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Women on the move - newsletter 8

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· 10 Jul 2022

This newsletter has been made available in electronic format by the United Nations. Reproduction and dissemination of the newsletter - in electronic and/or printed format - is encouraged, provided acknowledgement is made of the role of the United Nations in making it available.

Women on the Move # 8

Published by United Nations
Secretariat of the Fourth World Conference on Women
Division for the Advancement of Women

SUMMARY

"A revolution has begun and there is no going back"
Agents of change
CSW resolutions round up
Women's voices at Copenhagen's Social Summit
Women's advancement and economic growth are indivisible
International UNESCO symposium on Women on the media
Calendar

"A REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN AND THERE IS NO GOING BACK"

Commission on the Status of Women approves draft Platform for Action

At the end of the meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women, the final "PrepCom" for the Fourth World Conference on Women, Secretary-General Gertrude Mongella told the gathering of representatives of Governments and NGOs that "a revolution has begun and there is no going back. There will be no unravelling of commitments -- not today's commitments, not last year commitments, and not the last decade's commitments. This revolution is too just, too important, and too long overdue. Take back the message of the Platform, and see you in Beijing."

The 39th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) met in New York for three weeks, from 15 March to 7 April. The Commission was chaired by Ms. Patricia Licuanan, Professor of Psychology and Academic Vice-President of Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines, who said at the CSW opening that "reaching consensus on the theme for the Beijing Conference has not been easy", and that the goals of the first world conference remained valid but had not been achieved. "We must look back but also forward", she emphasized.

Mrs. Gertrude Mongella, Secretary-General of the FWCW, said at the opening that the Conference must elicit commitments to action, coupled with commitment of resources, "because its mission is not further analysis, but a deeper level of action". The Secretary- General stressed the importance of the previous UN conferences of the decade, stating that "through world wide consensus fostered by the UN, every nation has come further than it would have come by itself. The Conferences affirmed the need for new relationships, including equal partnership between citizens and Governments, among the world's peoples, and between women and men."

In addition to Mrs. Mongella and Ms. Licuanan, Mr. Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, made an introductory statement. Scores of national delegations, NGOs and international agencies expressed their views in the general debate on the draft Platform for Action and the main issues to be addressed in Beijing.

The draft Platform for Action which was considered by the CSW was the basis for the negotiations among Governments. The meeting was extended by three days to facilitate comprehensive negotiations on the text, which will be the main document for adoption in Beijing.

The work of the CSW was divided into two working groups, chaired by Ms. Patricia Licuanan and Ms. Irene Freudenschuss (Austria); they both played a very important role managing the negotiations in the Committee of the Whole and the so-called "informal-informal" negotiating groups. Ms. Patty O'Neill (New Zealand) chaired a third informal group. During all-day and late-night sessions, the entire draft of the Platform was considered.

The agreed text reflects the exhaustive and deep discussions which took place. The bracketed portions of text indicate that agreement is still pending. This signals the necessity for further negotiations to reach agreed language commonly accepted by all partipating States. In commenting on the bracketed text, Conference Secretary-General Gertrude Mongella declared that "It is the hope of all the women of the world, and this poses a challenge to all who have participated in this Commission, to reconsider all of the brackets, so that they do not become an additional barrier to the advancement of women." She also noted that the issue of equality between women and men is an accepted principle which is non- negotiable and permeates the entire Platform.

The references that were placed in brackets included those relating to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, even given the fact that these issues were negotiated at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. Other bracketed text included references to human rights as "universal"; references to foreign occupation and alien domination; the term "equity" as opposed to, or in conjunction with, "equality"; references to religious ethical values, cultural background and philosophical convictions; and references to sexual orientation. References to displaced women are preceded by the term "internally" in brackets. In addition, the term "gender" was left pending and referred to a contact group of Member States to discuss its usage in the text.

The Platform establishes basic priority actions to be implemented over the next five years. The document contains diagnoses and recommendations in 12 areas of concern for women, relating to the burden of poverty on women, education, health, violence against women, effects of armed conflict, women's access to and participation in productive processes, power-sharing and decision- making, mechanisms to promote the advancement of women, women's human rights, the media, women's contribution to managing natural resources and safeguarding the environment (see Women on the Move No. 7). A new section on the situation of the girl-child was added.

