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ADDRESS BY
DR. BRENDA GAEL McSWEENEY
UN RESIDENT COORDINATOR AND
UNDP RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE
IN INDIA
FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2002
WOMEN AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
ON 8 MARCH 2002
AT UN CONFERENCE HALL
USHA-JI
FEODOR, CO-PANELISTS,
FRIENDS ALL,
AS WE GATHER ONCE AGAIN TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, THE STRUGGLE OF THE EARLIEST PIONEERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S MOVEMENT COMES TO MIND.
USHA-JI USED THIS VERY WORD ‘STRUGGLE’ AND AS SEVERAL OF YOU KNOW, ON MARCH 8TH, 1857, HUNDREDS OF WOMEN GARMENT AND TEXTILE WORKERS WENT ON STRIKE IN NEW YORK CITY, PROTESTING AGAINST LOW WAGES, LONG WORKING HOURS, INHUMANE WORKING CONDITIONS.
THIS WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ORGANIZED ACTIONS BY WORKING WOMEN ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
USHAJI, YOUR OWN CONTRIBUTION TO THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT IS WELL KNOWN.
YOUR LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE NGO, KARUNA AND AT THE FIRST LADIES CONFERENCE ON MICRO CREDIT FOR THE EMPOWERMENT OF POOR RURAL WOMEN ARE TWO ILLUSTRATIONS.
YOU’VE INSPIRED US IN OUR EFFORTS TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY – A CROSS-CUTTING STRATEGIC GOAL SET FOR US BY THE GOVERNMENT UNDER THE UN DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FRAMEWORK.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY IS THE STORY OF ORDINARY WOMEN AS EXTRAORDINARY MAKERS OF HISTORY - ROOTED IN THE CENTURIES-OLD STRUGGLE OF WOMEN TO PARTICIPATE IN SOCIETY ON AN EQUAL FOOTING WITH MEN.
TRADITIONAL GENDER ROLES CORNER WOMEN INTO JUGGLING MULTIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE HOME, AT THE WORKPLACE, IN THE COMMUNITY.
WOMEN BEAR THE WORST CONSEQUENCES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION – IN INDIA LIKE WORLDWIDE, WE HAVE DAILY EVIDENCE OF THIS ON OUR TV SCREENS AND IN OUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
CAN WE EVER FORGET THE IMAGES OF WOMEN IN DROUGHT-HIT AREAS OF RAJASTHAN AND GUJARAT, WALKING MILES THROUGH THE DESERT TO FETCH WATER; OF WOMEN IN UTTARANCHAL STRUGGLING TO FIND FODDER AND FUEL IN THEIR DENUDED HILLS; OF WOMEN IN ORISSA FACING THE LETHAL CONSEQUENCES OF DESTRUCTION OF THEIR FORESTS?
THE FACT THAT THEY BEAR THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR MEETING SURVIVAL NEEDS OF THEIR FAMILIES, ALSO IMPLIES THAT WOMEN HAVE A UNIQUE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ITS PROTECTION.
CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU, USHAJI, FOR PIONEERING WATER HARVESTING IN RASHTRAPATI BHAVAN – YOU’VE SET A FINE ROLE MODEL FOR THE ENTIRE NATION!
WOMEN FROM AROUND THE WORLD BEGAN TO DEMAND RECOGNITION FOR THEIR ROLE IN SUSTAINING THE ENVIRONMENT AS EARLY AS 1985 AT THE UN THIRD WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN.
TWO YEARS LATER, THE UN ESTABLISHED THE WORLD COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT.
THE COMMISSION, HEADED BY GRO HARLEM BRUNDTLAND, NOW DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF W.H.O., CAME UP WITH THE CLASSIC DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: "DEVELOPMENT THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE PRESENT GENERATION, WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE ABILITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS TO MEET THEIR OWN NEEDS."
GANDHI-JI HAD ALREADY ENUNCIATED THIS IDEA: THE PLANET HAS ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE’S NEED, BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE'S GREED.
THE IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCE OF THE BRUNDTLAND REPORT WAS THE EARTH SUMMIT, HELD IN ‘92 IN RIO ---
A SIGNAL EVENT FOR WOMEN WORLDWIDE, DENOTING INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF THEIR CRUCIAL ROLE IN ACHIEVING A DIFFERENT TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT—ONE THAT IS SOCIALLY, ECONOMICALLY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE.
DOCUMENTS INCLUDED SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STRENGTHENING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES, NOTABLY IN AGENDA 21, THE ROADMAP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
AGENDA 21 ACKNOWLEDGES THE NEED TO INTEGRATE WOMEN AND GENDER AT ALL LEVELS, "INTO ALL POLICIES, PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES."
IT ALSO HAS ANOTHER ‘AVATAR’ – THE WOMEN’S ACTION AGENDA 21, PUT TOGETHER BY A GROUP OF 1500 WOMEN FROM 83 COUNTRIES.
THIS AGENDA HAS BEEN A MEANS TO ENCOURAGE WOMEN TO TAKE A LEAD ROLE IN LOCAL ACTION.
THE AGENDA PROPOSED A CODE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY, BASED ON PRINCIPLES OF COOPERATION RATHER THAN COMPETITION, CHALLENGING THE PREVAILING ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL APPROACH.
IT CALLED ON GOVERNMENTS TO SET A TIMETABLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF FULL-COST ACCOUNTING THAT INCLUDES ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL COSTS AND "ASSIGNS FULL VALUE TO WOMEN’S LABOR IN NATIONAL ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS".
THESE POWERFUL STATEMENTS STAND TRUE TODAY, AS ONE PREPARES FOR THE RIO+10 STOCKTAKING IN JOHANNESBURG, THE "CIVILISATION SUMMIT" AS THE SECRETARY GENERAL’S SPECIAL ENVOY JAN PRONK CALLS IT.
IN JOHANNESBURG, THE "WOMEN'S ACTION AGENDA FOR A HEALTHY PLANET" IS TO BE LAUNCHED.
ITS INTEGRATED APPROACH CAPTURES ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AS WELL AS SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF DEVELOPMENT, PARTICULARLY GENDER EQUALITY.
WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL DEMOCRACY – IN PROCESSES OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION-MAKING AT THE LOCAL LEVEL – IS CRUCIAL TO ACHIEVEMENT OF THESE GOALS.
UNDP ADMINISTRATOR AND CHAIR OF THE UN DEVELOPMENT GROUP MARK MALLOCH BROWN, IN HIS WOMEN'S DAY MESSAGE QUOTES THE INDIA EXAMPLE OF ONE-THIRD PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT, TO EMPHASISE THIS VERY POINT.
WE OF THE UN FAMILY HERE ARE SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO MOBILIZE AND ACT FOR SUCH MEANINGFUL CHANGE.
IN THE NEXT PHASE OF OUR UN DEVELOPMENT AGENDA WITH INDIA, WE PLAN A BIG PUSH DEVELOPING METHODS TO "COUNT" AND MEASURE WOMEN’S WORK – PARTICULARLY IN THE NON-MONETISED NATURAL RESOURCE ECONOMY; TO ANALYSE BUDGETS TO REVEAL THE EXTENT TO WHICH POLICIES ARE GENDERED & SUPPORT WOMEN GAINING ACCESS TO LAND; AND TO ADDRESS CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES LIKE DROUGHT AND BIODIVERSITY.
WE NEED YOUR PARTNERSHIP IN THESE ENDEAVOURS!
I’M HAPPY TO JOIN YOU IN REAFFIRMING OUR COMMITMENT TO WOMEN’S SOLIDARITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE FOR ALL!
THANK YOU!