| United Nations | A/50/538 |
General Assembly
Distr. GENERAL
23 October 1995
ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH
Fiftieth session
Agenda item 107
ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN
Activities of the International Research and Training
Institute for the Advancement of Women
Report of the Secretary-General
I. INTRODUCTION
1. The General Assembly, in its resolution 48/105 of 20 December 1993,
requested the Secretary-General to submit to the Assembly at its fiftieth
session a report on the activities of the International Research and
Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW).
2. In the same resolution, the General Assembly, inter alia, emphasized
the unique function of the Institute as the only entity within the United
Nations system devoted exclusively to research and training for the
integration of women in development, and stressed the importance of making
its research findings available for policy purposes and for operational
activities; commended the Institute for its efforts to focus on problems
that constitute barriers to improving the status of women and thus impede
overall development and progress; urged the Institute to continue to
strengthen its activities in the areas of research, training and
information aimed at mainstreaming gender in development strategies and
giving women greater visibility by valuating their contribution to social
and economic development as important means of empowering women and
improving their status; requested the Institute to assist with the
substantive preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action
for Equality, Development and Peace, given its key role in the areas of
research and training and its expertise in gender statistics; and expressed
its appreciation for the continuing efforts of the Institute to strengthen
its programmatic linkages with other United Nations organizations,
including the regional commissions, governmental and non-governmental
organizations, research institutes and other organizations and groups,
thereby broadening the scope of its operations, making optimum use of its
limited financial resources and attaining a greater outreach and impact of
its work.
95-30498 (E) 301095/...
*9530498*
3. Since the previous report of the Secretary-General on INSTRAW
(A/48/301), other resolutions have been adopted that have implications for
the Institute's work programme. In its resolution 48/111 of 20 December
1993, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General, through the
Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, to submit to
the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1994 a report
on the proposed merger of INSTRAW and the United Nations Development Fund
for Women (UNIFEM) and requested the Council to submit its final
recommendation to the Assembly at its fortyninth session. At that session,
the Assembly, in its resolution 49/160 of 23 December 1994, requested the
Secretary-General to submit to the Council, through the Advisory Committee,
an updated report; requested the Council to re-examine the issue at a
resumed session to take place after the Fourth World Conference on Women
and before the Third Committee of the General Assembly considered the item
on the advancement of women; and decided to take a final decision at its
fiftieth session on the proposed merger of INSTRAW and UNIFEM, taking into
account the recommendations made by the Council and the deliberations of
the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-ninth session and of
the Fourth World Conference on Women concerning the institutional
arrangements in the United Nations system for the advancement of women.
4. In accordance with its mandate and the recommendations of its Board of
Trustees, the Institute has made every effort to strengthen its research,
training, information and advocacy role in key areas affecting the
advancement of women, and in facilitating their empowerment and inclusion
as equal partners in development.
II. PROGRAMME FRAMEWORK FOR THE BIENNIUM 1994-1995
5. The Institute viewed the biennium 1994-1995 as a time of assessment of
past and current activities and intensification of efforts to bring to
fruition the agenda set for the advancement of women in the Nairobi
Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women 1/ and assist in
ensuring that the political, economic, social and cultural dimensions of
this agenda would be furthered at the Fourth World Conference on Women.
6. Bearing in mind INSTRAW's mandate, 2/ which is "to serve as a vehicle
on the international level for the purpose of undertaking research and
establishing training programmes to contribute to the integration and
mobilization of women in development, to raise awareness of women's issues
world wide and better to assist women to meet new challenges and
directions", INSTRAW's work programme for the biennium 1994-1995 was
structured towards the specific objectives set for the Conference as well
as towards clarifying the strong relationship that exists between the
advancement of women and sustainable development. That relationship is
based on the premise that sustainable development cannot be achieved
without the full and active participation of women.
7. The need to understand and correct the societal obstacles that
constrain their participation and to recognize fully, value and mobilize
women's dynamic involvement in the development process, forms the
conceptual framework for the work of INSTRAW. Overcoming these obstacles
requires a comprehensive empowerment process, which in turn is an essential
prerequisite to the implementation of equitable sustainable development.
8. The period following the United Nations Decade for Women, Equality,
Development and Peace, 1975-1984, has witnessed fundamental changes in and
a broadening of the understanding of issues related to women in
development. Research and experience since the Nairobi Conference clearly
demonstrate that the role of women in development must be considered within
the broader context of gender relations in society, the State and the
economy. This broadening of perspective also implies that desired changes
in the status of women are inevitably tied to the reorganization of gender
relations in the household, the community and the nation. It also implies
a dynamic role for women in shaping the course of development and
influencing the decisions and processes that affect their lives, rather
than a static notion of development into which women need to be integrated.
9. This change in perception is central to the work of the United Nations
development agencies. Research has shown that the contribution of women is
crucial to the attainment of development objectives and their exclusion is
costly and detrimental to the process of sustainable development. Research
in this area needs to be pursued through further studies on issues such as
valuing women's unpaid work and related time-use studies. The results of
those studies must be disseminated to national and international policy
makers.
