DENMARK
                 MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
                                        
                                                3 April 1996
                                        S.Q.File No. 28.B.98
 
       Statement to the Folketing on Follow-up at 
           national and international Levels to
   The United Nation's Fourth World Conference on Women

1. The United Nations' Fourth World Conference on Women was
held in Beijing from 4 to 15 September 1995. From 30 August to
8 September, an alternative conference for non-governmental
organisations (NGO Forum 95) took place in Huairou. The World
Conference on Women adopted a final document containing a
declaration (the Beijing Declaration) and a Platform for
Action.

The Beijing Declaration establishes governments' obligation to
the promotion of equality between women and men, and the
Platform for Action identifies 12 critical areas of concern for
the attainment of equality, as well as a number of strategic
objectives and recommendations within the individual critical
areas. The 12 areas are: women in poverty; education and
training; health; elimination of violence against women; the
impact of armed conflicts on women: women's participation in
the economic and productive spheres: equal sharing of power and
responsibility; insufficient mechanisms for the promotion of
the equality of women; respect for the human rights of women;
women in the media; women's contribution to sustainable
development and the preservation of the environment; and
protection of girls.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a report on the
Conference. During 1996, the Danish Equal Status Council will
prepare a popular version of the Platform for Action which in a
simple language and form caters for Danish readers interested
in matters of equality.

2. Several NGOs, including in particular women's organisations,
have participated actively in the Danish preparations for the
Conference, and many were also represented in Denmark's
official delegation.

On 18 May 1995, the Folketing had the opportunity to debate the
preparations at an interpellation debate, and on 10 August
1995, the Foreign Policy Committee discussed the government's
instructions to the delegation. The official Danish delegation
included representatives from seven parties in the Folketing.

3. From a Danish point of view, the outcome of the conference
was positive, and most important, the Conference maintained the
forward-looking approach traced out by previous United Nations
conferences and summits. The final documents of the
International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo
1994) and the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen
1995) recognize women as representing an important resource in
society - on a par with men's. The World Conference on Women
placed on record that a sustainable economic, social, and
democratic development cannot be secured without women's full
and equal participation.

Moreover, the Platform for Action contains clear messages
concerning the integration of gender aspects in policies and
planning and the introduction of analyses on the impacts on
women and men (mainstreaming).

In addition to these Danish main issues, important progress has
been made within several other areas of high priority, in
particular within human rights, women's access to basic health
services, sexual and reproductive health and rights,
gender-specific poverty alleviation, education, access to the
economic life, resources and employment; access to power and
decision-making, as well as women's and men's equal
responsibility and the possibility of reconciling working life
and family life.

4. It is primarily governments who are responsible for
follow-up activities. But the Platform for Action contains also
several clear recommendations to the United Nations' system and
other international organisations, as well as to the private
sector and civil organisations.

In its capacity as national equal status agency and committed
to the promotion of equality between women and men, the Danish
Equal Status Council holds a key position with regard to the
monitoring of the implementation of the Platform for Action.

In 1996, the Council will among other things prepare a
conference on pensions schemes for women and a conference on
equality in the European Union. Another priority of the
Council's is the publishing of a guide to plans of action on
equality for local government authorities. The guide should
promote the incorporation of equality into the manpower policy
of local governments.

5. All relevant Danish ministries have been requested to
compare their fields of work with the recommendations of the
Platform for Action with a view to identifying already
implemented recommendations and suggesting new initiatives. The
Committee on International Equality Affairs has debated the
follow-up at the international level. Follow-up at the national
level has been submitted to the Danish Equal Status Council.
Women's organisations are represented in both fora.

Follow-up at the national level

6. The Platform for Action recommends governments to review
and, where appropriate, to strengthen the national equal status
bodies.

