IRAQ

UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL

SESSION

WOMEN 2000: GENDER EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND

PEACE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

STATEMENT BY

H.E. MR. SADIE T. ABBAS,

MINISTER FOR LABOUR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS

HEAD OF THE DELEGATION OF IRAQ

NEW YORK, 8 JUNE 2000

Mr. President,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, the Commission for the Status of Women and the Division for Advancement of Women for all the work to prepare for this Special Session of the General Assembly.

Mr. President,

There is no doubt that the implementation of women's rights and the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women are among the priority objectives of the International community and constitute an integral part of its activities. Those activities, in their turn, have helped give shape to the norms that ensure the protection of women and promote their full participation in the political, civil, economic, social and cultural life both at the national and international levels. Accordingly, the condition of women and the improvement of their status can only be dealt with within the framework of an all encompassing view of human rights in general and of the extent to which these rights are affected by economic, social and political conditions and variables.

Throughout the ages, women in Iraq have enjoyed rights and privileges recognized by custom and guaranteed by law. That state of affairs was embodied in the very first legislation known to history, namely, the Code of Hammurabi, which affirmed the legal personality of women.

Within this framework, and in the context of the social and economic developments in Iraq and the accompanying ambitious development plans, there have been enacted a number of legislations whose provisions are inspired by the tolerant essence of Islamic Law and the cultural and humanitarian heritage of Iraq. These measures have ensured women's rights to health care, education and political participation, as well as all that tends to promote the advancement of women, the amelioration of their economic and social conditions, the eradication of poverty and unemployment, and the improvement of professional training and rehabilitation. They have also provided greater participation and protection for women and have thus led to the removal of all traditional barriers and restrictions obstructing the progress of women, as well as the creation of a state of equality between men and women in various life sectors.

Mr. President,

Mr. President,

The implementation of human rights, including the right to development, in any country and especially women's rights, depends on three elements: the political will of the State, the resources available and international cooperation. There is no doubt that the continued imposition of a comprehensive sanctions on Iraq has neutralized two of these elements, namely, available resources and international cooperation, thus leaving the first, namely, the political will, isolated from the other two and incapable of being effectively implemented. The implementation of human rights has thus proved to be unfeasible, and the only fair solution to this problem lies in removing all the restrictions and lifting the embargo in order to facilitate the flow of the resources needed for Iraq to implement all the national programmes and international obligations.

In this connection, we should like to point out that paragraph i of article 145 of the Beijing Declaration and Plan of Action of 1995 urged Governments and international and regional organizations to take action in accordance with international law with a view to alleviating the adverse effects of economic sanctions on women and children, yet it made no provision for a mechanism of implementation by the United Nations organs and agencies concerned with following up on the Beijing Plan of Action, and has thus remained only ink on paper. On the other hand, paragraph 264 of the Secretary General's report contained in document E/CN.5/2000/2 on the implementation of the results of the World Summit on Social Development points out that the grave crisis facing Iraq on account of the sanctions has led to a decline in the standards of living in general and to an increasing expansion of poverty.

It is worth mentioning that the Oil for Food Programme signed by the Republic of Iraq and the United Nations in order to supply some of the basic needs of the Iraqi people as noted in the reports of the international humanitarian organizations, of which the latest is the report of the UNICEF issued in 1999, did not stop the deterioration of the humanitarian situation of women and children. Furthermore, in its decision 1999/110 of 26 August 1999, on the humanitarian situation in Iraq, the Sub-committee on the Promotion and the Protection of Human Rights appealed to the international community and the Security Council to lift the embargo because it constitutes a violation of the rights of the civil population.

Mr. President,

The progress achieved by Iraqi women on the cultural, social, and economic levels has been undermined by the imposition and continuation of the embargo and the accompanying collapse of the country's infrastructures. The embargo has subjected all the sectors and amenities of life to destruction and inflicted incalculable damage on all the sectors of Iraqi society, in particular women and children, the two groups most likely to be affected by environmental and economic conditions.

The acute shortages of food and medicines and the basic necessities of life have deprived the Iraqi people, and above all women and children, of their livelihoods. This is clearly and alarmingly reflected in the actual state of health of women, particularly the groups of mothers within reproductive ages. The latest survey conducted by the UNICEF indicates that the present rate of maternal mortality amounts to 294 per 10,000 live births; and that the incidence of anemia among pregnant women has risen to 60 per cent, leading to an increase in the percentage of newborn babies weighing less than 2.5 kilograms. In addition, there has been a proliferation of diseases of the thyroid gland and premature babies as well as an eight fold increase in the incidence of viral hepatitis and infections of the respiratory system among mothers and children as compared with their incidence before the embargo.

The environmental pollution caused by the U.S. and U.K. forces' use of depleted uranium bombs which is a new generation of radioactive weapons has led to the emergence of incurable diseases among women, including cases of miscarriage, sterility, embryonic congenital deformities, cancerous diseases such as leukemia, breast cancer and cancer of the ovaries, and neurological and muscular disorders.

There were 3 894 recorded cases of cancer among women Iraq in 1999; and the total number of deaths among women due to the causes specifically related to the embargo is 261,563 in addition to the death of 8000 children under the age of five every month.

Mr. President,

Women have not only been affected physically, but also psychologically and socially, by' the embargo and the American-British military aggression. They have suffered social and psychological disorders, including anxiety, depression, tension and lack of concentration. Numerous studies have indicated that 57 per cent of women suffer from such conditions and pointed to a rise in the percentages of divorce due to the aggravation of conditions and economic pressures. Women have been forced to abandon their careers owing to the fact that the increasingly higher costs of living and inflation have led them to turn full time to domestic responsibilities in order to cope with the burdens of life that keep growing heavier day by day, to say nothing of the great numbers of females dropping out of various educational levels because of lack of financial resources.

Thus, the abnormal conditions brought about by the embargo since its imposition in 1990, and the accompanying daily acts of military aggression committed by the U.S. and U.K. aircraft within the illegal No-Fly zones whose bombs make no distinction between a civilian and military targets or between an infant and an old woman, have inflicted very grave material and moral damage on the civilian population.

Mr. President,

In light of these tragic facts which have attained dimensions that cannot be ignored, the international community is now duty-bound to examine most scrupulously the grave consequences entailed by the imposition of such sanctions on States and demand its end as it constitute a crime against humanity. In the name of the women and children of Iraq, we appeal to you to shoulder your legal and humanitarian responsibilities and do your utmost efforts to put an end to this suffering by lifting the sanctions which have proved to be contrary with all values and laws that are generally accepted by human society past and present. By thus, saving the women in Iraq, to resume their true role in building the family and civilized society. We are confident that our appeal will meet with a positive response on your part.

Thank you.