The last two chapters of the draft deal with institutional and financial arrangements to facilitate the implementation of the strategic objectives. In addition, a draft Declaration also proposed by the Group of 77 was proposed and will be finalized in Beijing.

The Platform sets out more than 200 actions to be undertaken by Governments, the international community, the private sector and NGOs to address the critical issues. In the few remaining months before the Conference convenes in Beijing on 4 September, the Platform will be widely distributed and will become a major instrument to direct global actions to bring about the full and equal participation of women in the development of their societies.

The so-called "blueprint" for the Beijing Conference aims to make Governments accountable to women, and that will require the re- examination of priorities and reallocation of resources. It entails the enactment, review and enforcement of laws so as to afford women equal opportunity, development and physical safety. Accountability requires policies for involving and advancing women in political and economic decision-making.

Conference Secretary-General Gertrude Mongella, at the closing session of the CSW, said that the discussions during the PrepCom revealed how far we still have left to go: "The fact is, we need a complete revolution". She went on, "This is a revolution to make equal people who have never been equal. It is a revolution to transfer a fair share of resources into the hands of women who have been denied for generation upon generation and to make women leaders and decision makers, after having been led for far too many years."

The Commission had before it reports by the UN Secretary-General. One was the draft Platform for Action. The second was the Second review and appraisal on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward- looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, which lists the critical areas of concern in monitoring the implementation of the Nairobi Strategies: it was prepared on the basis of information contained in national reports, the results of the regional conferences and reports of UN specialized agencies.

The third report, on the status of preparations for the FWCW, contains information of which the Secretariat has been apprised at national, regional and international levels. As at 15 December 1994 the Conference secretariat had received national reports from 125 Member States, two permanent observers and 17 other countries. The report explains the status of the five regional preparatory conferences held last year (see Women on the Move, No 5) and includes information on activities of the UN system and NGOs. Two other reports, on the 1994 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development and on the five regional meetings, were considered as well.

At the closing meeting of the CSW, it was announced that a contact group will be formed, chaired by the Commission Rapporteur, Ms. Selma Ashipala (Namibia), to find a common understanding of the word "gender" in the context of the Platform for Action. This contact group will hold a meeting between 15 May and 15 June in New York, and will report directly to the Conference in Beijing on 2 and 3 September.

The Commission also adopted, as orally revised, the provisional agenda and proposed organization of work of the FWCW and the draft provisional rules of procedure of the Conference.

The accreditation of NGOs to the Conference and its preparatory process was a central task of the CSW. On 15 March, the Commission considered a list of 1,326 non-governmental organizations submitted for accreditation. Matters related to NGO accreditation were discussed by an informal working group established for this purpose after two delegations raised questions concerning five of the organizations proposed for accreditation, and after Member States sought clarification on the reasons why nearly 500 organizations which had applied had not met the requirements for accreditation in the preliminary review conducted by the Conference Secretariat.

On 20 March, the Commission, on the recommendation of the working group on NGO accreditation, approved the five organizations that had been challenged. At the end of its session, the Commission adopted a draft resolution on accreditation by a vote of 40 in favour to none against, with one abstention (China). The resolution moved to extend the deadline for accreditation applications to 28 April and called for a further review of the applications of groups that had not met the requirements, providing more time for them to supply the needed information.

The General Assembly subsequently adopted the Commission's draft proposal, calling on the Economic and Social Council to decide on all pending applications for accreditation for the Fourth World Conference on Women. The Conference Secretariat will inform NGOs of the Council's decisions. The Council will meet from 26 June to 28 July in Geneva.

Non-governmental organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC are not subject to the 28 April deadline. They are, however, encouraged to submit the names of their representatives to the Conference Secretariat as soon as possible. Over 500 such organizations had done so by 1 May.

Further information for NGOs

Given the constraints of space at the Beijing International Convention Centre and the enormous interest expressed in attending the Conference, the United Nations has had to adopt a policy on the number of representatives from each accredited or consultative status NGO who can be given passes to the Conference. This policy is the same as that instituted for the recent global UN meetings in Cairo and Copenhagen, i.e. up to five representatives from international and two from national organizations.

