PERMANENT MISSION OF SINGAPORE

TO THE UNITED NATIONS a

231 EAST 51 ST STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10022 • TEL. (212) 826-0840 • FAX (212) 826-2964

STATEMENT BY

MRS YU-FOO YEE SHOON

SENIOR PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY

MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND SPORTS

REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE

AT THE

UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SPECIAL SESSION ON WOMEN - BEJING + 5

7 JUNE 2000

Mr. President, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen.

It gives me great pleasure to participate in this Special Session of the General Assembly. The Government of Singapore remains committed to achieving the goals set at the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. We hope this consultative process will provide new insights and achieve concrete progress on the advancement of women in the new millennium.

2 Five years ago, 189 countries adopted by consensus, the 12

critical areas outlined in the Beijing Platform for Action and pledged to

achieve gender equality. Thank you for giving me this privilege to

share with you how Singapore has transformed rhetoric into reality and

to show our support for this global enterprise.

3 The Beijing POA has served as a reference point in the

continuing process of formulating Singapore's policies. I am pleased

to report that many recommendations have been implemented and

progress is on-going.

4 For example, in the area of Women and Violence', Singapore

amended the Women's Charter in 1997 to further enhance the

protection of our women from violence and expand the legal rights of

protection to married women. Our Penal Code was also amended in

1998 to enhance the protection of migrant domestic workers, who are

mostly women, from abusive employers.

5 With regard to Women and Human Rights, Singapore has

adopted an equal opportunity policy grounded on the principle of

' Critical concern #4 in the Beijing POA

meritocracy. This principle underpins the planning and implementation of our public policies. Singapore women have equal access to basic social services, including education and health.

Mr President.

6 When Singapore gained independence in 1965, infant mortality

was high, literacy rate was low, and a large proportion of the

population was without proper housing. Since 1980, we have reduced

our Maternal Mortality Rate per thousand live and still births to below

1 %. Since 1995, our Female Infant Mortality Rate hovered at 5 per

thousand resident live births'. This figure is similar to Sweden and

Switzerland. The literacy rate of Singapore women aged 15 years and

older continues to improve, from 87% in 1995 to 89% in 1998. Since

1995, female enrolment in universities and polytechnics constituted

almost half of all the placements, with more females entering

traditionally male-dominated domains. For example, in 1994, only 1 in

8 first year engineering students were female. This rose to 1 in 3 in

1998. Ownership of public housing by women climbed from 48% in

1992 to 51 % in 20003.

7 We recognise that working women face many challenges

balancing their multiple roles as workers, wives and mothers. Hence

generous tax incentives for working mothers have been introduced

and employers are encouraged to grant special leave for working

mothers whose children fall sick. The government provides childcare

subsidies for working mothers who place their children in childcare

centres. Subsidised childcare places grew from 15,200 in 1990 to

44,000 in 1999. These measures have enabled Singaporean women

to fulfil their ambitions to have both career and family life. They also

increased the female labour participation rate from 40% in 1990 to

53% in 1999.

8 Not only are there more women in employment and in fields

traditionally the preserve of men, more women are also earning higher

pay. In 1994, only 18% or 113,400 working women earned more than S$2000 per month. Within five years, this number rose by 146% to 278,900 working women.

Mr President

9 One of the Beijing POA concerns is Women and decision

making. The proportion of women holding Professional, Technical,

Managerial and Executive positions has increased from 29% to 35%

over the last 5 years. Women have also contributed much to

community and national development. In 1999, about 42% of the

recipients of our National Day Awards, the highest form of national

recognition in Singapore, were women.

10 More women are now occupying higher positions of authority. In

1994, there were no women judges in the High Court and only 18% of

the Subordinate Court judges were women. Since 1999, we have 2

female High Court Judges and 44% of Subordinate Court judges are

women. 1999 also saw the first woman commander of a police

division, the first woman permanent secretary in the Civil Service and

the first woman to head an IT statutory board.

Mr President

11 In 1999, the Ministry of Manpower, the National Trades Union

Congress and the Singapore National Employers Federation, issued

the Tripartite Guidelines on Non-Discriminatory Job Advertisements to

educate and assist employers. The proportion of job advertisements

stipulating discriminatory criteria including gender, dropped from 32%

in January 1999 (before implementation of the Guidelines) to below

1 % in March 2000.

12 Exciting new opportunities await Singapore women as we move

towards a knowledge-based economy. Technology will help women to

be in a better position to help themselves. For example, the

Singapore Professional and Business Women's Association launched

"Femme-Net" in October 1999 as a resource for Asian women

entrepreneurs. As self-actualisation increasingly comes within the grasp of many women, both men and women must continue to exercise sound fundamental values, which strengthen family and social cohesion. In Singapore, we see a continuing need for individuals, the community and the Government to work in partnership to improve the quality of life for women, men, and our families.

Mr President

13 To demonstrate our commitment to the advancement of women,

Singapore acceded to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All

Forms of Discrimination Against Women shortly after we adopted the

Beijing POA in October 1995. An Inter-Ministry Committee was then

set-up to oversee the implementation of CEDAW. I am pleased to

report that Singapore's Initial Report was submitted to the UN in

November last year.

14 To conclude, negotiations on the Outcome Document to be adopted at this Conference have been challenging. My delegation would like to place on record our appreciation for the hard work done by the Preparatory Committee and by all negotiating partners in reaching a new set of action plans to take us into the next decade. The new document from this meeting should complement our respective national efforts, where relevant. It should encourage meaningful co-operation between governments and civic society. It is in this spirit that my government renews its commitment to the Beijing + 5 process.

15 1 thank you, Mr President, for the opportunity to address this

Special Session.

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