STATEMENT

BY

THE HON. INDRANIE CHANDARPAL

JUNE 06, 2000

Mr. President,

Honourable Heads of State and Government

Distinguished Ministers and Representatives of Government

Representatives of Non-Governmental Organisations

Ladies and Gentlemen

This week, as we gather together for the first ever Special Session of the General Assembly in the new Millennium, its theme Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-first Century reminds us that gender inequality continues to endanger sustainable equality, development and peace. This Special Session is an opportunity not only for review and assessment but also to propose bold new actions and initiatives for the further advancement of women in this new century. The Beijing Platform for Action has now been widely recognised as an invaluable tool for the social, economic and political empowerment of women throughout their life cycle. Gender mainstreaming and equal partnerships between women and men in all areas of development have been established as global strategies for promoting gender equality.

However, many of the goals of the Beijing Platform for Action remain unfulfilled, reflecting to a large extent, the gap between articulation and implementation of women's rights. Women continue to constitute the majority of people living in poverty, with little or no access to education and health services. Each year, more than a half of a million women die from pregnancy-related causes, while another 23 million develop life - threatening complications which could have been avoided. Women from developing countries are the worst-affected representing over 99 per cent of these deaths. They also constitute a significant portion of the 12.5 million suffering from other major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, anemia and diabetes. Poor women's low nutritional status, restricted access to education and gainful employment and heavy workloads make them especially vulnerable to these diseases.

This situation exists despite rapidly increasing global income and the recognised link between improved economic power by women and their increased level of equality. It has been well-established that women with greater independent control of economic resources, including access to education and health services, have greater control over their own fertility and more say about their other rights and freedoms.

Mr. President, since the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Beijing Platform for Action has underpinned a number of local strategies and initiatives undertaken by the Government of Guyana. The translation of gender oriented policy and legislation into de facto equality for women often required the adoption of special measures whose impact could be felt directly and immediately. Such measures included the introduction of a poverty alleviation programme, with an emphasis on women, which served to reduce women's greater vulnerability to the effects of economic crisis and hardship. The Government of Guyana is also committed to providing safe water, housing, sanitation, health, public safety, transportation and other basic services to support women in their multiple roles.

Similarly, training programmes have been specifically targetted at women to improve their job opportunities and ability to compete in the job market. A leading example in this field is the work being carried out by the Women's Leadership Institute which was launched by the Government in 1997. The Institute's programmes are aimed at imparting skills and information for life and at empowering women to participate as leaders in local government, community development, environmental issues and entrepreneurial development.

Legislative reforms on issues affecting women have moreover been promoted. In 1995, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act was enacted in Guyana with a view to decriminalise abortions. This Act provides not only the legal framework for clinically safer options to women desirous of terminating pregnancies but also acts as a means of safeguarding women and girls from unsafe abortions. Similarly, the passing of the Domestic Violence Act in 1996 was a definitive step by the Government of Guyana to eliminate domestic violence which affects women from all socio-economic strata of the society. The Act empowers law enforcement officials to give assistance to abused women and provides protection for them. Indeed, this legislation, with the support of the mass media, is expected to result in changed attitudes of men towards women. At the same time, a National Steering Committee comprising thirty three national organisations have been formed to address the eradication of family violence. A Legal Aid Centre has been established through a government/NGO initiative, to offset the financial burden of legal fees that women face in the resolution of their domestic and other legal battles. Shelters are now available to provide safety and counseling for abused women and children. An organisation entitled "Men against Violence against Women" has also been launched. In addition, thousands of men have become signatories to the campaign of the Guyana Human Rights Association to eradicate violence and to develop consciousness and awareness, particularly within the male community, about the abuse of women.

Another important demarche to protect the rights of women is the 1996 National Policy Paper on Women. It has identified a number of broad principles on which the Government's policy on women is based. These include ensuring women's access to resources in the economic, social, cultural and political spheres as well as promoting gender equality in the home and the sharing of parenting and domestic responsibilities. The Paper recognises the importance of enabling women to achieve their full potential as persons, mothers, workers, professionals, organisers and/or community managers. It also calls for action to promote equal and complementary partnership of women and men in all areas of personal and national life.

Mr. President, through its ministries and agencies, the Government of Guyana has continued to develop policies and programmes to promote the equality of women in law in keeping with its undertakings as a signatory to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. We are working towards the transformation of cultural attitudes, customs and practices that discriminate against women. We consider the adoption in 1997 of the Prevention of Discrimination Act as a step in the right direction to prohibit discrimination against women, particularly on the grounds of pregnancy.

Other national goals include the recognition and valuing of women's unwaged work in the household and community, in subsistence agriculture and family businesses and in preserving the environment; broad societal acceptance of child rearing and other unwaged care of family and dependants as responsibilities to be equitably shared by men and women, with the active support of the State; women's access to reproductive health which requires not simply the provision of services but also the building of healthy relations between men and women; equality of educational opportunity across class, race, culture, region, ability, disability and gender; and ensuring both boys and girls have opportunities for training in non-traditional areas of study.

Mr. President, the five-year National Plan of Action on Women of Guyana, Guyana's National Development Strategy and reforms to the National Constitution have all been drafted in keeping with the Government's commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action. A gender mainstreaming approach has been developed for both Constitutional reforms as well as the Development Strategy which is a multi-sectoral development plan for the nation. I am pleased to announce agreement by all political parties to undertake to ensure that at least a third of all their candidates are women. The National Plan of Action on Women, on the other hand, has identified as broad areas of concern to women, issues relating to poverty, violence, education and training, health, power and decision making, disabilities, and the special needs of indigenous women and the girl child. Priority has been given, in the first instance, to violence against women followed by the phenomenon of poverty in all its forms.

Mr. President, the spirit of Beijing has been visible and a strong force for change in Guyana's society, as demonstrated by the enthusiastic response of both women and men to various programmes and activities for the advancement of women. We have witnessed meetings and gatherings transcending race, religion, sex and political barriers to protest violence against women. This atmosphere has indeed rejuvenated and increased the number of our women's organisations with NGOs estimated to be sixty-five in number and located throughout the country, giving spirited support to all issues of women's rights. Many of our successful women are acting as role models and mentors for women and girls nationwide.

In 1997, Guyana was pleased to host a post-Beijing Conference for CARICOM countries which resulted in the Georgetown Consensus for the advancement of women.

Our own experience has taught us that women's advancement depend greatly on political will and commitment, outlay of adequate resources and the involvement of women as equal partners in policies and decisions that affect their lives. Despite our best efforts however, poverty alleviation continues to remain a formidable challenge. In these circumstances, we must reiterate the call for urgent international action to address the development challenges of developing countries. Much needed resources for health, education, employment generation and social protection are being constrained by high debt servicing bills, inadequate markets for our exports, volatile terms of trade and trade barriers to our products to name a few.

I thank you.