CZECH REPUBLIC

Mr. President,

I am very honoured to take part in this session and to contribute to it saying, that the Czech Republic also ranks among the countries which have responded to the conclusions of the Beijing Conference, and which have endeavoured ever since to fulfill its objectives.

In the Czech Republic, we are coming to the conclusion of a period of essential social and economic change which has been necessary for the transformation from a communist regime into a free civil society based upon democratic principles. Now as the whole economic and social system has been reorganized and new mechanisms have been successfully implemented, we must turn our attention to how these changes impact on the enhancement of the quality of life. We also must be mindful of the effect these changes have on the free formation of structural relationship and institutions of a traditional civil society, the guaranteeing of the rights of the individual and on the implementation of civil liberties.

Naturally, hand in hand with these, related topics have become public issues, such as observance of the principle of civil justice, non‑discrimination, creation of new opportunities and enhancement of the guarantees which have been currently provided to the citizens by their government.

These tendencies are being addressed in governmental policy by means of strengthening the formal prerequisites for the promotion of civil rights namely The process of finalizing internal institutional mechanisms designed to promote human rights and Strengthening the civil justice principle by means of enhancing the quality of the existing legal system. Both of the processes mentioned impact directly upon the equality of men and women, or the requirement to eliminate discrimination against women.

The existing traditional Human Rights Institutions (which in fact were just the courts of justice in the past) have been recently complemented by the Council of the Government of the Czech Republic on Human Rights, and the post of Governmental Trustee for Human Rights, who at the same time acts as the Council's chairman. In relation to the Government, both the Council and the Trustee have an advisory and initiative status. Apart from governmental institutions, other stakeholders, such as NGO's and the professional public, have their permanent representation in the Council. Together they monitor human rights with respect to commitments ensuing from the international human rights conventions, including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Based upon their findings, the Council proposes respective legal amendments to the Government.

These already well functioning bodies have now been strengthened by the office of public human rights protector ‑ the ombudsman, whose task is to monitor how or whether the public authorities observe the human rights of individuals. The ombudsman also monitors legislation aimed at insuring civil protection. His role then is to help remedy any wrongdoings in the administrative procedure. The ombudsman usually acts based upon the suggestion and complaints received from citizens whom he also gives basic advice.

We can rightly expect that the results of these new institutions' activities will contribute not only to an increased civil awareness of legal safety, but also to the gradual strengthening of social sensitiveness to injustice, discrimination and other forms of making undesirable distinctions between people.

Another endeavor which the government has successfully undertaken, is the process of improving the legal system where the human rights area underwent essential changes. Concerning the equality of men and women, one of the significant stimulating factors is the preparation of the Czech Republic for accession to the European Union. Less than two months ago, on April 14, the Czech Parliament adopted the Amendment to the Labour Code. This Amendment, among other things, contains a precisely formulated ban on employee discrimination based upon gender, it introduces the principle of equal treatment of both men and women at work, and it institutes a system of guarantees for consistent and efficient implementation of these newly introduced relationships in practice. The principle of equal treatment of men and women is also being successfully introduced outside the workplace itself, especially in equal access to jobs and in the pension insurance area.

An ongoing task we face is increasing public awareness of the gender equality principle, and eliminating rigid ideas on the roles of women and men in society. This task is ‑ as we all know ‑ very difficult in itself. In the post‑communist countries, its solution became, more complicated due to the fact that there still prevails the negative impact of forced female emancipation by means of their almost 100% employment which occurred in the 1950s. For quite a long time, women were compensated for these conditions by artificial protection, artificial relief of benefits related to child care. Sudden restrictions of their protection might become a socially sensitive issue, apart from the fact that it is a very costly affair which leads employers to prefer male job applicants. In our opinion, this seemingly deadlocked situation might be tackled by implementing a consistent policy of equal opportunities for both men and women, including the principle of equal treatment. A relatively new and for the Czech public unusual aspect is the application of gender equality principle which exerts justice on representatives of both genders, unlike the principle of civil neutrality which has been applied until now.

In conclusion, I would like to underline the key importance of international cooperation in formulating and promoting national policy for such a sensitive area as the equality of men and women. Thanks to this cooperation and with the help of arguments vested in the international legal instruments and valid international commitments, the Czech Republic has been quite successful in finding and adopting fundamental ideas of a policy which in its effect ‑ we hope ‑will bring to members of both sexes a solid guarantee of their equal development, and also the opportunity to meet their vital aspirations. I believe that we will not owe this debt to the international community for long and I am sure that soon we will actively join those who can enrich the pool of common experience with their own contribution.

Thank you, Mr. President.