All representatives of non-governmental groups will attend as observers and must meet the costs of their own travel and daily expenses. There is no provision at the Conference for individuals to give papers. NGOs are encouraged to join together to prepare common statements, as these clusters or caucuses will be given preference when determining the list of speakers in the plenary sessions, to allow a broader range of views to be expressed.

In view of the change of venue for the NGO Forum which will be held from 30 August to 8 September in China, efforts are being made to ensure full closed-circuit coverage of the Fourth World Conference on Women at the NGO Forum. Other steps are being taken in cooperation with the host country, to enable Forum participants to follow the proceedings at the Beijing International Convention Centre.

AGENTS OF CHANGE

NGO plans and strategies for Beijing

"Non-governmental organizations are essential to the FWCW process. In almost every country, they have mobilized, conducting forums, engaging in dialogue with Governments and contributing to the shaping of the regional and UN platforms. In their advocacy role, NGOs were the first to present women's concerns collectively and expose their full magnitude. They have given a voice to countless women who otherwise would not have been heard. NGOs are the democratizing force in this process. They are the agents of change."

(Gertrude Mongella--Remarks at the Closing of the CSW meeting)

Some 1,400 non governmental organizations (NGOs) representing thousands of women from around the world gathered in New York on March 13 and 14 for consultations prior to the last Preparatory Meeting for the FWCW and for the NGO Forum to take place in August. The meeting was organized by the NGO Forum on Women and the New York NGO Committee on the Status of Women.

Participants from over 100 countries urged the members of the UN Commission on the Status of Women to "look at the world through women's eyes". Khunying Supatra Masdit, Convener of the NGO Forum told the meeting that the focus should be on the "four P's: poverty, peace, power and post Beijing".

"Strong regional structures and leadership emerged from the Regional NGO Conferences. It is this change, a basic structural change, that will permit us to move from language to action. In Asia and the Pacific, in Latin America and the Caribbean, in Africa, in the Arab region, and in Europe and North America, we are now able to look beyond Beijing to organize around the implementation of the Platform for Action", Masdit said.

In many caucuses and meetings, NGOs analysed and made amendments in an effort to "strengthen the language of the Platform for Action" which was negotiated during the 39th session of the CSW from 15 March to 4 April. They said they wanted a Platform for Action for a conference that should be a "conference of commitments".

The announcement by the host country, China, that because of structural problems found at the Beijing Workers Sports Services Center, the NGO Forum 95 would be relocated to the Huairou Scenic Tourist Area raised deep concerns among NGOs. They were worried about the distance from the intergovernmental conference site and the reported lack of general facilities at the Forum site. A delegation from the NGO Forum visited China towards the end of April for discussions with the authorities on this matter.

During the CSW, NGO representatives also organized many workshops, on topics ranging from Women's human rights, Women, finance and credit and Women and spirituality to Intergenerational dialogue and Resource management by women.

One of the most impressive gatherings was a peace celebration which ended with a press conference where women from all regions decried the neglect of core peace issues. Speakers explained that women are "tired of wars and want to say enough is enough". In a Platform for Peace for the twenty-first century, women activists stressed that the only place to find the "billions of dollars" necessary for the implementation of the Platform for Action is in defence budgets.

In order to create a culture of peace, NGOs recommended the reduction of every nation's military budget by 5 per cent a year for five years, transferring these savings directly to support women's and other human needs. At least one per cent of the funds saved should be allocated to address the most pressing problems faced by women.

NGOs put particular emphasis on the urgent need to address the problem of land-mines. According to UNICEF, there is one land-mine for every 20 children in the world, leading to women and children becoming amputees every day. The Platform for Action stressed that there are "more than one hundred million anti-personnel land-mines scattered in 64 countries globally".

Another activity was organized by NGOs to protest against structural adjustment policies. Representatives attended a session of CSW dressed in black, wearing purple ribbons saying "No to SAPs". They also sent to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) an open letter condemning the fiscal policies and conditionalities guiding bank loans, as well as the privatization of health and education systems.

NGOs were outspoken during the CSW about their expectation to participate in all discussions on the Platform for Action. A number of caucuses on issues in the Platform met regularly and put forward suggestions for the text, which were, in a number of cases, taken up by Member States. One proposal was for a high-level position to be established in the Office of the Secretary-General of the UN to coordinate gender issues within the UN system.

