ISO: TUR *************************************************************************** The electronic version of this document has been prepared at the Fourth World Conference on Women by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women Secretariat. *************************************************************************** AS WRITTEN TURKISH DELEGATION TO THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN 4-15 SEPTEMBER 1995, BEIJING STATEMENT BY AYSEL BAYKAL, MINISTER OF STATE BEIJING, 5 SEPTEMBER 1995 MADAM CHAIRPERSON, DISTINGUISHED DELEGATES, AT THE OUTSET, PLEASE ALLOW ME TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE TO YOU, AND TO THE PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA FOR THEIR GENEROUS HOSPITALITY AND FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF THIS HISTORIC CONFERENCE. I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO PAY TRIBUTE TO MRS. GERTRUDE MONGELLA OF TANZANIA AND SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS, MR.BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI FOR THEIR KEY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS CONFERENCE. IT IS INDEED A PLEASURE FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS SUCH DISTINGUISHED REPRESENTATIVES GATHERED HERE IN WHAT PROMISES TO BE A CRITICAL POINT ON THE LONG ROAD LEADING TO THE NOBLE AIM OF ENSURING A HAPPY COEXISTENCE OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS IN THE WORLD, IN PEACE, HARMONY AND PROSPERITY. ALL OF US HERE ARE, NO DOUBT, AWARE THAT SUCH A WORLD CAN ONLY BE BUILT ON THE FOUNDATION OF EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN. THE UNITED NATIONS HAS BEEN, DURING THE PAST 20 YEARS, PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE IN PROMOTING WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION AND EQUALITY AROUND THE WORLD THROUGH EFFORTS TO EMPOWER WOMEN AND PROTECT WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS. IT IS OUR BELIEF THAT IN THE PERIOD FOLLOWING THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN, INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS WILL GO BEYOND IDENTIFICATION AND DISCUSSION OF EXISTING PROBLEMS TO TAKING CONCRETE STEPS TOWARDS REALIZATION OF GENDER, EQUALITY IN BOTH LAWS AND REAL-LIFE CONDITIONS. HAVING BELIEVED IN THIS ULTIMATE GOAL, WE HAVE SO FAR WHOLEHEARTEDLY PARTICIPATED AND ACTIVELY SUPPORTED EVERY EFFORT MADE WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF INTERNATIONAL ENDEAVOURS DEDICATED TO WOMEN SINCE 1975. IT IS MY DISTINCT HONOR TO RE-STATE, ON THE OCCASION OF THIS HISTORIC CONFERENCE, OUR COMMITMENT TO THE GOAL OF REALIZING EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN GLOBALLY. WE BELIEVE THAT THE PROGRESS OF WOMEN THROUGHOUT THE WORLD COULD ONLY BE ACHIEVED THROUGH HUMAN DEVELOPMENT NOT WITHSTANDING NATIONALITY. THE VITAL GOAL OF "DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL" CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED BY COMBINING THE VISION AND PERSPECTIVES OF MEN AND WOMEN ON EQUAL BASIS. THE SEARCH FOR THIS AIM WAS INITIATED IN RIO IN 1992, CONTINUED IN VIENNA IN 1993, AND THEN IN CAIRO IN 1994, FOLLOWED IN COPENHAGEN IN MARCH 1995 AND FINALLY HERE IN BEIJING. OUR CONFERENCE INDEED FOSTERS OUR OPTIMISM TO ATTAIN OUR FINAL VICTORY TO UPHOLD THE PRIDE OF WOMEN OF THE WORLD. THE FORTHCOMING SECOND CONFERENCE ON HUMAN SETTLEMENT TO BE HELD IN ISTANBUL IN JUNE 1996 IS EXPECTED TO FURTHER CONTRIBUTE TO OUR EFFORTS FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN. HERE TODAY, IN THIS HISTORIC CITY, WE ALL GRAB A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO RELAY TO THE MASSES AROUND OUR PLANET RECIPES