ISO: PER *************************************************************************** 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 SPEECH GIVEN BY MRS. MARTHA CHAVEZ COSSIO DE OCAMPO, SPEAKER OF THE CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF PERU MADAM PRESIDENT OF THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN SPECIAL ENVOY OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS MADAM SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT HEADS OF DELEGATIONS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT IS FOR ME THE HIGHEST HONOR TO REPRESENT THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF PERU IN THIS FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN: ACTION FOR EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE. BE MY FIRST WORDS TO THANK THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA FOR THE WARMHEARTED WELCOME WE RECEIVED. I ALSO WANT TO CONGRATULATE THEM FOR THE MAGNIFICENT ORGANIZATION OF THE CONFERENCE THAT WILL ALLOW, NO DOUBT, TO RENEW THE COMMITMENT OF GOVERNMENTS TO PROMOTE THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN. MADAM PRESIDENT: MY DELEGATION FINDS IN BEIJING THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH ALL OF YOU THE SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT AND PARTICIPATION REACHED BY PERUVIAN WOMEN IN THE LAST DECADE, ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. THEIR IMPROVED POSITION AND SITUATION IN RESPECT OF PREVIOUS DECADES CAN BE SEEN IN THEIR BETTER ACCESS TO BASIC SERVICES AND THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE PUBLIC AND SOCIAL LIFE OF THE NATION. THIS ADVANCEMENT HAS IN TURN CREATED THE BASIS FOR A NEW IMAGE AND THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE SOCIAL ROLE IN THE PUBLIC NATIONAL SCENE IN ASPECTS AS RELEVANT AS THE STRUGGLE AGAINST POVERTY, DEVELOPMENT AND THE ACHIEVEMENT OF PEACE. AS A WHOLE, PERUVIAN WOMEN ARE BETTER EDUCATED. FOR EXAMPLE, SCHOOL GIRLS HAVE ACCESS TO EDUCATION AS MUCH AS BOYS DO, ABOUT 50 PERCENT OF ELEMENTARY STUDENTS ARE WOMEN AND YOUNG GIRLS MAKE UP FOR FORTY PERCENT OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. WOMEN TODAY HAVE A BETTER KNOWLEDGE AND ACCESS TO HEALTH. IN THE LABOR FIELD THEY HAVE HIGHER EXPECTATIONS AND POSSIBILITIES OF ENTERING THE LABOR MARKET. IT IS ALSO AN ADVANCEMENT THE RIGHT GIVEN TO ILLITERATE WOMEN TO VOTE AND THE CREATION OF "THE PERMANENT COMMISSION OF WOMEN RIGHTS", WHICH IS AN ORGANIZATION DEVOTED TO PROMOTE THEIR RIGHTS AND THE COORDINATION OF POLICIES ON THEIR FAVOR. MADAM PRESIDENT: THE SPEAKER OF THE CONGRESS OF THE PERU, WHO IS ADDRESSING TO YOU IN THIS MOMENT, HAS THE HIGHEST POSITION EVER ACHIEVED BY A PERUVIAN WOMAN IN 174 YEARS OF REPUBLICAN LIFE WHICH, UNFORTUNATELY, HAS FEW PRECEDENTS IN THE WORLD. I HAVE ATTAINED THIS POSITION AFTER A NATIONAL ELECTORAL PROCESS AND ANOTHER ONE WITHIN THE CONGRESS. THIS ACCOMPLISHMENT WHICH GOES BEYOND MY PERSON BECAUSE IT ALLOWS ME TO HARVEST, WHY NOT SAY IT ?, WHAT OTHER WOMEN HAVE CULTIVATED. IT DOES NOT MEAN, HOWEVER, THAT WE SHOULD REMAIN CONTENT WITH WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED AND TO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT WE STILL HAVE TO DO. IT WOULD BE UNFAIR TO THE WOMEN OF MY COUNTRY THAT I SHOULD ONLY TALK ABOUT THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS. I ALSO HAVE TO TALK IN THIS CONFERENCE ABOUT THE OBSTACLES THESE WOMEN FIND IN THEIR PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE CONSOLIDATION TO WHICH THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF PERU ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED. THE COUNTRY INHERITED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF PRESIDENT ALBERTO FUJIMORI IN 1990 WAS IMMERSED IN A CLIMATE OF INSTITUTIONAL INSTABILITY, SOCIAL INSECURITY AND A DEEP ECONOMIC CRISIS. ON TOP OF THAT WE HAVE TO ADDD INTERNAL VIOLENCE CAUSED BY TERRORISM WHICH LEFT A HIDEOUS LEGACY OF MORE THAN 25,000 PEOPLE DEAD AND MATERIAL LOSSES FOR AN AMOUNT SIMILAR TO THAT OF OUR EXTERNAL DEBT. NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, AND ECONOMIC PRODUCTION WAS AFFECTED AS A WHOLE. DRUG- TRAFFICKING SHOULD ALSO BE ADDED TO THIS UNFORTUNATE PREDICAMENT WHICH, BESIDES FINANCING TERRORISM, CONTRIBUTED TO THE DETERIORATION OF THE SITUATION OF TENSION AND VIOLENCE. AMIDST THIS DIFFICULT AND PAINFUL CONTEXT, OUR WOMEN, SPECIALLY THOSE LIVING IN POVERTY AREAS OF PERU, IN A DECIDED AND COURAGEOUS ATTITUDE TURNED THEMSELVES INTO THE MOST FEARSOME OPPONENTS OF THE CRIMINAL ACTIONS OF TERRORIST GROUPS LIKE "SHINNING PATH" AND THE "MRTA", DEFYING THEM EVERY DAY. THROUGH THEIR PARTICIPATION IN SURVIVAL ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY OR NEIGHBORHOOD KIND OF ORGANIZATIONS, SUCH AS CLUBS OF MOTHERS, PEOPLE KITCHENS, GLASS-OF-MILK COMMITTEES, DAY-CARE CENTERS, HEALTH CENTERS, AND SO ON, AND THANKS TO TIMELY ASSISTANCE FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND PERUVIAN SOCIETY, THEY TURNED THEMSELVES INTO A SORT OF CIVIL FRONT OF RESISTANCE TO POVERTY AND TERRORISM, ALLOWING MY COUNTRY TO START OUR PROCESS OF RECONSTRUCTION. FROM THIS PODIUM, WITH THE PERMISSION OF THIS ASSEMBLY, I WISH TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THOSE BRAVE WOMEN OF MY COUNTRY WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES AND THOSE OF THEIR DEAR ONES TO DEFEND THEIR FAMILIES, THEIR COMMUNITIES AND OUR COUNTRY. MADAM PRESIDENT: IN THE 80'S, THE STATE APPARATUS HAD SHOWN LIMITATIONS TO ITS CAPABILITY TO FULFILL THEIR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AS ESTABLISHED BY THE CONSTITUTION. THESE LIMITATIONS BROUGHT UPON A SERIOUS DETERIORATION OF BASIC PUBLIC SERVICES. POVERTY WHICH IN PERU IS A STRUCTURAL PHENOMENON DETERMINED A REGRESSION IN THE LEVELS OF THE WELFARE OF THE POPULATION. FACING THIS REALITY, THE GOVERNMENT, ONCE IT STABILIZED THE ECONOMY AND ACHIEVED NATIONAL PACIFICATION, IS PRIORIZING THE ELIMINATION OF POVERTY, ILLITERACY AND UNEMPLOYMENT, TRANSFERRING IMPORTANT RESOURCES TO THE MOST REMOTE AND NEEDED PEOPLE OF THE COUNTRY. AS A REFERENCE, WE CAN HIGHLIGHT THE EVOLUTION OF PER CAPITA SOCIAL EXPENDITURE: US$ 12.00 IN 1990, US$ 58.00 IN 1993, US$ 93.00 IN 1994 AND US $176.00 IN 1995. THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN UNDOUBTEDLY SIGNIFICANT FOR EXTREME POVERTY AND TOTAL POVERTY HAVE DECREASED FROM 21 AND 51,3 PERCENT IN 1991 TO 17,7 AND 45,8 PERCENT IN 1994. ACCORDINGLY, IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT FOR 1996 THE FLOW OF SOCIAL INVESTMENT WILL BE IN THE ORDER OF 40 PERCENT OF ANNUAL BUDGET. WITHIN THIS CONTEXT, THERE IS NO DISCUSSION THAT THE SITUATION OF WOMEN -WHO HAVE BEEN THE MOST AFFECTED BY POVERTY- HAS IMPROVED, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THAT THE APPROACH HAS BEEN TO RECOGNIZE WOMEN AS THE SUBJECT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE MAIN PRIVILEGED AGENT OF CHANGE. THE PRESIDENT OF PERU, MR. ALBERTO FUJIMORI, WHEN ASSUMING OFFICE FOR A SECOND TERM, RECENTLY SAID THAT WOMEN ARE THE MASTERS OF THEIR OWN DESTINY, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT NO HUMAN RESOURCE IS MORE VALUABLE THAN WOMEN. IN CONSEQUENCE, AMIDST THE CONCEPTS OF RESPONSIBLE MATERNITY AND PATERNITY AND RESPECT FOR LIFE SINCE CONCEPTION, THE GOVERNMENT HAS PLEDGED TO DEVELOP A CAMPAIGN OF INFORMATION REGARDING NATALITY PREVENTION METHODS, THEREFORE RESPECTING THE RIGHT OF FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS. TO THIS POLICY THAT RECOGNIZES THE FAMILY AND MATRIMONY AS THE FUNDAMENTAL INSTITUTIONS OF SOCIETY, AS MANDATED BY THE CONSTITUTION, WE SHOULD ADD OTHERS THAT ESTABLISH AS PRIORITIES THE SOCIAL PROGRAM OF THE GOVERNMENT TO PROMOTE: - ACCESS OF WOMEN TO THE BENEFITS OF DEVELOPMENT ON THE SAME FOOT AS MEN - ATTENTION OF DISPLACED POPULATIONS BY TERRORISM FROM RURAL AREAS OF EXTREME POVERTY, WHICH SHOULD INCLUDE PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS OF COMPLETE SERVICES: EDUCATION, HEALTH, HOUSING AND PROMOTION EMPLOYMENT. - ERADICATION OF DISCRIMINATORY POLICIES TOWARDS YOUNG GIRLS, ADOLESCENTS AND WOMEN TO THE BENEFITS OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN ALL LEVELS, ESPECIALLY IN RURAL AREAS. - IMPROVEMENT OF HEALTH CARE: ALL STEPS OF THEIR BIOLOGICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL CYCLES. MADAM PRESIDENT: PERUVIAN WOMEN DO NOT WANT TO FEEL EXCLUDED FROM THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE TO BE MOTHERS OF WIVES, BUT THEY WISH THAT THEIR DOMESTIC WORK -THAT DOES NOT EXCLUDE PROFESSIONALISM IN THEIR EXECUTION- BE RECOGNIZED FOR ITS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL VALUE. PERUVIAN WOMEN DO NOT CONSIDER POSSIBLE TO ABANDON WHAT MAKES THEM NECESSARILY DIFFERENT TO MEN, ALTHOUGH EQUAL IN DIGNITY, BUT THEY DO NOT WISH THAT THAT DIFFERENCE BECOMES A REASON FOR THEIR PROSTRATION OR REFUSAL OF THEIR RIGHTS. PERUVIAN WOMEN CONSIDER THAT TO TALK ABOUT EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND ATTAIN PEACE, POVERTY AND LACK OF INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE SOLIDARITY THEIR ELIMINATION SHOULD BE ATTEMPTED IN EACH AND EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. SUCH SHOULD BE THE TASK THAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, STATES AND CIVIL SOCIETY HAVE TO PERFORM IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU. BEIJING, SEPTEMBER 6, 1995