CSW RESOLUTIONS ROUND UP

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at its 39th session adopted 12 resolutions and agreed to establish in 1996 a working group with the aim of elaborating a draft Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The Commission approved this resolution, which would introduce the right of individuals to petition in cases of violations of women's human rights.

In a resolution entitled "Mainstreaming of the human rights of women", the CSW stresses that the 1979 CEDAW is "a key international human rights instrument for the promotion and protection of women's human rights". The resolution encourages the Division for the Advancement of Women to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, Radhika Coomaraswamy, as well as with the Geneva-based Centre for Human Rights, in particular through a joint work plan taking into account the outcomes of the FWCW.

The 45 States members of the CSW took several decisions aimed at tackling different types of violence against women. Azerbaijan introduced a draft resolution, "Release of women and children who have been taken as hostages in areas of armed conflicts", in which the CSW urges all parties concerned to release all such hostages before the opening of the FWCW. The resolution requests the UN Secretary-General and relevant international agencies to facilitate the liberation of these categories of hostages.

Another resolution, "Rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia", condemns rape as a war crime. The CSW expresses its outrage against this "heinous practice", which constitutes a "deliberate weapon of war in fulfilling the policy of ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It calls for sanctions against the perpetrators in accordance with international legal instruments. Co-sponsored by more than fifty countries, the resolution urges all relevant organizations to continue providing to the victims of such rape appropriate assistance for their physical and mental rehabilitation.

Governments, intergovernmental institutions and NGOs are urged by the resolution "Integration of women in the Middle East peace process" to assist and help implement the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, signed by Israel and the Palestine Liberation organization on 13 September 1993. The resolution will ensure the effective participation of Palestinian women in political, economic and social development.

Similarly, a resolution on "Palestinian women", presented by the Philippines on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, calls upon the international community and the financial organizations of the United Nations system to increase their assistance to Palestinian women during this period of transition.

A resolution on "Traffic in women and girls" demands that Governments take appropriate and coordinated measures, nationally and internationally, to combat misuse and exploitation of women by traffickers of tourism activities and labour export. After recommending to Governments that they consider the "development of standard minimum rules for the humanitarian treatment of trafficked persons", the CSW requests the UN Secretary-General to focus the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (2 December 1996) on the problem of trafficking in human beings, especially women and children.

The introduction by the Philippines of the resolution concerning "Violence against women migrant workers" urges Member States of the United Nations to ensure the protection of the fundamental rights of female migrant workers and to provide "linguistically and culturally accessible" health, legal and social services for them.

During the session, Imelda Nicolas, head of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women, paid a tribute to Flor Contemplacion, a Filipino worker in Singapore who faced the death penalty on 17 March on charges of murder. In tabling a resolution pleading for clemency, Ms. Nicolas hoped that "various diplomatic and humanitarian initiatives" would "stay the hand of the executioner". When news of her execution was announced the following day, the CSW observed a minute of silence in her memory.

At the initiative of Peru, the Commission for the first time adopted a resolution on the "Integration of displaced rural women into development processes". Co-sponsored by more than 30 countries, the resolution refers to situations of extreme violence, such as that caused by terrorist groups, drug trafficking and organized crime, which have prompted the forced displacement of poor rural families, necessitating changes in their survival strategies. It urges Governments to consider, in their development programmes, projects that have positive effects upon displaced rural women, as well as to integrate women in the formulation and implementation of public policies for rural development.

Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, which highlighted the key role of women in the development and production of food and agriculture and in food security, the Commission approved a resolution on "Women in agriculture and rural development". Governments are urged to revise national legislation so as to give rural women rights regarding access to land ownership and technology as well as natural and productive resources.

The CSW also adopted a resolution on "Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat" of the United Nations, which urges the Secretary-General to take actions to improve the status and numbers of women at senior-policy level and in decision-making posts. Currently, the number of women at the higher management levels is only 15.1 per cent, which is far from the target proposed by the Secretary-General of 40 per cent.

