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Asia-Pacific Governments Review Beijing Document

Onsite Report from Lim Siu Ching of the Women's Media Team*

Bangkok, October 26, 1999 -- Have governments fulfilled their promises to women in the region?

Over 400 NGOs and government delegates from around the Asia and the Pacific region gathered in Bangkok yesterday precisely to find an answer to this provocative question. They are meeting for a high level intergovernmental review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform For Action (BPFA).

Organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the meeting will be held over a period of four days which began yesterday and will end on Friday, 29th October. Some 60 countries will present their respective reports on the implementation of the Beijing Platform in their country, the obstacles they faced and their future action plans.

In her opening statement for the meeting, Khunying Supatra Masdit, Minister to the Prime Minister's Office of Thailand, reviewed the challenges faced in the Asia and the Pacific and stressed the need for international cooperation among the delegates to achieve the goals of gender, equality and peace.

Adopted in the Fourth World Conference for Women in Beijing, China (1996), the 12 critical issues of concern emphasise the alleviation of poverty of women, education and training, violence against women, armed conflict, the economic opportunity, women in power and decision-making processes, institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, the protection and promotion of women rights, the media, the environment and the rights of the girl-child.

"By exchanging views, experiences and lessons learned in the past five years, we will be making another crucial step to increase cooperation among international communities, governments and civil society to strengthen partnership and networks for the empowerment of women," Masdit said.

Today will see discussions on the economic empowerment of women, and the impact of globalisation and the Asian economic crisis on women.

* The Isis-UNIFEM media team for the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Review the Beijing Platform for Action in Asia and the Pacific is composed of Mavic Cabrera-Balleza, Lorna Israel, Isis International-Manila; Suchita Vemuri, Women's Features Service; Babita Basnet, Sancharika Samuha-Nepal ; Adelle Khan, Fiji Women's Crisis Centre; Ung Vanna, Khmer Women's Voice Centre; Lim Siu Ching, All Women's Action Society-Malaysia; Fatmawati Salapuddin, Bangsa Moro Women and Development Foundation-Philippines; Rina Jimenez-David, Philippines; Chitraporn Vanaspong, Thailand.


 
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