Draft
Statement
62nd Session
of the UN Economic Commission for Europe
Geneva-April
25-27, 2007
Statement by
Ms Sylvie Perret International Council of Women
ICW/CIF
Convenor of
the UN NGO Working Group on Women for the ECE
Region
Item 3: Issues calling for action by
the Commission
Mr Chairman,
Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and
Gentlemen
I am speaking as the Convenor of the
UN NGO Working Group on Women for the ECE Region which is
part of a network of women’s NGOs throughout Western Europe, North America, Central
Asia and the Caucasus. Our organisations had
the pleasure and the great satisfaction to work in close collaboration with the
UNECE Secretariat for the two previous Reviews in 2000 and 2004 of the
Implementation of the Beijing Platform of Action and the MDGs’ process. We were
glad to be considered as real partners on these two occasions and that
our conclusions were included in the 2004
final report. Those Meetings have allowed our organisations to assess the constantly
raising awareness of the member States in mainstreaming gender into economic
policies. Gender friendly budgeting, salary, pensions and fiscal policies are no
more wishful words but are becoming realities in a growing number of
countries and make good economic sense.
They have also presented fruitful opportunities of exchanging views, suggestions
and examples of best practices between NGOs delegates and
Governments.
We welcome the fact that the UNECE
Reform confirmed the importance of gender issues as part of its mission. We are
therefore strongly in favour of organizing a meeting in 2008-2009
to review the progress of women and economy in the Implementation of the Beijing
Platform of Action. We think it is also important concerning the MDGs. As
you are fully aware, item 1 of the
MDGs: Eradicating Extreme Poverty
is still a long way from its goal and Promoting gender equality and empowering
women (MDG 3) still needs stronger support and political will as it is one of
the surest tools to promote economic growth. We are ready to collaborate and
raise the supports of our organizations.
In that sense, the new SPECA Working
Group on Gender and Economy mainstreaming
gender into economic cooperation in Central
Asia seems to us a promising way to bring creative practices for the
future. We have appreciated the
work of the statistical Division and its recent studies and methodology on
gender specific data as reflected in the Statistical Journal.
Let me say Mr. Chairman that we are
grateful that the agenda of the present session conscious of those urgent callings for actions
has devoted one segment of item 8 to the matter of “The Economic of Gender in
the European Economy” and the UNECE working Group on Women for the UNECE Region will
follow this part of the Session with great interest.
.
Thank you Mr. Chairman