The present structure and mandate of the Danish Equal Status
Council date, with a few amendments, back to 1978 when a
parliamentary act gave statutory effect to the Council. As a
follow-up to the Beijing Declaration, the government has
decided to set up a committee to consider organisational
changes and come up with suggestions for innovative approaches
to equality work in the light of the tasks which are to be
given priority in the future also at the international level.
The committee shall also consider whether the recommended
changes require the present Equal Status Act to be amended.
Under its mandate, the committee shall i.a. review equality
work in the other Nordic countries.

The committee will have a broad spectrum of members
representing ministries, the Equal Status Council,
organisations, including women's and men's organisations, local
government authorities and relevant research circles. In
accordance with wishes expressed by several parties during the
parliamentary debate on 8 December 1995 in which the
participation of young people in equality work was emphasized,
two representatives from the Joint Council of Danish Youth
Organisations will be invited to join the committee.

The government awaits the outcome of the committee's work,
which can form the basis of innovative and intensified
approaches to equality work.

7. The integration of gender aspects (mainstreaming) into
policies and planning is already a central element of the
Danish strategy for equality between women and men. Examples
are:

- In the autumn of 1995, the government initiated a pilot
project whereby all bills within the purview of the Ministry of
Labour should be assessed from a gender perspective. The
objective of this assessment is to analyze the gender-impact of
a bill. The result shall be included in the comments to the
bill. The project is temporary only and functions within such
areas as leave of absence and education, active labour market
politics, and the working environment. Experience gained from
the pilot project shall establish whether such a gender-impact
assessment can be extended to include other areas under the
purview of the Ministry of Labour and perhaps other ministries.

- Effective from 1 September 1995, the Local Administration Act
has been amended i.a. to the effect that local district and
county authorities at least every second year shall inform
their citizens about the status of equality for their
employees. The local authorities shall state whether an equal
opportunities policy has been formulated and, if so, go into
its particulars.

- The government is considering the possibility of preparing
the prognoses on labour force, employment and unemployment in
the Economic Surveys on the basis of gender-distribution

8. The objective of the national plan of action for equality is
to map out in terms of equality the problems of the central
government institutions and to suggest activities which may
contribute to establishing real equality. The government
expects all central government institutions to have completed
the drafting of plans of action indicating objectives and time
horizons by the end of 1996 when the third national plan of
action is to be evaluated.

9. The Danish educational system makes a point of offering
equal opportunities to women and men. In the new Primary
Education Act of 1994, the word "equality" has been
incorporated into both the preamble and the central sections
concerning proficiency and skills. Equality between women and
men has also been integrated into curricula in primary schools,
upper-secondary schools, in teacher training, in professional
postgraduate teacher training for upper-secondary school
teachers, and in educational and vocational counselling and
guidance. Equality is also included as an element of mixed
ability grouping in primary schools and upper-secondary
schools. The government emphasizes the importance of
maintaining equality in teaching and training.

In the government's opinion, it is a specific duty of the
primary school to prepare both girls and boys for a broad
spectrum of vocational choices. In this connection it is
important that both girls and boys are being motivated to
study/train in non-traditional areas. One of the means is to
increase the number of computers for use in classrooms so that
girls too are well prepared to participate in the information
society on a par with boys.

Girls' as well as boys' interest in technical and natural
science is decreasing. The government will analyze this
situation and propose initiatives which may be instrumental in
stimulating young people's interest in these subjects. The new
Primary Education Act has introduced a new subject called
"nature/science" which aims at catching the pupils'
particularly the girls' - interest at a much earlier stage. A
new elective subject, technology, has also been introduced in
the 8th and 9th grades. The upper-secondary school system has
launched a project which aims at disseminating the results of
the latest scientific and technical research directly to the
students, primarily in physics.

10. With a view to establishing a more equitable gender
distribution of teachers and researchers at the institutions of
higher education, the Minister for Education has increased the
number of new Ph.D. fellowships substantially as well as the
number of professorships. Women Ph.D. students on maternity
leave will now be entitled to receive state educational support
during their leave. The government will review the results of
the five-year research programme on gender barriers within
higher education and research launched by the Danish Research
Council in 1996.