TO HEEL THE PAINS OF WOMEN AND TO CONSOLIDATE THE ACCUMULATED GAINS SO FAR ATTAINED IN THE PREVIOUS CONFERENCES AND THEN TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN POLICIES AIMED AT THE ACHIEVEMENT OF GENDER EQUALITY. WE SHOULD STRIVE TO REVEAL THE BARRIERS SURROUNDING WOMEN IN ORDER TO ENABLE WOMEN'S FULL AND EQUAL PARTICIPATION IN SOCIETY AND TRY TO FORMULATE POLICIES TO ELIMINATE EXISTING GENDER DISCRIMINATION. THE TWENTIETH CENTURY WHICH HAS ALMOST COMPLETED ITS CYCLE HAS WITNESSED THE UNYIELDING STRUGGLE OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE TO GAIN THEIR LEGAL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES. THESE EFFORTS WERE LARGELY SUCCESSFUL THANKS TO THE SOLIDARITY ATTAINED AMONG THE WOMEN OF THE WORLD. IF, TODAY, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAS COME TO VIEW THE ACHIEVEMENT OF GENDER EQUALITY AND THE FULL REALIZATION OF WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS AS A LEGAL AND ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY, WE ARE WELL AWARE THAT THIS IS LARGELY OWING TO THE STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S MOVEMENT AND THE SOLIDARITY OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE. WE VIEW THE CONSENSUS REACHED AT THE 1993 UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE THAT HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN ARE AN INSEPARABLE, INALIENABLE, UNTRANSFERABLE PART OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN GENERAL AS A LANDMARK ACHIEVEMENT IN THIS CONTEXT. FURTHERMORE WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THE FULL REALIZATION OF THE WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS WORLDWIDE SHOULD NOT BE HINDERED BY FORCES STEMMING FROM CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS AND/OR TRADITIONAL DIFFERENCES. DESPITE ALL THESE EFFORTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS WE FEEL IN THE DEPTHS OF OUR HEARTS THE SORROW OF MILLIONS OF WOMEN WHO ARE STILL LIVING THROUGH UNBEARABLE HUMAN RIGHTS BREACHES AS A RESULT OF CRUEL ARMED CONFLICTS, ASSAULTS, ETHNIC CLEANSING AND MOST INHUMAN TREATMENTS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD FROM BOSNIA TO AFRICA AND ELSEWHERE. WE PLEDGE OUR SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY WITH ALL THOSE WOMEN AND CHILDREN LIVING UNDER THE HORRORS OF WAR. MADAM CHAIRPERSON, DISTINGUISHED DELEGATES, WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE THE STRUGGLES FOR ESTABLISHING, MAINTAINING AND ENRICHING DEMOCRATIC ORDERS HAVE BECOME OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE. TODAY, WE HAVE ALL REACHED A STAGE WHERE UNIVERSALITY CAN NEITHER BE EMBRACED AS AN ABSOLUTE REFUGE NOR ALTOGETHER REJECTED AS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT DISREGARDS CULTURAL AND TRADITIONAL DIFFERENCES. NEITHER OF THESE CONCEPTIONS CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OUR WORLD IS FACING TODAY. THE CHALLENGE IS TO BE ABLE TO CREATE THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE UNIVERSAL GOAL OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN ? S RIGHTS CAN BE FORMULATED AT THE LEVEL OF "THE LOCAL" AND "THE SPECIFIC" AND TO FIND SOLUTIONS AT THE LEVEL OF "THE UNIVERSAL". TO THIS END, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES BE SENSITIVE AND OPEN TO BOTH " THE LOCAL" AND "THE UNIVERSAL" AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, BE RECEPTIVE TO VOICES AND DEMANDS OF THE UNDERPRIVILEGED AND SILENT MAJORITIES AROUND THE WORLD. THE REALIZATION OF GENDER EQUALITY IN THE WORLD IS CONTINGENT UPON WOMEN'S ABILITY AND SKILLS TO TRANSFORM UNEQUAL AND OPPRESSIVE STRUCTURES ACCORDING TO WOMEN'S