Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women'
Date: 2000-04-27
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee, Provisional data
Subjects: international conference, position of women, woman, women's rights

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4.2.
Finally, the Committee strongly recommends that the European Union, involving workers, employers and
other relevant socio-economic interest groups, make a clearly focused contribution to the follow-up process of the
Social Summit by selecting for coordinated, EU-wide action, a limited number of initiatives in the fields of
employment creation, the fight against poverty, and social integration. Implementation of the Summit decisions will
be a matter for individual governments. However, the Summit should, and probably will, stress the significance of
regional cooperation in the implementation process. It is important for the success of the Social Summit that a major
group of countries, such as those united in the European Union, set an example of such cooperation in their own
region. The Commission is invited to work out a proposal on the basis of existing European Union policies on
employment, poverty, and social exclusion.

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Follow-up to the Fourth World
Conference on Women’

(2000/C 168/11)

On 27 January 2000, the Economic and Social Committee, acting under Rule 23(3) of its Rules of
Procedure, decided to draw up an opinion on the above-mentioned subject.

The Section for External Relations, which was responsible for preparing the Committee’s work on the
subject, adopted its opinion on 14 April 2000. The rapporteur was Ms Florio.

At its 372nd plenary session (meeting of 27 April 2000) the Economic and Social Committee adopted
the following opinion with 116 votes in favour and two abstentions.

1.

Introduction

1.1.
The UN Fourth World Conference on Women, held in
Beijing on 4-15 September 1995, adopted a Declaration and
Platform for Action, defining objectives and strategies for the
development, advancement and equal participation of women.

1.2.
Five years after the Fourth Conference, the UN General
Assembly adopted Resolutions 52/100 and 52/231, convening
a special session on ‘Women 2000: gender equality, develop-
ment and peace for the 21st century’, to be held in New York
on 5-9 June 2000.

The purpose of the special session is to assess the
1.3.
progress made in implementing the Platform for Action
adopted in Beijing, identify the main obstacles and recommend
future action to combat gender-based discrimination.

Vienna in 1993, which were approved at the International
Conference on Population and Development, held in Cairo in
1994, and at the World Summit on Social Development, held
in Copenhagen in 1995.

1.5.
The Vienna Conference on Human Rights of 14-25
June 1993 reaffirmed clearly that the human rights of women
throughout the life cycle are an inalienable,
integral and
indivisible part of universal human rights.

1.6.
The Cairo Conference of 5-13 September 1994 con-
firmed the key role women play in development and popu-
lation growth issues. For the first time, the conference high-
lighted the need to improve the social and economic status of
women, and launch education and training programmes to
raise their awareness of their rights. Better access to education,
information and healthcare is the sine qua non for an improved
demographic policy.

1.4.
In order to assess the extent to which the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action have been implemented,
the session will of necessity have to take into account the
reports on the World Conference on Human Rights, held in

1.7.
The Copenhagen World Summit (6-12 March 1995)
highlighted, for the first time, the ‘feminisation’ of poverty,
and asserted the principle that sustainable development can
only be launched by means of economic policies which take
social factors and, especially gender differences, fully into
account.

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1.8.
In addition to reaffirming the fact that women’s rights
are human rights, and cannot be considered in isolation, the
Beijing Platform for Action posits three key ideas:

We must highlight gender differences: only true equality of
rights and living conditions between men and women can
ensure economic growth and fair, sustainable development.
Another key point is empowerment, which should not only
be considered from the social point of view, as in giving
women power and responsibility in decision-making bodies,
but also from a personal point of view, i.e. self-fulfilment, and
boosting self-confidence and skills. Mainstreaming means
including a gender perspective in all actions and in all political,
economic and social decisions; rather than being the objective,
the gender perspective informs all government action. It is to
be hoped that the social partners, NGOs and civil society
organisations as a whole will provide continual input and
monitoring for mainstreaming issues.