11. The reformulation of the Act on Adult Vocational Training,
which strengthens adult and supplementary training, will
particularly benefit women in the labour market since many
women have a weaker educational background than men. The
government intends to continue developing adult and
supplementary education activities. Efforts directed at young
people will also focus on young women since their unemployment
rate is higher than that of men

12. The government has launched training programmes and
introductory vocational courses for women within traditional
male dominated subjects - and for men within traditional female
dominated subjects - and has introduced job rotation projects
with a view to enhancing the individual employees' prospects of
more stimulating jobs and eliminating the gender segregated
labour market.

As part of the efforts to ensure a well-functioning labour
market, the equality work carried out by the public employment
service and directed at enterprises will be intensified with a
view to contributing to demolishing the barriers to recruitment
and supplementary training etc. Such an effective and visible
effort on the part of the public employment service will be in
line with the strategy chosen by the parties to the labour
market. This strategy aims at demolishing the gender segregated
labour market and improving the links between working life and
family life through endeavours to shape the attitude of
enterprises.

To support initiatives advancing equal opportunities, the
Minister for Labour has established a prize to be awarded twice
a year to a private enterprise which has deliberately pursued
an equality-promoting manpower policy.

As far as independent businesses are concerned, the number of
women represented in high-technology industries is far lower
than that of men. The government will follow developments and
consider whether to introduce specific initiatives to attract
more women entrepreneurs to these areas.

The government has tabled a bill on the prohibition of
discrimination on grounds of race, colour etc. One of the
objectives of the bill is to counteract the dual discrimination
to which women from ethnic minorities may be exposed. The
government also expects to see a change of attitude on the part
of labour and management in terms of less weight on ethnic
background and sex.

Since the beginning of the 70s when both acts were passed, many
legal decisions have been rendered as a result of the enactment
of the Equal Treatment Act and the Equal Pay Act. The Ministry
of Labour therefore wants to establish a data base containing
these decisions so that users - i.e. applicants, labour unions,
employers, lawyers and judges may become conversant with the
legal practice in these matters.

13. In general, women receive lower labour market pensions,
because their occupational activity rate is lower than that of
men i.a. as a result of a more frequent use of leave-of-absence
schemes, part-time employment, absence owing to children's
sickness and longer unemployment periods. The reform of the
Danish ATP pensions scheme (Danish Labour Market Supplementary
Pensions Scheme) has a positive impact on women's situation
because it i.a. provides for a doubling of the employers' ATP
contribution for recipients of daily subsistence allowance in
connection with sickness and maternity leave.

Pensions schemes are essential to women's economic situation,
and the Equal Status Council is preparing a conference on
pensions schemes in 1996 with focus on the theme "Women's and
Pensions"

14. The government stresses the need for improving coherence
between working life and family life. In 1995, the Equal Status
Council, the Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of Social
Affairs launched a campaign to make leave-of-absence schemes
intended for child caring more attractive to men. The results
of the campaign will be evaluated with a view to devising
practical ideas for future government initiatives

However, the problem of combining working life and family life
is not solved through statutory measures. It is indeed also a
question of change of attitude on the part of employers and
employees involving both the employee her/himself and
colleagues. In order to support such a change of attitude, the
government has published a pamphlet called "Time for children,
time for work", which summarizes the provisions contained in
acts and major agreements of importance to families with
children. A research report on the development of family-benign
workplaces is expected to be published in June 1996.

15. In cooperation with the social partners, the government
wants to enhance the effectiveness of activities promoting
equal remuneration to women and men. In liaison with the
page 6 Equal Status Council, the Ministry of Labour has
launched a project on equal remuneration aiming at developing
wage statistics computed on the basis of data on individuals.
The results may contribute to identifying the factors causing
differences in wages and thus lead to further activities to be
initiated within this area. Since no statistical information
has identified the consequences of the many Danish wage systems
for equal pay to women and men, the Ministry of Labour will
launch a project which can collect data on the impact of the
negotiating mechanisms on differences in wages.