OWN SPECIFIC NEEDS AND WANTS. SUCH A PROCESS WILL NOT ONLY MEAN WOMEN'S ADOPTION OF GIVEN DEFINITIONS BUT WOULD HAVE TO INCORPORATE WOMEN'S ACTIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE FORMULATION OF A NEW DEFINITION OF HUMANITY. MADAM CHAIRPERSON, DISTINGUISHED DELEGATES, MODERN TURKEY IS A SOCIETY THAT HAS COME A LONG WAY IN TERMS OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS. YET WE ARE FULLY AWARE THAT WE STILL HAVE CONSIDERABLE GROUND TO COVER. THE QUESTION OF THE STATUS OF TURKISH WOMEN HAS BEEN DEALT WITH FROM THE VERY EARLY DAYS OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE TURKISH REPUBLIC IN 1923 UNDER THE GREAT LEADERSHIP OF MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATURK. IN ITS TRANSITION FROM AN EMPIRE TO A NATION-STATE, TURKEY HAS ADOPTED EQUALITY OF MEN AND WOMEN AS ONE OF THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF HER STATE AND SOCIETAL ORGANIZATION AND HAS MADE APPROPRIATE CHANGES IN HER LAWS TO GUARANTEE SUCH EQUALITY IN PROPERTY OWNERSHIP, INHERITANCE, WORK LIFE AND EDUCATION AS EARLY AS 1920’S. WOMEN IN TURKEY WERE GRANTED SUFFRAGE RIGHTS IN 1934 AND HAVE SINCE BEEN PARTICIPATING IN ALL ELECTIONS HELD IN THE COUNTRY ON EQUAL TERMS WITH MEN. HOWEVER. THE FULL UTILIZATION OF LEGAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS BY WOMEN IN EVERYDAY LIFE TAKES A LONG TIME AND SPECIFIC EFFORTS ON THE PART OF ALL CONCERNED AGENCIES ARE NEEDED. THERE IS STILL A LOT TO BE ACHIEVED IN TURKEY IN THIS RESPECT. IN THE 1980’S, THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT HAS ACCELERATED IN TURKEY WITH SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS IN BOTH THE CIVIL SOCIETY AND STATE INSTITUTIONS AND ATTITUDES. THE GENERAL DIRECTORATE ON THE STATUS AND THE PROBLEMS OF WOMEN WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1990 AS THE INITIAL PIECE OF NATIONAL MACHINERY. THIS OFFICE IN COLLABORATION WITH INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES NGO'S AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS IN THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN CARRYING OUT RESEARCH PROJECTS AS WELL AS DEVELOPING POLICIES CONCERNING WOMEN. THE GENERAL DIRECTORATE AFFILIATED TO THE STATE MINISTRY WHICH I HAVE THE HONOUR TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, WAS ESTABLISHED WITH THE AIM OF MAKING WOMEN MORE VISIBLE IN TURKISH SOCIETY BY FURTHER IMPROVING THEIR STATUS AND PRODUCING AND IMPLEMENTING NATIONAL POLICIES TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS. AS A RESULT OF THE EFFORTS OF THE NGO'S AND THE STATE MINISTRY SPECIFIC IMPROVEMENTS REGARDING THE STATUS OF WOMEN HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED AT THE LEGAL INSTITUTIONAL LEVELS. THE CURRENT POLICY AND PROGRAMMES FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN TURKEY IS STRONGLY FOCUSED ON ENHANCEMENT OF THE PARTICIPATION AND REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN POLITICAL LIFE WHILE ALSO PAYING SPECIFIC IMPORTANCE TO IMPROVED EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, HEALTH AND PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL AS UPGRADING NATIONAL LEGISLATION TO FACILITATE WOMEN'S FULL AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN ALL ASPECTS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL LIFE IN TURKEY. TO THIS END, THE MINISTRY OF STATE RESPONSIBLE FOR WOMEN'S STATUS AND PROBLEMS, IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHER STATE AGENCIES, HAS ENGAGED IN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION AND REORGANIZATION OF GENDER-BASED STATISTICS IN THE COUNTRY; DEVELOPED WOMEN ORIENTED EMPOWERMENT POLICIES SUCH AS VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION FOR GIRLS AND CREDIT FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS; DEFINED GIRLS AND URBAN WORKING CLASS WOMEN AS HIGH PRIORITY TARGET GROUPS; TAKEN STEPS TO INCLUDE WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE CURRICULA OF HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATIONS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS; STARTED PUBLIC-AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS AND DEVELOPED MEASURES TO SENSITIZE THE PUBLIC AND HELP ELIMINATE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN THE SOCIETY. MADAM CHAIRPERSON, DISTINGUISHED DELEGATES, SINCE THE FIRST WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN IN MEXICO, IN 1975. WE HAVE WORKED HARD ON THE DEFINITION OF THE STATUS OF WOMEN AND ON THE WAYS TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS. NOW, WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN MUST BE A CONFERENCE OF COMMITMENTS WITHIN THIS FRAMEWORK, I WOULD LIKE TO SET FORTH OUR COMMITMENTS IN THREE BASIC AREAS. FIRST, WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE ADOPTION AND REMOVAL OF THE ALL RESERVATIONS FROM THE CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN. WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO CHANGE THE SMALL NUMBER OF PROVISIONS IN THE TURKISH LEGISLATION WHICH ARE AGAINST GENDER EQUALITY AND TO REMOVE THE RESERVATIONS FROM THE CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN. SECOND, SINCE ONE OF THE TARGETS OF THIS CONFERENCE IS THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN, WE BELIEVE THAT ONLY THROUGH A BETTER EDUCATION THIS GOAL MAY BE ACHIEVED. IN THIS VEIN, WE ARE DETERMINED TO EXTEND COMPULSORY PRIMARY EDUCATION FROM 5 YEARS TO 8 YEARS AND ALSO INCREASE THE LITERACY LEVEL OF WOMEN TO HUNDRED PERCENT BY THE YEAR 2000. WE HAVE ALREADY PROVIDED SUFFICIENT RESOURCES FOR THIS PROJECT. AND LAST, AS FOR THE HEALTH TARGETS AND PRIORITIES FOR TURKEY, WE WILL REDUCE INFANT AND MATERNAL MORTALITY RATES AT LEAST, BY HALF. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED NATIONAL ACTION PLAN AND STRATEGIES TOWARDS THE REALIZATION OF THESE GOALS AND ARE READY TO ENGAGE IN REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TO REALIZE OUR COMMITMENTS IN LINE WITH THE UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED PRINCIPLES. IT IS MY FIRM BELIEF THAT DECLARATION AND PLATFORM OF ACTION OF THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN WILL CONTRIBUTE POSITIVELY TO THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. IT IS NOW HIGH TIME TO ACT AND HONOUR OUR COMMITMENTS. WE HAVE NO MORE TIME TO WASTE. LET US JOIN OUR HANDS AND HEARTS TO CREATE A MORAL CHAIN OF SOLIDARITY FOR THE HAPPINESS OF WOMEN, WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY REFLECT ON THE HAPPINESS OF ENTIRE HUMANITY. MADAM CHAIRPERSON, DISTINGUISHED DELEGATES, AS WE ALL KNOW EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN RESTS ON THE TWO PILLARS OF THE "PUBLIC" AND THE "PRIVATE" SPHERES. TO ENSURE WOMEN'S INDEPENDENT AND PEACEFUL EXISTENCE AS WELL AS HER HAPPINESS AND THE FULL REALIZATION OF HER CAPACITIES, WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT IN THE "PRIVATE" SPHERE -A CONCEPT INTRICATELY LINKED WITH LIVING SPACE- IS ESSENTIAL. I WOULD, THEREFORE, LIKE TO INVITE YOU ALL TO ISTANBUL IN JUNE 1996 TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SECOND CONFERENCE ON HUMAN SETTLEMENT TO DISCUSS, THE ISSUES OF IMPROVEMENT OF HEALTH HOUSING AND SOCIAL SERVICES TO BE PROVIDED FOR WOMEN AND FOR THE BILLIONS OF PEOPLE EXPECTED TO CROWD INTO THE WORLD'S CITIES, FROM THE WOMEN'S PERSPECTIVE TOO.