ISO: SUR *************************************************************************** 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 ADDRESS BY MRS. L. VENETIAAN - VANENBURG, FIRST LADY AND HEAD OF DELEGATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SURINAME, AT THE FOURTH UNITED NATIONS WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN, IN BEIJING, CHINA, ON 6 SEPTEMBER 1995 MADAME PRESIDENT, ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SURINAME I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR ELECTION TO THE PRESIDENCY OF THIS CONFERENCE. I AM SURE THAT UNDER YOUR ABLE LEADERSHIP THIS CONFERENCE WILL COME TO A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COMMEND THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THIS CONFERENCE, MRS GERTRUDE MONGELLA, ON THE EXCELLENT WORK SHE HAS DONE DURING THE PREPARATORY PROCESS OF THIS CONFERENCE. I REQUEST YOU, MADAME PRESIDENT, TO CONVEY TO THE CHINESE PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT OUR MESSAGE OF THANKS AND APPRECIATION FOR THEIR HOSPITALITY. MADAME PRESIDENT, THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN PROVIDES US WITH AN UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW AND APPRAISE THE STATUS AND CONDITIONS OF WOMEN ALL OVER THE WORLD AND TO COME UP WITH SOME SOLUTIONS TO THE CHALLENGES WE ARE FACED WITH. THE CONFERENCE WILL ALSO CERTAINLY GIVE FRESH IMPETUS TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NAIROBI FORWARD LOOKING STRATEGIES AND WILL FURTHERMORE ALLOW ALL GOVERNMENTS TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR POLITICAL WILL TO RE-ESTABLISH THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN AS A PRIORITY FOR ALL. EVEN THOUGH PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN THE PAST DECADES IN ADVANCING THE STATUS OF WOMEN, DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN STILL PERSISTS IN MANY FORMS. MADAME PRESIDENT, POVERTY IS A PERSISTENT AND EVER-INCREASING BURDEN ON THE POPULATION OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, ESPECIALLY ON WOMEN. UNTIL THE EARLY EIGHTIES SURINAME, WAS ONE OF THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WHICH WERE RATHER WELL OFF. HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION WERE OF A HIGH QUALITY, AND BOTH WERE ACCESSIBLE TO ALMOST EVERYONE. IN ADDITION, TO THAT, SURINAME HAD A SYSTEM OF SOCIAL SERVICES WHICH AIMED AT THE MOST VULNERABLE GROUPS IN OUR SOCIETY. HOWEVER, A BUILD-UP OF BOTH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL FACTORS HAS BROUGHT AN END TO THIS FAVOURABLE SITUATION. SURINAME HAS BEEN FACING AN ECONOMIC CRISIS. BOTH THE CRISIS AND THE STRUCTURAL IMBALANCES OF THE SURINAMESE ECONOMY NECESSITATED, AS OF 1992, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMME, WHICH HAS LED TO THE EXPANSION OF POVERTY, MAINLY AFFECTING WOMEN AND CHILDREN. WOMEN REPRESENT THE MAJORITY OF THOSE BENEFITING FROM THE NATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEME AND BELONG TO THE POOREST OF THE COUNTRY. THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES HEADED BY WOMEN HAS INCREASED TO 27 PER CENT OF ALL FAMILIES IN THE COUNTRY. WOMEN ALSO DOMINATE THE GROWING INFORMAL SECTOR WHICH NOT ONLY EMBRACES POOR WOMEN, BUT ALSO AN INCREASING NUMBER OF MIDDLE-CLASS WOMEN TRYING TO COMPENSATE FOR THE DECLINE IN THEIR INCOMES FROM THE FORMAL SECTOR. THE IMPOVERISHMENT AFFECTING FAMILIES, ALSO AFFECTS THE YOUNG PEOPLE GROWING UP IN THESE FAMILIES, CAUSING A WHOLE RANGE OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS, AMONG WHICH AN INCREASE OF TEENAGE PREGNANCIES, OF CHILD LABOUR, OF TEENAGE PROSTITUTION OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, AND OF THE NUMBER OF STREET