Finally, the CSW adopted a draft resolution on "Accreditation of non-governmental organizations to the Fourth World Conference on Women". Introduced by the European Union, it extends to 28 April the deadline for applications for accreditation from NGOs. The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will take final decisions on new applicants, and those which did not appear to meet the requirements, at its next session, from 26 June to 26 July 1995 in Geneva.

WOMEN'S VOICES AT COPENHAGEN'S SOCIAL SUMMIT

"In the world of women there are few, if any, developed nations."

"The problems faced by women lie at the heart of the world's agenda", said the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, at a special observance of International Women's Day organized at the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen (6-12 March). He pointed out that most of the world's unemployed are women, the poorest of the poor are women and the socially marginalized and excluded are women. "Poverty can not be eliminated, productive employment can not be expanded and social integration can not be achieved unless women fully and equitably participate", the Secretary-General said. The Social Summit was the last major United Nations conference before the Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held in September in Beijing.

Mr. Boutros-Ghali's address at the Social Summit highlighted the United Nations' commitment to the advancement of women in the context of social development. It underlined that social development could be achieved only if women's roles in it are adequately considered.

The Secretary-General emphasized in Copenhagen that the Beijing Conference could "draw together what has been accomplished. It can point the way ahead." According to Mr. Boutros-Ghali, past conferences of the United Nations in Rio (Earth Summit), Vienna (Human Rights) and Cairo (Population and Development) had women at their center.

The major topic of a whole conference day in Copenhagen was "women and poverty". Gertrude Mongella, Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women, said at this meeting: "In short, in the world of women there are few, if any, developed nations." Women, Mrs. Mongella went on, still earn an average of 50 to 80 per cent of the pay earned by men. In 1990, they received only five per cent of the 5.8 million loans provided by multilateral banks for agriculture, yet they grow 70 per cent of the food in developing countries. Underlining the strength of women, Mrs. Mongella said: "Imagine how much more productive women would be if a fair distribution of resources let them put away their hand hoes and share a tractor instead."

The Secretary-General of the World Conference on Women called for action to be taken to eradicate poverty, particularly among women. "While poverty is seen as having a female face, it is not a problem of women. Rather it is a problem to which women are much of the solution." For instance, women could be encouraged to fight poverty by incentives to stay in school.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, First Lady of the United States of America, announced at the Summit the creation of a programme designed to keep girls in school in Africa, Latin America and Asia. The programme will last for ten years, with a budget of US$ 11.7 million in its first year. Mrs. Clinton said that poverty will not end until the lives of women are improved. "Although women comprise 52 per cent of the world population, although they are the primary caretakers for children and the aged and are a significant presence in the workforce, they continue to be marginalized in many countries", Mrs. Clinton said.

In the plenary discussion on women in poverty, 25 ministers and parliamentary secretaries, as well as nine other representatives of their countries, took the floor. Many speakers pointed out that women suffer from unequal access to education and unequal conditions of employment. Others said that women play an important role in the informal sector of the economy, contributing to their nations' welfare by taking care of the children and the elderly and working in the household. Ministers from least developed and conflict-stricken countries such as Chad, Rwanda and the Congo drew attention to the burden women have to bear as pillars of society in an environment of poverty and misery.

Noelleen Heyzer, director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), said that "women can no longer be satisfied with symbolic gestures. They want real, long-term commitments that make a difference in their lives every day of the year."

The final Programme of Action adopted by the Summit underlines that women's concerns are an integral part of the process of social development.

WOMENS ADVANCEMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH ARE INDIVISIBLE

Third World Survey on the Role of Women published

A unique world survey on the role of women in development issued by the United Nations will contribute to the understanding of the status of women today. The survey, entitled Women in a Changing Global Economy, states: "Where women have advanced, economic growth has usually been steady; where women have been restricted, there has been stagnation".

The Division for the Advancement of Women, together with other UN agencies and numerous experts, has compiled data and research results for this third world survey. It will be one of the principal documents for the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in September.

This comprehensive document looks for the first time at the most recent data on women, available exclusively to the United Nations, with a research approach based on gender analysis. The gender concept of socially constructed roles of men and women illuminates the structure of society and makes it easier to identify obstacles to its improvement.

