PERMANENT MISSION OF TURKEY TO THE UNITED NATIONS

CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

STATEMENT BY

HIS EXCELLENCY HASAN GEMICI

MINISTER OF STATE

RESPONSIBLE FOR WOMEN'S AFFAIRS,

FAMILY AND SOCIAL SERVICES

AT THE

TWENTY-THUM SPECIAL SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

 

 

"WOMEN 2000:

GENDER EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT

AND

PEACE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY"

NEW YORK, 6 JUNE 2000

 

 

 

Mr. President,

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Turkey fully supports the statement of the EU, delivered by the Portuguese Presidency. I would like to take this opportunity to express our national views regarding the advancement and empowerment of women in Turkey.

Mr. President, let me first express our appreciation for the invaluable contributions of the UN system, and Secretary General Kofi Annan, for the advancement and empowerment of women. Indeed, the UN has been highly instrumental in the formulation of policies responding to conceptual changes in the field of gender equality. The Fourth World Conference on Women has been a breakthrough in the recognition of the concept of gender and women's human rights.

My delegation believes that the full realization of the human rights of women and the girl child is not only a legal, but also an ethical responsibility. It must be our common objective to further strengthen international cooperation in this regard.

Mr. President,

Distinguished Delegates,

The foundation of the Republic; of Turkey, and the reforms that followed, have been revolutionary in the cause of women's rights. Women in Turkey have embraced their true identity with the Republic, and gained suffrage rights before those in many other countries. In 1934, there were as few as 28 countries in the world, where women had the right to elect and be elected. Turkey was one of them. The Civil Code, which was enacted in 1926, contained significantly advanced provisions in the field of gender equality. Today, building upon this legacy, we relentlessly pursue our goals to enhance the status of women, to ensure gender equality, and to promote their participation at all levels of social life. We have made some important achievements in this regard. But we know that the current situation calls for much improvement.

Mr. President,

Distinguished Delegates,

In Beijing, five years ago, Turkey made significant commitments. We committed ourselves to withdraw the reservations we placed on the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. We promised to extend compulsory basic education from five to eight years. We announced our intention to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates at least by half by the year 2000, and eradicate illiteracy among women. Mr. President, it is my great pleasure to state before this august assembly today, that we have accomplished most of these commitments.

The compulsory basic education was increased from five to eight years in 1997. With this, the enrollment rate of the girl child increased by 67 percent. Although we were not able to fully realize our commitments on the reduction of infant and maternal mortality rates, and the eradication of illiteracy among women, considerable improvements have been registered. We have enacted legislation on family protection. Under the new legislation, any family member subject to domestic violence can file for a protection order. As the Turkish Parliament passed this legislation in response to years of active advocacy and lobbying by the women's movement, it also acknowledged domestic violence as a major violation of women's human rights, and confirmed the State's responsibility to protect women from such violations occurring in the private sphere.

As a part of this reform process since the Beijing Conference, a new draft Civil Code, prepared with a gender perspective and incorporating the contributions of the women's NGOs, is presently before the Turkish Parliament.

In line with the Beijing Platform for Action, a Standing Committee on Gender Equality was established at the Parliamentary level with a view to ensuring gender mainstreaming in all policies and legislative work.

One of the concrete gains since the Beijing Conference has been the flourishing of dynamic civil society organizations in the field of women's human rights. As the State Minister responsible for women's affairs, I would like to emphasize the substantial role of the women's organizations in our work. In this connection I am particularly pleased that my delegation includes women MPs from various political parties, and also representatives of women's NGOs.

Mr. President,

The advancement and empowerment of women is a dynamic process. This process rests not only on legislative reforms, but also on integrated measures in the fields of education, health and economic policies.

Turkey is in the process of harmonizing its legal and administrative structure, in line with the acquis communautaire. The elimination of the obstacles hindering this process and ensuring the full enjoyment of rights provided by law is a vital part of the harmonization process.

Mr. President,

We are gathered here today, as the international community, to identify where we stand in the realization of the Beijing Platform for Action. We have undoubtedly been faced

 

 

 

with common as well as country-specific problems within the last five years. Our experiences will shed light on our future actions. The Political Declaration and the Outcome Document, which we hope to adopt by the end of this Special Session will guide us. My country is determined to continue contributing to all international endeavors in the field of women's rights with full dedication.

At the national level, we plan to place further emphasis on the following issues, while being fully aware of the challenges we face.

As a matter of priority, we are committed to allocating sufficient resources to gender equality issues. In close collaboration with all political parties and women's NGOs, we are trying to generate a strong political will to this end.

Ensuring the full and equal representation and participation of women at all levels of decision making is also one of our priority concerns.

We attach great importance to the institution building process as a basis for achieving all these targets.

Mr. President,

Distinguished Delegates,

While the world community witnessed dramatic improvements in the advancement of women and gender equality, the challenges still lie ahead. In various parts of the world, women and the girl child are still confronted with inequalities and injustice. It is our common duty and responsibility to ensure an enabling environment for all women to fully enjoy their rights.

This is a momentous gathering which provides the solid ground for the cooperation and collaboration of governments, civil society, international organizations and all other relevant actors for realizing our ultimate goals of gender equality, development and peace.

Thank you.