United Nations Development Programme (New York) - April 3, 2002

Participants in the Africa/Asia Parliamentarian Forum on Human Security and Gender agreed on a number of recommendations to increase women's access to decision making and promote women's equality, as well as specific proposals on HIV/AIDS, socio-economic policies, and women's role in peace processes.

The three-day forum, the first of its kind, called on countries to implement the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and other international treaties supporting women's equality.

Participants also urged countries to revise family codes to end discrimination, analyze national budgets to help ensure equity for women, and support poverty reduction strategies responsive to women's needs.

In her keynote address, Nouzha Chekrouni, Minister for the Promotion of Women and Protection of the Family and Childhood and Integration of the Handicapped, stressed that the Government of Morocco, in cooperation with civil society, is implementing major reforms providing broader access for girls and women to education and literacy programmes, improved reproductive health-services, poverty reduction policies, a national strategy to combat domestic violence and a national programme to promote a culture of human rights through schools.

Sanjaasuren Oyun, a member of parliament from Mongolia, noted the impact of globalization on women, pointing the increase in jobs in the formal sector, where women constitute the majority of the workforce. She called for women's involvement in formulating macro-economic policies, including budgets and poverty reduction strategies.

Lulalam Xingwana, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Women's Caucus in South Africa, spurred debate on the impact of war on women, including trafficking of women for prostitution and children used as child soldiers and slaves.

Discussing the "brutalization of societies" resulting from conflicts, Ms. Xingwana said that South Africa has experienced "an escalation of violence against women, including rape of women and children." She called for legislation and other efforts to the address the problem, including setting up an African/Asian women's parliamentary network.

The UNDP Bureau for Development Policy and the Division for the Advancement of Women of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs organized the event, in collaboration with the Moroccan Parliament and the Ministry for Promotion of Women, Protection of the Family and Childhood and Integration of Handicapped.

The Japanese Government provided funding through the Japan Women in Development (JWID) Fund, which supports UNDP efforts to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Participants came from Algeria, Bangladesh, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, Tajikistan, Tanzania, and Thailand. Also represented were the Inter-Parliamentary Union, UNIFEM, the Center for Asia-Pacific Women in Politics, and the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum.

Participants will report on the progress at a second forum, to be held in India later this year. The results of these meetings will provide input for theThird Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD III) scheduled for 2003.

For further information, please contact Dasa Silovic, UNDP Bureau for Development Policy, and Cassandra Waldon, UNDP Communications Office.

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