1.9.
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action ident-
ified 12 critical areas of concern: poverty; education and
training; health and social services; violence; armed conflict;
the economy; power and decision-making; institutional mech-
anisms; human rights; the media; the environment; and the
girl-child.

Implementation of the Platform for Action measures
1.10.
is the responsibility of governments and of institutional and
non-governmental bodies operating at national, sub-regional,
regional and international level.

2.

Implementation of the platform for action: obstacles
and progress

2.1. Women and poverty: the acknowledgement of the
feminisation of poverty has led many governments to promote
initiatives in the field of social services, and health and
education, which target women who are more socially vulner-
able.

The lack of equality in access to capital, resources and the
labour market remains, however, one of the determining
factors, and this is often aggravated by economic reform
policies which rein in social expenditure. This is all the more
obvious in the transitional countries of central and eastern
Europe, where radical economic restructuring has led to a
deterioration in the situation of women.

2.2.
Education and training for women: considerable pro-
gress has been made in this area, although there has been little
investment to improve education infrastructure, and in many
countries there is clearly a need for root and branch reform of
the education systems.

2.3. Women and health: fewer women are dying in child-
birth; greater use is made of contraceptives, and more attention
is being paid to specifically women’s problems, especially
those of older women; and programmes to reduce transmission
of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases are
widespread. However, research and technology still
lack a
gender-based approach; public infrastructure has often proved
inadequate, owing to a lack of human and financial resources;
the general situation has deteriorated in many states, partly
because services have sometimes been privatised without
guaranteeing access for the weakest population groups; instru-
ments for safeguarding and improving the health and safety of
women in the workplace are still unsatisfactory. A case in
point is the fact that some governments would like to see
protection standards lowered in the forthcoming revised
version of the ILO’s 1952 Convention No 103 on Maternity
Protection.

2.4.
Violence against women: many governments have
introduced stricter legislation to protect women from various
forms of violence; they have set up specific departments and
special units for women who are the victims of violence, and
have prepared educational material and prevention campaigns;
women’s protest and support networks are on the increase.
Genital mutilation is still widespread in southern countries and
in immigrant communities. There is still a lack of data
about the various forms violence takes, and information and
prevention programmes are still inadequate. Governments pay
scant attention to campaigns to recognise various forms of
violence — including genital mutilation, ethnic rape and
trafficking — against women as grounds for granting political
asylum. Trafficking, which targets women and children in
particular, is on the increase.

2.5. Women and armed conflict: the Statutes of the Inter-
national Tribunals in Yugoslavia and Rwanda and those of the
International Criminal Court include ad hoc regulations, and
all international humanitarian legislation tends increasingly to
recognise the different way armed conflict impacts on men
and women, and to adopt a gender perspective, particularly as
far as refugee status is concerned. The role women play in
conflict solving and peacekeeping has not yet been stressed
sufficiently. Ethnic rape, although considered a crime against
humanity, still goes unpunished.

2.6. Women and the economy: many governments have
incorporated international provisions on the economic rights
of women into national law; many EU countries are introdu-
cing provisions on parental leave, and there are now more
women in the labour market, particularly in the service sector.
Unfortunately, progress has not been made across the board
and there are still serious inequalities in the rural sector and
informal economies; and there is still a wide earnings gap
between men and women.

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2.7. Women, power and decision-making: Many govern-
ments have adopted policies and actions in favour of women
in this area, and have launched programmes — including
training programmes — to make it easier for women to be
part of the political and institutional decision-making process,
inter alia by introducing measures to help men and women
share family and professional responsibilities. However, true
equality is still some way away.

environmental policy, within the framework of the multifunc-
tional agriculture provided for in Agenda 2000. The role of
women has not only been recognised in relation to strictly
agricultural work, but also in connection with diversification
of the rural environment, whenever they use environmentally-
friendly methods and promote the quality and specificity of
their produce and of the services they provide.

