Final Report of the Asia-Pacific NGO Symposium: Part B

Youth Forum Report

STATEMENT FROM YOUTH FORUM

First of all, thank you the Steering Committee and the participants for giving us "Youth" a chance to participate in the symposium as a concurrent Forum and to present the report at this session.

We thank you for the experiences we have gained during the symposium, taking part as participants in the workshops and being assistant rapporteur in the girl-child issue as well as to observe the activities of the symposium. It is great and really rare opportunity for the small number of youth to be able to join the symposium. It is like a dream comes true to all of us. We have become familiar with the issues of critical concern in the advancement of women. We compare it to our own lives and have been able to express our opinions with other participants.

We have felt some conflicts and we look forward for solidarity and peace all over the world. We sympathize with the victims of violence and trafficking against women and girl-child. We all agree that education and training as well as media's roles are the solutions. We are concerned for future health programs for young people. We would like to request on behalf of the disabled and the aged to be equipped with facilities and proper living conditions. We trust that you agree with us in seeking some measurements to guarantee family well-being which is the main factor affecting development and gender equality. May our voices on the above mentioned aspects be heard and actions be taken by everyone who cares.

We truly appreciate your recognition and your attention to the youth. And, we promise to do our best for the future. Thank you very much.

YOUTH FORUM PROGRAM

Saturday August 28, 1999 - At Girl Guide Association

0900 - 1200 hrs

Introduction of youth participants
Briefing on Asia-Pacific Regional NGO Symposium
Planning of Youth Forum at the symposium
Election of officers
Delegation of work responsibilities

Monday August 30, 1999 - At Kampaengsaen, Nakhon Pathom

1300 - 1400 hrs.	Progress reports on the preparation of the symposium
1400 - 1500 hrs.	The law of Thailand regarding youth
1500 - 1700 hrs.	UNICEF briefing on the Convention of Child Rights and CEDAW
1700 - 1900 hrs.	Volunteer works on site of the symposium
2000 - 2100 hrs.	Youth group discussion

Tuesday August 31, 1999 - At symposium site

0930 - 1230 hrs.	Election of officers and workshop coordinators Discussion on youth participation at Opening Ceremony of symposium, Cultural Night and Closing Session of the symposium.
1400 - 1500 hrs	Participation of youth as flag bearers and chorus at the Opening Ceremony. Plenary session on NGO subregional reports Welcome dinner presided over by His Excellency Mr. Bichai Rattakul, The Deputy Prime Minister.

Wednesday September 1, 1999 - At symposium site

0830 - 0930 hrs.	Plenary session : Setting the agenda for the meeting
0930 - 1700 hrs.	Workshops: 12 critical areas of concern
1900 - 2200 hrs.	Discussion of youth participation at the workshops

Thursday September 2, 1999 - At symposium site

0800 - 1230 hrs.	Plenary session: reports from 12 workshops
1400 - 1700 hrs.	Special interest groups
1700 - 1900 hrs.	Meeting of youth reports drafting committee
1900 - 2100 hrs.	Symposium dinner with regional and national cultural presentation and youth program

Friday September 3, 1999 - At symposium site

0930 - 1200 hrs.	Forum: the Women's Movement in the Future
1200 - 1230 hrs.	Youth report
1400 - 1600 hrs.	Plenary session: conclusion and recommendations
1800 - 1900 hrs.	Closing ceremony featuring youth participation
1900 - 2100 hrs.	The Thai Cultural extravaganza by the Tourism Authority of Thailand

YOUTH EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Mr. Kriangkamol Thana - Chairman
Mr. Prajwol Shakya - Vice-Chairman
Ms. Willurei Kirdbright-Burney - Co-ordinator
Mr. Thun Khongsawatkiat - Data Information
Mr. Patipon Sudtipongkaset - Drafting
Ms. Nanae Nakamoto - Drafting Assistant
Mr. Rohman Taowato - Facilitator
Mr. Kritpong Sutasipromprae - p;Spokesman
Ms. Pawinin Poomsrisaard - Secretary

Consultants

Ms.Julakool R.
Ms.Boontharika N.
Ms.Naruphan Vallisuphan
Ms.Supawadee Kaewpungsed
Ms.Tassanee Ongsaranacomkul
Ms.Ramaimas Bowla
Ms.Somruck Promsophon
Mr.Poovanat Keawmaneerat
Ms.Suvannee P.
Mr.Artikiat Thongperm
Ms.Cholaros Nongpar

Report from the Parallel Workshop on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resource Management

Asia still has a dominantly high rural population and that women compose half of the agricultural workforce.
While women's work in agriculture is so diverse technologies developed are more suitable for men than women.
Extension programs are designed more for men than women.
Women become the first victim of forest degradation since they are the ones who collect food, fodder and fuel wood.

Pressing issues in agriculture, environment and natural resource management

Inadequate gender specific data on women's actual involvement in natural resource management, limits the range of programs. And activities suitable for women. This also results to gender concerns not adequately addressed in natural policies and plans.
Gender and Development (GAD) awareness remains at the sensitisation stage especially in environment and natural resource development agencies thus effective integration of women's concerns in the key components of the agency programs are hindered.
Poor living conditions of women and their families in the upland, forests, mining and coastal communities, more so with tribal and indigenous people result to women being direct contributors to natural resource degradation like forest destruction.
Lack of recognition of the role of women especially the indigenous communities in the maintenance of a balanced ecosystem, using traditional ways of environmental conservation. The untapped resource of women.
Traditional career choices limit women's participation in natural-resource related occupations particularly in mining, forestry and geodetic engineering.
Limited opportunities for qualified women in natural resource management in career promotions because jobs given are mostly administrative and not as professionally challenging as men.
Conflicting objectives of government policies and environmental management initiatives for instance Biodiversity for sustainable development versus promotion of mono crops as a response to demand for globalisation impacts women adversely in terms of food security.
Policy changes, legal documents, rules and ordinances for women does not guarantee women's empowerment. Putting a woman's name in a piece of paper vis-a-vis land titles is not complete Empowerment if the enabling support systems are not present.
Feminisation of agriculture creates secondary problems where older women become farmers when in reality are not the actual Targets of agricultural policies and programs.

Recommendations

Enhance participatory technology development processes to ensure active women participation in the field of genetic resource conservation.
Lobby actively for laws to stop/minimise the excessive use of chemicals and pollutants that destroys soils and water creating health hazards to women and their families,
At the same time promote the use of indigenous knowledge and practices in environment-friendly agriculture, forestry conservation, and coastal management.
Create opportunities for women to get education in forestry and agriculture in culturally-bound male-dominated societies so as to help address the concerns of rural women in terms of extension and technical services.
Provide sustainable alternative livelihood opportunities for women and men in degraded areas where rehabilitation projects are being done such as in the rehabilitation of mangroves, in the coastal areas.
Implement strict government budgets specifically allocated for addressing women concerns in the field of agriculture and natural resource management.
Strengthen and fully enforce Women In Development (WID) and GAD approaches and concepts into all training programs for all government agencies responsible for environment and natural resource management.

Stakeholders Panel

Panelists: Dr Lorraine Corner UNIFEM/UNDP Regional Programme Advisor; Ms Thelma Kay, WID Section ESCAP; Dr Shireen Lateef, Social Development, Asian Development Bank; Ms Suzanne Thibault, CIDA; and Ms Pawadee Tonguthai, Thai Women Watch.

Dr Corner discussed the language of gender and mainstreaming as terms that we are not always clear on, as people often confuse the concepts of mainstreaming of women and gender mainstreaming. The way the terms have been used throughout World Conference for Women documents has changed greatly in the last two decades. Gender was finally defined in the Beijing PFA and mainstreaming has only recently been defined by the Division for the Advancement of Women. She stressed the need to work with men and to increase male sensitisation towards gender equality and mainstreaming for the advancement of women.

Dr Kay outlined the results of the UN questionnaire to governments in the region for Beijing+5. Although these responses illustrated how diverse the ESCAP region is, they also showed commonalities in gains and in emerging issues of concern. In relation to gains, the following trends in the region were noted: the improved material status of women, their increased participation in decision making structures; in-roads for women and girls in science and technology; 11 new signatories to CEDAW (leaving only 7 countries in ESCAP who have not yet signed); and the completion of national plans of action in two thirds of the countries of the region.

Less positive trends illustrate that poverty remains the number one concern for many countries; there is an increase in unemployment which has led to the feminisation of retrenchment; an increase in trafficking for the exploitation of women; and increased violence against women in the region. Dr Kay pointed to the need for more strategies to increase the participation of women in decision making and to put women's policy on the agenda. She called for legal reforms using instruments such as CEDAW. Other trends that were noted in the region include the aging of the population; the increased spread of HIV/AIDS; increased migration; a new category of socio-economic problems resulting in the creation of social safety nets; and changing technology. Dr Kay also noted the changing role of NGOs with the UN recognising the importance of NGOs as actors in civil society and as the conscience of global citizenship.

Dr Lateef outlined the gender programme in the Asian Development Bank. Although the Bank works with governments rather than NGOs, she outlined how this is being sensitised to ensure gender considerations are taken into account in loans, and that governments consult and use NGOs in their regional technical assistance work. The 1985 WID Policy of the Bank was enhanced by the broadened mandate in 1992 which identified improving the status of women as one of the strategic development objectives. The new GAD policy of 1998 operationalises gender through a mainstreaming strategy. An increase in GAD personnel at headquarters and in resident missions has increased Bank capacity. Other new initiatives include policy dialogue with governments incorporating gender issues, a Gender Forum with 15-20 advisory members and a gender facility to fund small activities of NGOs directly.

Ms Thibault discussed the funding assistance that CIDA has given to the Beijing process, including this symposium which includes the participation of regional forestry management officers to this meeting. CIDA has also assisted the integration of gender issues into APEC and ASEAN meetings and work. Ms Tibault discussed her vision for the new century as one which speeds up the process of change to bring together corporal and spiritual selves, as a new basis to measure progress.

