UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
|
| UN Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with support from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) |
|
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The electronic preparation of this document has been done by the
Population Information Network(POPIN) of the United Nations Population
Division in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme
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AS WRITTEN
Statement by Acting Director
of the
United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
Marjorie Thorpe
to the
International Conference on Population & Development
Cairo 5 - 13 September, 1994
Mr. President, Distinguished Delegates:
It is said that an optimist is someone who believes that we live in the
best of all possible worlds, while a pessimist is someone who fears that
this is true.
By these standards, those of us gathered here in Cairo this week are
certainly not optimists. Most of us can imagine far better worlds than
the one we now inhabit.
We can all imagine a world in which women participate equally with men
at all levels of the political process and public life, contributing
their particular knowledge, expertise and experience to the creation of
societies that are more just and more equitable; a world in which all
men and all women are provided with the education necessary for them to
meet their basic human needs; a world where women and men have equal
access to society's resources (be it income, land, credit, information
or technology); and where a harmonious partnership between men and women
supports enhanced standards of living.
We can all imagine a world in which women and men are full partners in
both productive and reproductive life, sharing responsibility for the
care and nurture of children and maintenance of households; a world in
which the size of families reflects the preferences and responsible
decision-making of women and men; a world in which women and men,
everywhere, can make choices about their own lives and influence the
quality of their existence; and where relationships between and among
individuals, communities and nation states are characterized by mutual
respect, understanding and compassion.
That is why we have gathered here. And that is why we also cannot count
ourselves among the pessimists -- despite the terrible headlines that
confront us on a daily basis, despite the overwhelming magnitude of the
problems we encounter.
Rather, we are realists. We know that the world we inhabit is the only
one we have got, and that if we are to sustain and improve it, we all
have to work together
ALL.
Women and Men. North and South.
Distinguished Delegates:
We cannot expect to move closer toward the goal of sustainable human
development if we fail to tap half of the resources at our disposal --
half of the knowledge, half of the skills, half of the strength.
We cannot begin to resolve crucial population issues if we fail to
address the needs and preferences of half of the world's population.
We at UNIFEM know that questions of population, women's equality, and
sustainable human development are inextricably linked and wholly
interdependent. We know, too, that the empowerment of women is crucial
to stabilizing world population growth. And our experience teaches us
that one means of empowering women is by giving voice to their needs and
concerns and respecting the solutions they propose to the challenges
which they face.
Conscious of this, UNIFEM has consistently sought to bring the voices of
women, especially the least advantaged women, to international fora such
as this International Conference on Population and Development. And, in
support of their declared positions, we have just as consistently argued
that women and girls should have the same educational opportunities as
men and boys; AND the same employment opportunities.
We have argued, too, that access to quality care is a fundamental human
right -- the hall mark of a humane society, the key to strong families
and communities, and a prerequisite for sound population policies; that
the health and nutrition of the girl child, from infancy through
adolescence, is critical and should form part of a larger commitment to
correct a situation in which millions of women the world over, because
they are born female, are denied adequate health care, even during their
child-bearing years . . . the result of which is, often, permanent
disability or death.
Finally, we have reminded the international community that wherever, and
in whatever form it manifests itself, violence against women is an
obstacle to development. And we have demonstrated, through our programs
and projects, that women possess the intellectual and imaginative energy
to lead their communities, and that what they have to say is important
(perhaps now, even more important) to the development of our world
society.
And yet, Distinguished Delegates;
In spite of these efforts, and similar efforts on the part of sister UN
agencies and millions of women and men the world over, in spite of the
availability of a large number of internationally approved instruments
and the progress made in implementing them - the situation of women has
deteriorated in many countries, especially in the developing world.
How can this be? And what more needs to be done?
A very perceptive author and critic, Audre Lorde, once observed:
For those of us who write, it is necessary to
scrutinize not only the truth of what we speak, but the truth of that
language by which we speak it. For others, it is to share and spread
also those words that are meaningful to us. But primarily for us all, it
is necessary to teach by living and speaking those truths which we
believe and know beyond understanding. Because in this way alone we can
survive, by taking part in a process of life that is creative and
continuing, that is growth.
And it is never without fear ....
Mr. President, Distinguished Delegates:
The brackets that leap out at us from the pages of the Draft Programme
of Action are a bold reminder that the issues we are addressing at this
conference are extraordinarily sensitive.
But even as we acknowledge this fact, let us agree not to bracket our
imaginations. Let us agree not to bracket our sense of possibility, or
our confidence in the capacity of men and women to plan their futures
wisely. And let us not bracket our determination to work together to
shape population policies that are humane, respectful, and that move us
toward a far better world.
I thank YOU.