2.8.
Institutional mechanisms for promotion, analysis and
assessment have been created and strengthened in many
countries in order to encourage equal opportunities. However,
these have often been hampered by their low profile, and lack
of a clear mandate and adequate resources; these institutions
have often tended to be sidelined, and have no real political
autonomy.

2.9.
Human rights of women: Women’s rights are human
legislations now include
rights. While the various national
provisions on human rights and women, particularly with
regard to marriage, work and the right to own property,
discrimination does still exist. In addition to discrimination in
law, de facto discrimination as a result of cultural values,
traditional attitudes and ingrained stereotypes, is rife.

Ratification of the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms
of Discrimination against Women continues apace, but there
is still a lack of consensus and some governments are uneasy
about incorporating the provisions of the Convention in their
legal systems.

2.10. Women and the media: recent years have seen
the growth of women’s information networks, thanks to
technological progress which has made it easier for women to
access the media, and multiplied the opportunities to spread
female culture and exchange opinions; women are still under-
represented in positions of responsibility in the media world;
the press is still dominated by men and puts out a negative,
stereotyped image of women; in some parts of the world,
pornography is on the increase. Particularly worrying is the
spread of pornography on the Internet, as is the lack of
computer monitoring, filter and child-lock devices.

There is still, then, a need to open up the information sector
to women, both in order to involve them in decision-
making, and to spread non-discriminatory cultural models. It
is increasingly clear that we need systems to monitor and
filter-out degrading images of women.

2.12.
The girl-child has only quite recently become the
focus of specific attention; ad hoc policies are being formulated
but there is still a lack of adequate statistics which take
account of gender and age differences, and which would allow
policymakers to focus on the specifics of the problem and
prepare more effective initiatives. There are virtually no
training and information programmes to help counter the
spread of drug abuse and all forms of teenage exploitation and
sexual abuse. Many countries still do not apply the inter-
national standards established by the Convention on the Rights
of the Child (Article 32) and by the International Labour
Organisation as regards the elimination of economic exploi-
tation of child labour.

3. Europe and the European Institutions

3.1.
The conclusions adopted in Geneva (19-21 January
2000) by the Economic Commission for Europe’s (ECE)
Regional Preparatory Meeting on the 2000 Review of
Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, reaffirmed
government commitment to tackling the 12 critical areas
identified in 1995. The European Regional Conference, how-
ever, looks at five areas:

1. Women and the economy

2. Violence against women and children

3. Women and girls in armed conflict situations

4. Women in power and decision-making

5.

Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women.

Starting from the premise that women’s rights are
3.2.
an inalienable,
integral part of human rights, the Geneva
Conclusions refer directly to the Convention on the Elimin-
ation of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, to the
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, to
the Convention on Children’s Rights, and to the Vienna
Conference on Human Rights.

2.11. Women and the environment: women are currently
raising their profile in national environmental policies, partly
thanks to eco-training, and partly thanks to the drive to
create paid employment for women. Women are still under-
represented in the policy-framing and decision-making stages.
It is important to stress the vital work rural women do in agri-

3.2.1.
The document recalls the various UN-sponsored
initiatives which have reaffirmed the need for an equal
opportunities policy: the 1995 Beijing Platform, the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, the 1995 Copenhagen Declar-
ation and Programme of Action; the 1997 Commission on

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Women and the Economy, and its Resolution on Women and
Poverty; the ILO’s 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles
and Rights at Work; and the 1999 ECOSOC Ministerial
Communiqué entitled ‘The Role of Employment and Work in
Poverty Eradication’.

3.2.2.
For their part, the Members of the Council of Europe
and the European Union reaffirmed their commitment to the
1992 Directive on Maternity Leave; the 1996 Directive on
Parental Leave; the Recommendation on reconciling work with
family life; the Declaration on Equality between Men and
Women as a Fundamental Criterion of Democracy (Istanbul,
1997), the Council of Europe European Social Charter; and the
EU Council Resolutions on the 1997, 1998 and 1999
Employment Guidelines.