10. Further research and analyses are required to challenge the entrenched
belief that equality and efficiency are mutually exclusive, that there must
be a trade-off among those objectives and that investment in women is an
economic burden that reduces the efficiency of the economy, and to advance
the argument that investment in women enhances economic performance and
directly contributes to poverty alleviation and balanced socio-economic
development.
11. It is within this conceptual framework that INSTRAW has developed its
research programme on the linkages between changes in the status of women
and the achievement of equitable sustainable development goals.
12. In its training efforts, INSTRAW has developed models for the
effective transfer of the knowledge gained through research and study to
various groups that can influence the course of development, especially
women from all walks of life and at all levels. Access to knowledge and
information is empowerment; INSTRAW considers its training and
communication activities as part of the empowerment process to help women
and men to change and reorganize gender relations for mutual benefit.
III. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE INSTITUTE'S PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES
13. The Institute's programme for the biennium 1994-1995 was built around
three broad themes: empowerment of women; statistics and indicators on
gender issues; and women, environment and sustainable development.
A. Empowerment of women
14. As listed above, experimental evidence and analysis shows that women's
economic and political empowerment is a crucial prerequisite for
sustainable development.
15. Individual or collective empowerment is based essentially on access
to, ownership of and control over economic resources. These are, in turn,
basic factors to allow full participation in processes to advance these
objectives and need to be analysed in relation to the formal sector as well
as the informal sector and the conditions prevailing in transition
economies.
1. Gender impact analysis of credit projects
16. Under this programme element a publication on women and credit was
prepared for presentation at the Fourth World Conference on Women. Credit
for Women Why is it so important? 3/ presents a global overview of a
variety of credit schemes for the rural and the urban poor designed to
overcome the constraints that the poor, particularly poor women, face in
having access to institutionalized financial schemes and to facilitate
their access to financial resources. This study covers schemes at the
design stage as well as schemes that are under implementation in different
countries. The study was published under the joint authority of INSTRAW
and the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW).
17. A case study on gender impact analysis of credit projects will be
finalized by late 1995. The Dominican Association for the Development of
Microentrepreneurs, which is an internationally acknowledged micro-finance
institution delivering credit to women and men micro-entrepreneurs in the
Dominican Republic, was contracted by INSTRAW to carry out a survey among
its clients. The United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) also collaborated in the design of the survey. The data from the
survey are being analysed by INSTRAW and a final report on the survey will
be prepared in collaboration with the Economic Research Unit of the
Autonomous University of Santo Domingo.
18. During the biennium under review, INSTRAW participated in numerous
meetings relevant to the credit projects, which permitted the exchange of
expertise, information and experience between INSTRAW and other concerned
regional and international organizations.
2. Training on gender issues
19. INSTRAW has received numerous requests for training workshops on
gender issues, particularly from national agencies, local organizations and
international development agencies located in the Dominican Republic.
During the present biennium, training workshops or seminars have been held
together with the Directorate General for the Advancement of Women, Women
in Development, a local organization that carries out development projects
with women in rural areas and ENTRENA, Inc., also a local organization that
oversees non-governmental organizations receiving project funds from USAID.
Subjects covered included gender and development, addressed to local trade-
union leaders; women and rural development; gender and domestic violence;
and gender and women's human rights, with the participation of women and
men police officers. Plans are under way to hold a workshop on gender
issues to train personnel from all United Nations agencies with offices in
the Dominican Republic.
20. INSTRAW continues to receive several requests for training workshops
on gender analysis from government agencies, academic centres and non-
governmental organizations, particularly from Central America and the
Caribbean region, as well as United Nations agencies in the subregion.
B. Statistics and indicators on gender issues
21. Adequate and reliable statistics are basic requirements for designing,
implementing, monitoring and evaluating programmes and projects as well as
for resource allocation. INSTRAW's programme on gender statistics and
indicators is aimed at improving data collection and statistical methods,
and at developing new concepts and methodologies that can better reflect
present working and living conditions based on today's political, economic,
technological, cultural and social realities, particularly as they affect
women, incorporating such variables as the impact of market fluctuations,
economic recession, jobs and employment contraction.
1. Methods for valuing the contribution of women
22. Outputs of phase I of this programme element resulted in the
publication of a monograph entitled "Measurement and Valuation of Unpaid
Contribution: Accounting Through Time and Output". 4/ The monograph was
issued as a sales publication and was available at the Fourth World
Conference on Women. The monograph addressed three major issues, namely:
(a) development of improved data-collection techniques for capturing and
measuring paid and unpaid contribution of both women and men; (b)
development of imputation techniques to value unpaid work; and (c)
inclusion of household production in the United Nations System of National
Accounts through satellite accounts.
23. Highlights and conclusions of this study were presented at an
intergovernmental work session of statisticians for the Economic Commission
for Europe (ECE) region, which was held from 6 to 8 March 1995.