Dr Pawadee Tonguthai discussed the active work of Thai Women Watch as a network of NGOs monitoring the implementation of the Beijing PFA. Using examples of their work, she explained how Beijing brought together many different NGOs who were each working individually on assistance to women at the grassroots. In her vision for the future Dr Tongathia talked of the changing needs and expectations of donors, from simply providing funds to assisting with technical assistance. This represents a shift from direct aid to UN agencies acting as a source of exchange on best practice from Asia to other regions and vice versa. She also outlined how the UN can assist NGOs to work as partners in development with governments and their national machineries.

Questions from the session looked at the importance of having national women's NGO focal points to assist donor liaison. Although ESCAP and many donors have databases of NGOs, it is important for NGOs to compile directories of NGO women's groups working in specific sectors. There was discussion of how UN and donor agencies can pressure governments to work more cooperatively with NGOs. Other questions focussed on the planning for the October ESCAP Governmental meeting. NGOs requested time and space for a formal presentation of the report and declaration, which was agreed by ESCAP. Two rooms have been allocated for NGO use throughout the meeting. ESCAP can provide invitations for attendance for any NGOs who have not received this and require it for funding to attend. A letter from ESCAP to governments has encouraged government delegations to include NGO representatives.

Monitoring Group Panel

1400-1530, Thursday, 2 September 1999

The presenters for the Monitoring panel were Dr Vanessa Griffen, Co-ordinator, Gender and Development Programme, Asian and Pacific Development Centre (APDC); Ms Daphne Roxas, co-ordinator, Philippine NGO Beijing Score Board (PBSB); and Dr Patricia Licuanan, President, Southeast Asia Watch (SEAWatch).

APDC's monitoring process is through its Newsflash/Faxnews, a monthly bulletin which reports on GO, NGO and UN activities in the region and its annual publication on post-Beijing implementation, Monitor, which is a compilation of reports received from GOs and NGOs in the region. It was observed that, generally across the region, with the exception of some countries like the Philippines and Thailand, monitoring of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) is weak. This may be due to the lack of plans for monitoring the BPFA after the 1995 Beijing Conference; underestimation on the need and value of monitoring and insufficient thoughts given to mechanisms for monitoring. Monitoring should not only cover the BPFA but also the development process in the country and its impact on women since the 1995 Beijing conference. It should include activities undertaken by GOs and NGOs.

The Philippines NGO Beijing Score Board (PBSB) presentation focused on sharing its experiences in monitoring processes in the Philippines. Since its inception in 1996, the PBSB has produced three NGO Monitoring Reports on the Philippine Government's implementation of the BPFA. The monitoring process focused on the implementation of the 12 critical areas of concern and situations of women in these areas. Its monitoring process includes measuring the impact of projects on women especially those from marginalised groups and rural communities. The importance of being familiar with the functions of governments when carrying out the monitoring process was emphasised. Each of its monitoring reports were commemorated with an annual event, for example, a public rally, a public hearing in the Senate and a briefing in the House of Representative.

There is a need to ensure efficient dissemination of information and lobbying by NGOs to ensure governments provide information on the on ongoing situation of women. Monitoring of the BPFA has to be mainstreamed. Government resources must be appropriately used for the concern of women. The monitoring process is a very important component for the review process and for preparing reports on the advancement of women, including the Beijing review.

Activities carried out by SEAWatch focus on monitoring the "monitoring processes" undertaken in the Southeast Asian region. SEAWatch is committed to advocacy for monitoring and evaluation; strategies for empowering women; assessing and developing technical capability in the area of monitoring; using indicators to observe and measure changes over time as well as using indicators that are innovative and qualitative. The trend observed by SEAWatch is that most of the monitoring reports tend to address only certain areas of concern such as violence against women; women and poverty; women and the economy; women in power and decision making; women and health and women in education and training but lack a focus on other areas of concern such as women and the environment and women and media.

There is lack of institutional mechanisms for monitoring by GOs and NGOs. Most monitoring processes tend to emphasise activities and not results. There is a need to develop monitoring partnerships between GOs, universities and NGOs.

Audience participants considered that there was a:

lack of funding for monitoring activities;
need for training in monitoring skills;
need to publicise and disseminate information;
need to improve existing monitoring methods;
need to have a more participatory process in monitoring;
need to identify sources of funding for monitoring specific areas of concern;
need to make better use of the resources already available;
need to draw upon NGOs with differing expertise;
need to draw on experiences sharing as a form of training in the region;
need to strengthen the role of national machineries in monitoring processes; and a
need to involve GOs in monitoring the activities of NGOs.

The Women's Movement in Future

Chair: Ms Shagufta Ali Zai,
Panelists: Vicki Corpuz Tauli, Farida Shaheed, Yayori Matsui, Josefa Francisco, Nighat Said Khan.

This plenary session reflected the many concerns, aspirations and apprehensions that the women's movement in the Asia- Pacific region will have to contend with in the future. The concerns ranged from the plight of the indigenous women to rising fundamentalism, social and cultural conservatism and ethnic and nationalist struggles that have swept large parts of the region. We are also having to deal with a shifting development paradigm.

Speaking on behalf of the indigenous women, Vicki Corpuz Tauli stated that the condition of the indigenous women has not in any way improved since the Beijing Conference in 1995. In fact their problems have become more complex with the rise of extractive industrial activity exacerbated by unabated logging and mining operations. Much of this new found economic aggression currently being displayed by the various governments and the corporate sector, is supported by world bodies like WTO, World Bank and IMF.

They are liberalising mining laws and extending to the mining corporations generous terms of lease ranging from 50 to 75 years. This has the effect of denying the indigenous people their right over their material resources, and deprives the indigenous people of their age-old right over their knowledge systems. By deviously patenting the rare plants and seeds which belong to the indigenous societies, the result of thousands of years of unadulterated knowledge, and covertly gaining control over their genes Governments, Multi-nationals and International Agencies deny societies their right to self-determination and cultural expression.

These blatant and inhuman acts and violations of indigenous societies are occurring across the region and are further aggravated by the brutal repression that has been unleashed on the minorities by the different governments. Indonesia exemplifies the growing militarisation of this region and their brutal response to the growing challenge of the indigenous people. Even the few peace accords that have been entered into with the indigenous people of countries like Bangladesh have not been seriously implemented.

In the light of this grave and highly discriminatory situation which indigenous people are facing, the key recommendations that emerged are:

The indigenous people organise themselves to garner greater support for their cause regionally and globally.
That the representation of the indigenous people be targeted and increased in the participation, planning and steering of meetings such as the Asia- Pacific Regional NGO Symposium.
That a review be undertaken of the implementation of all peace accords that different governments have entered into with indigenous people.
That all the State violence that has been unleashed on these people be condemned by the United Nations and member States
That the TRIPS Agreement be amended to prohibit the patenting of the natural resources of indigenous people.
That a permanent forum be established in the UN to represent the indigenous people.

Finally the spokesperson of the indigenous people appealed to the women's organisations to take on their share of the responsibility to advance their struggle for self-determination.

Addressing the challenges that the women's movement face in the future, Ms Farida Shaheed, Pakistan, pointed that there are two sets of challenges to the women's movement today. The first is posed by the variety of our personal and collective experiences and the real differences of circumstances facing, for example, indigenous peoples, youth, migrant domestic workers, women who are refugees, displaced, or stateless, lesbians, ethnic and religious minorities, women with disabilities, and rural women. These differences have implications for our activism, our priorities, our needs and strategies. Rejecting the right of others to impose a limited identity on us, we must acknowledge the right of all women to make their own choices and respect these choices even when they appear "culturally challenging".

To ensure a dynamic growing movement, we need to avoid the syndrome of making other women "feel foreign in feminism" (Clech Lam) and need to redefine our identity as women but also all the other identities we claim as integral to our multi-faceted selves.

Bearing in mind the differences that distinguish us, the women's movement needs to move beyond to find our commonalities. The single factor that we share as women throughout the world is patriarchy even though the cultural articulation of patriarchy and the degree of control may differ. The only effective critique of this system is found in feminist philosophy.

The second challenge relates to the feminist vision. Changing relationships between women and men is not enough. Feminism is not just about making a better deal for women in the existing system. First, if feminism rejects the hierarchical domination of men over women, then we cannot justify or support any other form of hierarchy of one group over another. Second, the principles of militaristic enterprise and war in any form is antithetical to feminism.

Feminism therefore means changing the entire system. This requires people's political movements and the women's movement to identify our allies for change. We need to answer some very basic questions on what we want to achieve. Other social movements seem bent on seizing state power. Feminists have rarely been comfortable with the framework of nation-states. But if we reject states and hierarchies, what would replace them? How would society function ? Perhaps most importantly in today's context, we need to define what a stateless non-hierarchical global economy would look like.

Yayori Matsui a Japanese journalist examined the implications of the growing ethnic and nationalist struggles in different parts of the world. Dealing with the increasing militarisation of this region she believed that countries like Japan, who for many years post-second world war were not allowed to pursue and nurture martial ambitions, are now creating conditions that will enable them to wage a war. Much of this new found zeal for war she traced to the rise of right wing parties. Not only were they seeking to bring about constitutional changes, remove articles and provisions in the Constitution that strengthen peace but also use every opportunity to glorify war, turn war criminals into heroes and even target globalisation for the loss of national esteem and pride. But unlike the women's movement they present a right-wing opposition to globalisation and to demonstrate their anti-women position they have targeted the issue of "comfort" women. Instead of urging the Japanese to take responsibility for this violation they are whipping up popular passion against the comfort women, accusing them of indulging them in prostitution and publicly denying that any war crimes were committed on thousands of women.

In order to challenge this blatant effort at denying women their right to justice, an independent war crimes tribunal organised by the leading women activists will be held at Japan next year. An international committee will be formed consisting of members from the country that perpetrated the crime, i.e. Japan, others who represent the nations that have been victimised and groups working on existing war crimes in Yugoslavia, Algeria, Germany and eminent jurists.