16. In the autumn of 1995, the Department of Statistics, in
collaboration with the Equal Status Council and the Directorate
General for Employment, Placement and Vocational Training,
published a pamphlet on statistics called "Women and Men". The
pamphlet addresses the similarities and differences between
women and men and may prove to be a useful tool for the
promotion of equality. The government will continue its support
to statistics and analyses which can constitute the basis of
impact assessments and enhance the development of equality i.a.
in the labour market.

17. The government supports efforts to increase the number of
women in decision-making.

Examples of new initiatives are:

- Amendments to the Local Administration Act to the effect that
members of the local council with children under 10 years of
age are entitled to a fee to cover child-minding expenses. The
aim is to attain a better distribution of women and men as well
as age groups among the council members.

- The government grants financial support to the establishment
of the data base "Women online" and supports "Biographical
Encyclopedia on Women" for the next two years.

The government will also on a continuous basis follow
developments in the gender-balanced composition of public
boards, committees and councils, as well as of boards of the
civil service (Act on Equality of Men and Women in Appointing
Members of Public Committees etc. and Act on Equality of Men
and Women in appointing Certain Board Members of the Civil
Service).

18. The government observes closely foreign women's integration
into and legal status in the Danish society. On the basis of
the first part of a report, the government has tabled a bill to
improve the situation of foreign women exposed to violence. The
bill is expected to be adopted during this session. The
government awaits the second part of the report with a view to
introducing new bills, if appropriate.

19. The government finds that the best way to counteract
violence and assault against women is to launch targeted and
preventive information campaigns. An increasing number of women
apply for assistance at the crisis centres for women, and this
development must be closely followed. The 1996 Finance Act has
appropriated another DDK 1 mio. to meet the rising need for
assistance to women who have been exposed to violence.

     The Crime Prevention Council has been requested to launch
an educational campaign and has in this connection published a
booklet on assault on women - in wedlock or out of wedlock

20. The government has examined the need for amending the
Danish regulations governing asylum in order to make it easier
to grant asylum and residence permit to persons who indicate
gender-specific reasons such as i.a. bride burning, female
genital mutilation, forced sterilisation or forced marriages as
motive when applying for asylum.

Under the current legislation, however, it is already possible
on a case-by-case basis to grant refugee status to persons who
have been subjected to these forms of persecution. In the
opinion of the government it is not necessary to introduce new
initiatives in this area.

21. The government has decided to set up a working group with
the aim of launching an extensive educational campaign against
female genital mutilation (FGM). 2

22. The Danish military defence makes a targeted effort to
promote equality in recruitment to the national defence and to
the Danish International Brigade. Women participate in
international tasks in connection with the assignment of units
from i.a. the Danish International Brigade and as United
Nations observers. Women can also be assigned as observers to
attend to tasks under the mandate of OSCE and EU.

The government has taken a positive stand on proposals
contained in a new report concerning the employment of women on
conditions similar to conscription and will consider
initiatives within this area.

FOLLOW-UP at the international level

23. Follow-up at the international level encompasses the
development cooperation, the international equality work under
the aegis of the United Nations, the integration of women's
issues and gender aspects in other forms of international
cooperation and follow-up to previous global conferences and
summits.

24. For many years, WID (Women in Development) aspects have
been a central, interdisciplinary issue of the Danish
development policy, as it was most recently recognized in
"Strategy for Danish Development Policy towards the Year 2000".
Another established feature of Danida procedures is the use of
gender-specific analyses as the basis of programme and project
design.

The practical implementation of the development policy is thus
in conformity with the required integration of gender aspects,
and the political elements are in line with the recommendations
of the World Conference on Women, including securing women's
full and equal participation in economic and political life, as
well as respect for and enhancement of the human rights of
women. Initiatives have been taken to improve the practical
implementation of this policy, and they will be strengthened in
the years to come.