Participants recognized the value of this publication as a basis for the
eventual development of international guidelines, norms and techniques for
defining, measuring and valuing "satellite accounts" for household
production.
24. On the basis of the recommendations in the monograph, INSTRAW has
initiated the second phase of the project on the revaluing techniques and
methodologies developed in several countries, including Nepal, Canada,
Hungary and Finland. Results of these exercises will be consolidated and
published as a complementary document to the original monograph.
25. INSTRAW and the National Statistics Office of the Dominican Republic
are currently collaborating in the conduct of a national survey on time use
of women and men in the Dominican Republic. This is a follow-up to the
pilot survey conducted in 1993 in five small communities in the country.
The survey is expected to be concluded in late 1995 and will be followed by
training of team leaders and surveyors, thus promoting local capacity-
building.
2. Contribution to the second edition of the World's Women
Publication and the 1995 Human Development Report
26. At the invitation of the Statistical Division of the United Nations
Secretariat (UNSTAT) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
INSTRAW participated in the preparatory work for the second edition of The
World's Women and the 1995 Human Development Report, respectively. In
addition to the financial contribution provided by INSTRAW for The World's
Women, through which INSTRAW became one of the major sponsors of the
publication, the Institute has also contributed substantively. As for the
1995 Human Development Report, INSTRAW's contribution has concentrated on
substantive areas, such as valuing women's work. The Institute's
participation in the meetings was financed by UNDP.
3. Subregional workshop on statistics and
indicators on women in Asia
27. In collaboration with the Statistical Institute for Asia and the
Pacific and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, INSTRAW organized
and conducted a workshop at Osaka and Tokyo from 8 to 25 March 1994. The
workshop was designed as a follow-up to the six national workshops that
INSTRAW had conducted in the region since 1985, and focused on a review of
the set of indicators recommended by the Division for the Advancement of
Women of the United Nations Secretariat to countries for the preparation of
their national reports for the Fourth World Conference on Women.
28. Within the framework of the workshop, a public session was held where
participants were requested to make a general presentation on gender
statistics from their respective countries. The session was attended by
local experts, researchers and government officials, among others. INSTRAW
presented two papers, one of which addressed the importance of gender
statistics for policy design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation;
and the other provided information on the programmes and activities of the
Institute in the area of gender statistics.
4. Development of training materials on
gender statistics and policy
29. In consultation with UNSTAT and UNIFEM, INSTRAW is working on the
development of a training package on gender statistics in development
planning, to provide development planners with statistical and other tools
to enhance their capacity to relate gender statistics, policy targets and
resource allocation. As part of this activity, INSTRAW carried out a
mission to Nairobi in October 1994 to review the results of a project in
this area being implemented by the Women's Bureau in Kenya, in
collaboration with UNSTAT. The mission confirmed the need for and served
to orient the further development of the training package, which is
expected to be completed in late 1995.
30. Since 1990, INSTRAW has been working at the development of a new
conceptual framework for collecting and analysing data on elderly women.
The INSTRAW publication entitled "The Situation of Elderly Women:
Available Statistics and Indicators", 5/ aimed at promoting the further
development and use of statistics and indicators in order better to
understand the situation, problems and constraints that older people are
facing in both industrialized and developing societies, was taken note of
with appreciation by the General Assembly in its resolution 49/162 of 23
December 1994. It was reprinted in 1995. This work, in which INSTRAW has
collaborated with UNSTAT, will be further developed. In its resolution
47/5 of 16 October 1992, the Assembly proclaimed 1999 the International
Year of Older Persons.
5. INSTRAW/ECE joint work session on statistics on women
31. The INSTRAW/ECE joint work session on gender statistics was held at
Geneva from 6 to 8 March 1995, as approved by the Conference of European
Statisticians. This session was the fifth in a series of joint
meetings/sessions undertaken since 1985 by INSTRAW and ECE, in
collaboration with UNSTAT. It provides the only occasion for
intergovernmental consultations and discussions on gender statistics in the
region. The importance of maintaining and continuing such a joint activity
was recognized in the recommendations of the Regional Platform for Action,
adopted by the High-level Preparatory Meeting for the Fourth World
Conference on Women, held at Vienna from 17 to 21 November 1994.
32. Another joint INSTRAW/ECE session will be held in 1997/98 to consider
the gender dimensions of the following topics:
(a) Economic well-being, career mobility over the course of life,
poverty, private and public financial transfers and equal pay for work of
equal value;
(b) Caring activities: who cares for whom over the life course,
recognition of caring activities;
(c) Unpaid work: developments in the measurement of unpaid work and its
inclusion in satellite account systems;
(d) Progress in the statistical measurement of violence and crime.
6. Participation in the twenty-eighth session of the Statistical
Commission and regional conferences of statisticians
33. At the invitation of ECE, INSTRAW participated at the forty-second
plenary session of the Conference of European Statisticians, held in Paris
from 12 to 16 June 1994. Primarily, INSTRAW's participation was aimed at
the further development of regional gender statistics in the work of the
Conference, taking into account the needs for assistance in this area of
countries with economies in transition.
