Gender Equality Beyond 2005:
Building a More Secure Future

Introduction

The year 2005 is critical for energizing efforts to put gender equality at the top of the international peace and development agenda. It is a time for reviewing the progress that has been made during the last ten years in putting into practice the Beijing Platform for Action, a groundbreaking framework for achieving equality between women and men. It is also the year when the General Assembly holds a critical summit to evaluate headway in reaching the goals and commitments of major conferences in the 1990s and of the Millennium Declaration.

In recognition of this pivotal year, the theme for International Women's Day 2005 is Gender Equality Beyond 2005: Building a More Secure Future. The theme recognizes the close relationship between gender equality, security and development and stresses reducing poverty, protecting human rights and investing in sustainable development as keys to empowering women. The theme emphasizes that pursuing the goal of gender equality is integral to building a more secure and sustainable future.

Women Building Peace and Security

The recent report of the UN Secretary-General¹s High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change recognizes the interconnectedness of contemporary threats, including extreme poverty, disease and environmental degradation. The report concludes that a more secure world must be based on equal rights for women. Among its recommendations for conflict prevention is "greater consultation with and involvement in peace processes of important voices from civil society, especially those of women."

The report also makes specific reference to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace, and security and urges the Security Council to take strong measures to combat gender-based violence in conflict zones and to involve women fully in all stages of peace processes.

It also recognizes the instrumental role of women in peace and disarmament and their vital contribution to ending violent conflict around the world from Northern Ireland, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Timor-Leste. Women activists and women¹s non-governmental organizations have achieved wide recognition, including the Nobel Peace Prize, for their achievements in peacemaking.

Women Overcoming Poverty

Consensus is growing that poverty alleviation is an essential part of building a safer world. Women need to be at the forefront of such efforts since they constitute the majority of the world¹s 1.3 billion absolute poor, and also have higher rates of illiteracy and unemployment than men. The feminization of poverty translates into gaps in income, health, and education that demand a more vigorous response from policy makers and civil society at national and international levels.

One of the most effective tools for poverty reduction is increasing educational opportunities for women and girls. Studies have demonstrated repeatedly how investing in their education leads to significant improvements in household health, nutrition, and income and reduction in infant mortality rates.

The recently-released report of the Millennium Project, the work of more than 250 of the world¹s leading economists, scientists and development experts provides a blueprint with practical investment strategies to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Significant among the recommendations is a renewed focus on gender equality: "Specific interventions to address gender inequality should be an intrinsic part of all MDG-based investment packages," the report states.

In particular, the Millennium Project calls for women¹s increased access to education, jobs and assets such as land and housing, improved health care, especially reproductive health services, and freedom from violence.

It is not only improved access to services and opportunities but also increased protection of the environment that is essential for both poverty reduction and sustainable development. Since women are overwhelmingly involved with agricultural production, fuel and water collection, and household heating and cooking, they are the main beneficiaries of improvements in natural resource management.

Gender Equality and Disaster Response

The recent tsunami disaster in South and South-East Asia drew worldwide attention to the special needs and contributions of women and girls in relief and reconstruction efforts. Since women are disproportionately poor, they are also more vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters. They are more likely to live in sub-standard housing and often work in the informal sector or within the home which puts their livelihoods at greater risk when disaster strikes.

International relief agencies have become increasingly aware of the gender aspects of post-conflict and disaster-affected situations. They recognize that women and girls are vulnerable to violence in temporary shelters and emergency relief centers and they have sounded the alarm over the increased threat of trafficking of women and children during transition periods. More attention is now being focused on the gender aspects of relief services including women¹s sanitary and health concerns as well as their need for privacy and safety.

Because of women¹s designated gender roles as caregivers, they are mainly responsible for family welfare and reconstructing communities in the aftermath of disaster. They need to play more prominent roles in decision-making in humanitarian aid efforts and their concerns and insights must be taken into account when formulating and carrying out relief and reconstruction projects.

Gender Equality and Human Rights

Despite progress made since the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, discrimination against women persists in all regions and societies and systematic and flagrant violations of women¹s human rights continue both in law and practice.

Gender inequality is increasingly recognized as a human rights violation. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) together with the Beijing Platform for Action are increasingly used by Governments to ensure women enjoy their civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights. More and more countries are applying the principles of equal opportunities and treatment for women and girls at all stages of their lives based on CEDAW. A steadily increasing number of countries are joining the CEDAW Optional Protocol that provides a mechanism for individuals or groups of individuals to submit claims of violations of rights protected under the Convention, and allows the CEDAW Committee to initiate inquiries into situations of grave or systematic violations of women¹s rights.

Violence against women is a crime whether committed behind domestic walls, in public spaces or in conflict zones. A breakthrough in attitudes was reached during the proceedings of the international war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the Former Yugoslavia when rape was recognized as a war crime and its systematic incidence was deemed a crime against humanity. Violence prevention campaigns, many of them aimed at raising awareness among men and boys, are part of increasing efforts to change perceptions and customs that are harmful to women and girls.

In addition to freedom from violence, women¹s reproductive health and rights are at the center of international efforts to ensure gender equality. Equal treatment and equal access to education and health facilities, microfinance and employment, property and inheritance laws, and protection against discrimination, are essential for women¹s full participation and empowerment in their communities.

Only through non-discriminatory laws, policies and practices can women achieve their full potential and lead healthy, productive, and secure lives­secure in terms of their economic well-being, freedom from violence and full participation in decision-making. In 2005 and beyond, moving the
Beijing Platform for Action forward will benefit women, their families, communities and the world at large.