The overall objective of Danish development cooperation is
gender-specific poverty reduction. The relevant strategy is
three-pronged: 1) the promotion of socially balanced
page 8 economic growth; 2) support to the development of human
resources through assistance to e.g. education/training and
health; 3) the promotion of popular participation in the
development process. All three aspects are crucial if poverty
in general, and gender-specific poverty in particular, shall be
reduced significantly.

Poverty reduction, in particular for women in poverty, is also
a key element of the guidelines for sector programme
assistance.

25. The recommendations of the World Conference on Women will
be incorporated into the practical development cooperation with
recipient countries at various levels, both in the overall
political dialogue and in the planning and implementation of
specific aid activities

This will have to be done in various ways in connection with
the preparation of analyses of conditions and perspectives,
country strategies, letters of mandate, and speaking points for
the annual consultations, as well as in relation to project
preparation, project implementation, and evaluations. The
application of participatory methods, i.e. the active
involvement of the local population, as well as the
incorporation of the gender perspective and knowledge thereof
will be stressed in connection with the composition of teams
and the preparation of terms of reference.

With point of departure in the Platform for Action adopted at
the World Conference on Women, the annual consultations with
the programme cooperation countries may i.a. focus on how to
improve the situation of women living in poverty. The
government will also make a point of the country's
ratification, reservations, and implementation of the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women and the country's follow-up to the Beijing
Conference and reservations, if any, to the Platform for Action

In keeping with the WID policy pursued so far and the 12
critical areas of concern contained in the Platform for Action,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also focus on specific
themes. Examples are: the promotion of respect for the human
rights of women and the elimination of violence against women,
including female genital mutilation. Guidelines on the
prevention of female genital mutilation were laid down in 1996.
Another theme may be the situation of disabled women and girls.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also strengthen
cooperation with the recipient countries in connection with the
establishment of national institutions concerned with the
empowerment of women

26. In the cooperation with multilateral organisations, Denmark
has advanced a demand for the integration of gender aspects
into policies and planning. The Platform for Action adopted at
the World Conference on Women is the appropriate tool for the
continuation of this line of policy. It is also important to
advocate and emphasize the message of the previous global UN
conferences and summits, in particular of the World Summit for
Social Development, viz. that social development cannot be
attained without women's active participation.

Efforts to integrate gender aspects in the multilateral
cooperation will also have to be initiated at various levels.
Denmark will make an active effort to influence the
organisations' overall policies, while at the same time
focusing on the "monitoring" of the implementation of the
policies. The plan of action for "Active Multilateralism"
recently prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will mean
increased control with the organisations' work, including the
integration of women's issues and gender aspects. This applies
to the United Nations' development programmes and funds, the
United Nations' specialized agencies, and the international
development banks, as well as to development cooperation within
the European Union.

Denmark will i.a. attach greater attention on an effective
follow-up by the World Bank to the Platform for Action adopted
in Beijing in particular within key areas for Danish assistance
(women's economic position, rights and access to resources, as
well as sexual and reproductive health and rights). Other
priority areas are the inclusion of the gender aspects as a
central element in the Bank's poverty analyses and in the
design of economic reform programmes, as well as a more
effective implementation of the Bank's existing WID policies.

27. In connection with the plan of action for active
multilateralism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prepared an
organisational strategy for future development cooperation
within the European Union. The strategy advocates the
incorporation of a consolidated EU policy on women and
development into the general objectives of the EU development
cooperation and the practical implementation of this policy.

In December 1995, the Council (Ministers for Development
Cooperation) adopted a resolution concerning the development of
a consolidated policy on women and development. The policy
shall ensure the integration of the gender perspective into the
development cooperation and the strengthening of the capacity
on gender-specific issues as well as improved coordination
between the Community and its Member States.