34. Strong interest was expressed by all participants in further expansion
of gender statistics. It was recommended that INSTRAW, in close
collaboration with ECE, organize a subregional workshop on gender
statistics specifically designed for countries with economies in
transition. This proposal will be submitted by ECE to the Conference at
its next plenary session.
35. During the period under review, INSTRAW also participated in the
following meetings addressing issues relevant to the development of gender
statistics: the twenty-eighth session of the Statistical Commission (New
York, 27 February3 March 1995); the ninth session of the Economic and
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) (Bangkok, 28 November-2
December 1994); the twenty-third General Conference of the International
Association for Research in Income and Wealth (Brunswick, Canada, 21-27
August 1994); and the Nihon University International Symposium on Work and
Family Life of International Migrant Workers at the University Research
Centre, Nihon University (Tokyo, 5-8 December 1994).
C. Women, environment and sustainable development
36. The emergence of sustainability as a development criterion, and new
insights on linkages between population growth, environment and development
will demand adaptation and new approaches to natural resources management,
including the provision of reliable energy services and clean water supply
and food security and the extension of social services to attend to the
basic needs of more than one billion people living in extreme poverty.
37. These are some of the considerations underlying INSTRAW's cross-
sectoral programme on women, environment and sustainable development, which
constitutes one of the four main pillars of the Institute's research and
training activities. Since 1982, INSTRAW has been carrying out research
and training on water supply and sanitation, and the development of new and
renewable sources of energy, in the perspective of the status of women and
their contribution to socio-economic development.
1. First national training seminar on women, water
supply and sanitation held in Guyana
38. In cooperation with Red Thread Women's Programme, a non-governmental
organization in Guyana, INSTRAW conducted the first national training
seminar on women, water supply and sanitation at Georgetown from 31 January
to 4 February 1994. The seminar was conducted on the basis of a training
package developed jointly by INSTRAW, the Department for Development
Support and Management Services of the Secretariat and the International
Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ILO). A new
modular unit on women and waste management was tested during the seminar.
The seminar involved 45 participants, including development planners,
engineers, trainers and representatives from women's and non-governmental
organizations.
2. National training workshop on women, water
supply and sanitation held in Ecuador
39. INSTRAW conducted a national training workshop on women, water supply
and sanitation at Quito from 27 June to 1 July 1994. The workshop was
carried out in collaboration with UNDP, the Ecuadorian Research and
Training Institute for Women, INSTRAW's focal point in Ecuador, and the
USAID Regional Housing and Urban Development Office in Ecuador, which
provided additional funds. The workshop used the Spanish version of
INSTRAW's modules on Women, Water Supply and Sanitation.
40. In order to ensure that the workshop would have a multiplier effect,
INSTRAW, in cooperation with the Ecuadorian Research and Training Institute
for Women and with the financial support of UNDP, arranged for participants
at the workshop to conduct additional workshops aimed at different target
groups and community leaders in different provinces of the country. A
total of 155 persons (mostly women) from five provinces were trained
utilizing INSTRAW's training modules, which were summarized in the local
languages.
3. National training workshop on women, water supply
and sanitation held in Namibia
41. INSTRAW conducted a national training workshop on women, water supply
and sanitation at Windhoek from 20 to 25 November 1994. The seminar was
organized in cooperation with Namibia's Department of Water Affairs,
Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development, the Department for
Development Support and Management Services and the German Agency for
Technical Cooperation. It was based on the training package on women, water
supply and sanitation referred to in paragraph 39 above. It was attended
by 43 participants, including development planners, extensions and
community development workers, training officers and representatives from
various United Nations bodies and agencies.
42. A modular unit on women and waste management, tested during the
workshop, endeavours to promote an integrated approach to environmental
sanitation and stresses the importance of the full participation of women
in these projects.
43. As follow-up to the national workshop, Namibia's Department of Water
Affairs and the Ministry of Community Development expressed interest in the
organization of two additional training workshops in the northern and
southern regions of Namibia utilizing INSTRAW's training packages.
4. Modular training package on women, environmental
management and sustainable development
44. INSTRAW, in cooperation with the International Training Centre of ILO,
prepared a training package on women, environmental management and
sustainable development. The training package has been developed for
senior officials of ministries; development planners; engineers, university
professors; and trainers, practitioners and representatives of non-
governmental organizations.
45. The major aims of the training package are:
(a) To contribute to an integrated approach in the organization and
management of environmental policies and programmes through the integration
of women's needs and their participation;
(b) To increase the awareness of the need to involve women in planning,
management, implementation and evaluation of environmental programmes and
projects.
46. In addition to capacity-building programmes, the training package
consists of four parts: women and environmental health; women as agents of
change in the development sector; women as managers of the environment; and
women, environmental indicators. The package is supplemented by a
trainer's guide and colour transparencies to be used simultaneously with
the training text and videos.