Examining the challenge of shifting the development paradigm Josefa Francisco, DAWN Regional Coordinator, S.E. Asia, stated that the women's movement had expressed their concern about globalisation as far back as 1985. At the Beijing Conference there was an even greater recognition of the phenomena of globalisation. But it was only two years after Beijing Conference when the " Asian meltdown and ensuing economic crisis cast a huge cloud of doubt over the euphoria generated by the market ideology" that more concrete misgivings about globalisation has risen. This crisis, unlike in 60's and 70's, occurred within the private sector. Hence one positive fallout of this crisis has been the undermining of the faith and confidence that many governments and influential individuals had in the open market economy and their reliance on the global capital. Therefore at a time when the mainstream is confused, disunited and on the defensive, for the people in the women's movement who work with the mainstream the present dilemma arising from this contestation of forces can be turned into a real opportunity of moving the debate on development further away from the market and on the alternative path. In doing this, it has been recommended that we can continue utilising certain international agreements and conventions such as the Beijing Platform of Action and CEDAW as countervailing instruments to the more market-oriented goals and objectives of States and multi-lateral institutions.

Adressing the issues of rising fundamentalism, and social/cultural conservatism as challenges for the women's movement, Nighat Said Khan discussed how this trend is likely to continue unless we are willing to confront it, both in society and in ourselves. She stated that her main concern is the rising of conservatism in the progressive women's movement. Her discussion centred around the ways in which nation states exploit the notions of nationality, chauvinism, religion and tradition to broaden and strengthen their control. There is a lack of ideological progressive political movements, of a larger dream, which leads to apathy and despair. This impacts most strongly on women, as the family is the primary and most fundamental institution through which these tendencies are articulated. Nighat challenged us to consider how the feminist movement is backing away from confronting the forces which oppress us. We have become dependant on Government Funding, we are more focused on collaboration than significant change. The term "gender" now replaces "women", once again making women's oppression invisible. Patriarchy is no longer challenged and religion and state oppression are seldom questioned by the women's movement. She also described how the women's movement has sold out ideals for inclusion in a system which oppresses. That homophobia is strong in the women's movement and the feminist critique of the family and of marriage has all but disappeared. She concluded by posing four important questions:

Will the women's movement continue if funds are no longer available?
Will "collaboration", "partnership" and "lobbying" bring about the changes that we seek - in reality and on the ground - without a simultaneously active women's movement to challenge and confront from the outside?
If we do not have an ideological position and a larger dream will we ever get the energy, the commitment and the resistance needed to fight patriarchy? and
When NGOs really begin to challenge the status quo __ or are perceived to be doing so, will the state or the UN allow them to continue? The political space is being restricted in many countries and in Pakistan we have seen a full scale attack on women centred NGOs - what will the NGOs do in this case? Backtrack? Compromise? Negotiate a space? or continue with their confrontation regardless?

She concluded with the statement that as we approach the new millennium she strongly believes it is time to take stock and to re-examine what we are doing and why - she believes we need to get back and re look at the critiques and the principles of feminism and the feminist movement. She has faith that fundamentalism and conservatism can be challenged by a counter ideology __ a counter movement and a new all encompassing dream. As Langston Hughes, a Black American poet, said "Hold fast to dreams for when dreams die life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly".

Sub-regional Reports Summaries

The following are summaries of the Sub-Regional Reports presented to the Symposium. Full transcripts of these reports can be found on the AWORC Beijing+5 web site, http://www.jca.apc.org/aworc/bpfa/

South East Asia

This review of the Beijing Platform for Action by women citizens of South East Asia comes at a time when the region still finds itself struggling to address the debilitating national-regional effects of a recent financial meltdown and economic crisis. For some countries, such as Indonesia, the crisis led a major public awakening and process of political re-structuring or realignments. For women citizens and the women's movement the search for alternative paradigms have become more imperative than ever before. We want to collectively flag - perhaps for the last time in this millennium - women's issues as critical human issues and concerns that remain as challenges for governments and citizens to address in the next cycle.

The issue of political will. Governments in the sub-region can claim that they are committed to the Beijing Platform of Action and could quickly show evidences to back up such claim. Everywhere, there are women-friendly policy statements, national machineries, or national plans for women. However, all governments will also claim that the main reason for non-implementation is the question of finances, particularly at this time when national budgets are tighter and economies have either shrunk or stagnated. When times were good, government financing for women's development was already low. So much so now when things are at their worse. The lack of finances is therefore not the only and most critical factor as to why governments lack success in performance. Regardless of whether there is money or not, commitment to the advancement of women that that requires gender responsive policies, plans, programs and monitoring schemes, have always been given an insignificant slice of the pie.
The issue of accountability. Governments, their leaders, agencies and bureaucracies must be accountable first and foremost to the majority of their citizens, women and men alike. Adequate legal guarantees and institutional processes must be put in place in order to actualise such accountability. The education of women, their political participation and the existence of a strong women's movement are critical factors in ensuring that governments remain accountable to the people in general and the women, in particular. We are particularly urging women leaders and activists who have engaged in a politics of institutionalisation and formal power not to forget their accountability to the women's movement and the people in general. We are in power not to be integrated by it but to change politics that increasingly reflect gender equality and equity, as well as, democracy.
Violence against women still widely exists and in newer forms as intensified economic hardships of families and result to their increased vulnerability. This vulnerability stems from the myriad effects of capital mobility, re-structuring of production systems and increased exploitation of labor, including child labor brought about by economic globalisation. Some of these forms of economic related violence against women include sexual exploitation in prostitution and trafficking, slavery-like labor conditions facing certain migrant workers, trans-border smuggling of humans and human organs, occupation-related accidents and ailments among cheaply paid women workers in overseas factories of transnational corporations.
Violence against women at the personal level has also become more intense as a result of patriarchal backlash reaction of individual men who are threatened by the women's movement. Moreover, violence against women linked to ethnic hate and other cultural discrimination has been widely documented in areas where political and cultural intolerance resulted to open violence by armed groups and the state. Moreover, homophobia continues to be manifested in religious intolerance, family rejection, negative representation in the media, physical violence and abuse, as well as, invisibility.
The adoption of micro credit program as a response to women's poverty is grossly inadequate and at best could only be palliative in relation to practical needs. Women's credit systems ought to be upscaled and sufficiently provided with support infrastructure and interventions such as skills training, market support, including advocacy for sharing for housework between women and men, so that women's credit can truly become an alternative source of financing and entrepreneurship. It should be noted that micro-level interventions aimed at alleviating women's poverty are often not linked to gender analysis at the macroeconomic level that can pave the way for meeting women's strategic needs. Sadly, this leads to a disjointed effort at women's economic development and at worse, certain gender blind impacts of the macro-economy overturn the small benefits gained in the micro level.
Budget allocation for social services, social safety nets and social insurance system remain insignificant compared to the scope of the problems of maternal mortality, women's morbidity, child mortality and morbidity, and the lack of specialised services for women. Increased pressures on women to assume responsibility for the family's health and well being has emerged in the face of government's privatisation of health and other basic services. Male responsibility and male participation in reproductive health has been misinterpreted and translated into calls for reproductive health services for men at a time when reproductive health care policies, programs and services are either still not in place or in need to be improved upon. Men are themselves saying that change is taking place but which men and to what extent?
Food security and women's livelihoods are threatened by the onslaught of massive land conversion to industrial estates, cash crop agriculture, and big development projects such as dams. The re-directing by government of economic development towards agriculture will not only ensure poor rural and indigenous women are provided with income opportunities but also serve to promote women farmers' environmentally sustainable farming practices and life/cultural systems.

In ending, it is clear there is a need for a re-examination and re-direction of national development and their society's well-being away from the dictates of the market and toward a perspective that includes the following:

women's human rights
politics of tolerance, cooperation and partnership
respect for democracy and the law
desire for human security, peace and sustainability
confluence of feeling and thinking
personal autonomy and choice and
non-exclusionary morality and ethics

Reviewing the Beijing Platform for Action can become a real opportunity for women to participate in this process of collective re-imagination of the human, social, political and economic across communities, states, regions and the world. We have much to gain and nothing to lose but our dis -empowerment!

South Asia

In the five years since Beijing, the subregion has experienced gains in the areas of:

Formulation of plans and the establishment of national machineries for the advancement of women; and
An increase in awareness and demand for rights for women

These gains have, however, met with resistance from States and elements of civil society. They are overshadowed by massive pessimism in the face of emerging trends and the persistent issues that define the struggle for gender equality, development and peace.

There are four overarching issues that persist in South Asia:

Persisting poverty and the impact of national policies and globalisation
Conflict within and across borders
Political instability, poor governance and a lack of commitment to women's empowerment
Persistence of patriarchal attitudes and practices as well as discriminatory laws and policies

The emerging trends include:

Lack of government leadership in questioning and controlling the role of international finance and trade organisations, multilateral and bilateral agencies
An alarming increase in widespread violence against women particularly domestic violence and victimisation of women in the name of honour
An increase in poverty among women related to growing numbers of female headed households and the denial of rights to land and property
A backlash from men over the emergence of women in local level government
Women continue to remain poorly represented in policy, administrative and legislative bodies throughout the region.
Trafficking of women and girls within and across countries has assumed alarming proportions in South Asia.

East Asia

The subregion of East Asia is made up of the countries of China, Japan, Mongolia and the Republic of Korea.

The following is a summary of the Sub Regional Report. This report outlines the areas of commonality and differences in relation to the status of women among the countries of the subregion.