28. FOLLOW-UP activities within the United Nations will be
carried out in a number of relevant fora, primarily in the
United Nations' Commission on the Status of Women, in ECOSOC,
and in the General Assembly. Denmark will follow the UN effort
to translate into practice the commitment to integrate the
gender perspective in all policies and planning as well as the
specific recommendations to the United Nations' bodies
contained in the Platform for Action. So far, at its 40th
session in March 1996, the Commission on the Status of Women
debated two of the critical areas of concern, viz. women in
poverty and the feminine role portrayed in the media. The
session discussed also the sharing of responsibility between
women and men for child caring and caring for other members of
the family. The United Nations' Secretariat submitted i.a. a
comprehensive plan for follow-up to the recommended actions to
be taken on the individual critical areas with indication of
the responsible United Nations' organisations. The Commission
on the Status of Women shall assist ECOSOC in the follow-up to
the Platform for Action, support the integration of the gender
perspective in the United Nations activities, and develop its
role as catalyst.

29. The Platform for Action adopted at the World Conference on
Women requires coordinated follow-up to recent global UN
conferences and summits which all have undertaken to promote
women's position. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
has reviewed and analyzed the final documents of the Summit on
Social Development


page 10 (Copenhagen 1995), the Conference on Population and
Development (Cairo 1994), the Conference on Human Rights
(Vienna 1993), and the Conference on Environment and
Development (Rio 1992) and compared these documents with the
recommendations of the World Conference on Women.

According to the review, each conference has seen a
strengthened incorporation of the gender perspective into the
recommended actions compared to the previous conference.
However, the Platform for Action adopted at the World
Conference on Women contains the most precise and extensive
proposals for actions to be taken on equality between the
sexes, also with regard to the topics addressed by the other
global UN conferences and summits. The report concludes that
specific conferences on women are still indispensable because
they go deeper into the essence of the matter and function as
locomotives for the other global UN conferences and summits.

In the light of these conclusions, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs will make a strong effort to have the more detailed
actions concerning equality recommended by the World Conference
on Women incorporated into plans of actions and activities
prepared as follow-up to the other global UN conferences and
summits. Denmark will also advocate the continuance of the
series of World Conferences on Women.

30. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in liaison with the
Ministry of Environment and Energy, is drafting a common
"Strategy for Environmental Assistance in the Developing
Countries". As a pivotal principle of environmental assistance,
the strategy emphasizes the strengthening of women's role in
the solution of environmental problems as well as the
incorporation of gender-specific analyses into specific aid
activities.

31. In the general EU cooperation, the Danish effort will i.a.
focus on the integration of women's issues and the gender
perspective into all areas of EU politics, and as far as the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs is concerned this work will be
carried out in connection with specific EU initiatives.

Denmark has thus occasioned the incorporation of women's issues
and the gender perspective as an important priority into the
plan of action for future cooperation between the EU and the
Mediterranean countries, which was adopted at the
Euro-Mediterranean Conference in Barcelona in November 1995

On 5 December 1995, the Council (the Ministers for Labour and
Social Affairs) adopted the fourth programme of action
concerning equality between women and men (19962000). The
programme, into which the results of the World Conference on
Women have been incorporated, aims at promoting the integration
of equality into the policies and actions of the Community and
its Member States within the framework of their mandates.

32. In OSCE, Denmark will advocate the follow-up to the
recommendations of the Platform for Action concerning armed
conflicts and peace efforts, including: the promotion of
women's participation in decision-making and activities
concerning preventive and peace-keeping activities; the
protection of women against gender-specific violence; the
strengthening of investigative mechanisms; and the punishment
of perpetrators and treatment of victims.

33. The OECD has set up a working group on women's role in
economic life within education, employment, as well as women's
working and social conditions. The working group continuously
assesses the impact of OECD activities on women's economic and
social position and has launched an initiative within
female-dominated areas of work in which Denmark participates.

34. Analyses of developments in Eastern and Central Europe show
that recent years' developments in this area have had a
negative impact on women's economic situation, employment, and
job security. The funds earmarked by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs for support to the Eastern countries are administered
by the advisory council of the "0/ststo/ttearding" and by the
board of the "Demokratifonden" (Danish initiatives in support
of the reform process in Central and Eastern Europe). A
revision of the guidelines and criteria for granting support
will ensure the inclusion of gender aspects and the promotion
of women's equality.