47. INSTRAW's contribution to sustainable development and environmental
management included participation in a meeting of the Collaborative Council
Group on Gender Issues (New York, 27 and 28 October 1994); the second
session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (New York, 16-27 May
1994); the special session of the Committee on New and Renewable Sources of
Energy and Energy for Development (New York, 6-17 February 1995); the Ad
Hoc Inter-sessional Working Group on Sectoral Issues of the Commission (New
York, 27 February-3 March 1995); and the Ad Hoc Inter-sessional Working
Group on Finance of the Commission (New York, 6-9 March 1995).
48. INSTRAW participated in the 4th meeting of the Steering Committee on
Water Supply and Sanitation, at the World Bank, Washington, D.C., on 19 and
20 September 1994, and the fifteenth session of the Administrative
Committee on Coordination Subcommittee on Water Resources, at Washington
D.C., from 21 to 23 October 1994.
49. The Steering Committee focused on inter alia monitoring progress in
implementing the follow-up to Agenda 21; requirements for mid-decade
reporting in 1995 to the General Assembly on the status of water supply and
sanitation and developments since the last report; and the preparation for
global conferences.
50. The Subcommittee focused on matters arising from the second session of
the Committee on Natural Resources and the second session of the Commission
of Sustainable Development; strengthening cooperation and coordination in
the field of water resources; cooperation and coordination with
organizations outside the system; monitoring and assessment of the
freshwater resources of the world; World Water Day; other issues requiring
system-wide cooperation; Global Environment Facility; and other matters.
D. Special project on the development of communications
materials for women and development
51. A project entitled "Development of Communications Materials for Women
and Development" was initiated in 1991 with funds provided by the
Government of Italy and carried out in collaboration with the Italian
Association for Women in Development. It was completed in 1995.
52. The second phase of the project, completed during the period under
review, involved actions aimed at:
(a) Enhancing the image of women in the mass media;
(b) Disseminating the research findings on the situation of women
employed in the media;
(c)Enhancingthecommunicationsskillsofwomen'snon-governmentalorganizations;
(d) Bridging the gap between women's non-governmental organizations and
mass media professionals;
(e) Sensitizing students on the gender bias in the media.
53. INSTRAW has prepared a synthesis paper of the project, which will be
published in-house.
54. Outputs from individual countries participating in the project
included the following:
(a) The Centre for Women's Studies, Argentina, a national women's non-
governmental organization selected to carry out this project in Argentina,
developed an ambitious plan of action called "Satelite Eva" which consisted
of: the production in Spanish of five sets of documents for the press on
issues such as human rights, political participation, reproductive rights
and the media; a multimedia exhibit on women and communications; a training
seminar presenting the major theoretical issues related to communications
and women and development and aimed at developing guidelines for evaluating
the image of women in television and advertising; workshops conducted with
officials from the women's programme of the Ministry of Education; and the
production of a book entitled Mujeres Comunicando Argentina: Inventario de
Materiales de Comunicacion Alternativos, which is an inventory of
alternative media outputs on and by women;
(b) Cine Mujer in Colombia produced a 30-minute pilot television
programme on prostitution in Colombia, containing testimonies, interviews
and panel discussions moderated by a renowned woman reporter. The pilot
programme was presented on Colombia regional television. An inventory of
communications materials on women and development available in Colombia was
published in Spanish;
(c) The Centre for Women's Research and Action in the Dominican Republic
produced a photographic portfolio illustrating various aspects of women in
development and guidelines for group discussions on issues related to women
and the media. An educational kit was produced, containing six booklets on
topics such as: economy, sustainable development, health, legislation,
international organizations and events, and communications. A book
synthesizing the results of the diagnostic research conducted in the first
phase of the project was published in Spanish.
E. Activities relating to the Fourth
World Conference on Women
1. Preparatory conferences
55. INSTRAW participated in all five regional preparatory conferences to
the Fourth World Conference on Women organized by the United Nations
regional commissions in 1994. These included: the Second Asia and Pacific
Ministerial Conference on Women in Development, held at Jakarta, from 7 to
14 June 1994, organized by ESCAP; the Regional Preparatory Conference for
Latin America and the Caribbean for the Fourth World Conference on Women,
held at Mar del Plata, Argentina, from 26 to 30 September 1994, organized
by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); the
High-Level Preparatory Meeting for the Fourth World Conference on Women:
Action for Equality, Development and Peace, held at Vienna from 17 to 21
October 1994, organized by ECE; the Arab Regional Preparatory Meeting for
the Fourth World Conference on Women, held at Amman, from 6 to 10 November
1994, organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
(ESCWA); and the Fifth African Regional Conference on Women, held at Dakar
from 16 to 23 November 1994, organized by the Economic Commission for
Africa (ECA). At each regional preparatory conference, INSTRAW presented a
paper emphasizing areas where research, training, communication and
information dissemination would be crucial for the implementation of the
regional plans of actions and the platform for action to be adopted at the
Conference. The Institute also called for stronger commitments to research
on gender issues and expressed interest in continuing its collaboration and
coordination with the regional commissions.