There have been clear gains in all the countries in some areas of the BPFA including:

The establishment of networks among women's organisations to oppose militarism in the region
An increase in NGO activity to monitor government's performance in the implementation of the BPFA.
Advancements in terms of legislation and mechanisms for gender equality

Despite these gains, there are persisting issues and the following are common to all the countries of the region:

Extremely inadequate representation of women in decision making positions and in politics
Low rates of participation of women in the private sector
Persistence of strong gender roles
Continuing gender gap in illiteracy rates and higher education enrolments
Existence of defacto discrimination against women
Gender gap in wages and M shaped curve in labour participation rate
Increasing commodification of women reflected in prostitution, pornography, trafficking and depiction of women as sex objects in the mass media
Increased feminisation of poverty

Emerging issues in the region include:

The impact of globalisation - women are less likely to benefit from globalisation than men and jobs have become less stable and secure for women.
Trafficking of women and children is becoming a more serious problem as younger and younger children are now being trafficked
Increased militarism by Japanese and Korean governments and violence against women at the hands of soldiers from US Army bases
Marginalisation of women arising from their lack of access to new technologies including the Internet.

Central Asia

Central Asia is made up Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tadjikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzberkistan, with a total population over 60 million. These countries are living under conditions of poverty, unemployment, reduced participation of women in decision making, ageing population, wars and armed conflict.

Since the Beijing conference there have been some gains for women in this sub region. They include:

A 25% increase in the number of NGO's in some countries
The creation of the new institutional mechanisms and governmental national machineries for the advancement of women
Gender in Development Units have been created in each country
National plans of action have been created in each country
Increased participation of women in the planning and implementation process of the national plans of action and programs
Implementation of various programs in the economic sector in relation to the critical areas of the BPFA
increased access to training, seminars, workshops in relation to the main concerns of the BPFA

Despite these gains, there continue to be persisting issues for the women in this sub region which include:

Limited participation in governance and decision making
Lack for funding for surveys and research into the status of the most vulnerable women including refugees, internally displaced persons, aged and disabled peoples, widows and orphans, the unemployed and low income earning people.
Limited access to the documentation, information, technical equipment, language and computer courses
Limited publishing capacities
Lack of international Iinkages
Limited access to networking and integration into the regional an global programs and process

Emerging issues include:

Escalating levels of women's unemployment
Increasing under-representation of educated women with professional skills and experience in governance
Increasing non participation of educated women with professional skills in positions of leadership, or having equal opportunities with men

To improve the status of women in this sub-region, the following steps must be taken:

Gender mainstreaming and sensitisation of national laws, state policies and programs.
Increase of surveys on women's status at work, in the community and in the family
Equal opportunities for the equal human rights
Small enterprises established for income generation in cities and rural areas
More involvement of women in peace making processes
Identification of the problems and needs of refugees, internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups
Provision of legal, medical services and social protection for these groups
Grass roots mobilisation of women in all areas
Support from regional and global bodies to assist in integration into the Global movement of Women

Pacific Region

The Pacific Region has submitted three short reports:

The Pacific Island States

The gains that women from these Island States have experienced since the Beijing conference include:

Improved reproductive health, female adult literacy and women's educational attainment in most states
Legislation to promote and project women's human rights in some states
Increased involvement of women in politics and economic activities in most states
Development of national policies on women by most of the governments
Establishments of specific national focal points
Increase in the number of countries that have ratified CEDAW

Persisting issues include:

Lack of proper monitoring mechanisms for the BPFA
The dearth of gender - disaggregated statistics, especially on economic activities
Insufficient political will on the part of governments to implement the BPFA
Limited national institutional and administrative capacity
Ad hoc nature of donor assistance for programs for women
Insufficient cooperation between governments and NGOs in implementing the BPFA
Lack of information to NGOs about possible funds or sources of support

The emerging issues among the Pacific Islands are heavily influenced by the impact of globalisation on the subregion. They include:

The negative impact of globalisation on all aspects of women's life
The impact of globalisation on government's ability to implement the BPFA
The impact of globalisation on the capacity of the domestic economy for opportunities for income generation activities for women
Feminisation of poverty in the region and its effect on women's health

New Zealand

There has been some gains for Women of New Zealand in relation to the Beijing Platform for Action. These gains include:

A 25% increase in funding by government for institutional mechanisms to enhance the status of women
The introduction of the Domestic Violence Act 1995 which targets family violence
Improvement in health service delivery
Gains in the area of women's access to power and decision making with the appointment of the first woman Prime Minister, the first woman Chief Justice and the first woman Chief Executive Officer of Telecom New Zealand

In spite of theses gains, a number of issues persist. These include:

Women's economic advancement continues to be impeded by family responsibilities and unpaid work in the home
Women's rates of pay are 20% below that of men
High fees for tertiary education which disproportionally disadvantages women
Difficulties for women in accessing higher roles in government
Casualisation of the workforce in female dominated sectors
Male domination in legislative, legal and business sectors
The needs of diverse cultural and ethnic groups remain unmet
The personal safety of women in the house, workplace and community remains at risk
Loss of Government funding to NGO's leading to decreased participation
Subtle systematic forces which the work to limit the status of women have proved stubborn persistent and very difficult to eradicate

Australia

This report is the outcome of a meeting between representatives from Australia, Pacific Island States and New Zealand.

Gains identified which can be linked to the BPFA include:

Improvements in the provision of domestic violence services
The introduction of legislation, provision of services and prevention programs for migrant and refugee communities affected by the traditional practice of female genital mutilation

Persistent issues include:

The continuing feminisation of poverty through structural inequality at local, regional and global levels,
Ongoing poverty and conflict in the sub-region which has led to the displacement, rape, sexual torture and loss of basic services for women and children
Ongoing inequitable distribution of funds and resources which results in unequal access for women to health, culturally appropriate education, positions of power and decision making, basic human rights, peace and security, in particular indigenous women, women with a disability, older women, lesbians and in Australia and New Zealand, women from a non English Speaking background.
Ongoing domestic violence

Emerging issues include:

The negative impact of globalisation on all aspects of the status of women
Cuts to government funding and mainstreaming of policies have seriously undermine the ability of women to participate as equal partners in society.
Patterns of systematic rape and sexual torture by military and para miliary forces in some parts of the sub-region

Future Actions include:

The need for better networking and closer co-operation between NGOs and indigenous peoples in the Pacific sub region including the establishment of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Network
The need for improved working relationships between government, NGOs and indigenous peoples and improved mechanisms to allow women's voices to be heard at the United Nations
The need to establish a mechanism to monitor the status and well being of women and girl children in the sub region against the commitments made by governments to the BPFA
The need to include young women in all parts of decision making processes including meetings of governments, NGOs and the UN
The need to establish mechanisms by Governments, Non Government Organisations and civil society to report and measure resource allocation and expenditure on a gender and age basis, with the objective of achieving equal distribution.

Reports from some of the Special Interest Groups, Countries and Regions

These sections of the report were not endorsed at Plenary Sessions

Special Interest Group on Sub- Contracted Women in the Global Economy

The workshop focused on the results of a multi-country research on the connections between the global economy and sub-contracted work from a gender perspective. The research involved economists, social scientists and NGO activists from the Philippines, Thailand, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The discussion revolved around problems of sub-contracted women workers: decreasing price rates, lack of social protection, and worsening working and living conditions in the context of the economic crisis and globalisation. Advocacy strategies include ensuring the rights of home-workers and sub-contracted workers in general through local legislation as well as ratification of the ILO Convention on home-workers; monitoring of corporate codes of conduct by researching more on the sub-contracting chains; and facilitating sustainable livelihood through breakthrough credit and other support services.

Prepared By: Rosalinda Pineda Ofreneo, Philippines

Special Interest Group on State Violence Against Women in Indonesia and East Timor: A Critical Concern

Given the atrocities which continue to occur in Indonesia - of which women are among the primary victims - we urge that our following concerns be included in the Symposium's Declaration:

Women in Indonesia and East Timor have experienced unprecedented levels of violence in all segments of life since the 1960s. The primary cause is state violence, which take the form of:

Unmitigated military violence in army-controlled areas of Aceh, East Timor and West Papua, including towards internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Repressive measures implemented by the military in cases of labor, land and natural resource disputes.
Formulation of a draft legislation by the executive branch that gave absolute power to the state and military for repressive action in the name of national security (Bill on State Safety and Security) and a human rights bill that does not recognise the state as a violator of human rights.
No protection for victims of violence and no prosecution of perpetrators (resulting in their impunity) caused by a weak and ineffective criminal justice system.
State-sanctioned discriminatory actions and measures towards particular race and ethnicities.

The economics crisis, in the context of globalisation, has made the trafficking of Indonesian women a critical issue. Most vulnerable, among others, are women migrant workers. These women work in the most unprotected sector of the economy as domestic workers. As labourers in a foreign land, they are victims of discriminatory actions by their host countries; as workers in people's homes, they are unprotected by the state; as women, they are subject to sexual violence by their employers. The Indonesian government provides no protection at all for these women. We ask the support of the participants of this Symposium for our struggle against state violence in Indonesia.

Signed:
Kalyanamitra * Solidaritas Perempuan * Komnas Perempuan * YLBHI * LBH Jakarta * LBH Ujung Pandang * LBH Medan * Rifka Anissa * LBH APIK Jarkata * LBH APIK Aceh * LBH APIK Pontianak * LSPPA * Bioforum

Special Interest Group on Lobbying

Facilitator: Heisoo Shin
Chair, Regional NGO Lobbying Committee

Discussions on strategies of lobbying were as follows:

1) National Level Lobbying

After this symposium participants lobby their governments with the report from this symposium so that the government can incorporate the NGO perspective in their position.
This can be done through various ways - informal dialogue, a public forum on this symposium and preparation for ESCAP high-level G.O meeting, use of media, etc.
We are also encouraged to lobby the government to include NGO representatives in the list of government delegation to October ESCAP meeting.

