European Union welcomes the progress made at the 23rd Special Session of the General Assembly, which was devoted to the five-year review of the Beijing Summit. We believe that the cause of gender equality has made great progress in recent years, even if we are still far from realizing the objectives we have set ourselves. The Union welcomes the fact that the analysis of gender issues and gender mainstreaming have become widely acceptable instruments in attempts to bring about equality of rights and opportunities. In a few weeks' time, Ministers meeting at the European Union's Development Council will examine a Programme of Action for the mainstreaming of gender equality in Community Development Cooperation.

3. The theme of gender equality and women's participation in development cannot be kept distinct from the promotion of sustainable development and the examination of the impact of globalization. It is at the very heart of the issue. We cannot seek remedies for the marginalisation of a large number of countries without paying heed to the marginalisation and discrimination often suffered by women within those societies themselves. The Union considers that the gender perspective must be integrated horizontally in all policies and of course also all activities of the United Nations.

4. The Union wishes to highlight a number of areas on which our attention should be focused.

5. Firstly, education. At the Millennium Summit, we affirmed our commitment to ensure that by 2015 children of the entire world, both girls and boys, would be able to complete a full course of primary schooling, and that boys and girls should benefit from equal access to all levels of education. Education is the basis for all emancipation and economic progress. Without education, the practical expression of human rights would remain illusory. UNICEF is constantly stressing this point, and all studies on this subject show us that education for girls is the most profitable investment to make in any development strategy.

6. Participation by women in development also means participation in decision-making processes at all levels, including political participation. Without appropriate representation and political participation by women, there is little chance of seeing their lot genuinely improve, nor therefore their contribution to development. Political decision-makers set their priorities in relation to the distribution of power in their society. Women's votes must therefore really count, and women must be able to have equal access to elected posts.

7. In the same way, it is clear that a rational macroeconomic policy not only has to preserve broad budgetary balance, but also ensure that the State's budget is allocated in a sensible fashion, giving priority to the fight against poverty by the provision of basic social services - health and education - rather than for example to lavish military expenditure. The feminization of poverty is a worrying tendency. Giving absolute priority to the eradication of poverty counters that tendency, while of course ensuring that women can benefit equally from access to social services.

8. It is well known that women and children are the first victims of conflicts. Democracy and respect for human rights, the guarantees of peace, political stability and development, therefore also must benefit them first. Women have an important role to play in preventing and settling conflicts and in consolidating peace. The European Union encourages all parties involved in conflicts to integrate women more effectively into their peace negotiations. They must be involved at all decision-taking levels in the prevention, management and settlement of disputes. The Union stresses the importance of implementing Resolution 1325 adopted by the Security Council on 31 October 2000 on women and peace and security.

9. To be able to invest and develop their meager resources, the poor need to obtain real access to property, particularly land, and to credit, in conditions of legal certainty not generally offered by the informal sector. The Union therefore supports the Global Campaign for Secure Tenure launched by Habitat. This challenge, of gaining access to property and credit, is greater for women, who are still sometimes the victims of unacceptable discrimination particularly as regards inheritance and access to credit. The Union reaffirms its support for the Habitat Agenda's provisions on the subject, and for the formulation and strengthening of policies and practices to promote the full and equal participation of women in human settlements planning and decision-making, reaffirmed in June at the Special Session of the General Assembly. It also stresses the importance which it attaches to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol. Sexual discrimination remains an obstacle to economic development and the reduction of poverty, particularly female poverty. Once all discriminatory practices of a legal, economic and social nature have been eradicated, and equality established between women and men, women will be able to make full use of their abilities and enterprising spirit to emerge from poverty.

10. We also encourage all governments to increase their efforts fully to open their employment market and facilitate the creation of genuine employment opportunities for women of all educational levels, and to ensure equal pay for equal work, and equality with men in terms of conditions of employment and working conditions.

11. Despite their varying success rates, micro-credit programmes are worth developing since they often represent the only chance of access to finance for women working in the informal sector. It is essential that this tool is used to reinforce women's decision-making autonomy. We must remember, as the Secretary-General's report underlines, that women's repayment rates to micro-credit institutions are equal to and often greater than those of men, and that women tend to spend a larger part of their income for the good of the household, including on the education, nutrition and health of their children. It should be noted that micro financing should be considered only as a point of departure for the economic advancement of women. In the long term, aid should be targeted on the improvement of paid activities for women to enable them to be competitive in current market conditions.

12. New information and communication technology contains an enormous potential for development and emancipation. As the Secretary-General's report makes clear, there is a considerable gap between the sexes in this respect, which must be reduced. A first step would be to recognize the potential contribution of the new technology to empowering women and reducing gender inequalities, with a view to examining practical ways of putting this technology at the service of women's participation in development.

13. Of course, the full participation of women in development is only conceivable if they have true autonomy of action, including in reproductive health matters, and true freedom to take decisions within the family in all its forms, and if all their human rights are fully respected. To ensure the participation of women to promote development is also to ensure the exercise of citizenship by all. In particular, the question of rights and health in relation to sexuality and reproduction remain a priority for the European Union. The situation of women in this respect in some countries remains a matter of great concern for the Union, or even of alarm, for example in the case of Afghanistan.

14. Given the massive repercussions of the AIDS epidemic, it is now no longer possible to talk of development without mentioning it. We would therefore like to remind you that in June, during the special session on HIV/AIDS, the States together underlined that equality between the sexes and the emancipation of women are essential conditions to reduce the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV/AIDS; they committed themselves to protecting the full enjoyment of all their fundamental rights and reducing their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, by eliminating all forms of discrimination and all forms of violence against women and girls, including harmful traditional and customary practices, abuse, rape and other forms of sexual violence, assault and trafficking in women and girls, and affirmed their will to give women the means to exercise control over questions connected with their sexuality and to take decisions on this subject freely and responsibly, so as to give them every help in protecting themselves against HIV infection.

15. Finally, we must also involve women in the promotion of development at the United Nations. We welcome the activities of UNICEF, the UNDP, UNFPA, the WFP, UNIDO and above all UNIFEM on this issue. We reiterate our support for the promotion of the gender equality within the Organization in relation to its human resources policy. We welcome the activities of the Special Advisor on Gender, Assistant Secretary-General Angela King and we would like to assure her of the Union's support.

16. It is essential that women should be involved in the International Conference on Financing for Development. Financing for development also covers the financial aspect of women's participation in development, particularly as regards access to credit, to property and to basic social services. The European Union will also take that opportunity to repeat, as decided by its Heads of State or Government at Göteborg, that it believes that gender equality is an aspect, which should be integrated into all preparations for the world summit on sustainable development. It welcomes the fact that women are recognized as a "Major Group" in the Action 21 framework, which guarantees their involvement in preparations for the Summit. The Union would very much welcome the organization of seminars or the production of a specific report on the integration of the gender perspective into this process.

Mr. Chairman,

17. Promoting the participation of women in development is a question of justice and of human rights. But it is also an economic calculation, and one of straightforward common sense. There can be no sustainable development without the full participation of women. To promote the participation of women in development is to promote development.

Thank you for your attention.

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