2. Inter-agency meetings
56. As part of its effort to disseminate its analysis and research
findings is sharing them with all the concerned agencies within and outside
the United Nations system, INSTRAW attended on a regular basis and provided
substantive inputs to all ad hoc inter-agency meetings, on women organized
under the aegis of the Administrative Committee on Coordination in
preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women, organized by the
Secretary-General of the Conference. INSTRAW prepared position papers for
these meetings on the role of research and training for the advancement of
women.
57. Other inter-agency meetings attended by INSTRAW included the
Administrative Committee on Coordination Subcommittee on Rural Development,
held in Rome from 11 to 13 May 1994.
3. Panels
58. INSTRAW organized the following panels for the NGO Forum on Women and
the Fourth World Conference on Women.
Time Use Statistics and Recognition of Women's and Men's Contribution,
31 August 1995, Huairou
59. The objectives of this panel were: (a) to identify further needs and
data gaps in making women visible in statistics; (b) to discuss measures
and techniques for capturing, measuring and valuing women's productive
contributions to all aspects and sectors of development; and (c) to reflect
better these contributions in national accounts and economic statistics.
The panel was attended by experts in the field of statistics, development
planners and scholars on gender issues, many of whom were in Beijing
attending the fiftieth session of the International Statistical Institute.
This panel was jointly organized by INSTRAW and UNSTAT, in cooperation with
the Swedish International Development Agency.
60. At this panel, three new publications were presented, entitled "Time
Use of Women in Europe and North America", joint study with ECE; "The
Migration of Women, Methodological Issues in the Measurement and Analysis
of Internal and International Migration"; and "Measurement and Valuation of
Unpaid Contribution: Accounting Through Time and Output".
Women, Water and Environmental Sanitation, 2 September 1995, Huairou
61. INSTRAW organized jointly with the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF) a panel on Women, Water and Environmental Sanitation. The panel
focused on the roles and problems of women in water supply and
environmental sanitation projects, programmes and policies and overall
water resource management in the various regions. Strategies in water and
environmental sanitation to the year 2000 were discussed.
Economic and Political Empowerment of Women, 4 September 1995, Huairou
62. This panel focused on the complementarity of the two prongs of the
empowerment of women - economic and political - from the perspective that
empowerment requires a holistic approach. Emphasis was placed on women's
access to financial resources and women's participation in policy and
decision-making. The publication entitled "Credit for women, why is it so
important?" (see para. 16 above) was launched.
Media and Communications for the Advancement of Women: Models for a
Global Reach, 7 September 1995, Huairou
63. This panel provided an opportunity for mass media professionals and
producers of women's alternative media to design new strategies for the use
of media in sustainable development with regard to gender equity.
64. During the panel, INSTRAW's experiences in its project conducted in
three Latin American countries on "Development of Communications Materials
for Women in Development", and the INSTRAW booklet entitled "Content-
Discontent: Towards a Fair Portrayal of Women in the Media", were
presented.
4. Special events at the Fourth World Conference
on Women, Beijing
65. INSTRAW organized two special event panels for the official
delegations to the Conference on 12 September 1995:
(a) The Women and Natural Resources Management panel focused on ways to
enhance the role and participation of women in natural resources
management. Topics discussed included: women and access to resources;
disaster preparedness; women and new and renewable sources of energy; women
and water supply; and women and environmental sciences;
(b) The Economic and Political Empowerment of Women and the Need for
Gender Statistics panel focused on the economic and political empowerment
of women as prerequisites for the full inclusion of women in the
development process and the role of statistics and indicators.
5. Translation of publication
66. INSTRAW 1995, a general informative book about the Institute and its
work, was translated into Chinese for distribution during the Conference,
in compliance with a recommendation of INSTRAW's Board of Trustees. This
is the first time material has been translated into Chinese. Translation
into other official languages will depend on additional financial
resources.
F. Activities for the fiftieth anniversary of
the United Nations
67. As part of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the United
Nations, INSTRAW initiated in 1995 a series of colloquiums focusing on
international days or on topics currently on the development agenda. The
purpose of these colloquiums is to provide a forum for local organizations,
both governmental and non-governmental, and research institutes, to discuss
the role and participation of women in selected development issues, which
can later be brought to the attention of authorities for appropriate
action.
68. The first colloquium, held in June, focused on World Environment Day
(5 June) and the International Day to Combat Drought and Desertification
(17 June). The second, held in August, dealt with women's image in
publicity, an issue which will be on the agenda of the fortieth session of
the Commission on the Status of Women, in 1996. The next colloquium will
centre on the International Day for the Reduction of Natural Disasters (11
October), of which the theme is "Women and children: priority in disaster
mitigation". The papers presented on these occasions and the main
recommendations resulting from the discussions will be part of a special
commemorative publication.
