Patricia Licuanan (Philippines), Keynote address – Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59), 2nd meeting

Commission on the Status of Women
Fifty-ninth session
Opening Ceremony Keynote
March 9, 2015
Patricia B. Licuanan
Minister of Higher Education, Philippines

(Greetings)

Beijing + 20. Has it really been almost 20 years since Beijing? I remember, so well when the draft Beijing Platform for Action was finally approved at the Main Committee in the early hours of the morning (4:45 A.M. to be exact!) on September 15, 1995. At the time, through the euphoria of final consensus, I made a personal vow that I would nurture my Beijing “high” for as long as I could, in myself and in others, for the difficult task of implementing the Platform. Twenty years after, I still have traces of that Beijing “high” and I hope that the Beijing + 20 process of hard-nosed review, celebrating gains, recognizing gaps, identifying new and emerging issues, re-affirming our commitment to the Platform, and seeking innovative strategies for implementation will bring back and strengthen the spirit of Beijing as we face the challenges of the future.

It is important to understand the significance of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW) held in Beijing in 1995. The FWCW built on and upheld the commitments made in the U.N. conferences of the decade such as Environment and Development in Rio (1992), Human Rights in Vienna (1993), Population and Development in Cairo (1994) and Social Development in Copenhagen (1995). It covered familiar ground and reinforced old concerns raised during the U.N. Decade on Women that remained valid and still needed to be addressed e.g., the problems of the feminization of poverty, economic participation, health, education, political participation, and human rights. One is struck by how these so-called “old areas” remain major concerns today.

But most important, Beijing broke new ground in such areas as: violence against women, elevating the issue from a private domestic concern to the level of public policy and broadening the definition to include acts previously justified in the name of culture and tradition; women’s unremunerated work, acknowledging women’s work and calling for the development of methodologies for measuring it and reflecting it in national accounts; women’s rights as human rights and women’s sexual rights as part of her human rights; the rights of the girl-child, addressing issues of discrimination and seeking protection from all forms of abuse and exploitation; women migrant workers as distinct from simply women migrants, recognizing them as a vulnerable group and ensuring their rights.

A most special feature of the Beijing Conference was its highly participatory nature. The preparations for the Conference involved a complex consultation process at national, regional and global levels. The broad-based interest and involvement at all these levels was unmistakable. The partnership with NGOs throughout the process, though not without tension, was unparalleled. In both the formal and informal processes of the Conference and its preparations, decision-making was participative and non-hierarchical. And in China, almost twenty years ago, it is estimated that about 50,000 people attended the FWCW in Beijing and the NGO Forum in Huairuo.

There were many lessons learned from Beijing and beyond. Allow me to share a few.

Lesson # 1: Things have changed. One simple example: during the Beijing preparations, when women and the environment was being proposed as a critical area of concern, a common reaction was “what has gender got to do with the environment?” Recently, at the Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Beijing + 20 review, a significant number of country statements included the environment, climate change and disasters and women’s role in environmental protection and disaster management.

Lesson # 2: Things have NOT changed. Contentious issues in Beijing such as reproductive health and rights are still contentious today. Possibly the most emotional of the debates at Beijing was that on “sexual orientation”. Today, sexual orientation and gender identity remain highly controversial with little possibility of achieving consensus.

Lesson # 3: De jure equality or equality in law is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for de facto equality or equality in fact. Most countries have removed discriminatory laws and adopted laws to promote gender equality but obviously, changing the law is easier than changing attitudes and behavior as de facto equality lags far behind.

Lesson # 4: Gender mainstreaming can only be effective when accompanied by strong gender equality and women’s empowerment entities. Alongside gender mainstreaming therefore there is need to strengthen national machineries on women as well as GAD focal points in various organizations and agencies.

Lesson # 5: Good gender disaggregated data is a most powerful tool. Commitment and passion are impressive but hard data is more convincing. There is need to strengthen data institutions and to build up the data capacity of national machineries.

Lesson # 6: Allies and friends come in all shapes and sizes and we need them all. We must make friends, develop partnerships, identify champions for our cause.

Since Beijing we have had to confront a wide range of crises. We have faced the conservative backlash from governments. The moral authority and effectiveness of the United Nations has been seriously questioned. The participation of civil society in U.N. meetings has severely diminished. There are major global trends that impact on women’s lives such as religious and ethnic fundamentalisms and the growing armed conflict and rise of terrorism with women and children accounting for the vast majority of those adversely affected.

We have had to confront the dark side of globalization which has exacerbated inequalities between rich and poor, between women and men. We have had to face financial crises and its impact on women. We have confronted tsunamis, typhoons, floods, dust hurricanes, bush fires, earthquakes. We have survived and helped others survive and rebuild their lives. But most important, through all these crises we realize that we are an important part of the solution.

And now we must forge the future. We must draw from the wellspring of our accumulated wisdom. We must tap our limitless resilience. We must use new technology and seek new strategies. We must build, nurture and strengthen our partnerships: partnerships with men; with other women inside or outside women’s movements; with technocrats and activists; with mainstream NGOs and other social movements. We should review our partnership with the U.N. and stake our claim in its reform. Having been actively involved in the UN reform process that led to the creation of the Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women or UN Women we must continue to support its sustainability and effectiveness. And we must put gender centrally in the new post 2015 development agenda.

It is necessary that we work on ourselves as well. While in general, our commitment to our cause has remained strong, we must admit moments of discouragement, weariness and even boredom. Over the years, women activists have begun to reflect upon and turn to the spiritual dimension of their lives—the transcendent, the spirit within us which will help strengthen our movements and help us continue the work. Wisely we know that we must care for and nurture ourselves.

There is need to revitalize the spirit of Beijing. We must bring in younger women to take our place. I welcome with enthusiasm the many young women here today. At the same time I am thrilled to see many old friends from Beijing days. I am happy to know that we are still at it—working for gender equality and women’s empowerment. We must keep the faith, we must stay the course. Because another important lesson from Beijing is that tenacity and steadfastness eventually pay off!

Madame Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, at this 59th CSW, 20 years after Beijing, let us recommit ourselves to action for equality, development and peace and to a better world for women—and for all!

Thank you.