Asian Women's Resource Exchange (AWORC) logo
About AWORC Search/Sitemap Members' Workspace Feedback
Beijing +5 Section Multilingual Search Women's Electronic Networking - WENT Research
Critical IssuesWomen's OrganizationsGovernment MechanismsActions and AnnouncementsResources

Asia-Pacific Post-Beijing Implementation Monitor

Asia Pacific Development Centre - Gender and Development Programme (GAD-APDC)
1998; 260p.

The Asia-Pacific Post-Beijing Implementation Monitor is an annual report from the Asia Pacific Development Centre Gender and Development Programme (GAD-APDC). It is part of the organization's post-Beijing commitment. The report focuses on both the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), and the monitoring mechanisms for the BPFA implementation.

The APDC Monitor consists of four main sections. Section 1 is an introduction to the document and an overview and analysis of post-Beijing implementation in the region. In the Asia-Pacific, government commitment to the BPFA have been concentrated mainly on the following areas:

While these specific issues are given attention, some, such as women and armed conflict and refugee women, have been marginalized. Regarding the monitoring mechanisms for BPFA implementation, APDC observed a difference between the efforts made prior and after the Beijing Conference. Women's mobilising and information sharing were more active in the pre-Beijing phase as preparations were made to raise issues and to make demands for action. Added impetus came from the UN World Conferences and from the willingness of donors to fund monitoring projects. After Beijing, however, national, regional and international support for such activities in the region weakened. Frameworks and indicators for assessing and analyzing the implementation of the BPFA have yet to be developed. The break in regional NGO post-Beijing efforts is also apparent. The challenge to women's groups in the region, therefore, is to establish monitoring mechanisms and work with each other for a substantive assessment of the status of women today.

Section 2 consists of the country reports. Reports are divided according to sub-regions, and contain articles from governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The specific commitments made by each government during the Beijing Conference are listed at the beginning of each country report.

Section 2 concludes with an analysis of post-Beijing monitoring. APDC gathered the methods used by women's organizations and governments to review the fulfillment of the BPFA in their countries, and came up with conclusions and recommendations for monitoring mechanisms in the region. According to APDC, most NGOs in the region have focused on lobbying and advocacy for the implementation of the BPFA and not on strategizing systematic monitoring of the implementation. Monitoring has emphasized government action and not on the overall advancement of women in terms of socio-economic status, political participation, and access to resources and basic services. There has been uniformity in the approach to the assessment of the implementation of the BPFA. More extended and substantive methods must be developed, as well as indicators for assessing progress. Some innovative monitoring activities in the region, such as the Time-Use Surveys, have also been cited.

Section 3 is a reminder of commitments made during the Beijing Conference. The first part, "Who Does What and Where: A Checklist and Reminder of Roles and Responsibilities for Post-Beijing Implementation and Monitoring", enumerates that commitments made during the Beijing Conference at the national, regional/sub-regional, and international levels. The section also contains the monitoring efforts of the United Nations, and of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Section 4 presents a series of articles on key gender and development issues. These have been included to provide an overview of the current situation of women in the Asia-Pacific.

The APDC Monitor also includes messages from Khunying Supatra Masdit, Thanpunying SumaleeChartikavanij, Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, and Dr. Partricia Licuanan.

For copies contact:

Asian and Pacific Development Centre
Gender and Development Programme (GAD-APDC)
P.O. Box 12223, Persiaran Duta
50770 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel/Fax: (603) 651 9209
E-mail: gad@pc.jaring.my


 
AWORC AWORC Home | About AWORC | Search - Site Map | Members' Workspace | Feedback