69. INSTRAW is hosting a multimedia interactive exhibit as part of the
global programme for the fiftieth anniversary. This exhibit was launched
in San Francisco and has also been shown in cities around the world where
there is a major United Nations presence. The Institute has received
support from the UNDP office in Santo Domingo in hosting the exhibit, which
will run for a period of six months to one year. Contents of the exhibit
include a compact disc interactive (CDI) story entitled "Countdown to the
Future", consisting of 13 modules with video footage of general information
about the United Nations and its work and a video entitled "The World We
Share".
G. Information, documentation and communication
70. The objectives of this programme are: to compile and process
information on the role of women in development; to strengthen the channels
for dissemination of information on women in development and on activities
carried out by INSTRAW; to reinforce networking and liaison activities with
organizations and institutions with interest in women's issues; and to
develop appropriate communication support in order to facilitate access to
information and communications systems by other bodies and organizations in
the United Nations system and wherever possible to explore and develop new
and more effective means of communicating information and ideas about the
inclusion and the empowerment of women.
71. During the period under review, the internal printing facility of the
Institute maintained its pace of production. Sixteen separate
publications, including research studies, reports of training seminars,
various Board documents (in three languages), four issues of INSTRAW News
(in three languages) and a major public information publication, as well as
flyers and brochures (three languages) were printed in-house (see annex to
the present report). In addition, 15 forms or types of stationery were
also printed.
72. As for the production of public information materials, there were two
issues of INSTRAW News during 1994. The first dealt with women and the
family and was part of the Institute's contribution to the International
Year of the Family. The second covered the topic of time-use and drew on
the INSTRAW research project on this topic. A special issue focusing on
the World Summit for Social Development was printed in the first quarter of
1995 and presented at the Summit. A second issue was printed in 1995 and
centred on future directions of research and training after the Fourth
World Conference on Women.
73. During 1995, INSTRAW began work on a CD-ROM disk which will contain
the full texts of its core library in English. Utilizing this new form of
technology should broaden the outreach of the Institute's publications.
The project was widely promoted at the Fourth World Conference on Women.
74. INSTRAW participated in an ad hoc meeting of the Joint United Nations
Information Committee on 15 and 16 February 1994 at which it was decided
that a joint travelling exhibition would be prepared as part of a system-
wide information programme for the International Conference on Population
and Development, the World Summit on Social Development and the Fourth
World Conference on Women. INSTRAW is recognized as one of the sponsors of
this exhibit. The exhibition was inaugurated in the main lobby of the
United Nations Secretariat building in New York and presented to the World
Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen) and later to the Fourth World
Conference on Women (Beijing).
75. The Institute also participated, together with other bodies and
agencies of the United Nations system, in the International Information
Fair, organized by the Department of Public Information and held at United
Nations Headquarters in New York.
IV. THE INSTITUTE'S ADVOCACY NETWORK
76. By its nature, mandate, statute and operating principles, INSTRAW
relies on networking in innovative ways and implements its work through
cooperative arrangements with United Nations programmes, organizations and
agencies and other governmental and non-governmental organizations,
academic institutions and women's organizations and groups. An important
element in the Institute's methods of work is its network of focal points
and correspondents at the national level. There are now 40 INSTRAW focal
points in countries all over the world. Several activities such as the
organization of seminars and meetings have been implemented in
collaboration with these focal points.
77. The Institute considers that networking and mainstreaming have been
instrumental in enabling it to carry out its mandate in research, training
and information on gender, women and development in an innovative and
multidisciplinary manner; to increase the scope of its operations; to
optimize the use of its limited financial resources; and to attain greater
outreach and impact.
78. Networking and mainstreaming have been and will continue to be the
main pivots of the Institute's mode of operation. The Institute will
continue in its efforts to seek new ways and strategies to strengthen its
mode of operation.
V. FINANCIAL SITUATION OF THE INSTITUTE
79. INSTRAW is funded solely from voluntary contributions. Since its
establishment, the Institute has received pledges from 72 Member States,
both developed and developing countries. Voluntary contributions received
by the United Nations Trust Fund for INSTRAW for the biennium 1994-1995 as
of the date of the present report, including specific contributions for
special projects and programmes, amount to $2,180,273. This amount is
expected to increase before the end of the biennium through additional
contributions to be received from those donor countries that have pledged
and have not yet paid their contributions.
80. The Institute wishes to express its appreciation to those Member
States that have steadily supported INSTRAW by their contributions to the
Trust Fund since its inception.
81. Furthermore, in keeping with the recommendation of the Joint
Inspection Unit concerning autonomous institutes of the United Nations,
INSTRAW has attained a financial reserve of $1 million, which should enable
the Institute to meet any shortfall in expected pledges, thus ensuring
continuity in its work.
82. INSTRAW is responsible for providing administrative support to all its
programmes. This includes financial management and budgetary controls,
monitoring of financial commitments, recruitment and personnel
administration, procurement and other activities, within the delegation of
authority granted by the Secretary-General. Despite the constraints faced
by external circumstances and insufficiency of qualified Professional
staff, INSTRAW has successfully carried out the biennium programme and has
a sound financial base.
