ISO: LVA *************************************************************************** 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 H. E. MR. ANDRIS BERZINS VICE PRIME MINISTER HEAD OF THE DELEGATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA FORTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN Madame Chairperson, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights..." This is an excerpt from Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 50th Anniversary of which the World will celebrate in 1998. We are here in Beijing for the Forth World Conference on Women to search how reality corresponds to basic human rights principles which are enshrined in the Declaration. Our task is not only to acknowledge the actual situation in the implementation of the women's rights but also to make the commitment to implement the concrete measures and actions. These measures to be implemented by the Governments are necessary to diminish the existing discrepancies between the declared genuine principles and the real women's situation in today's contemporary world. The Delegation of Latvia strongly supports that the standards set forth by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action must be reaffirmed in the Platform for Action of the Forth World Conference of Women. The human rights of women and of the girl child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights. The universal nature of these rights and freedoms is beyond question. While the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne in mind, it is the duty of States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the rights of women and girl child. Today's world is quite different than the World of 1985;, when the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies were adopted. In this past decade, enormous political changes have transformed the globe. Totalitarian regimes have collapsed in Central and Eastern Europe and many nations emerged from behind the Iron Curtain to begin the transition to a democratic and civil society. I would particularly like to underline the role of Non-governmental organizations, national and international, in the long process towards the disruption of totalitarian regimes. They communicated the truth to the rest of the world about the crimes and violations of human rights oppressed by the regime. I sincerely welcome all the representatives of the national and international NGOs who have been able to come to Beijing to share their experience and knowledge with the Governments. Madame Chairperson, Latvia reestablished its independence in 1991 after fifty years of occupation. For the last five years we are in a transitional period from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. The Soviet period with its declarations of ostensible equality between sexes, still has impact on public opinion. lt. created the impression that women's equality was generally exaggerated and altogether unnecessary. During our transition, mention of women's equality has been received with skepticism, and is seen as a desire to return to the communist past. This regret led to its opposite - the idealization of patriarchal structures and the traditional role of women. Rather than viewing women's advancement as intrinsic to the development of our society as a whole, women's advancement is often viewed as a threat to societal stability. Astonishingly many women support the very views that curtail their own physical, moral, and intellectual development. The small number of gender-specific statistics about women's productivity, earnings and contributions to the job market reveal that it is difficult to accurately asses the situation and try to develop appropriate policies and strategies. The lack of information facilitates public denial of the very existence of any problems. . On the one hand, a number of indicators show that women, who constitute 53.6% of our population, are weathering this process of change adequately. Women are guaranteed full right to vote, own property, work, and participate in all spheres of public and private life by the Constitution. In education, 56% of college-level students are female. Official data indicates that the present unemployment level is estimated to be approximately equal for men and women at 6 percent. Women's organizations are growing in number and in membership. Legislation is being drafted to expand our maternal leave laws to include fathers. These factors show positive developments in the status of women. Women seem to be more vulnerable than men to the hardships of the transition process. Privatization has resulted in a jumble of state- owned and private enterprises, some regulated, many not. Official statistics about women's participation in private enterprise do not exist. The available polls indicate that this number is 2.5 to 3 times less than the number of men. It is not unusual to see employment advertisements which specifically seek men, even for jobs readily filled by women. The official unemployment may seem to be comparatively low, but on its flip side is the rate of hidden unemployment that some estimates put at 12S, disproportionately female. institutions of higher learning may enjoy a blossoming female population, but a higher level of education rarely corresponds to remuneration in the job market. Moreover, a high rate of domestic instability (70 Out of 100 marriages end in divorce), alcoholism, and the growing number of children born out of wedlock have contributed to the feminization of poverty, especially in the households headed by women. Women are indeed doubly challenged outside the home by their difficulties within it. Female longevity, while at 73,8 years outstrips men's on women's issues. The report provides a multifaced analysis of the condition of women and outlines policy priorities: An official to be appointed to monitor adherence to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and to provide information to the public on women's rights; The Labor Code should be amended to facilitate child care leave for the mother or the father; Social welfare benefits should be supplemented to guarantee the mother's true occupational choices and income opportunities during the first years of a child's life; the payment of benefits should not be linked to the mother's employment; development of pre-school institutions should be promoted; In order to promote the basic human rights the state must give priority to the tax system and the budget for education culture science and health; The scope and detail of indicators in social statistics should be extended and gender oriented to provide a more complete picture of the true condition of different groups in society. These priorities set up by the National Preparatory Committee are attentive]y considered by the Government of Latvia as a guidelines to incorporate the gender perspective in official policy. The Government has made the needed amendment to the Labour Code and the upcoming ratification by our Parliament is impending. Madame Chairperson Latvia have been spared from military conflicts in the past decade excepting 9 casualties of independence supporters in 1991. Those opposed to a sovereign and independent Latvia .did not bear a single casualty. We are proud that Latvia's sovereignty was restored through peaceful and parliamentary means. Thus the Gandhi philosophy chosen by Latvia's people for national liberation proved its applicability in modern world. The people of Latvia have great compassion for all victims of unlawful and aggressive actions taken by one country against another or even internally against its own population. In areas of conflict all civilians arc extended to danger and suffering. However it is women and girls who are subjected to especially brutal forms of violence. Mass rape is made a systematic weapon of war to humiliate all women. Madame Chairperson Latvia condemns this degrading and inhuman treatment of women and girls of all ethnic origins. We are strongly convinced that in the E Part of the Draft Platform for Action language should be strengthened in compliance with international humanitarian law without any shrinking. One of the objectives to be achieved in the next decade must be an increase at 61.6 years is one of the shortest in Europe. Female health is a critical problem: only 33% of women are considered gynecologically healthy due in part to the extremely high abortion rate - 120 to 130 per 100 births. Statistics clearly show the lack of information and availability of family planning. Economical hardship has a grave impact On the demographic situation which continues to change for the worse. Only l0 100 births were registered per 20 400 deaths in the first six months of this year. The birth rate per 100 residents went down from 10.5 in 1994 to 8.1 at present. Today 26 percent of our total inhabitants are pensioners and handicaped people and 70 percent of them are women, many of them single. Although women make up half of the population of Latvia they are not proportionally represented in legislative and executive institutions. 15% of seats in the Parliament were gained by women. Among the thirteen Cabinet ministers only one woman minister is holding an office. The share of women among local government deputies is larger - 39%. This reflects that voters choices are determined more by personal knowledge of the candidate and an assessment of a candidate s professional traits. The well known Women’s revolution in Norway on 1971 began with the active participation of women in the local elections. The participation of women in decision making would generate more attention to the solution of social problems at the national level. Madame Chairperson Latvia is a party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. However no governmental mechanism exists for the advancement of women and effective implementation of the Convention. On July 11 1995 the Cabinet of Ministers adopted regulations creating the Human Rights Office of Latvia. It is an independent state institution whose goals are to promote and effectively ensure the promotion and protection of human rights in Latvia. The Office s activities will include issuing reports to the Prime Minister and Parliament as to the actions needed to comply with relevant international human rights law. The institution also will be responsible for the State s reporting obligations under international human rights instruments including CEDAW as well as for the follow up of the recommendations made by the relevant UN committees. Since the restoration of independence an impressive amount of work has been done in researching the status of women influencing public opinion, and acquiring organizational experience. National Women s conferences take place annually. In 1993, Latvia s Women s Research and Information Centre was established. This is the first time that Latvia is participating in a World Conference on Women and a National Preparatory Committee was created to conduct the preparation process. The National Report of Latvia to the Conference represents the first true cooperation between governmental agencies and NGOs working of the active participation of women in promoting the peace culture. Allow me to express the hope that the agenda of the next world conference on women will not contain the problems of violence resulting from armed conflicts. That the Delegates of Conference will be able to devote fully their efforts to the question of better advancement and empowerment of women in a democratic and civil society, based on the rule of law. Thank you, Madame Chairperson.