2) Regional Level Lobbying

We need lobbying materials like the 'Yellow Book' in Jakarta.
Also NGO's need to meet one day prior to the ESCAP meeting to discuss and strategise, this date is October 25th.
Participation of NGO's in the ESCAP meeting should be guaranteed, both accreditation and formal presentation of NGO positions. For those who need accreditation, they would approach other NGO's with a consultative status, including APWLD.
First lobbying action would start at the Stakeholders panel on September 2, 1999, requesting the ESCAP representative an inclusive policy towards NGO's. At this point at least one person from one country is needed.
Identification of who would participate in the ESCAP meeting was not possible.

Special Interest group on Lesbian Rights

Lesbians from Asia convened at the Pailyn Palm Room to discuss the issues they wanted to raise in this symposium. The workshop aimed to discuss the integration of lesbian issues into the 12 Critical Areas of Concern. It was found that while the human rights workshop took up lesbian issues quite adequately, other relevant workshops, such as health, violence against women, women and work, education and media failed to do so.

The group felt that the issue of women's autonomy and control over sexuality is a core issue of women's oppression and marginalisation and as such, should in itself be a critical area of concern. But because of the constraints of working within the framework of the Beijing Platform for Action, it became difficult (logistically) for lesbians in the symposium to integrate lesbian issues into each of the 12 Critical Areas of Concern.

Women's autonomy in terms of control over their sexuality, relationships and living arrangements needs to be recognised as a fundamental human right. Most women are deprived of such autonomy and control over their lives. This situation has strong implications on the lives of lesbian and bisexual women, child brides, single and divorced women, and unmarried mothers, among others.

With regard to education, economy and training there should be no discrimination against lesbian in terms of equal access to and practice in all areas including education and employment.

Lesbians, like many marginalised women, are portrayed by the media in extremely limited and negative stereotyped images. Such portrayal not only promotes discrimination against lesbians. It also encourages both subtle and absent forms of violence. Media must acknowledge the existence of diverse sectors in our societies and allow a plurality of images to be portrayed. Invisibility of lesbians in the health care system and in many situations, prejudice against them, deprive lesbians of services which respond to their specific health needs.

Lesbians are especially vulnerable to all forms of sexual and physical violence and abuse due to their sexual orientation. In addition, lesbians also undergo emotional and psychological stress and are sometimes driven to suicide by social and cultural pressures. There have also been cases in which lesbians have been murdered, for example in Australia.

Therefore, any measures to curb violence against women should take into consideration the situations of lesbians.

Special Interest Group on Violence Against Dalit Women in India

In India the Dalit women are brutalised and traumatised within the India social system, they are the victim of a patriarchal social structure and the culturally approved hierarchy of caste. In the context of the caste hierarchy upper caste people are defined as pure and Dalit's as impure, Dalit's are classed as 'the untouchables of India' which has become a social stigma for all Dalit's. As Berreman expresses "stigmatised social identity is experienced as oppression-It is a human, day to day experience of degradation and exploitation and not simply as abstract concept" (Berreman 1972). Some examples of the effect this has on Dalit women are as follows:

Dalit girls are socialised from childhood to be public and domestic labour, although child labour practices are prohibited in India Dalit girls have to perform laborious jobs for their survival.
Because Dalit women have such a low caste status they are treated inhumanly by members of 'upper caste' society, especially by upper caste men. They are subjected to physical and sexual violence as part of their daily existence.
In the Laxmanpur-Bathe, in Bihar state, on the evening of December 1st 1997, the Ranvir Sena (upper-caste)people raped and murdered five girls, they were all shot in the chest. At the same time 27 women, 8 of them pregnant, and 17 children were killed. "When asked why the Sena killed children and women, one Sena member responded, 'we kill children because they will grow up to become Naxalites' ". (Human Rights Watch Report Broken People)
Dalit women are often forced to resort to prostitution as a means to combat high levels of poverty.

These are but a few examples of the concerns of Dalit women in India. This symposium is sub-titled Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-First Century but unless and until we analyse the status of Dalit women in India in light of its distinctive nature and reality we can not achieve a development process amongst women to bring about gender equality.

Special Interest Group on The UN working with NGOs and GOs in the Mekong Subregion

Facilitators: Suzette Mitchell (UN Viet Nam); Joytsna Roy (UN Cambodia); and Angie Agulto (UNDP Regional Gender Programme)

One of the initiatives of the UN system in assisting the implementation of the Beijing PFA is the joint work of UNIFEM and UNDP with the United Nations Volunteers. Twenty UNV Gender Specialists have been posted throughout the world. These workers in Lao PDR, Cambodia and Viet Nam are working to develop collaborative mechanisms on gender between UN agencies in the field, the national and local governments and NGOs. This SIG brought together actors form these countries to discuss future cooperation, including the UNDP supported programme 'Promoting Gender Equality in the Asia Pacific Region'.

The session identified the major obstacles for NGOs in the Mekong region in their preparation for Beijing+5 are firstly information, time and resources. Often information reaches the region too late for accessing funding for full participation in SEA and international activities.

Although the Mekong countries have cultural differences, they have many socio-political issues in common as they are economies in transition. As such, their issues may differ greatly from other South East Asian countries. Trafficking in women is a key issue within the sub-region that illustrates the collaborative sub-region work of the UN, NGOs and GOs.

Representatives from the region discussed strategies for sharing information on discussion groups on the internet, draft national reports and access technical assistance for the development of national reports for Beijing +5.

Special Interest Group on Networking on Women in Politics for Southeast Asia Countries

The meeting was attended by representatives from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Ms. Lucy Lazo representing CAPWIP convened and presided over the meeting. There was a general discussion on the formation of the network on women in politics in Southeast Asia. She said that the meeting was meant to brainstorm on how the member countries of the sub-region could move ahead with networking.
What purposes and objectives could such a network serve? The participants articulated their views and these were summarised into three objectives of the network:
a) To facilitate the exchange of information and capacity building of member organisations in the field of politics and governance;
b) To serve as a forum for expressing women's common issues in the Southeast Asia region;
c) To serve as a lobby, advocate and resource for ensuring women's representation and participation in regional and international bodies.
Who could serve as a sub-regional/national focal point? According to the survey done by Ms. Lazo from May to July 1999, it is Thailand which comes closest to having a national network on women in politics at this point in time. Also, the cost of operations is cheapest in Bangkok. Manila and Jakarta are comparatively more expensive as a base for a sub-regional activities.

Ms. Titi Sumbung thus suggested that Thailand be the sub-regional focal point. Dr. Pusadee Tamthai of Women in Politics of Thailand agreed to be an interim focal point for the Southeast Asian-women in Politics (SEA-WIP) network.
Future Actions:
- A sub-regional meeting will be convened on the fourth week of January 2000 to formalise the establishment of the SEA-WIP and to lay down plans of action and fundraising plans. Meantime, it was suggested that support for the sub-regional meeting be obtained through the CAPWIP and the UNDP sub-regional program on promoting gender equality.
- National meetings will be held in the member countries in order to establish their respective national networks on women in politics.

Tentative Schedules were indicated as follows:
Fourth week of November 1999 Philippines, Indonesia
Second week of December 1999 Thailand

Schedule for the national meetings in the other countries will be submitted later to Ms. Lazo.

* Copies of the CAPWIP survey will be circulated to the member countries/organisations in the sub-region.

Prepared by: Lucy S. Lazo, 2nd September 1999
Cc: Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia

Special Interest Group on Information and Communication Technologies: An Agenda for Women

In the last five years, the rapid growth of information and communication technologies brought many changes in the way people work and communicate. This brings about both threats and opportunities for women. Information and communication technologies may challenge gender division of labor, may redefine women's participation in the work force, creating new career paths and areas of expertise, and has the potential to alleviate the impoverished conditions of women. However, advancements in technology have also caused the displacement of and occupational hazards to women workers, have resulted in the degradation of the environment, and have the potential to threaten diversity of women's experiences and cultures.

The last decade of this century marked the shift to a global information economy characterised by the dominance of giant media and transnational corporations that are able to dictate the production of information worldwide. Information and communication technologies have played a crucial role in this global trend. This same ownership pattern and control has resulted in highly unequal access for majority of the world's population. This inequality contributes to increasing the gap between those who have access to abundant information resources and those who are deprived of this access.

In order to participate in the new world order and the emerging information society, women must understand and be part of the development of new information and communication technologies. Historically, women have not been raised and trained to engage in science and technology. Because of this, women have a lot of catching up to do. It is therefore imperative that women use new information and communication technologies critically to ensure that it results in women's advancement and empowerment.

Recommendations for Action:

Democratisation of access to and use of ICT

Women must look into appropriate technologies, explore new community models, push for public access and open source licensing.

Education and Training of Women

Women should have a role in shaping and re-designing the technology. Education and training must focus not only on using the technology but on fully understanding it.
Women must be trained to be "information literate", that is knowing where to find useful information, knowing how to organise information, and using information for advocacy.
Education must also tackle the content of the new ICT.

Government Policy and Political Will

Governments must support women's participation in new ICT by providing resources and infrastructure for women.
Governments must not surrender their rights, specifically on the issue of Intellectual Property Right (IPR).

Labor in New ICT

Governments, private companies, NGOs and civil society must address health and occupational hazards faced by women in computer industry.
New ICT may result in more home-based work for women. We must assess both its positive and negative impacts on women.
We must also assess women's position in the labor force in the computer industry.

Addressing the Issues of Poverty and Grassroots Women

ICT must be used to alleviate women's poverty.
We must address the issues of patenting, and protect indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge, which are threatened by new ICT.

Culture

We must be critical of the potential of new ICT to homogenise culture and to threaten cultural diversity and realities of women.

New ICT and Media

We must address the issue of trafficking of women and children through the Internet (i.e. Mail-Order-Brides, paedophilia, and prostitution).
We must address the issue to pornography on the Web.
We must look into re-defining and re-thinking the meaning of freedom of expression.

New ICT must be used to strengthen women's networking, participation in democratic processes, and economic empowerment.

