A4-0142/95

Resolution on the fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing: 'Equality, Development and Peace'

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10 December 1948),

- having regard to the United Nations Convention on the Political Rights of Women (31 March 1953),

- having regard to the UN Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) of 18 December 1979,

- having regard to its resolution of 11 June 1986 on the results of the United Nations Conference concluding the decade for women held in Nairobi on 15-26 July 1985 ((OJ C 176, 14.7.1986, p. 64.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 14 May 1992 on the situation of women and children in the developing countries ((OJ C 150, 15.6.1992, p. 268.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 25 June 1993 on the assessment of women's unwaged work ((OJ C 194, 19.7.1993, p. 389.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 11 February 1994 on women in the decision-making process ((OJ C 61, 28.2.1994, p. 248.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 24 February 1994 on poverty among women in Europe ((OJ C 77, 14.3.1994, p. 43.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 9 March 1994 on the Commission's White Paper on growth, competitiveness and employment ((OJ C 91, 28.3.1994, p. 124.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 11 March 1994 on the demographic situation and development ((OJ C 91, 28.3.1994. p. 340)),

- having regard to its resolution of 6 May 1994 on violations of the freedoms and fundamental rights of women ((OJ C 205, 25.7.1994, p. 489.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 29 September 1994 on the outcome of the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development ((OJ C 305, 31.10.1994, p. 80.)),

- having regard to its resolution of 19 January 1995 on the Commission's White Paper on 'European Social Policy, the way forward¨ ((OJ C 43, 20.2.1995, p. 63.)),

- having regard to the Commission working documents on European Union participation in the fourth World Conference on Women: 'Action for Equality, Development and Peace' (SEC(94)1373) and SEC(95)0247),

- having regard to the action platform for the ECE adopted in Vienna at the Conference of 17-21 October 1994 (E/ECE/RW/HLM/18),

- having regard to the Amnesty International resolution on 'Equality in the year 2000: recommendations for the fourth World Conference on Women (September 1994)',

- having regard to Rule 148 of its Rules of Procedure,

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Women's Rights and the opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security (A4-0142/95),

A. mindful of the essential part played by women in the economy and society,

B. whereas the United Nations General Assembly pointed out in 1985 that the non-remunerated contributions made by women to all aspects and sectors of development should be quantified and included in the accounts of nations and in economic statistics, as well as in GNP (point 120 of the Nairobi strategies for the advancement of women by the year 2000),

C. mindful of the instances of discrimination against women in professional life, politics and society,

D. convinced that equality between women and men is a vital precondition for the strengthening of democracy, development and improving the quality of life, not only in Europe,

E. whereas at the summit on social development held in Copenhagen in March 1995, all the countries taking part undertook to submit, as soon as possible, national plans to reduce all forms of poverty,

F. gratified that the process of preparing for the World Conference on Women has attached great importance to extensive participation by non-governmental organizations,

G. deploring the fact that freedom of expression and human rights are not fully respected in China,

H. expecting that the Chinese Government will fulfil all the commitments it has made to UN representatives and will allow access to the Conference to certain non-governmental organizations including Tibetan, Taiwanese and local Chinese groups, as well as lesbian and prostitute groups, and will also provide accommodation, transport, communication and translation facilities and infrastructure, so that the NGO forum, like the official Conference, can take place under optimal conditions;

I. concerned at the condition of women in China, where they are subject to compulsory 'medical treatment' consisting in compulsory birth control and sterilization,

J. protesting against discrimination against women, in that Chinese law allows a man to divorce his wife for having had an abortion which she may have been forced to have,

K. concerned at the planning policy in China which leads to an unequal number of boys and girls being born and will lead to a serious imbalance between the number of men and women in society,

L. regretting that the European Parliament, and above all the members of the Committee on Women's Rights, were not able to play a greater part in the preparatory conferences and the Beijing Conference,

M. taking the view that the European Union should provide a model for endeavours to achieve equality for women in politics, the economy, the family and society in the foreseeable future,

N. convinced that the Action Platform will only make a successful contribution to equality between women and men if governments and all bodies and institutions with political and social responsibility make similar efforts towards bringing this about in the near future,

O. welcoming the working documents drawn up by the Commission and the fruitful European preparatory conference held in Toledo,

P. expecting the Council to submit in good time for the Beijing Conference a number of proposals on how the cause of women's equality can be promoted in the European Union and the Member States,

1. Calls on the European Union Member States to include a majority of women in their delegations and ensure that female representatives of non-governmental organizations take part in the delegations;

