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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


UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION
INTEGRATION OF WOMEN IN SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
Speech to the Fourth World Conference on Women
by
MR. MAURICIO DE MARIA Y CAMPOS DIRECTOR-CENERAL UNIDO
Vienna, 6 September 1995


Madame President,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

To begin, Madame President, I would like to congratulate you on your
election. I should also like to thank the Secretary-General of the
Conference, Ms. Gertrude Mongella, and the Secretariat for their
excellent work as well as the Government of China for their hospitality.
In particular I would like to pay tribute to the perseverance, hard work
and commitment of Member States and UN Colleagues, that have made this
Fourth World Conference on Women possible.

No world conference on women would be complete without considering
industrial development as a primary tool for the development of civil
society and for the advancement of women. My address to the Social
Summit in Copenhagen earlier this year indicated that long term social
development depends on economic development through real growth in
investment, production and employment. UNIDO's goal is to actively
encourage and integrate women into all areas of industrial development.
We work to empower them to be equal partners in industry while raising
awareness of the need to improve women's roles in industrial
development.

Industrialization is the most powerful mechanism for transforming
agrarian societies into developed economies and to promote modernization
of social structures, including an enhanced role of women. UNIDO's
recent studies show that it is through participation in industry that
women can socially and economically progress most rapidly. Industry
provides modern skills that enable them to prosper today and tomorrow.
During my recent visits around the world, I have witnessed many examples
of women in industry. Whether it is Nepal, Kenya or Honduras, I have
seen first hand the role many women are playing in industrialization and
I am proud that UNIDO has been able to make such a significant
contribution.

Employment for women in industry, and in particular in manufacturing,
translates into marked improvement of some critical social indicators:
reduced fertility, lower illiteracy and longer life expectancy. These
results are all corroborated by the higher Human Development Index
ranking enjoyed by countries with large numbers of women in the
industrial sector.

As employees, workers, technicians and managers, women contribute to the
advancement of industry. Industry relies on women for at least 1/3 of
the total manufacturing labour force. Worldwide, over 100 million women
are employed in manufacturing, including those employed in Export
Processing Zones where women's employment can go as high as 96 %. We can
clearly see the significant impact women are making on the economic
performance of newly industrialized countries in Latin America, and
particularly here in Asia.

Unfortunately, we must recognize that industrial development is not free
from pitfalls, especially when it comes to women's employment. While we
may observe the tremendous progress women are making in
industrialization, we also have to acknowledge the distance we still
need to travel in order to make women equal participants. Women are
still confined to a narrow range of manufacturing branches. And, because
of fewer educational and training opportunities, they tend to be
concentrated at the lower end of the occupational hierarchy, where
minimum skills are required. Also, women often do not benefit from the
provisions of international legislation and the protection of labour
laws.

UNIDO studies show that women, pushed by economic necessities, tend to
be confined to part-time, temporary or home-based work that preclude
benefits such as the opportunity to join organizations that would look
after their interests. Their concentration in light industries, such as
garment making, food processing and electronics production, makes them
particularly vulnerable to advanced "labour-saving" technologies.

Women suffer low representation in managerial, leadership and decision
making levels in industrial firms. In manufacturing, only 5% of women
hold professional and technical functions and only 2% occupy positions
in administration and management. This is not because women are new to
industry. Women have for centuries been involved in production and
transformation processes. The reasons lie primarily in cultural barriers
as well as their unfamiliarity with new technologies and modern
management practices. The rising number of entrepreneurial ventures
managed by women, particularly in Asia, gives grounds for hope and
points toward a future where women have greater managerial
responsibilities.

The plight of women in industry should not be forgotten. This conference
is focused on "Action for Equality, Development and Peace". Questions
concerning women's unequal access to adequate education, health and
related services, the violence against women or their entitlement to
universal human rights are all crucially important. But so are the
economic aspects of the burden of poverty on women, women's unequal
access to the productive process and the way economic structures and
policies are defined and implemented.

Globalization and regional integration of trade, capital and
technological issues are shaping a new structure for industry. This is
the reason why UNIDO, in light of the current provisions contained in
the Platform for Action, has focused its attention on the strategies and
policies to improve the quality of life for women worldwide. It was only
a few years ago, that some institutions, including UNIDO and the United
Nations University, started to analyse in more depth the implications,
of these changes for the interests of women. The results of these
studies, point out necessary actions at three levels.

First, at the policy level, governments should ensure that economic
policies and industrial strategies target social goals by encouraging
women's employment. This is achieved through the promotion of industries
where women have a high share of the workforce, and through raising
women's educational, technical and managerial skills so that they can
adapt to rapidly changing job requirements. Women have to be seen from a
policy standpoint as a prime economic asset. In this connection,
businesswomen have a primary role to play in building national
industrial visions and consensus.

Second, is job creation. To alleviate endemic poverty and promote
women's continued economic participation in industry a key element is
the establishment of mechanisms and legislation that promote micro,
small and medium enterprises and access for women to credit and
technology. Rural development initiatives should be undertaken for the
employment of women, whether by promotion and support of micro and small
manufacturing enterprises, or by dispersal of production activities to
remote regions. In urban areas, it is crucial to support employment and
improve work conditions through re-investment and technology renewal.
This is especially true where firms are vulnerable to the consequences
of trade liberalization. In all countries, but particularly those making
a transition from a planned to a market-driven economy, or these
suffering from the effects of structural adjustment programmes,
restructuring of industry has resulted in a severe loss of jobs for
professional and skilled women. Retraining schemes and entrepreneurial
development programme should be put in place to ensure their mobility
within or among sub-sectors.

Third, a comprehensive strategy for the enhancement of women in industry
cannot be complete without building qualified human resources, both in
the technological and managerial fields. Any action in this direction
must be supported by national policies that promote education,
employment and training opportunities for women, and by measures that
eliminate barriers to women's participation in certain activities.

Madame President,

I would like to conclude this by giving you some indication of the
actions that UNIDO plans to implement to make the results of this
conference a reality .

Yesterday, at the initiative of UNIDO, and thanks to the goodwill of the
organizers of this Conference, we hosted a special panel on Women and
Industry with the participation of seven women ministers. This was the
first of its kind and I hope it will be followed by others in the years
to come. Yesterday's event confirmed the major findings and
recommendations made by a group of independent experts who met in July
1995 in Vienna: to aim for a target of 30% of women managers by the year
2010~ both in public and private sectors. It is an ambitious one.
Considerable efforts will be required. But it can be a good reference
point to make progress through concrete actions.

As a first step, the results of these discussions will be included in
the final decisions of the World Conference in particular in areas of
poverty alleviation, participation in economic activities and the
decision-making process.

Their combined outcome and implications for industrial development will
be assessed during the forthcoming sixth General Conference of UNIDO in
December.

Within the framework of UNIDO's continued reform process, I have
approved the development of a comprehensive programme on Women
Entrepreneurship. I intend to negotiate this programme with UNIDO donors
and partners before the end of the year. Some components are already
under implementation in a number of countries in Africa, Latin America
and Asia, in coordination with other UN agencies and NGOs. But we should
do much more. In addition, our current programme and strategy to
"mainstream" women into all the activities of the Organization will
continue to be vigorously pursued.

That is why UNIDO's presence at this Fourth World Conference on Women is
so important. We know what women can do for industry and what industrial
development can do for them and society as a whole.

Thank you.