35. As regards human rights, the Beijing Declaration states
that "women's rights are human rights". In general, the
government makes a point of including human rights issues in
the political dialogue with Denmark's cooperation countries.

Danish efforts in this area will be directed at ensuring that
the United Nations' High Commissioner for Human Rights and the
United Nations' Commission for Human Rights devote unabated
attention to the human rights of women in the execution of
their mandates, and that the recommendations of the World
Conference on Human Rights concerning full integration of the
human rights of women are being implemented.

Furthermore, Denmark will advocate the inclusion of the gender
perspective in all forms of reporting concerning the human
rights conventions; the preparation of gender-specific
information concerning violation of human rights as basis for
activities and programmes; the strengthening of the cooperation
and coordination of work in all human rights fora and
international organisations to secure the human rights of
women, including the cooperation between the United Nations'
High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United Nations' High
Commissioner for Refugees. Denmark will take active part in the
talks on a voluntary protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
concerning individualized access to lodge complaints.

In the human rights cooperation within the Council of Europe,
equality is an important aspect. Denmark supports the proposed
addendum on equality to the European Convention on Human
Rights.

Conclusion

36. The Government's intention with this report was to launch
the follow-up process envisaged in the Platform for Action.
However, this does not suffice. The question of equality must
be dealt with in all spheres of society and must include all
parties, including NGOs and the business community - in Denmark
as well as at regional and international levels

The Equal Status Council and the Committee on International
Equality Affairs will monitor this process. Full equality
between women and men by the year 2000 should not be an
unrealistic goal for a country such as Denmark.


one page resume for easy reference
DENMARK
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
File No. S.Q. 28.B.98
Copenhagen, May 13, 1996

In follow-up of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action, the Government of Denmark has presented a memorandum to
the Folketing describing the initiatives planned by relevant
ministries. The memorandum was discussed and taken note of by
the Folketing on April 25, 1996. The Folketing also adopted a
decision to encourage the Government to mainstream a gender
perspective in administrative, policy and planning activities,
nationally as well as internationally and to work towards a
continuation of the UN's women's conferences in the year 2000
and onwards.

The main follow-up initiatives in the memorandum are:

At the national level: * the Prime Minister has set up a
committee to consider possible changes of the organization of
the work for equal status between men and women and to propose
priorities for future activities on equality, nationally as
well as internationally; * the already considerable efforts for
providing equal opportunities for girls and boys in the
educational system - especially at primary school level - will
be increased; * elimination of occupational segregation at the
labour market and improvement of the reconciliation of working
life and family life will be continued; * intensified efforts
to reach the goal of equal pay for equal work and for work of
equal value will be initiated; * a statistical project on equal
pay has been launched by the Ministry of Labour and the Equal
Status Council; * elimination of "double discrimination" of
women belonging to ethnic minorities; * intensifying efforts to
improve women's participation in decision-making; * setting up
of a working group to plan a campaign against female genital
mutilation.

At the international level: * strengthened efforts to integrate
a gender perspective in Danish development cooperation policies
and programmes (mainstreaming) will be initiated, especially
with regard to poverty alleviation, sexual and reproductive
health and rights, education, women's human rights and
elimination of violence, particularly female genital mutilation
(FGM); * a set of guidelines on the prevention of FGM has just
been issued; * at annual negotiations with programme countries,
implementation of the Platform for Action will be a priority; *
likewise implementation of PFA and integration of gender
aspects will be emphasized vis a vis multilateral development
organizations; * with regard to the EU development cooperation,
Denmark will pursue a consolidated EU-policy concerning women
and development to be integrated in the general objectives of
the EU-development cooperation; * finally, Denmark will pursue
integration of the recommendations concerning equality in the
Platform for Action from the 4th World Conference on Women into
plans of action and activities in connection with the follow-up
of other previously held international conferences.


    	

Date last updated: 08 May 2000 by DESA/DAW
Copyright © 1999 United Nations