2. Takes the view that the NGO Forum, meeting in Beijing in parallel with the governmental Conference, should be supported and that arrangements, especially the physical proximity of the two Conference locations and the provision of regulated and regular transport, must be made to ensure access to and all possible contacts with the official Conference, including participation of women representatives as observers in the drafting committee; emphasizes once again its resolution of 18 May 1995 on the organization by the Chinese Government of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing ((Minutes of that Sitting, Part II, Item 10(e).)), calling on the Commission and the Council to endeavour to ensure that the Conference is held in accordance with the conditions laid down above;

3. Calls on the European Union and the Member States' delegations, given that the meeting is taking place in Beijing, to express clearly and emphatically their belief in human rights and democracy, affirming that the rights of women and children are an integral, inalienable and inseparable part of the universal rights of human beings as defined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

4. Expects all participants from the European Union to have a common position at the Conference to promote the extension and protection of human rights with particular reference to women and more specifically the respect for the integrity of the body;

5. Considers that the area of women's rights, which comes under the general issue of human rights, should be specifically treated in all negotiations on agreements with third countries, and calls for a direct reference to this to be inserted in all negotiating mandates given to the Commission;

6. Expects the Commission to produce a report evaluating the Conference in all the official languages, so that it can be widely used in all the Member States;

7. Declares its intention to study the conclusions from Beijing together with the final declaration of the UN Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, the action plan from the Population and Development Conference in Cairo, the conclusions of the Environment and Development Conference in Rio and the conclusions of the World Social Summit in Copenhagen in a follow-up conference on the subject and draw up an action plan for the European Union;

8. Calls on the European Union Member States to assign priority to the implementation of the UN Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, in the context of safeguarding human rights at international level;

9. Urges all UN Member States who have not signed the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to do so and to lift any existing reservations; calls for an additional protocol in order to strengthen the monitoring system;

10. Considers it vital that equality between men and women be taken as the basic premise for all measures derived from the Action Platform and that women's rights are enshrined in all national constitutions, the Treaty on European Union and basic laws, where this is not the case already;

11. Emphasizes that women's participation on a basis of equality and parity in political, economic and social decision-making processes must be achieved at all levels and that, to this end, effective instruments, including quotas, must be developed within a definite timescale;

12. Stresses that this also applies to the services of the European Commission, the Council and Parliament and stresses the need for women to participate and be represented in the civil service;

13. Urges that consensus should be reached on putting an end to every remaining form of de jure and de facto discrimination against women, in particular in labour, inheritance and family law, social security and taxation systems, and requests that the Union should implement this in European policy as quickly as possible;

14. Advocates the enshrinement of measures to promote women's interests, with the following aims:

- to guarantee access to high-quality education and training to facilitate the integration (or reintegration) of women in the employment market;

- to guarantee programmes to combat poverty and social exclusion (since women and children are the main victims of poverty);

- to guarantee programmes and measures to reduce unemployment among women;

- equal treatment for men and women as regards pay, access and promotion to jobs and social security;

- the provision of adequate social security benefits in the event of loss of income or sickness, and in old age;

- to establish policies and measures which help to reconcile family life and professional life;

- to protect motherhood with economic, social and health measures for the benefit of mother and child both before and after birth;

15. Points out emphatically that satisfactory childcare must be provided as one of the most urgently needed measures to make it possible to combine work and the family;

16. Considers that any policy aimed at promoting equal rights and opportunities for men and women must allow everybody to take responsibility, under identical conditions, for family, professional and social duties; considers that in practice family life and work can only be reconciled if the socio- economic context allows people to take a decision freely;

17. Advocates a social system which recognizes that bringing up children and caring for others is a socially necessary task to be carried out by men and women alike and takes account of this in state social security systems, giving women and men their own independent social security entitlement which does not depend on their partner;

18. Underlines the need to provide all girls and all women with high quality education and vocational training and to ensure that they have equal opportunity to participate in future developments such as in the field of technology; calls for budgetary funding for education projects and programmes for girls and women, which should be made available to non- governmental organizations so that qualifications can be obtained in the informal sector too;

19. Emphasizes the need to teach the idea of equality and therefore calls on the governments to organize campaigns to enhance awareness on equality issues;

20. Calls for government campaigns against trafficking in women and girls, child labour and exploitation of women at low rates of pay, and calls for care provided without remuneration to be included in the national economy;

21. Calls for information and prevention campaigns regarding AIDS to be organized, targeting women and young girls, who are at present and potentially the main victims of the increasingly fast spread of the epidemic;

22. Stresses the need for a joint European approach to the worldwide implementation of measures to combat trafficking in women, forced prostitution and sex tourism;

23. Calls on governments, trade unions, professional and other interested organisations to carry out, on a permanent basis, information campaigns about women's rights;