83. The need for sustained funds that would permit the Institute to carry
out its mandate of independent research, the results of which would feed
into policy formulation and coordination on the one hand and operational
activities on the other, cannot be underestimated. If the Institute is to
continue to be effective in its mandate of research, training and
information on issues related to women and development, the financial
commitment of Member States to the Trust Fund must be ensured.
VI. CONCLUSION
84. INSTRAW's activities are an integral part of the overall efforts of
the United Nations to combat poverty, which has a strong negative impact on
the lives of women world wide.
85. The World Summit for Social Development and the Fourth World
Conference on Women reinforced the importance and urgency of the need to
eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and highlighted the
linkage between the empowerment of women and the progress of women as a
whole. A reinforced commitment to research and training is fundamental to
further progress towards sustainable socio-economic development and
advancement of women.
Notes
1/ Report of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the
Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development
and Peace, Nairobi, 15-26 July 1985 (United Nations publication, Sales No.
E.85.IV.10), chap. I, sect. A.
2/ For the statute of the Institute, see A/39/511, annex.
3/ R. Mehta et al., 1995. INSTRAW/SER.B/51.
4/ United Nations publication, Sales No. E.95.III.C.3.
5/ INSTRAW/SER.B/44.
/... A/50/538
English
Page
A/50/538
English
Page
ANNEX
Publications and public information material
printed by the Institute, 1994-1995
Compilation of Statistics on Women in the Informal Sector in Gambia.
Report of the National Training Workshop, Kombo Beach, 8-16 May 1991. 160
p. Santo Domingo: INSTRAW 1994.
Women, Water Supply and Sanitation. Training Seminar, Georgetown, Guyana,
31 January-4 February 1994. 85 p. Santo Domingo: INSTRAW December 1994.
Women, Water Supply and Sanitation. National Training Seminar, Windhoek,
Namibia, 20-25 November 1994. 59 p. Santo Domingo: INSTRAW March 1995.
Training Users and Producers in Statistics on Gender Issues in the South
Pacific. Seminar, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 30 November-3 December 1992.
120 p. Santo Domingo: INSTRAW May 1995.
The Situation of Elderly Women: Available Statistics and Indicators.
Joint publication of INSTRAW and the Statistics Division of the United
Nations. 80 p. Santo Domingo: INSTRAW 1993. Reprinted 1995.
The Migration of Women: Methodological Issues in the Measurement and
Analysis of Internal and International Migration. 120 p. Santo Domingo:
INSTRAW 1994. ISBN No. 92-1-127005-7, Sales No. E.95.III.C.1.
Measurement and Valuation of Unpaid Contribution: Accounting Through Time
and Output. 124 p. Santo Domingo: INSTRAW 1995. ISBN No. 92-1-127007-3.
Sales No. E.95.III.C.3.
Women, Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, Modular
Training Package. INSTRAW in cooperation with the International Training
Centre of ILO, April 1995. ISBN No. 92-1-127006-5. Sales No.
E.95.III.C.2.
Content-Discontent: Towards a Fair Portrayal of Women in the Media. 60 p.
Santo Domingo: INSTRAW 1995.
Gender Concepts in Development Planning, Basic Approach. 35 p. Santo
Domingo: INSTRAW 1995.
Credit for Women: Why is it so important? 119 p. Santo Domingo:
INSTRAW-ICRW 1995.
INSTRAW 1995. Santo Domingo: INSTRAW 1995.
INSTRAW News No. 20, first semester 1994. Women and the Family.
INSTRAW News No. 21, second semester 1994. Women and Time.
INSTRAW News No. 22, first semester 1995. The Social Summit: A Gender
Perspective.
INSTRAW News No. 23, second semester 1995. Women and Development: Future
Directions.
Flyer: 1440 Minutes in a Day: Knowing how a woman spends each one reveals
how much of her productive contribution is concealed. Santo Domingo, 1994.
Flyer: INSTRAW and its Water Programme in Africa, Santo Domingo, 1994.
Flyer: Women and Energy, Santo Domingo, 1994.
Flyer: What do we know about women's migration and the plight of women
migrants?, Santo Domingo, 1994.
Flyer: Communications Panel - "Media and Communications for the
Advancement of Women: Models for a Global Reach", NGO Forum on Women, 7
September 1995.
Brochure: INSTRAW Workshop/Panels, NGO Forum on Women, Beijing, September
1995.
Brochure: INSTRAW Special Event Panels, Fourth World Conference on Women,
Beijing, 4-15 September 1995.
Brochure: Women and the UN, 1945-1995. INSTRAW and UNIFEM, New York,
1995.
Poster: Keys to Gender Equality. INSTRAW/Department of Public Information
of the Secretariat, New York, 1995.
Poster: Women: United for a Better World, Fourth World Conference on
Women, INSTRAW, 1995.
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