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High profile on
women’s economic rights at Beijing+5
Beijing +5
priorities for K.U.L.U.-Women and Development
- It is high time that something is being done about the extremely violent
economic environment, imposed by economic globalisation, trade liberalization,
structural adjustment and debt, said the South African economist and
women’s rights activist Mohau Pheko, at the second Beijing+5 public meeting of
K.U.L.U.-Women and Development held on 27. April in Copenhagen, Denmark: „Focusing
on women’s economic rights: From WTO in Seattle to Beijing+5 - the
follow up of the UN Fourth World Conference on Women”.
- We can not talk about economic rights and strengthening of women’s rights
without looking at the conditions imposed by this environment and at
institutions such as the WTO, she continued and pointed out that it is the
same governments that are signing declarations in favour of promoting women’s
status and rights, that are also signing agreements within the WTO and have
influence on policies of institutions such as the IMF and WB.
Therefore women’s economic rights need to be a top priority at the Beijing+5
UNGASS in New York in June 2000. There is an urgent need to focus on the heavy
issues such as the debt burden of the LDC’s, economic reform programmes and
trade liberalisation policies, that are continuing to push to and deepen
processes towards feminisation of poverty with severe consequences for women in
South and North.
Economic rights is a top priority in the Beijing+5 agenda of K.U.L.U.-Women and
Development (KULU). Therefore we participated in the NGO forum at PrepCom II in
March as a member of the so called “Economic Justice Caucus”, which is a
continuation of the “Women’s Caucus” at the WTO Seattle Ministerial
meeting in December 1999.
At KULU’s Beijing+5 public meeting in April Mohau Pheko recommended that
a special UN session on women’s economic rights be held as part of the
Beijing+5 follow up. The aim being to look into benefits and disadvantages to
women of the economic globalisation and trade liberalisations. K.U.L.U.-Women
and Development supports this suggestion.
In the same time it is suggested to appoint a UN Special Rapporteur on gender
and macro economic issues.
These suggestions are being proposed in the light of reasonable fear that the
UNGASS Beijing+5 outcome document may continue to be weak on especially macro
economic issues and analysis.
Further suggestions are:
Obligate the EU, WTO, UNCTAD
and OECD and other institutions working with trade and trade related issues to
build up the competence to undertake gender analysis of the consequences that
proposed trade liberalisations will have on women and men before agrements are
approved and valid.
As part of the Beijing+5 follow up K.U.L.U.-Women and Development has signed
“The Declaration for Economic Justice and Women’s Empowerment” along with
many other international networks and women’s organisations in the world.
– See KULUs website www.kulu.dk. Click on “Beijing+5
info”.
New Adress:
K.U.L.U.-Women and Development
Borgergade 14, 2. th
DK – 1300 Copenhagen K
Denmark
Tel. +45 3315 78 70 Fax. +45 3332 5330
E-mail: kulu@kulu.dk Website: www.kulu.dk
At the Beijing+5
UNGASS K.U.L.U. -Women and Development is represented by:
Anushka Abeynayake, former KULU board/executive - government delegation
E-mail: aabeynayake@hotmail.com
Martha Salazar,
Member of KULUs working group on economic rights and wordtrade - NGO delegation
E-mail: msoby@hotmail.com
MarieLouise Muff, new KULU board member - NGO delegation
Ibis gender group, a Danish NGDO
E-mail: marielouisehojmuff@hotmail.com
Anne Lise Ebbe, KULU member organisation - NGO delegation
Women's International Leaue for Peace and Development - Danish chapter
Adresses during the B+5 UNGASS event:
From June 1. - 4 all will stay at:
Washington Jefferson Hotel
318 West 51st street, NY
Tel. 212 246 7550
Fax. 212 245 7622
From June 4. - 9. Marie Louise and Anne Lise Ebbe will still stay on at
Washington Jefferson,
and Anushka and Martha will transfer to:
Hotel Dumont Plaza
150 East 34th Street
New York, NY 10016 (between 3rd Avenue and Lexington)
Tel: +1 212 481 7600
Fax: +1 212 889 8856