EGYPT

The Permanent Mission of Egypt

to the United Nations

New York

Statement of ................................ .

H.E. Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak

Head of the Delegation of Egypt

to the Twenty‑third

Special Session of the General Assembly

"WOMEN 2000: GENDER EQUALITY,

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE FOR THE TWENTY ‑

FIRST CENTURY"

June 6. 2000

Mr. President

Distinguished Delegates

Ladies and Gentlemen

On Behalf of the Egyptian delegation, I welcome this opportunity to be among so many partners who ‑ with diverse experiences, cultures and histories ‑are here to reaffirm our commitment to Beijing and our determination to accelerate the advancement of women.

Let me just emphasize that we are not here to reopen the debate or go back on the collective agreements and decisions adopted in both Beijing and Cairo. Rather we are here to move forward and pave the way for the empowerment of women.

As partners working together on both the national and international levels, we know we can make a difference to ensure gender equality, development and peace for the twenty ‑ first century.

Partnerships are the most effective channel for broad‑based consensus in economic and social priorities, but effective partnerships are difficult to forge. This is particularly true during periods of rapid change.

In an increasingly globalized world, it is those countries that are most responsive to change that are best able to meet the development challenges of the twenty ‑ first century. However, there is a cost to unregulated change. The pace of change must match the economic, social and political realities of each country.

At the national level, any change must be supported by economic growth that creates livelihood opportunities, since growth without equity is a prescription for social strife.

We are also aware that there are fundamental inequities in power among different social groups. Interest groups and power elite often act as gatekeepers to government ‑ provided services or are characterized by views that may conflict with sound development policies.

Additionally, attitudinal barriers can act as key obstacles faced by nations as they attempt to integrate change and innovation into their traditional societies. We must therefore strive to modify attitudes and mind‑sets without undermining the social fabric and cohesiveness of our nations. .

Moreover the demands made by international partners in development, whose agendas and prescriptions often draw attention to the obstacles faced by our developing countries, without showing the necessary good will and commitment to reduce the cost and risk that comes with rapid change. .

All parties at the global level should be willing to redress the balance of power in favor of the weaker members of the community of nations, while working towards the enhancement of social progress and the more equitable distribution of resources between North and South.

We all agree that the advancement of women is essential for true democracy, balanced decision ‑ making and effective management of social and economic resources.

But how many countries can truly achieve our stated aims without the donor community provided sufficient ODA resources to meet with the 0.7 percent and the 20/20 targets.

In Egypt, the National Council for Women has adopted the notion of partnership between the Government, NGOs, and the local communities. Our experience shows that the most successful women programs are those that work directly with the grassroots, reach large numbers, have well defined criteria for eligibility and monitoring, as well as provide tangible incentives to the target beneficiaries.

Mr. President

Distinguished Delegates

Ladies and Gentlemen

For twenty‑five years now, women's issues have been on the global agenda. Indeed this has largely contributed to identifying problems and proposing solutions. However, we must caution that our task is still far from accomplished, we need to rally all our forces to move forward.

The Secretary‑General, in his eloquent remarks yesterday, portrayed for us vividly the complex problems facing women worldwide in their societies. This situation has been aggravated by the socio‑economic conditions of many countries.

It is in this context that I would like to propose an initiative similar to the "Global Environment Facility" such as a "Trust Fund for Women or a Global Facility for Women". This facility would act as an umbrella to existing institutions, programs and funds charged with the formulation of strategies. It would also consolidate presently fragmented efforts as well as increase the resources needed to meet priority areas of universal concern identified in Beijing and beyond.

Finally, I need hardly stress how the role of the UN family of organizations is as important in the development sphere as it is in the political and security spheres. There can be no lasting stability without progress on the development front. We therefore hope that the international donor community together with the UN system will match their partnership rhetoric with concrete actions for better coordination, better‑targeted support and a larger flow of aid resources.

We trust that this Special session will agree on action-oriented recommendations to be submitted to the Millenium Summit next September so that the gender file can find its rightful place in the UN agenda for the twenty ‑ first century.

Wishing the debate a successful outcome.

Thank You.