Special Interest Workshop convened by the Asian Women's Resource Exchange

Report from Special Interest Group: Peace: A Call to Women's Leadership

Convenors: Women's Coalition for Peace with Dignity / Razia Ismail
Rapporteurs: Sarala Gopalan, Susheela Kaushik

SUMMARY:
The group noted the proliferation of war and conflict, militarism and the arms trade, and identified Peace as the missed priority of the 5 years since Beijing, acknowledged women's responsibility to become informed activists for Peace and non-violence in addressing differences, and pledged to work to make the Peace issue visible and women's peace leadership effective.

It called for women of the region to take leadership in developing peace action as a viable alternative to the use of force and arms both within and among communities and countries, and to build networks to create a strong peace lobby.

REPORT:
Women from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, India met to assess women's leadership on the issue of peace since 1995 -- a period in which war and conflicts have proliferated, international agreements and peace processes are struggling to survive, the objectivity, authority and value of the United Nations are seriously questioned, and the arms trade is stronger than ever.

The group shared the concern that the issue of Peace has been the least visible element in women's efforts to uphold the 3-point agenda for women's advancement, and that women themselves need to assess what leadership they have been able to take as peace builders and protagonists of non-violent means of preventing and resolving differences and conflict. The Beijing Declaration (Pt 28) makes a commitment to action ' to ensure peace for the advancement of women,' and cites the leading role women have played in the peace movement. The group identified justice, mutual respect among people and nations, and international rather than global principles as indicators for measuring peace. Peace is not sought only for the advancement of women but because the world desperately needs to overcome the practice of force. It posed the question : how do we assess our performance since 1995 ? And what alternative strategy must women seek to exemplify ?

The group called for women of the region to make Peace a flagship issue in the Beijing Plus 5 review process, and to take leadership for peace. It recommended 4 practical actions:

Women must become fact-finders for peace, get informed on actual issues and their causes, and learn from positive experiences of civil society groups and countries, to build the prospects for 'independent neutral opinion' as a positive resource against conflict;
Women must challenge any ready made notion of a "culture of peace" and seek to define peace in relation to justice and mutual respect, to establish a basis of constructive pluralism rather than mere tolerance.
Women must build a strong peace lobby, through peace information and action networking to link with other NGOs and groups already working on the issue, and put peaceful pressure on governments, the UN and other decision-makers and opinion makers.
Education of children and youth in schools, colleges, training institutions and in the community must consciously incorporate and promote the values of respect for diversity, non-violence, and cooperation rather than competition, to build a genuine culture of peace.
In situations where peace is at risk, women must join together as activists for peace, to oppose the exercise of political, cultural, economic or military power or force and the use of arms

Women and Migration Report Special Interest Group

Convenor: Migrant Forum in Asia

Migration and the violence it brings about to women migrants as non-nationals to the country they work in, workers and as women, is persistent, a critical, issue that the BPFA has not recognised. It cuts through issues of women such as the issue of economics, human rights, and all other critical issues identified. This has been a big loss to women migrants, which in the Asian region have grown in significant numbers in the 1990s. More specific issues were brought out in the workshop, however:

plight of undocumented women migrants including trafficked women who are criminalized in countries and not given legal and sometimes even human rights because of their "illegal" status, whereas they are the survivors of the violence perpetuated by specific individuals, communities and the State itself;
lack of bilateral agreements between countries to protect migrants rights or if there are, unequal trade relations render these agreement unilateral in favour of the migrant receiving country;
curtailing of rights of migrants to unionise for collective action to address their situation, and also their political rights;
non-recognition of migration issues in the international and regional agenda of governments, and much less the situation of women migrants and
the non-ratification and adoption of governments of the UN Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families as minimum standard of migrant rights and welfare protection.

It is significant to note that the BPFA emphasised government accountability in ensuring the welfare of women [Paragraph 60-a], in this case of women migrants. This is especially important to migrant-concerned groups because the present deplorable state of women migration has been largely attributed to governments' non-recognition or apathy to the issue-a State perpetrated discrimination and oppression of women by omission. Instead, we find governments of labor-sending taking lead role in the promotion of migration to solve problems in national economy, labor and poverty without putting necessary structures to protect its migrants, or if there are structures by way of legislation and multilateral agreements, they are only token responses.

The challenge that remains is this: to continue to bring migration to the fore of international and regional agenda by all concerned groups, by the governments most of all. Governments should recognise and be accountable their role in the migration process. Specifically:

Recognise the particularity of the context and condition of women migrant workers, whether documented or undocumented, in the national, regional and international agenda;
As appropriate, create, integrate, develop and implement fender conscious legislation to address issues regarding documented and undocumented migrant women;
Enforce the strategic objectives concerning women migrants and women migrant workers stated in the Beijing Platform for Action;
Establishment of re-integration programs for the returning women migrants in particular would require government support for access to resources, financial or otherwise for the women migrants.

At the international level:

Ratify and adopt the UN Convention on the Protection of All Migrant Workers Rights and their Families as minimum standard for migrant women's rights;
Create a UN Special Rapporteur for the issues of Women Migrants
Actively monitor migrant rights violations through the creation of international migrants watch bodies, with particular regard to human rights violations against undocumented and/or trafficked women migrants.

Special Interest Group on Sexual Harassment of Women in the Work Place

Chairperson: Dr. Sarla Gopalan
Convenor: Mrs. Chander Mani Chopra,
Advocate - Supreme Court of India,
All India Women's Conference

Participants - Delegates from seven countries.

From the stories narrated by the delegates reflected: Socio-economic change, progressive advancement in education and training have brought out women as a large workforce. And women have to face several challenges and threats to emerge successful, able, competent and equal. Man's attitude has remained unchanged. He is unable to accept women as co-employee, colleague, co-worker and a competitor. His anger and annoyance manifest in various forms to establish male superiority. And sexual harassment is one such form. Social reprisals and job insecurity prevent women from expressing harassment and resentment. No laws for protection in this area.

Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), CEDAW, Women's Commission, a leap forward to meet the challenge.

Supreme Court of India taking advantage of BPFA, CEDAW has filled the legislative vacuum in exercise of its special jurisdiction under article 142 of the Constitution of India in a public interest litigation by an NGO, by giving guidelines to employer - state, public and private sector - to set up Complaints Committee, 2/3rd of whom have to be women and in appropriate cases to have help of NGOs.

Judgement Today 1987 Vol. 7 Sec.384 Visakha & Others Vs. State of Rajasthan.

This is highly encouraging and effective.

Suggestions:

Special courts to be set up to handle cases of sexual harassment and complaints;
To ensure protection to the complainant, complaint to be kept totally confidential;
Complaints Committee to be manned by equal number of women and men;
Women to be trained to act in self-defence under such situations;
Gender sensitisation of civil society, judiciary, executive and police.

Special Interest Group on Women in Power and Decision-Making

Convened by the Department of Women's Development In Democratic Progressive Party

Since 1995, there are some successful programs or enactment to improve women's status to approach the decision-making power. In the following, we will introduce each of them and briefly analysing the lessons from the experiences and the further action or new initiatives.

1) The incorporation of one-fourth reserved seats for women into constitutional policy

In 1996, the DPP passed the pioneering policy to reserve women's seats both in public official candidacy and the whole party membership. The influence spreads into some female legislators who also enforce the National Assembly to regulate the one-fourth reserved seats into Constitutional Law for women. The draft has not yet been passed through so far. The struggling of women's organisations and female legislators is continually remained, and more efforts are needed to enforce the one-fourth reserved seats for women policy into the Constitutional Law.

2) The successful enactment of Sexual Crime Prevention Act:

Though in 1991, the Social Order Maintenance Act was implemented. However, there is no concrete regulation in the supportive network in medical treatment, family, education, legal consultancy and counselling to protect physical security and stop sexual harassment. So Sexual Assault Crime Prevention Act was born to regulate that the local government should involve all related bureaus and departments to build up the healthy operative network of the support system.

The cooperation of a healthy support system to stretch its in-time helpful resources to the victims is of great importance concerning with law-making. Besides, each local government should actively empower its support system to deal with any emergent situation. In the future, more active improvement in the construction of national sexual assault prevention network should be enforced.

3) The Implementation of Family Violence Prevention Act:

To prevent married women's basic human right from fear, the Act was passed on 24th June, 1998, and started to implement on 24th June, 1999. The whole set of support system should be planned in advance. The autonomy to serve for the consultancy and support to the victim is more important in their daily life, In the future, the complete implementation should be more carefully planned, involving different dimensional opinions to smooth the cooperation among the national organisations and sections to promote the efficiency of the network.

4) The amendment of Family Law:

The Family Law regulates the rights and obligations of a married couple. The ideology within the Family Law limits women's deserved rights for over forty years. Taiwanese women's organisations have actively asked for the law reform since 1970. After 1994, the revisions include:
a) Equal parental rights;
b) Equal rights for children's custody;
c) Wife reserving the identification right of her property;
d) Agreement on common domicile;
e) Wife reserving the original name;

The amendment of the matrimonial property regime is still under processing. The revision is heading for the respective property system which could prevent women from falling into poverty in or out of marriage.

5) The establishment of child-care system in the communities:

Pen Wan-Ru Foundation is actively engaged in building the system whose purpose is to empower the local female residents in the community. The system is designed by the ideal of gathering community's foundation, including the training of caring personnel whose budget can be applied from the government. To stimulate the automatic motivation of self-management inside the community is the target purpose of the program. Moreover, to help community women in poverty to get employment again and utilising the mutual support to manage the friendly and safe living condition for children, the elder, and women to live is the organisation's long-run vision.

6) Encouragement of women on community participation:

Feminist scholarship and social workers start to lead community women to actively engage into public events, to offer more opportunities for local women to be involved in decision-making. The influencing power to the housewives is conveyed by a) setting up the Committee of Community Security organized by mothers, and b) encouraging housewives to campaign for the local public election. The future focus would be on the breakthrough of the minor situation of women, returning the right of decision-making to those who mostly understand the community affairs.

7) Encouraging women to read widely and think locally:

The local study groups were set up one by one since the end of the 1980s. The involved community mothers are stimulated with the infusion of new conception, trying to expand topics to public policies. The idea of study group is even expanded to women's school which aims to bestow the community women with more opportunities for training and self-accomplishment. The further action will continually strengthen women's motivation for discussion which is also a training for public participation.

8) Community activities for children:

The community mothers motivate themselves to plan the after-school study for children which supplies another opportunity of parent-child interaction and understanding. The after-school study includes: review of school study, promoting the parent-child's interaction and mutual understanding. In 1995, the community kindergarten was firstly established by the mother members in the study group. The activity provides women with more creative space to involve in the practical operation in children's education. Their anew thinking on education could also have the refreshing power to improve the existent educational system.

Special Interest Group on Young Women

Speech made by Vanitha Subramaniem (ARROW, Youth Coalition for ICPD+5, youth representative on the steering committee of the NGO Forum) in the Asia Pacific Beijing + 5 regional meet Plenary

I am a young women and I am standing here on behalf of a few of us here today. We, the young women of the Asia Pacific region (the few of us that are here), have claimed our space today even if it was a 10-minute hijacking of the floor. We came with a purpose and we wanted our voices heard. My friend from Vietnam mentioned that young people are a huge gap in Beijing. The PFA mentions the girl-child, the adolescents, women and elderly women to an extent but not young women or young people. Our needs, our economic empowerment and development, our health, our realities have not been addressed.

Beijing was Beijing because of the very factor of our inclusiveness. Women from all walks of life, women with disabilities, indigenous women, young women, youth, adolescents, elderly women and other made Beijing a success story. But today, 5 years later, the most fundamental reason that made Beijing what it is today is not a reality in this for a for most of the women I mentioned, especially for young women.

ICPD+5 in The Hague was able to do just this - give space for the adolescent youth and young people to have a forum and have their voices heard. The process continued to the UN PrepCom where, we, the youth (young people and adolescents) who came from around the world, were given a platform and a space by the UN for our issues and needs to be addressed. We, who most view us as young, not capable of asserting and expressing ourselves and who some think are constantly indulging in sex, have been here to have our language incorporated into the ICPD+5 document at the UNGASS. We are proud of our achievements.

I am sad that when my friends stood up and expressed our feelings (and not without apprehension, mind you) some people were not listening to our voices as they were busy expressing their shock and surprise at the fact that we stood up and that we were claiming our space. We were merely, I believe, asserting our rights to speak. One person that if the young people want the limelight - ask them to go and do the culture shows. This is not what we are about, we are more than that. Although the youth forum was organised, we felt this was not a platform for our needs and realities to be expressed and addressed.

I put this to you - if we, the young people of this region cannot find support from you, then who can we turn to for leadership, for advice, for knowledge and the rich experiences that you have in this arena, for love, for encouragement, as we, the young women, try and find our way down the same road that thousands of women have walked on.

However, if you say: "yes, we support young people", then please create a space for our voices to be heard, our realities to be understood, and our needs to be addressed and our capacities built. Thank you.

Special Interest Group on Female Genital Mutilation

Convenor, Juliana Nkrumah

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a cultural practice that violates the human rights of women, the rights of the girl child, their rights to health, and an act of violence against women. The practice also has implications for the women's participation in the economy and in power and decision making.

Being such an extensive human rights issue, should preclude the women's movement holding on to the perception that it is only an African practice.

Indeed the practice exists in other parts of the world for similar reasons as in Africa, and some practice the same types of FGM as in Africa. International data on the practice so far indicates that some of the countries of the Asia Pacific Region practice FGM as such this conference needs to include FGM in their issues of concern.

FGM has become an emerging issue in both Australia and New Zealand. Some of the gains in some of the critical areas of concern (Women and Health, The Girl Child and Violence Against Women) in this region include gains in the passage of legislation banning the practice of FGM in various Australian States and in New Zealand as well as the initiation of, and provision of funding for education programs for the prevention of FGM.

However, this practice is neither highlighted as an issue nor mentioned as a practice worth addressing in this region.

It is important to note that Female Genital Mutilation is a terminology that encompassed all the types of the practice as classified by the World Health Organisation and action against all types of FGM is necessary. There should be no room for regionalisation or discrimination between the types of the practice. The Beijing Platform For Action calls on all states to take action to stop this practice and it is imperative that the region's reports addresses this issue.

There should be no room for cultural dictates that adversely affects the health of women!

Special Interest Group on Women's Health, Family Welfare and Population Management.

Convened By The All India Women's Conference
Chair: Mrs. Sham Mohini Pathak

The problems were discussed in detail and the group felt that failures and future strategies as given below should be highlighted.

Failures

Poor education is directly linked to poor nutrition, reluctance to access trained medical personnel and failure to use or improper use of Dais and services.
Many aspects of family planning programmes have been coercive and violative of basic human rights.
Lack of comprehensive and gender sensitive perspectives on health, lack of trained personnel, in both professional training and gender sensitisation.
Socio-cultural factors negatively influence women's health.
Poor access and utilisation of health services.
Failure to address wider development issues and acknowledgment of health as a key issue of the developmental agenda.
Lack of financial resources.

Future Strategies

It is imperative that women are made aware of their rights. Women's empowerment is both an end and means to development.
Increased budgetary allocation.
Need for development paradigm focusing on health as a critical need and bringing it to the centre stage of developmental processes.
Access to quality health services.
Awareness generation on health issues to achieve the goal of good health for all citizens.

Dr. Kamla Gidwani, Convenor

Special Interest Group on The Continued And Persistent Violence And Discrimination Against Tibetan Women Living In Occupied Tibet

We draw attention to the following persistent and challenging issues facing Tibetan women in occupied Tibet. There continues to be a systematic and widespread pattern of grave human rights violations as a result of discrimination against Tibetan girls and women in Chinese occupied Tibet.

Continued indeterminate detention, interrogation and absence of any meaningful right to counsel, making women vulnerable to torture, especially sexual torture complicated by grossly inadequate medical care in detention.
Continued violence against Tibetan women in the form of forced abortion and coerced sterilisation, contraception and abortion, including late-term abortion. Intrusive monitoring of Tibetan women's reproductive cycles and eugenic laws and regulations. Persistent sexually discriminatory nature of family planning measures, given that women bear virtually the entire burden of family planning measures.
Widespread prostitution and apparently promoted or condoned by authorities in occupied Tibet.
Persistent policies of discrimination in education of Tibetan girls, with no evidence of any efforts to promote and encourage education among them. Basic health care, especially of rural women continue to be dismal.
Continued evidence of discrimination against Tibetan women in employment, including inherently gender-discriminatory practices of "virginity" testing as a precondition to employment, hiring and promotion practices, and employment-related fines and penalties.

Recommendations:

The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) be required to submit to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, a detailed report on its implementation of the Platform for Action as set out in paragraph 323, particularly with respect to Tibetan women.
PRC to be urged to invite the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women to visit occupied Tibet.
Immediate steps be taken to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against Tibetan women and girls in Chinese-occupied-Tibet.

Issued by the Tibetan Women's Association based in exile in India.

Special Interest group on Women in Taiwan

Since 1971, more than one quarter of a century, Taiwan has been isolated from the international world due to certain political reasons. From that time on, women in Taiwan suffered from very little linkage with women in other countries as well as other regions. There was very little information available through the 'proper' channels for the women of Taiwan.

Under these circumstances, Taiwan women's groups took no part in the Women's Decade, did not know what CEDAW meant, let alone how to implement or ratify it. This is a deep regret and a sense of loss for us despite the rapid economic development and democratisation in Taiwan. However, Taiwan women's groups are still thriving and achieve advancements on various issues.

We appreciate that this time Taiwan delegation has the opportunity to participate in the Asia Pacific Regional NGO Symposium which truly provides us with the vibrant interactions and dynamic experiences shared amongst different countries. This certainly would give more insights for the delegates and create rooms for the development of women in Taiwan.

In the year 2000, we wish that Taiwan would:

Enlarge the decision making level for women.
Reduce poverty population of women in Taiwan.
Change laws in response to contemporary women's needs.
And most important of all that Taiwan women could be part of the global sisterhood and their voices could be loudly heard upward to regional and international level.

By Ingrid Pi-ying Liao

Special Interest Group on Violence Against Women in Bangladesh

Prevalence

National statistics on violence against women are unavailable but it has been found that:

Mortality of women is higher from unnatural causes including homicide, suicide, poisoning, burning and accidents than from pregnancy related causes (i.e. maternal mortality) - Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, GOB, 1995.
14% of maternal mortality has been found to be accompanied by a violence related to injury - Source: ICDDR, B, 1995.
A rape case is reported to the police every 12 hours and a rape of a minor is reported every 48 hours - Source: Report of the Home Minister to the Parliament, 1997.
An incident of acid throwing is reported every three days - Annual Report of the Inspector General of Police, 1998.
Visits to three sub-district (thana) hospitals revealed that 14% of women in the wards are admitted due to multiple injuries related to violence - Naripokkho, 1998.
Case-load for violence against women in Dhaka Medical College Hospital over six months was 112 of which 25.9% was battering; 24.1% suicide; 15.2% rape; acid burns 14.3%; flame burn 7.1% 4.5% murder and 9% others - Naripokkho, 1999.
Compilation o reported cases from two police stations in Dhaka city reveal that threats, battering, kidnapping and suicide are the most commonly reported forms of violence against women - Naripokkho, 1999.
From January to June, 1999, 43 incidents of acid throwing were reported in the national newspapers which had 70 victims - 59 women and girls and 11 men and boys.