The survey indicates that women contribute significantly to economic development. It provides evidence for the argument that economic development and the advancement of women are indivisibly linked. It also states that poverty is differently experienced by men and by women, as women have to bear the additional burden of caring for the family. The survey estimates that, if housework were taken into account, between 40 and 60 per cent of household income would be earned by women. According to the study, many statistics underline the economic importance of women.

The new survey highlights two types of changes over the past decade in what allows women to succeed in the economy:

improvement in the legal status of women, and
long-term effects of equal access by women to education and training.

The survey, now available as a UN Publications, was prepared by the United Nations at the request of the General Assembly. It takes advantage of the creation, by the Statistical Division, Department of Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis of the United Nations, of the Womens Indicators and Statistics Data Base (WISTAT). This source provides comparable official data for three periods between the studies and the possibility, for the first time, of examining trends in womens economic participation relative to men's.

The first survey, published in 1985, explored the contribution of women to the economy in order to demonstrate that women were key participants in economic development. The second, issued in 1989, dealt with the relationship between women and global adjustment processes.

Many specialized agencies have contributed sections to the new survey, including the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Trade Centre (ITC), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

The survey is a sales publication, available from United Nations Publications Room DC2-853 United Nations. New York, NY 10017, USA.
Tel. (212) 963-8302, Fax (212) 963-3489

INTERNATIONAL UNESCO SYMPOSIUM ON WOMEN AND THE MEDIA--ACCESS TO EXPRESSION AND DECISION-MAKING

An International Symposium on Women and the Media--Access to Expression and Decision-Making was organized by UNESCO in Toronto (Canada) from 28 February to 3 March 1995. It was one of UNESCO's main contributions to the Fourth World Conference on Women. The Symposium was the culmination of seven regional preparatory workshops organized throughout 1994. It was hosted by the Government of Canada, underlining its commitment to women and the media and its particular interest in the role of media for the advancement of women.

The International Symposium brought together about 200 media experts, journalists, researchers and representatives from international organizations and non-governmental organizations. It examined exemplary success stories of women, women's access to expression and decision-making in and through the media and working methods for a truer representation of women in the media.

The Secretary-General of the FWCW, Mrs. Gertrude Mongella underlined, at the opening session, the importance of the International Symposium, given the fact that the role of women in the media was for the first time on the agenda of a United Nations world conference.

Through its participation in the UNESCO Symposium, the Division for the Advancement of Women/Secretariat of the FWCW was provided with useful information for the preparation of the report on the priority theme "Elimination of stereotyping of women in the mass media", to be considered by the Commission on the Status of Women when it meets in 1996.

Participants drafted the Toronto Platform for Action and made comments on the Beijing Draft Platform for Action, under Strategic Objective J, "Insufficient mobilization of mass media to promote women's positive contribution to society".

In discussions, the outline for the Expert Group Meeting on Portrayal of Women and on Women in the Media was further developed and potential experts were identified. The Expert Group Meeting will be organized by the Division for the Advancement of Women at Cambridge, Massachusetts from 16 to 20 October 1995.

In panel discussions participants were informed about success stories of women in the media. Of particular interest was the example provided by the host country: the Women's Television Network (WTN), the first television network with a staff 95 per cent women, and programming driven by the views and interests of women.

Other panel discussions revolved around the continuing stereotyping of women in the media and possible measures to counter it. So- called media watch groups have been established in many countries and operate at various levels, including the policy-making level. The value and limits of a self-regulatory approach to gender equality in the media were discussed.

Professional organization by women working in the media has made much progress in the past 10 years. In all regions women journalists have set up professional associations, but working conditions for women are often lacking basic rights (e.g. provisions for maternity leave), and no measures of positive action have been taken to increase the number of women in leading positions in the media.

