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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


SPEECH BY BETTY JOHNSON (OLDER WOMEN'S NETWORK AUSTRALIA)
TO THE UN F.W.H.C.W.


Madam Chair!

I am speaking on behalf of a coalition of organizations representing
millions of older women throughout the world. These organizations are
concerned with and promote the well-being of all older women. I speak to
you as an older woman, and may I say, where I am today, hopefully ALL of
you will be tomorrow.

Let us look for a moment at the situation of the older woman of today.

Because of increasing life expectancy, our numbers are growing steadily
everywhere, but they are growing most rapidly in developing countries.
Many of our sisters in both developing and developed countries live in
poverty. In developing countries, over one-third of older women are
illiterate. They have little or no access to health care, education and
training. Many live in social isolation and suffer from loneliness. Most
importantly, many women are discriminated against on the basis of age,
and this discrimination already commences at mid-life. However, these
women have worked and contributed to their families, communities and
societies throughout their lives and continue to do so!

Madam Chair, we acknowledge that the Platform for Action has taken a
life-cycle approach to women's lives and recognizes that women's needs
change at various stages of their lives.

However, we now draw your attention to the fact that certain areas of
critical concern to older women are not adequately addressed. These
areas relate first and foremost to discrimination against women, which
is particularly pervasive in the issues of employment; to education and
training, to the elimination of poverty, to the social integration of
all older women, and to older women's access to appropriate health care.
We therefore urge that the existing brackets in these areas be removed
to ensure that the concerns of older women are included throughout the
Platform for Action. Finally, Madam Chair, one very specific issue which
is not addressed about the lives of older women is violence and abuse.

Madam Chair, we thank you for giving us the opportunity on behalf of
older women, and may I conclude by emphasizing that older women
represent a tremendous ongoing productive resource to society. We must
ensure that it not be wasted. The organizations listed below agree with
the demands of the coalition of older women as mentioned in the attached
speech.

American Association of Retired People (A.A.R.P.)
Association for World Education Council on Ageing Australia
Eurage
Help Age International
International Association of Social Workers
International Council of Jewish Women
International African Committee
Older Women's Network Australia
Older Women's Network Europe
Older Women's League
Soroptomists
Zonta International

First list, 95-9-05.