ISO: DNK *************************************************************************** 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 STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL AFFAIRS, HEAD OF THE DELEGATION OF DENMARK H.E. MS KAREN JESPERSEN SEPTEMBER 1995 Madame President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Only 6 months ago, Denmark hosted the United Nations World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen. We know the great challenge in human and economic terms which the hosting of a major UN conference represents. We also know the special political responsibility that lies with the host country in assuring a successful outcome and follow-up of a UN conference. Hosting the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing is therefore a commitment by the People's Republic of China to work for the advancement of all women and children in China as well as around the globe. We welcome this commitment. Madame President, Human rights violations are wide-spread in many countries. And often women are the victims. They are violated in the family, in the community and by the state. We all know about female genital mutilation, trafficking in women, torture against women and sexual abuse. In developing countries women often have no choice but to succumb to violence. In developed countries, however, women perhaps have greater possibilities for help. But the pain and humiliation are the same for all abused women no matter where they live. We must accept and ratify the already existing human rights instruments. Everybody must realise that human rights also apply to women. Human rights are universal and should not be subordinate to religious and ethical values, cultural background and philosophical convictions. Madame President, In many parts of the world the girl child is discriminated against. Her rights are violated. She often gets less food, less health care and less education - if any. She is less encouraged than her brothers to learn about and participate in the social, economic and political functioning of her society. At this conference we must commit ourselves to eliminate the systematic discrimination of girls, wherever it occurs. It is essential that all children - boys and girls - are born into and grow up in an environment where everybody enjoys his or her full and equal rights and opportunities. Or as Prime Minister Bhutto said at the opening session: “This conference needs to chart a course that can create a climate where the girl child is as welcomed and valued as a boy child, that the girl child is considered as worthy as the boy child”. Madame President, Minority women and indigenous women are among the most oppressed and marginalized all over the world. The ongoing violations of their human rights must cease. And their role in the development process must be promoted and strengthened. Important first steps are the ratification of the ILO Convention on the rights of the indigenous and tribal peoples, and the adoption of the draft United Nations declaration of the rights of indigenous peoples. First steps towards the realization of the full potential of indigenous peoples. Madame President, One of the greatest challenges for the international community and for this conference - is the fight against poverty. We cannot talk about poverty without talking about women. 70 per cent of the world's poor are women. We cannot fight poverty unless women are involved actively. How do we do that? First and foremost we must ensure that women are able to participate actively in and contribute to the economic development of their societies. In order to do so, women must be educated. Today many girls simply have no access to basic education. Governments must ensure, through legislation, that girls - as well as boys - get equal access to basic education and that the parents can afford it. To combat poverty women must be healthy. Today women suffer from malnutrition and lack of basic health care, including unsafe abortions. The sexual and reproductive health and rights of women must be accepted. Active participation in economic development also implies that women’s economic rights must be respected. This includes the right for women to own land, to inherit property and to borrow money. It includes basic worker's rights, one of which is the right for women to organize. And it includes the creation of a society where working life and family life can be reconciled for women as well as men. National governments must take charge. The necessary funds must be provided for instance by redistributing wealth through a just tax system and by reducing military expenditures in favour of social and productive activities. But such actions must also be supported by international cooperation, and all countries should implement the 20/20 principle. Denmark remains committed to international development cooperation. We contribute more than one per cent of our GNP every year to this endeavour. Poverty alleviation with special emphasis on the role of women is a fundamental principle in Denmark’s development cooperation. Madame President, In a world of continuing instability and violence, of which women are often victims, the implementation of cooperative approaches to peace and security is urgently needed. Therefore Denmark supports the conclusion of a comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty no later than 1996. This is an important step towards peace. Denmark deeply regrets that nuclear test explosions are still carried out and Denmark strongly urges all nuclear-weapon states to abstain completely from any further testing. If the quest for peace is to be taken seriously it has to be demonstrated in deeds and not only in words. Madame President, Much work remains before this conference can approve a Platform for Action that will be a realistic common agenda for the advancement of women in the years to come. One important prerequisite for achieving this result is that conclusions reached at previous world conferences are fully respected. The results from Rio, Vienna, Cairo and Copenhagen must be taken as points of departure for further progress. Nobody will understand, and leas;¿ of all the women of the world, if we gather here in Beijing to discuss the advancement of women and end up by taking steps backwards instead of forwards. The national follow-up will be the key to ensure that the decisions of this conference will be implemented to the benefit of everybody. In order to make this process a successful one, it is crucial that all actors of society are involved. This includes women’s movement and non- governmental organizations. At the international level, the United Nations must take charge of the follow-up activities. One way of doing this is to allocate the necessary meeting time to the CEDAW-Committee, which monitors the women’s convention. A United Nations conference will only be an important turning point if we both as individual governments and as an international community make certain that commitments are followed by concrete actions and that all necessary resources to implement these activities are allocated. Only by doing so will we shape a decent future for our children. A future in which men and women have equal opportunities and responsibilities for contributing to development and prosperity for all. By doing so, Madame President, we will be able to register real progress in the advancement of women, when we meet again at the Fifth World Conference on Women in the year 2000. Thank you