These are the most important steps taken by the European
institutions at various levels.

During the Finnish presidency (2nd semester 1999) a
3.3.
report was drawn up on indicators and benchmarks for
‘Women in power and decision-making’.

3.4.
The Portuguese presidency of the European Union
submitted a written statement to the ECE Regional Conference,
committing the EU Member States to implementing the Beijing
Platform for Action in full. The fact that five priority areas
have been selected to be addressed at the conference does not,
however, obviate the need to embrace all 12 points of the
Platform for Action.

3.4.1.
Significant progress has been made since the 1995
Beijing Conference. This is borne out by the annual review of
the implementation of the Platform for Action, carried out by
the Member States and the European institutions. It is backed
up by strategies and methods to facilitate mainstreaming of
gender issues — especially as regards employment policy, the
Structural Funds, women’s access to a career and to decision-
making, and the fight against violence.

3.4.2. Moreover, indicators and benchmarks are needed to
highlight the benefits and shortcomings of equal opportunities
policies in the political, economic and social fields.

3.5.
In preparation for the ECE Conference, the Com-
mission drew up an information note which reviewed progress
achieved in the five areas addressed by the European regional
conference.

3.6.
The Amsterdam Treaty made equal opportunities
policies one of the key objectives of the European Union. The
for equal opportunities pro-
most
grammes and projects is the European Social Fund, which has
directly promoted specific actions, such as ‘Employment Now’.

instrument

important

In addition to the European Social Fund, all

3.7.
the
Structural Funds have been mobilised in promoting equality
(1996 Council Resolution ‘Mainstreaming equal opportunities
for women and men into the European Structural Funds’).

The employment guidelines chapter of the February
3.8.
1999 Council Resolution reaffirmed the need to boost equal
opportunities policies within the national action plans (NAP).

One of the specific instruments adopted at Community
3.9.
level
is the fourth medium-term Community action pro-
gramme on equal opportunities for women and men (1996-
2000). The programme has six objectives:

— to mainstream gender issues;

— mobilise all stakeholders to achieve equality;

— promote equal opportunities in a changing economy;

— reconcile family and working life;

— promote gender balance in decision-making; and

— create optimum conditions for equal rights.

A fifth Community framework programme on gen-
3.9.1.
der equality is currently being drafted by the Commission. The
programme will take on board the Beijing + 5 review process,
and will be based on the mainstreaming strategy developed at
EU level since 1995.

3.10.
Other Community programmes focusing specifically
on equal opportunities have also had a positive impact. These
programmes (Daphne and STOP) aim to combat violence
against women and children, and trafficking in women and
children. Information campaigns targeting women have been
in cooperation with
launched in Bulgaria and Hungary,
the International Organisation for Migration (this is the
Commission’s first programme on the subject).

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3.11.
The needs of women also need to be included in
other policies such as external relations, including development
cooperation, and education and training. The Leonardo da
Vinci programme on vocational training focuses specifically
on promoting equal opportunities between women and men
as a means of combating all forms of discrimination. The fifth
research and development framework programme includes a
specific budget heading for ‘women and science’. Gender issues
have been mainstreamed in the EU’s external relations policies,
and especially in development cooperation (1998 Council
regulation on integrating gender in development cooperation)
and human rights policies through the European Initiative for
Democracy and Human Rights.

A campaign to combat violence against women was
3.12.
launched in 1998. The campaign focuses particularly on
domestic violence and seeks to raise awareness amongst the
public with a focus on men, in combating this kind of violence.
The campaign aims to achieve zero tolerance towards violence
against women and to involve various civil society stake-
holders, including NGOs, in mainly preventive action. Violence
against women can also be combated through regional cooper-
ation programmes, including human rights initiatives (Latin
America, Mediterranean countries, central and eastern Europe).