Women in the media, successful histories

WTN, the first television network in Canada made for, by and about women; 95 per cent of staff are women and all programming is driven by views of women and their diverse interests. Although Canadian women are far from reaching equality, some real progress has been made on women and the media during the past fifteen years and through various pieces of legislation. The contributions of advocacy and professional groups have pushed to give greater recognition to women and their work. WTN's audience range in age between 18 and 84. Women watch more TV at all ages than males. Until WTN came to the air, women were the largest single unserved audience. In WTN's programming, women are represented in their diversity, taking into account their needs, experiences and preferences.
Radio Nadezdha, which means hope, the first independent broadcasting station in Russia, began in July 1992. The station also reaches Europe. It has evolved into a family-oriented station, with men representing 51 per cent of the audience. Radio Nadezdha also gives a voice to minorities and to socially vulnerable groups like the disabled. All programme presenters are women, and men share in administrative and technical positions. The popularity of the station has driven it from three hours daily in 1992 to the current 23 hours daily. The station audience extends throughout Russia, most of the Russian Federation, the United States, Australia and India on FM, AM and short-wave frequencies. Financial hurdles remain to be overcome. Investors have often attempted to alter the nature of the programming to be more commercially oriented. Most do not understand the radio station's full potential as a peacemaking medium and fail to make practical use of it.
Probe Productions was born when Cecilia Lazaro and two other women had their investigative magazine programme cut by their network, in favor of a more commercially viable programme. They began from scratch, produced their investigative shows, sold advertising and marketed the shows. A new awareness of news behind the news, following the years of martial law in the Philippines, meant people were hungry for information. Later Probe Productions programmes were able to compete with various domestic networks, and even international networks with access to the Philippines. From a group of three women, Ms.Lazaro's company has now grown to a 37- member staff, with their own building and facilities. The average age of the staff is 23 years. Of the three founders, one has left to become the bureau chief of CNN Manila, and the other has joined Reuters News. The temptation exists for the company to be acquired. But the challenge remains to make a mark as an independent media company.

(Successful histories from the Toronto Symposium report, March 1995. For further information contact UNESCO, France (33 1) 45 68 42 05 or Canada (613) 566-4325)

CALENDAR

Prior to the Conference, a number of meetings are taking place at the national, regional and international levels, organized by NGOs as well as by the United Nations. Following is a preliminary calendar, which also includes other major United Nations conferences:

1995

24 April--3 May, Geneva
Commission on Human Rights -- Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities -- Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery

22 May, New York
Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, special session

22 May--9 June, Geneva
Committee on the Rights of the Child, ninth session

5 June
World Environment Day

12-16 June, Geneva
UNCTAD -- Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation, third session

17-28 July
Commission on Human Rights -- Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities -- Working Group on Indigenous Populations

Commission on Human Rights -- Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities -- Working Group on Communications

21 August, New York
Youth Leadership Summit (UN Fiftieth Anniversary)

30 August--8 September, Beijing, China
NGO Forum

4-15 September, Beijing, China
Fourth World Conference on Women

25 September--13 October
Committee on the Rights of the Child, tenth session

September/October
Commission on Human Rights -- Working Group on the Right to Development (2 weeks)

22-24 October, New York
Special commemorative session of the General Assembly UN Fiftieth Anniversary

1996

4-13 June, Istanbul, Turkey
United Nations Conference on Human Settlements

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How to retrieve documents and information about the FWCW through the Internet gopher:

Go to your root gopher server.
Choose "Other gopher" every time you see that possibility until you see the option "International Organizations" and then "United Nations".
Once you are in UN, choose "United Nations Conferences"
Choose "Fourth World Conference on Women".

Then you can retrieve the FWCW official documents, newsletters, press releases, background papers, NGO information and accreditation, reports on expert group meetings and regional conferences, etc.

You can also retrieve these documents through the APC networks, looking under conference un.wcw.doc.eng. Selected material will be available in French and Spanish under conferences un.wcw.doc.fra and un.wcw.doc.esp respectively.

Note to Readers

This is the eighth issue of Women on the Move, distributed by the Secretariat of the Fourth World Conference on Women, to inform you about its work and the preparatory activities for that event. The newsletter is published bimonthly. It is hoped that Women on the Move will facilitate dialogue and cooperation with UN agencies, grass-roots and regional organizations, national machineries and individuals.

If you wish to receive Women on the Move, please send a letter or a fax to the following address:

United Nations
Secretariat of the Fourth World Conference on Women
Division for the Advancement of Women
Two United Nations Plaza
DC2-1226
New York, NY 10017 USA
Tel (212) 963-8385
Fax (212) 963-3463

E-MAIL addresses
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Internet daw@undp.org
Bitnet nygate!daw@tigger.jvnc.net
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Togethernet fourth_wcw@Together.org