*************************************************************************** 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 to the Fourth World Conference on Women Document Submitted By: National Council of Negro Women, INC THE UNITED NATIONS FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN FLOOR STATEMENT THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NEGRO WOMEN INCORPORATED DEFINING AND IMPLEMENTING A COMPREHENSIVE MANDATE TO ELEVATE THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY SEPTEMBER 1995, Beijing, China Speak to me my sisters. Tell me what's on your minds. It is indeed an honor and an historical moment to deliver this message on behalf o' Dr. Dorothy i. Height, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). Established in 1935 by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, a renowned educator, NCNW is an organization of organization's representing four million African American women. These women are leaders, from all walks of life, who are fully aware of the social, economic and political status of women, particularly women of color. Since the inception of NCNW, the mission and driving force of this 60 year old organization has been to provide a voice for African American women to pursue and secure an education, economic empowerment and cultural foundation, protected by their inalienable right to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families. My discussion today captures the very essence of our convening, over the next several days in Beijing. Sisters, we are here to define and implement a comprehensive mandate not a wish list of theorectical ideas - to elevate the status of women in the global community. Ten years ago in Nairobi we came to the table of dialogue and debate to outline what we knew were the issues which directly impacted women, irrespective of the culture, ethnic background or regional proximity. Reflect for a moment. We said: o Women were the principal victims of human and civil rights violations and that this system of oppression must be changed. o Women comprise over 80% of the workforce across the globe and yet economic indicators reveal that. our wage earnings are grossly unequal to our male counterparts. O Everyday the issue of a woman's right to choose or not to choose to engage in the institution, o, motherhood is debated. In the home, the seats of power, emotionally and psychologically by the woman. o Poverty, particularly amongst women must be eradicated. And o The health of women from the village to the urban metropolis must be significantly improved in order to elevate the quality of life for the woman. Today, September 4, 1995, I ask you, has the status of women dramatically changed? Today, I ask you: o What rights do we have and are they institutionally embedded in the fabric of our great nations? o We know our numbers have significantly Increased in the workforce but comparatively has our economic strength increased and the playing field of pay equity leveled? o Education is said to be the key to freedom and upward mobility. However, have our numbers in education from primary to the college level significantly increased? Illiteracy remains at alarming levels. o Has the life expectancy andoverall quality of health of women improved to the projected levels that we discussed and agreed to in Nairobi? The bottom line of this exercise of evaluation and assessment reveal that globally, workmen while having made some gains in the poetical arena, academic and business fields, we are still disproportionately unrepresented or under- represented in virtually every sector. I believe there is a general consensus amongst us that there has been enough information management and mismanagement around issues of concern to women. We are not hear to reinvent Nairobi, Cairo or Copenhagen. We are here and we are ready to define a global strategy that speaks to: o Human and civil rights o Economic empowerment o Population and sustainable development o Environmental Justice o Educational Advancement o Improving the health status of women o Reproductive rights and o Recognizing and including the expertise, knowledge and strength of African American Women and women of color I would like to take a moment to expound on the last point further. The issues of racism and discrimination continue to permeate the development of global society. These ills of our cycly Or life are particularly prevelant against people of the African diaspora and women. Recently during the release of the 1996 Human Development Report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Madeline Albright, the permanent U S. Representative to the United Nations strongly stated that we must work to eradicate all forms of discrimination and that this issue must be a priority item if women are truly to advance. Sisters, we must look beyond the divisions of color. We all. Black women, Brown women and white women - women of all hues, are critical to defining our future and charting the course for our development. The issue of the status of women in the global community is not a single interest issue. Let us be clear - the status of women is the status of the family and the regeneration of societies to evolve. In the words of Dr. Bethune and in the strong spirit of Dr. Height, I say to you "we cannot leave no-one behind. If we cannot push our agenda forward. then who will? The National Council of Negro women and its delegation of 110 African American women are here and prepared to meet, the challenge. Through seven workshops, an all-day AID’s Symposium and other scheduled activities, we will address environmental issues, empowerment issues, networking and building coalitions, violence against women of color. As the official secretariat for the U.S. Network for the Fourth World Conference on Women and Beyond. NCNW has worked tirelessly to ensure the inclusion of U.S. NGO's in The decision making and discussions around the Beijing Conference. The National Council of Negro Women is extremely pleased that U.S. Undersecretary Timothy Wirth announced on Sunday. during the breakfast briefing sponsored by the Ms. Foundation. The National Council Of Negro Women and the Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights, that president Clinton had agreed to and authorized the establishment of an interagency women's council. This council, we were advised, will be a vehicle to facilitate the follow-up work for the implementation of the platform of action. Prior to coming to Beijing. NCNW had submitted the recommendation to Secretary Wirth, during a U.S. delegation briefing in Washington, D C ., to establish immediately a monitoring system to track the Initiatives in the platform of action. It was and remains our believe that this system would be issue focused, cost effective and would be the best indicator to gage whether or not the platform of action commitments are being ,implemented by the U.S. Government. President Clinton, The National Council of Negro Women sincerely thank you for establishing the interagency women's council and for your continued commitment to improving the lives of women, particularly African American women in the United States. We ask all nations engaged in the negotiations of the platform of action and the declaration to establish an interagency women's council. Together, we can speak as one voice and work together to raise the status of women and our families. Concluding my discussion, I would like to underscore the point that the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women is a call to arms for women all over the world to come under the banner of unity with common goals, issues and strengths to successfully navigate our future. My sisters-together let’s step forward to make a difference. We are ready sisters-we have been for a long time. Stand Up--Stand Up--Stand Up. THANK YOU.