From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
Subject: Women's Road to UNCED
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: PACH
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 08:23:15 GMT

/** gen.newsletter: 136.3 **/
** Written  5:41 pm  Aug 27, 1992 by ecologycntr in cdp:gen.newsletter **
Women's Road to UNCED by Angela Williams copyright 1992 Ecology
Center Terrain

Women's rights has been a major issue throughout history,
coinciding with the concerns of environmentalistson issues from
abortion rights to the ecofeminist movement. Last November, a
group of headstrong women led by former US Congresswoman Bella
Abzug gathered in Miami for four days to decide the terms of a
document entitled "Women's Action Agenda 21". It was the women's
recommendation for what should be on the agenda to save the planet
at the Earth Summit in Rio in June 1992.

Over 1500 women from 83 countries all over the world convened at
the conference in Miami, entitled "Global Assembly of Women and
the Environment: Partners in Life". The Assembly was the first
international gathering of women held to discuss environmental
issues: it highlighted women's leadership and participation in
environmental project planning. Significantly, the Assembly
process confirmed the capacities of women to advance environmental
management in ways that benefit public health, food security,
energy efficiency, education and appropriate technology. "Local
solutions help solve global problems" said Joan Martin-Brown,
director of UNEP's Washington office and Assembly Coordinator.

In the Assembly's planned itinerary, Action Agenda 21 was drafted
with the idea of bringing to Rio a clear, new perspective to
combat and dispel any myths about women lacking a place in the
environmental arena. The Assembly's report, among other
recommendations, called for the heads of Governments to sign
binding conventions on climate change and biodiversity, to reach
agreement on principles on world forestry, and to assure that the
Earth Charter included both men and women in its rights and
obligations.

Designed as a blueprint for action to be taken all the way into
the twenty-first century by the world's governments, Agenda 21 was
a centerpiece for the conference. The text included a plan to end
serious and interrelated environmental problems facing the world,
in part through global transformation in human values and
activities. Including specific proposals to increase empowerment
of women at all levels to contribute to the achievement of
principles of equity and social justice, Action Agenda 21
reinforced the effort that has been made toward eliminating
discrimination against women.

This year's International Women's Day in March was a timely
opportunity to reaffirm strongly the goal of equal rights for men
and women, as spelled out in the Charter of the United Nations.
While we continue to take another step forward in ensuring greater
respect for human rights and far greater freedoms for peoples
everywhere, the pace of progress of the advancement of women has
slackened visibly, with a growing gap between equality before the
law and equality in practice. The Global Assembly recommendations
point out that "too few women have been involved in decision
making with regard to policies, programs, projects or funding for
the environment, despite the international target of 30% of women
in leadership positions [sic] by 1995, and equal and equal
representation between women and men by the year 2000IWe insist
that the perceptions and priorities of women be fully reflected in
Agenda 21. We urge the United Nations and their agencies to supprt
these recommendations."

The Earth Summit, the first legally mandated global summit,
brought together not only top-echelon policy makers from every
country in the world, but also women Q women who have marked a
great distance in their continuing efforts to overcome
discrimination and in their struggle for social justice.

Although genuine equality for women in the present day stands shy
from reality, women the world over are pushing to make true the
ideal. The Earth Summit offered women a chance for the first time
to voice their perspectives on environmental problems and women's
place in the environment to a captive global audience. Action
Agenda 21 was an acheivement in itself, declaring precisely what
women believe will change the world for the better both
ecologically and socially.

If the UN stays on the right track, guaranteeing 50 percent
representation of women in leadership positions, the Earth Summit
will be seen as a "milestone" conference in the history of woman's
role in society. But until the world sees results, we might as
well file the Summit away as rhetoric.

** End of text from cdp:gen.newsletter **
Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive