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At the Third Substantive Session of the
Preparatory Committee For the High-Level Intergovernmental Event on
Financing for Development
New York, May 3, 2001
Presented by Chief Bisi Ogunleye Countrywomen Association of Nigeria (COWAN)
and Women's Environment & Development Organization (WEDO)
Thank you, Mr. Co-Chairman, for providing the opportunity to address
the government delegations, UN agencies and intergovernmental bodies, as
well as my fellow NGOs attending this PrepCom. My name is Chief Bisi
Ogunleye of the Country Women Association of Nigeria (COWAN), Network of
African Rural Women Association, and Women's Environment and Development
Organization (WEDO), speaking on behalf of the Interlinkages Caucus.
We are grateful to and congratulate the Facilitator, Mr. Mauricio
Escanero, for incorporating the issue of the interlinkages into the
Facilitator's report including those issues recommended by NGOs and
others at the last PrepCom. This is a sign that there is somebody
listening. Further, we would like to enrich his work by urging that
these other aspects be reflected in the final document.
- It is important to establish a clear understanding of who the
stakeholders are in this process. The stakeholders include not only
governments, UN bodies, financial institutions, and the private
sector, but also other relevant members of civil society, including
women, indigenous peoples, youth, laborers, farmers, rural peoples
and other impoverished groups.
- The issue of interlinkages is crucial in incorporating in an
holistic manner the issues relating to gender equity and equality,
sustainable development, and social equity.
- Each of previous UN Conferences and Summits, from Rio to Cairo to
Copenhagen to Beijing to Istanbul and to Rome, have dealt
specifically and concretely with issues FfD hopes to address:
sustainable human development and equity, economic justice and
poverty eradication.
Agreements have been made. Now, the question is, which of these
financial agreements had been fulfilled? How will these major UN
financial agreements be incorporated into the FfD goals? This is very
necessary if we have to invoke the political will for financing for
development.
- FfD must establish clearly the coherence between and affirm all
the previously agreed finance-related processes for development as
reflected in UN Summits and Conferences that preceded FfD and
propose a timetable for action.
Mr. Co-Chairman, we make the following recommendations:
- Among all other things, the Financing for Development Process
should be rooted in the principle that the process must be
transparent, democratic and accountable to all stakeholders.
- Interlinkages identified by NGOs in the NGO summary at the last
PrepCom should be incorporated into the Facilitator's report
- Recognize that to mitigate poverty, domestically and globally,
policies and actions must focus on the economic conditions of women,
who are the majority of the world's poor.
- Develop economic policies that respect and reward local people's,
especially women's, contributions to the economy. This will support
and broaden their participation in the labor market and the economy.
- Develop an enabling environment for financial sector growth in a
way that promotes sustainable development and gender equality.
- And lastly, at the last PrepCom--under the leadership of the ICFTU,
the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Team, and WEDO on behalf of
the Women's Caucus--a variety of studies were developed exemplifying
initiatives of community-based organizations and the linkages of the
previously agreed finance-related agreements at the UN Conferences
and Summits. These studies will be shared with the FfD Secretariat
and all relevant stakeholders to assist in integrating NGO
perspectives into the Interlinkages and mobilizing domestic
resources section of the Facilitators report.
Mr. Co-Chairman, we very much appreciate the inclusion of the segment
on interlinkages and we encourage the FfD process to adopt a bottom-up
approach in a holistic manner.
Thank you.
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