A feature of violence against women is the way they
3.13.
are affected by armed conflict, which sees them as both victim
and hostage at one and the same time. On the other hand,
important Meda Democracy initiatives and projects in Cyprus,
Jerusalem, the Lebanon, etc. have shown the need to boost the
role of women in the peace process. In 1998, ECHO launched
an international campaign entitled ‘A flower for the women of
Kabul’.

4. General comments

4.1.
The Committee welcomes the considerable progress
which has been made in the five years since the 1995 Beijing
Platform. The road to full equality between women and men
is still long and strewn with obstacles. The Committee would
therefore like to see a strengthening of the machinery which
has been set up at various levels (national, European, global)
over the last few years, and calls for the existing legislative
framework to be applied consistently in all States.

By adopting a coherent policy for the reform of the
4.2.
major international institutions such as the World Bank, the
International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organis-
ation, the European Union can help these important economic
and monetary institutions to shape ad hoc policies and specific
programmes to combat poverty and the ghettoisation of
women.

4.3.
In order to achieve this, the European Union and its
Member States should work actively with these international
bodies to promote a strong, high-level presence of women,
especially in decision-making posts.

4.4.
Inequality and discrimination are not just a social
problem; they are also a structural problem. Reform of the
European institutions will therefore have to take this into
account.

5. Proposals and conclusions

5.1.
The Committee believes it is essential to boost cooper-
ation, information and activities between the European insti-
tutions, in particular with the Council, the European Parliament
and the Commission.

5.2.
The European Union will have to put in place ad hoc
analysis machinery (data banks, statistics, research) which
take account of gender and age differences, and ensure the
information is disseminated as widely as possible. Moreover, it
will have to frame further actions and initiatives which take
account of the trend towards globalisation — a process which
opens up new opportunities for some sectors of the female
population, while excluding others.

5.3.
An obvious example is the take-up of new tech-
nologies. This is a vital factor in development, but could also
lead to a new form of exclusion for the poorer sections of
society. The Committee considers that these people should
also be guaranteed access to new technologies, so that they
form a real development factor and generate new jobs.

5.4.
For example, migratory flows create new job oppor-
tunities for women, but since they often elude any kind of
control, they also conceal and nurture phenomena such as
trafficking and the abuse that goes with it. The Committee
believes that migratory flows need to be monitored, as the
problem has now taken on worrying proportions, and efforts
to tackle it should be stepped up (via programmes such as
STOP and Daphne).

5.5.
The Committee believes it is essential to give due
weight to improving the employment prospects of women,
bridging the wide pay gaps which still exist, and ensuring that
women and men are able to balance career and family life. The
social partners and collective bargaining have a vital role to
play here.

5.6.
The Committee believes that the two-fold discrimi-
nation which can affect women from the most vulnerable
sections of society, including ethnic minorities, immigrants,
the young, the disabled, and those who are discriminated
against because of their sexual orientation, must be rooted out.

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5.7.
The European Union should commit itself to ensuring
that all Member States sign the UN Convention for the
Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women,
and the Optional Protocol. A European legal framework is
needed to combat all forms of violence and abuse against
women.

Demographic trends will also require adequate sol-
5.8.
utions to the problem of the ageing population, taking into
account the different percentage of men and women.

5.9. Mindful of the high rates of female illiteracy, especially
in the EU’s lagging regions, and of the fact that education is a
vital factor in the development and welfare of a society, the
Committee calls for more robust support programmes to

promote female education and tackle the dropout rate. These
programmes should focus particularly on girls.

Equality and human rights cannot just be decreed
5.10.
from on high. They require the full, democratic participation
of the whole of society. Consequently, cooperation with the
social partners and NGOs, and with citizens’ associations and
organisations at various levels, will be essential.

5.11.
The Committee feels it is vital that the next UN
General Assembly should launch preparations for a fifth UN
World Conference on Women in 2005.

5.12.
Turning to its own specific role, the Committee feels
that it should be included in the Commission delegation to the
forthcoming UN General Assembly Special Session.

Brussels, 27 April 2000.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Beatrice RANGONI MACHIAVELLI