CHILDREN. IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION, WHICH UP TO NOW SHOWED A FAVOURABLE PARTICIPATION RATE OF 52 PER CENT OF THE SURINAMESE WOMEN AT ALL LEVELS, THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC SITUATION CAUSED AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF DROP- OUTS, JEOPARDIZING THE PROGRESS MADE AS REGARDS THEIR POSITION. WHILE HEALTH CARE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PRIORITY IN THE GOVERNMENT POLICY, GUARANTEEING THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES OF ABOUT 80 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION, YEAR AFTER YEAR, THE ECONOMIC CRISIS CAUSED A RELATIVE DECREASE OF 50 PER CENT OF THE HEALTH BUDGET DURING THE LAST DECADE. THIS CAUSED AN INCREASE IN REGISTERED CASES OF MATERNAL MORTALITY AND OF MALNUTRITION OF CHILDREN, A DECLINE IN THE IMMUNIZATION RATE, AND AN INCREASE IN POVERTY-RELATED DISEASES, SUCH AS DENGUE AND MALARIA, WHICH IS A GRAVE CONCERN FOR MY GOVERNMENT. MADAME PRESIDENT, WOMEN THEMSELVES AND WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BROUGHT TO THE GOVERNMENT'S ATTENTION VIVID EXAMPLES OF DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, BLOCKING THEIR FULL PARTICIPATION IN DEVELOPMENT. THE INCREASED NUMBER OF VICTIMS FINDING THEIR WAY TO THE POLICE STATIONS AND TO THE NGO WOMEN'S GROUPS UNDERLINE THE URGENT NEED TO IMPLEMENT POLICIES TO PROTECT AND EMPOWER WOMEN AND CHILDREN AGAINST VIOLENCE. IN OUR CONCEPTION, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IS PRINCIPALLY UNJUSTIFIABLE AND UNACCEPTABLE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS AND WOMEN'S EQUAL STATUS. THE SURINAMESE GOVERNMENT HAS COMMITTED ITSELF TO RATIFY THE INTER- AMERICAN TREATY ON THE PREVENTION, PUNISHMENT AND ERADICATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. FURTHERMORE, THE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE STRENGTHENING OF ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL. THERE IS AN INCREASE OF POVERTY IN THE RURAL AREAS, AND THOUGH RURAL WOMEN PLAY A KEY ROLE IN THE FOOD-SUPPLY SECTOR AND IN SMALL-SCALE FARMING AND CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT, THEY ARE HARDLY INVOLVED IN ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND HAVE LIMITED ACCESS TO RESOURCES, MARKETING, TRANSPORT FACILITIES, TRAINING AND EDUCATION. THIS SITUATION IS CAUSED ON THE ONE HAND BY THE UNEQUAL RELATIONS WITHIN PRODUCTION STRUCTURES AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES, AND ON THE OTHER HAND BY THE OVERALL ECONOMIC DECLINE. MADAME PRESIDENT, PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN PUBLIC FUNCTIONS IN SURINAME IN COMPARISON WITH MEN IS STILL AT A LOW LEVEL. WOMEN HAVE NOT YET SUFFICIENTLY PENETRATED INTO THE POWER BASE WHERE THE DECISIONS ARE MADE ABOUT DEVELOPMENT AND ABOUT THEIR LIVES. HOWEVER, GIVEN THE COMMITMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT TO THE EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN IN THE DECISION- MAKING PROCESS AND THE DETERMINATION OF SURINAMESE WOMEN IN THIS CONTEXT, CHANGE IS ON ITS WAY. DURING THE LAST DECADE, PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN THE FIELD OF THE LEGAL PROTECTION AND EQUAL STATUS OF WOMEN BEFORE THE LAW. MY GOVERNMENT IS, HOWEVER, AWARE THAT IN A NUMBER OF AREAS THERE ARE STILL PROVISIONS WHICH ARE IN CONFLICT WITH THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUALITY. YET MORE IMPORTANT IS THE FACT THAT THE GOVERNMENT REALIZES THAT FORMAL LEGAL EQUALITY DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY LEAD TO A NON-DISCRIMINATORY SOCIETY AS REGARDS THE GENDER RELATIONS. MADAME PRESIDENT, THIS SHORT ANALYSIS OF SOME OF THE CRITICAL AREAS OF CONCERN FOR SURINAME MIGHT WELL LEAD US TO FEEL PESSIMISTIC. BUT THE GOVERNMENT HAS COMMITTED ITSELF TO MINIMALIZE THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE CRISIS AND OF THE STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMME ON WOMEN AND OTHER VULNERABLE GROUPS. TO THAT END, A SOCIAL SAFETY NET HAS BECOME OPERATIONAL, COVERING APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER OF THE SURINAMESE FAMILIES. AN IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THIS PROGRAMME IS THAT WOMEN ARE THE MAJOR BENEFICIARIES. IN ADDITION, STRUCTURAL MEASURES TO PROTECT THE GENERAL LEVEL IN THE AREAS OF EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE HAVE ALSO BEEN TAKEN. MADAME PRESIDENT, IN THE YEARS AHEAD, THE EMPHASIS SHALL BE PLACED ON STRENGTHENING THE NATIONAL MACHINERY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN. BY MEANS OF A THREE- YEAR PROGRAMME TO BE CARRIED OUT IN COOPERATION WITH THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR WOMEN (UNIFEM), EMPHASIS WILL BE PLACED ON THE STRENGTHENING OF THE INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY OF THE GOVERNMENT MACHINERY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN AND OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS ON THE ONE HAND, AND ON THE RE-EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN WHO LOST THEIR JOBS AS A RESULT OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS, ON THE OTHER HAND. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS INNOVATIVE PROGRAMME WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN INTENSIVE PUBLIC GENDER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN. THE SURINAMESE GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY APPROVED THE ALLOCATION OF THE NECESSARY RESOURCES FROM THE FUNDS OF THE 1975 TREATY BETWEEN SURINAME AND THE NETHERLANDS FOR THE EXECUTION OF THIS PROGRAMME. MADAME PRESIDENT, IN ADDITION TO THIS PROGRAMME, WHICH WILL BE IMPLEMENTED WITH THE SUPPORT OF UNIFEM, THE USEFUL COOPERATION BETWEEN THE SURINAMESE GOVERNMENT AND VARIOUS OTHER UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES AND BODIES , SUCH AS THE UNICEF, THE U.N.F.P.A. AND THE U.N.D.P., WHICH PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF WOMEN AND SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, WILL BE STRENGTHENED. MADAME PRESIDENT, IN CLOSING, I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERLINE THAT THE ECONOMIC CRISIS AND POVERTY, ACCOMPANIED BY MACRO-ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING AND STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMMES HAVE UNDERMINED THE CAPACITY OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTE POLICIES WHICH ARE GEARED TOWARDS REACHING THE OBJECTIVES OF EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE AS CONTAINED IN THE NAIROBI FORWARD LOOKING STRATEGIES. MY DELEGATION EXPRESSES ITS SINCERE HOPE THAT THE DECISIONS TAKEN BY THIS CONFERENCE WITH REGARD TO THE PLATFORM FOR ACTION WILL NOT BE HINDERED BY THE SAME OBSTACLES AND WILL FULLY BE IMPLEMENTED, IN A CONCERTED EFFORT OF GOVERNMENTS, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS, PRIVATE SECTOR INSTITUTIONS AT THE NATIONAL REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL AND THAT NEW AND ADDITIONAL INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES WILL BE COMMITTED FOR THIS PURPOSE. IT IS MY HEARTFELT CONVICTION THAT SUCH EFFORT IS CONDITIONAL FOR A SUCCESSFUL FULFILMENT OF THE HIGH IDEALS THAT LAY AT THE VERY FOUNDATION OF THIS PLATFORM AND WHICH ARE IN THE INTEREST OF ALL WOMEN, IN THE INTEREST OF ALL FAMILIES, AND IN THE INTEREST OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF OUR WORLD COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, MADAME PRESIDENT.