The Tribune

By ALICIA WALLACE

The 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women—an annual meeting held at the United Nations in New York City in March, Women’s History Month, and close to International Women’s Day, closed on Friday last week. This year, the theme focused on the Beijing Platform for Action, reviewing its implementation since adoption 30 years ago. In Beijing, at the Fourth World Conference on Women, this landmark agreement was made among States.

In the agreement, States declared their determination “to advance the goals of equality, development and peace for all women everywhere in the interest of all humanity”. They also recognised that “the status of women has advanced in some important respects in the past decade but that progress has been uneven, inequalities between women and men have persisted and major obstacles remain, with serious consequences for the well-being of all people.”

In 1995, the States said they were “convinced” of a number of facts including that:

1. Women’s empowerment and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society, including participation in the decision-making process and access to power, are fundamental for the achievement of equality, development and peace;

2. Women’s rights are human rights;

3. Equal rights, opportunities and access to resources, equal sharing of responsibilities for the family by men and women, and a harmonious partnership between them are critical to their well-being and that of their families as well as to the consolidation of democracy, and;

4. The explicit recognition and reaffirmation of the right of all women to control all aspects of their health, in particular their own fertility, is basic to their empowerment.

The States, at that time, committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination against women and girls, encouraging men to participate in the action taken toward gender equality, promote the economic independence of women and addressing related structural issues, centering people in sustainable development efforts, and ensuring respect for international law, especially those that protect women and girls.

In the final paragraph introductory to the Beijing Platform for Action, States said: “We hereby adopt and commit ourselves as governments to implement the following Platform for Action, ensuring that a gender perspective is reflected in all our policies and programmes. We urge the United Nations system, regional and international financial institutions, other relevant regional and international institutions and all women and men, as well as non-governmental organisations, with full respect for their autonomy, and all sectors of civil society, in cooperation with governments, to fully commit themselves and contribute to the implementation of this Platform for Action.”

The Beijing Platform for Action was a landmark agreement and plan that captured widespread attention. It is important to remember that it is the result of advocacy by women from all over the world who found ways to articulate the national and regional issues, identify the global issues and their relationships to those at the national and regional levels, work together to develop solutions and form demands that would bring those solutions to fruition, and be present in as high a number as possible to watch the negotiation process, participate in it, and ensure that as little meaning and substance were lost as possible when the final words were inked. This is how it happened then, and such documents come together now in ways that are similar and very different. Engagement on the issue of gender equality and women’s rights has not been the same over the course of the last 30 years. The issues, as evidenced by the continued relevance of the Beijing Platform for Action and the introductory statement, remain very much the same, and the environment has changed multiple times as have our tactics.

Today, we talk about the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) which is an older document and commitment and upon which the Beijing Platform for Action is based, along with the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women. Advocates used CEDAW to draw attention to the rights of women and the obligation that States have to ensure that we have full access to every single one of those rights, and without exception. This is critical to our work and will certainly continue. The Beijing Platform for Action, however, is not often mentioned, and it needs more attention.

The Beijing Platform for Action clearly states: “The objective of the Platform for Action, which is in full conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, is the empowerment of all women. The full realisation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of all women is essential for the empowerment of women. While the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne in mind, it is the duty of States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

It is worth noting that the drafters and all who committed to the Beijing Platform for Action acknowledge the differences among States and made explicit that no circumstances in any sphere constitute an excuse for the failure to promote all human rights and take action toward the advancement of all women. We see governments use economic conditions, religion and their fear of religious (mis)leaders, and “culture” to distract people from and excuse their deliberate inaction. This is not a new tactic by governments. It is at least decades old and drafters saw the indicators that it was necessary to clearly state that there are no exemptions as a result of circumstances or conditions within a State.

Twelve Areas of Critical Concern were identified in the Beijing Platform for Action and strategic objectives and actions were elaborated for each one. The 12 areas are:

• The persistent and increasing burden of poverty on women

• Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to education and training

• Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to health care and related services

• Violence against women

• The effects of armed or other kinds of conflict on women, including those living under foreign occupation

• Inequality in economic structures and policies, in all forms of productive activities and in access to resources

• Inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision-making at all levels

• Insufficient mechanisms at all levels to promote the advancement of women

• Lack of respect for and inadequate promotion and protection of the human rights of women

• Stereotyping of women and inequality in women’s access to and participation in all communication systems, especially in the media

• Gender inequalities in the management of natural resources and in the safeguarding of the environment

• Persistent discrimination against and violation of the rights of the girl child

Our attention is called to each of these areas today, 30 years later. States have not followed through on their commitments. The identified issues not only persist, but have intensified while action to address them has not.

Governments have a responsibility to clearly communicate with the public about its decision-making processes, actions taken, and participation in a wide range of fora and intergovernmental spaces. In The Bahamas, we have seen the hefty travel bills for politicians, especially in the current administration, and not been given the details of the activities and outcomes. Is it better, worse, or the same as it was in the 1990s? How many people who were politically activated in 1993 are familiar with CEDAW? How many people who were politically activated in 1995 are familiar with the Beijing Platform for Action? How many people who claim to care about people, whether in terms of human rights, pastoral care, medical aid, or any other area, are conversant in human rights and the commitments The Bahamas has made to protect, promote, and guarantee access to them?

The Bahamas would be in a much different place if people were at least aware of the commitments being made in international spaces, understanding that those commitments are not to the United Nations or to other States, but to us, and that we need to hold governments accountable. The people of The Bahamas would be in a different position if the government had actually done its job, involving people in decision making processes and sharing information on and from global events, and that is likely the reason it does not do its jobs. It is left to nongovernmental organisations, the media, and individuals advocates to monitor, report on, and provide detailed, accessible information for the public.

If you have never heard of the Beijing Platform for Action, or if you have heard of it, but do not know anything beyond the title, now is a good time to look into it. It is indicative of the work that women did decades ago to secure these commitments. It is an explainer on the disappointment and exhaustion that so many women feel after doing this work, having this success and the hope that comes with it, and seeing the commitments ignored. It is evidence of the inaction of many governments. It is a sign of the work ahead and the time and effort that it requires in order for us to see and feel success. It is a reminder that words and signatures are not enough. Integrity, which is obviously lacking in government, is desperately needed, as is the ceaseless advocacy of rights-minded people and a fully engaged, demanding electorate.