Insights

Most violence against women goes unreported and occurs in the domestic sphere usually by the family.
Girls and women become targets of violence as a result of family feuds and enmity.
Rejection of romantic propositions and marriage proposals result in acts of vengeance by the boy or man with help from his friends which target the girl or woman for acid throwing, abduction, rape or gang-rape and murder.
Marital dispute is a major cause of wife-beating; while dowry is a major reason for dispute, it is not the only one; infidelity, incompatibility and sexual dysfunction are socially unrecognised cause of dispute, unhappiness and violence.
The growing insecurity for the family as girl reaches adolescence results in the restriction of her mobility, withdrawal from school and early marriage.

Limitations of the Existing Services

There are special laws to address violence against women for grievous injury but corruption of the system results in impunity.
No special support for victims of violence at the health facility.
Reporting procedures at the police station and subsequent legal procedures cumbersome and unfriendly to women and the poor.
Forensic medicine is still in its primitive stages in Bangladesh. No encouragement to the victims for forensic care.
Medical treatment for burns patient is grossly inadequate. Development of reconstructive surgery services has not received any priority.
Counselling and social support services for victims of violence grossly inadequate.

Examples of Some Actions Taken

Research completed from a women's group for a pilot survey and the development of research instrument for a national survey.
Development of a support group for survivors of acid attacks and the involvement of survivors in the movement to stop violence against women.
National and international advocacy.
Regular follow-up with the police on cases of acid attacks and rape.
Legal aid to fight individual cases.
Assistance for medical treatment.

Naripokkho

Statement From The Bridgebuilders International Consultation, Suva

We, the members of the Bridgebuilders International Consultation for women of Presbyterian and associated Christian churches, meeting together in love and faith in Suva, 22-25 July 1999, affirming our solidarity in Christ and seeking to maintain respect and dignity for all people in a peaceful world, have identified for action through new eyes the following crucial issues:

Promotion of justice and unity among all people, without barriers
Education for a change in attitudes for both women and men - "it's not her fault"
An urgent need to connect with people at all levels, especially at the grassroots
Promotion of self-esteem and confidence in women and girls
Development that is sustainable will be critical to the survival of our world
Shared decision-making in home, church and society
Creation of skills through capacity building to assist women to reach their fullest potential
The need to "feed our faith and starve our fears"
Economic pressure resulting from globalisation
Appreciation and care of the environment
Finding new ways to deal with the things that divide us
Loss of identity and roots through migration
The building of a closer relationships as one people through PACIFICWatch
Affirmation through sharing in solidarity
Churches geographically close must link together more
Promotion of greater face to face dialogue
Prayer and support for activities against all nuclear industry and production of all nuclear equipment
Greater treasuring of young women and children as our future hope
Building bridges between older and younger women and encouragement of older women to "bring a younger woman" overcoming destruction of lives through jealousy, hatred, discrimination and war
Networking across race, culture, geography, history and language.
The need for solidarity with each other and accountability to God
Empowerment of women to be strong enough to make a choice
Encouragement of cross-cultural exchange and cultural sensitivity
Implementation of the strategic objectives of the twelve critical issues of the Beijing Platform for Action

India Country Statement

India adopted the Declaration and the Platform for Action at the Fourth World Conference in September 1995 without any reservations. India had also made Commitments at the Conference to bring out a National Policy on Women, dedicate 6% of the GDP to Education, Universalise Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), Appoint a Women's Rights Commissioner.

Consequent on these Commitments a National Policy for the Empowerment of Women has been drafted. It is yet to be approved by Government formally. Many of the clauses in the policy have been taken up for action or processes for action have been initiated. Significant among these are:

Initiation of dialogue on Sectoral policies.
Formulation of State policies.
Collection of gender disaggregated data.
Convergence of programmes for the advancement of women, (Inclusion in the approach to the Ninth Five Year Plan).
Development of Gender Development Indicators.
Intensive efforts to capture womens' work in the Census enumeration
Focus on elementary education of girls, adult literacy for women, skill development training for women.
Promotion of micro credit for women.
Intensification of formation of self-help groups.
Near Universalisation of the ICDS programme.
Introduction of a Bill in the Parliament to reserve 33% of representation in the Parliament and Legislatures for women, which has since lapsed.

The things that have not happened are:

The appointment of a Women's Rights Commissioner.
Allocation of 6% of GDP for Education.
Adoption of the National Policy on Empowerment of Women.
The Rights of Girl-child have not come on to the Women's Agenda.

The Women's Movement in India has grown in strength. Networking of NGO organisations is becoming intensive, though a great deal more needs to be done for better coordination. The dialogue with the Government has also to be intensified for greater coordination between Government and NGO Action. Lobbying by the NGOs on various matters of priority concern to the people at the grass-roots level is gaining strength. Interaction with Parliamentarians is becoming more regular. Recourse to Public Interest Litigation has won many long- standing battles on gender and other common public issues. The Judiciary, Police and bureaucracy are being put through gender sensitisation training, which has started paying dividends. There is greater emphasis on the positive portrayal of women in the Media, though, much more needs to be done in this area. Women are becoming more aware of their rights through legal literacy programmes undertaken by the NGOs both with the support of the Government and with support from bilateral and multi lateral donor agencies. Some NGOs have also taken up this programme from their own funds. The pace of reform of legislation is yet slow as various amendments are still under consideration of the Government.

Political participation of women is yet very low as reservation of seats has not yet come through, and the number of women included in the lists of candidates for election to the 13th Lok Sabha is very small.

The Women's Role in Food Security Workshop

2 September 1999
Conclusion and Recommendations

Topic: Regional Perspectives and Policies on Food Security and Women

FAO Role

Three aspects of food security are availability, access and stability. Availability is related to production of enough food for all. Access is determined by the ability to purchase and procure food. Stability relates to sustainable availability and access all through life cycle and seasons and for future generations Adequacy of food availability means that overall supply, overall nutritional needs in terms of both quantity and quality. Stability of food supply presupposes environmental sustainability, implying that there is a societal commitment to use natural resources judiciously so as not to compromise future sources of food security. Access has to do with household entitlements to food supplies. Highly inequitable income distribution, inadequate opportunities for raising the returns to the poor's labour, and inefficient marketing systems interfere with entitlements, especially for the poorest of the poor. Stability of access presupposes improvement in these factors, including promotion of various formal and informal safety nets aimed at securing food access in times of distress.

Rural Women's Contribution to Agriculture Production in Asia and the Pacific Region

At present women's contribution in the Asian region parallels or in certain areas exceeds that of men. The level of participation is influenced by the state of economic and social development of the countries. There are two important pieces of information . First, countries with lower achievement in Human Development indicators and Gender Development indicators have a larger percentage of their economically active population (both male and female) employed in the agriculture industry. Second, these same countries have a higher proportion of economically active women involved in agricultural activities relative to men. The disparities are likely to increase as rural to urban migration continues to change the composition of rural areas putting even greater responsibilities for the growth of the agricultural sector on women. At present, rural women's contribution to the development of agriculture ad reral economies. continue to be enumerated under unpaid family work. In the coming century an important thrust should be placed on counting of women in agriculture and rural economies in the national census particularly in the agriculture census of countries in Asia.

Perspectives on Policies to Assist Rural Women in Asia and the Pacific

Women's role in the family and the national economy is so pervasive that all policies should take into consideration the gender specific concerns which reflect women's needs.The policies to support women have to be oriented to include welfare and economic production. In Asia and the Pacific there are the government machineries to improve the status of women in all aspects. These agencies have been guided by a series of UN Conferences on Women, from Nairobi to Beijing. In the context of rural women, their multiple tasks such as agriculture producers, processors and family workers in the farm and paid labour in agro-industries demand that their concerns are addressed in policies and programmes in the agriculture and natural resource management sectors. Yet, they are not explicitly developed only to assist women.

Future Perspectives to Support Rural Women to Ensure Food For All

Generally there is very limited interaction between the national Ministries of Women's Affair or Committees for the Advancement of Women and the technical sector. That focus on agriculture and rural development. At the end of this century we have not yet solved the old problems impacting on rural women's effective and equal participation, we are facing new sets of compounded problems that further challenges rural women's equity and welfare. In the 1990's, the emphasis had been on identifying those so far hidden problems of social ills affecting women's lives such as domestic violence and trafficking. But the focus has weakened on yet unresolved problems which lacks dramatic appeal but has real relevance to women's daily lives. In the early part of the next century the current generation's primary livelihood concerns will persist and will continue to emerge as third generation problems for the rural women reaching adulthood.

Topic: Environmental Changes Impacting on Food Security

Environment has been changed in many ways such as increasing CO2 content in the air, ozone layer destruction, increasing in methane and deforestation. The environment change will influence food production and food security contaminant. Food production is tightly related to food security.

In the future, 30-40 years from now, demand for food will be double. Increasing of food production is done by applying technologies on food sources, planting system and post harvesting management.

Organizations that monitor environmental quality are USEPA, Thai PCD, WHO and FAO. Food comes from plants, living stock, animal and sea foods. These foods can be contaminated from each originated environment. To be secured in food, all foods should not be contaminated by harmful substances from the environment; heavy metals and carcinogens. To have high food quality, prevention and control on source of contamination, preventing sale of contaminated food, introducing regulations by government and monitoring chemicals an food needs.

Topic: Small Agri-Food Industrial Enterprises for Income Generating by Women

The strategies for development of farm women

Give to opportunity farm women, as agricultural producers, to develop their potential to participate in the decision - making process, planning, utilization of resources and technologies for agricultural development and agro-industry, along with male farmers.
Develop skills and capability of farm women at various steps of production activities and agricultural technology transfer.
Provide knowledge and service to farm women, in management, marketing, cooperatives, credit and entrepreneur ship.
Support the roles of farm women for farm family improvement.
Improve extension service and adjust roles of officials to assist farm women development.
Encourage the establishment and development of farm women's organization.
Establish the mechanism to promote effective development of farm women.

Conclusion

The success of sm

Final Report of the Asia-Pacific NGO Symposium: Part B Asia-Pacific Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace