ISO: HUN
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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.
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AS WRITTEN


Statement of Her Excellency Mrs.Kósa, Magda Kovács Dr.
Minister of Labor of the Republic of Hungary
Fourth World Conference on Women
Beijing, 4 September 1995


Madam Chairperson,
Ladies and Gentlemen, 

I have the honor to congratulate You, Madam Chairperson upon your 
election and to greet all participants of our Conference on behalf of 
Hungary, this small country of ten million inhabitants of Central and 
Eastern Europe. I would like to express our high appreciation and 
particularly that of Hungarian women for the efforts the United Nations 
has made since several decades, efforts due to which the principles of 
equality between women and men have by now become one of the pillars of 
fundamental human rights. 

The Hungarian Government as well as the women's organizations of my 
country are aware of the fact that the instruments adopted by the UN, as 
well as the previous world conferences on women, have decisively 
influenced the evolution of the chances of women in our world. 

For us too, the goals set by the UN showed the way having led to the de 
jure equality between women and men. The progress attained in the frame 
of the Organization with respect of the defense of human rights has had 
a considerable impact also on our domestic law. 

The Hungarian Constitution, the laws of my country ensure the 
fundamental human rights for all without any discrimination thus 
including the equality between women and men, in accordance with the 
spirit of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration 
of Human Rights; as well as of the other international instruments 
relating to these rights. 

Hungary is among the States having ratified the Convention on the 
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. We agree with 
and appreciate all further steps taken in this aim by the competent UN 
instances, also since the World Conference on Human Rights. We welcome 
the establishment of the post of a Special Rapporteur of the Commission 
on Human Rights on Violence against women. 

I do believe, we all share the conviction that there can be no 
democracy, no social justice without the equality of women. However, we 
still have a long way to go from their de jure equality to eliminating 
all forms of discrimination affecting women, so that their lot - shared 
by more than half of the world's population should not be identical any 
more with that of minorities. 

The radical social and political changes in Central and Eastern Europe 
has brought about a new situation with respect to the civil and 
political rights of women. Instead of a semblance of equality based only 
on statistical data women have now got chances of access to decision-
making posts. Nevertheless, the real rights of women, beside civil and 
political ones, are becoming more and more determined by the 
implementation of economic, social and cultural rights. They will only 
have the prospect of attaining _ facto equality if society comes to 
realize that equality does not depend on the adoption of international 
instruments and on national laws only. The fields where equality is 
really put to test are those of economic life, the world of work, the 
chance of having access to knowledge, a system of social security - in 
the first place a system of maternity protection and the maintenance of 
a network of child-care facilities - allowing women to take 
responsibility for their own lives. 

The world welcomed with great satisfaction the victory of democracy in 
Central and Eastern Europe. We are convinced that there is no return in 
our region to a dictatorial, totalitarian regime, but inequalities still 
live with us, moreover, we see new ones cropping up. The countries of 
our region, thus also Hungary, crossed the threshold of the change of 
political regime with their economies interlaced and having become 
almost inoperational. The unavoidable transformation of economy shook to 
its foundations our network of cultural and social services and 
introduced changes in the population's way of life, changes demanding 
more and more imperatively that, beyond civil and political rights, 
cultural and social rights too should be ensured. 

Hungary highly appreciates the programs of the European Union, the World 
Bank and the International Labor Organizations, by which they have made 
efforts to reduce inequalities and develop human resources. We owe them 
thanks for the support received helping for instance the development of 
women's professional training, the reduction of unemployment within 
their ranks. However, these programs cannot fundamentally change the 
situation of women, since their prospects are inseparable from the 
general conditions of economy in these countries.