24. Calls on governments to carry out an awareness campaign among the media and advertising agencies aimed at establishing a code of conduct designed to make the image of women in advertising more dignified;

25. Calls for specific support measures for women in developing countries and in countries undergoing democratic change, and including women requesting asylum - in the European Union and elsewhere - because of persecution linked to the fact that they are women, who cannot rely on the protection of their country of origin; demands that a gender impact assessment be a precondition for all support measures;

26. Advocates the recognition of women's objectives and demands on development and cooperation in the context of a multidisciplinary approach and equal participation of women in planning, implementation, supervision and evaluation;

27. Considers that the institutions of the Union should draw up an integrated and coherent policy for development cooperation which concentrates on the advancement of women, and urges the Member States to work towards achieving the long-established target expenditure of 0.7 GNP by the year 2000;

28. Calls on the Commission to submit a European 'emergency aid plan' to improve the situation of women in the poorest developing countries, crisis areas or refugee camps, giving priority to combating poverty and measures to secure food supplies, primary health care and vaccination programmes, access to clean water and specific advancement programmes such as training in manual trades or granting small loans to set up or safeguard the future of small businesses;

29. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to use their influence with the international financial institutions to persuade them to desist from structural adjustment measures which are proven to lead to worse poverty and deprivation for broad strata of society, particularly women and children, and to advocate debt relief measures for the poorest developing countries;

30. Calls for information campaigns to reinforce women's rights in developing countries, for example for legal, economic and political or social equality, the recognition of women's rights as fundamental human rights, the prohibition and punishment of violence against women and respect for a woman's right to sexual self-determination;

31. Advocates support for local women's networks and local non-governmental organizations for the incorporation of women's activities in development cooperation;

32. Calls for consciousness-raising and training measures for all Commission staff who deal with external relations;

33. Calls for women's objectives for development cooperation with non-ACP countries to be included in cooperation agreements;

34. Calls on the ACP-EU Joint Assembly to take the results of the World Conference on Women in Beijing, particularly the development policy implications, as a main topic for their next meeting;

35. Considers that measures and projects designed to promote women's participation in the development process must be part of an interdisciplinary approach, in which the aspects of vocational training, agriculture, environmental safeguards, family planning and the condition of women in their environment should be taken into account; women must participate in the devising, execution and evaluation of projects;

36. Calls on the European delegation to press for:

- an unequivocal moral rejection of systematic rape used as a weapon of war, both in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Rwanda and in other global conflicts;

- a thorough UN investigation to identify the perpetrators and ensure that they are tried before a permanent international tribunal;

- the recognition of sexual violence as a legitimate reason for being granted the right of asylum;

- a worldwide consensus condemning sexual violence against women inside and outside marriage;

- the recognition that sexual violence against women is a violation of universal human rights;

- measures to be taken to combat sexual violence against women;

37. Expects that a universal consensus will be reached denouncing violence against women and calls for the European Union to raise at the Conference the issue of peace in relation to women;

38. Supports emphatically a woman's right to self-determination over her own body, including her reproductive and sexual rights; women alone should have the power to decide whether or when to have children, and how many, and they must on a voluntary basis have sufficient access to advice and information on reproductive health care including family planning and sex education and to advice and information on abortion and information on the prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as reliable contraception which does not endanger their health;

39. Considers that health care must not be privatized and restructured at the expense of access to information and advice;

40. Does not consider abortion an acceptable contraceptive, but is in favour of legal terminations under the best possible medical conditions being available to women who make their own decision that there is no other solution to their predicament;

41. States unequivocally that compulsory methods of birth control, particularly compulsory abortion are to be unreservedly rejected; tests for the sole purpose of ascertaining the sex of the foetus, resulting in some countries in the abortion of a female foetus, should be legally prohibited;

42. Condemns:

- the use of coercion and punitive measures under the current one-child policy of the Chinese government, which leads to compulsory abortion on a large scale;

- the new eugenics law which came into force in China on 1 June 1995 and will lead to the compulsory abortion of foetuses with physical and mental defects;

- practices which have come to light in China, where it is above all female foetuses which are aborted, girls are sold because of the one child (male) rule and there is a trade in aborted foetuses;

- the reinforced implementation of these instruments in Tibet, which is leading insidiously to genocide of the indigenous Tibetan population;

and demands that the European delegation raise this violation of human rights at the Conference;

43. Calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to permit the attendance of women from Taiwan and Tibet and from lesbian and prostitute groups at the NGO Forum and to devise a way to enable such representatives to be closely associated with the Conference itself;

44. Calls on the Commission and Council to consider supporting a move of both the official and NGO conferences to a proposed venue in Australia if China fails to respond to the requests;

45. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and Council, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Secretary-General of the Conference.