ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND MARY ROBINSON UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION FOR THE STATUS ON WOMEN
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND MARY ROBINSON UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION FOR THE STATUS ON WOMEN, TUESDAY, 8 MARCH, 1994
Distinguished delegates,
I am delighted to be able to meet you here, particularly on International Women's Day.
The last time I came to the United Nations I carried a message on behalf of the starving people of Somalia. I was coming directly from that beautiful but distressed country to speak for the people I had met there who were unable to speak for themselves.
Anybody who had seen what I saw could not but be moved to their very soul by the plight of those people pushed to - and beyond -the limits of human endurance. Yet in the face of this terrible suffering they had retained their own dignity.
I speak of this now to emphasise that, when faced with a problem to which a world solution is needed, it is to the United Nations system that we naturally turn.
The question of the status of women is a world wide one. It affects all parts of our world, whether developed or developing.
When I looked into the eyes of the women of Somalia I saw concern as deep as anything I have ever experienced - indeed deeper. I could not help feeling that here was great human potential being expended in a daily struggle for survival - so much caring, so much intellect and so much strength of character were being used up at great cost to the individual - and we, the wider community, were so much the poorer because we had no access to this human capital.
Distinguished delegates, I know that all of you here wish to bring about a situation where tragedies like that in Somalia can be prevented and all the women and men of this world can live lives of dignity in peaceful civil order. To accomplish this kind of development we must, collectively and individually, work to change society. I would contend that one of the most effective ways to do this is through the empowerment of women. It is not for nothing that women approach problem solving on a consensus rather than a hierarchical model. Their experience of civil strife has been short on glory and long on suffering and grief.
This can only turn the mind to conciliation rather than conflict as a means of resolving disputes. I am very pleased, then to have the opportunity to address this Commission, which has as its aim the bringing in of women to the decision-making process at all levels in all societies. The Commission on the Status of Women has a distinguished record as a policy-making body, having been in existence almost as long as the parent organisation itself.
I understand that you will be engaged over the next days on discussions dealing with the forthcoming 4th World Conference on Women to be held in Beijing in September, 1995.
Since International Women's Year in 1975 we have seen a tremendous number of changes in the comparative situation of women. Many targets have been set. Some have been reached. The coming into force in 1981 of the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women was a landmark legal instrument against which progress can be measured.
The 1985 World Conference in Nairobi was another milestone on the path towards the achievement of equality. It helped to identify key issues to the world:
it identified the areas where progress had already been achieved,
it identified the need to strengthen the political commitment to create and to expand the legal basis for equality,
it identified changes which must be made in socio/economic structures, health, education and other obstacles to equality and,
it identified the importance of the collection of statistics and their assessment.
I know the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women performs the very important role of monitoring, on a country basis, developments in equality and equal opportunity. However, a major world conference, such as Beijing, provides the opportunity for an overall stocktaking of progress on a global scale. While the regional conferences which precede the World Conference will reflect the cultural diversity of the United Nations, the great unifying themes set by the Women's Convention and by the Nairobi Forward-looking strategies will serve to focus the regional reports towards a dynamic Platform for Action.
Accordingly, I look forward to 1995 and your plans for consolidating the advances made by women to date. The decisions you will take in this forum and at the regional level will enable and empower women everywhere to take full advantage of all the resources which they have at their disposal.
I am aware that, as already drafted, the Platform for Action will raise matters of critical concern such as:
inequality in power-sharing and decision making,
unequal participation in economic processes,
poverty, where women experience a disproportionate burden of economic deprivation due to historic and social inequalities,
violence against women and,
the effects of armed conflict on women.
I am confident that this Platform of Action will further advance the gains in equality already achieved and that the World Conference will be able to make a major contribution to the advancement of women.
It is a particular pleasure for me to be in this forum on this day, not least because New York is where Women's Day began. In recent years I have seen some argument that International Women's Day is in itself a form of tokenism but it seems to me that as long as women remain a gender whose disadvantage can be measured worldwide by a whole set of indicators there is every point in designating one day a year to highlight the issues involved.
If women are to be enabled and empowered it is essential that nations should assist in this process by setting out to redress the factors which cause disadvantage. The United Nations Organisation plays a major part in convincing its members of this.
When we speak of equality we are not merely speaking about giving women equal rights with men. Women must also have the undeniable human right to be given equal say in legislating these rights for themselves and in deciding on the type of society in which they wish to live.
I would like to add my welcome to the adoption by the General Assembly in December of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. This declaration is an important step forward by the international community in identifying this issue as a matter which should have priority. I understand this issue is high on the agenda of the Commission of Human Rights during its current session. I am confident that they will treat the matter with the urgency which it rightly deserves.
I would also like to say how important I believe the right of petition is to this and other international bodies so that systematic abuses can be brought into the international arena.
Great advances have already been made in this century as women have taken their rightful place alongside men in politics, the law, business, journalism, academic life and other areas of leadership and influence. During this time society, aided by this new partnership, has made greater strides forward than at any time in human history. I think it is no coincidence for example that as women have moved more into public life we have seen a greater emphasis on human rights generally, on the rights of minorities and on the primacy of law over force.
Moreover, I would submit that equality is not a zero-sum game. It can, and should, be liberating for men also not to be forced into a strait-jacketed or stereotypical role or career if such is not their preferred choice.
There has been an intermittent debate for some time as to whether the leadership styles of women differ from those of men. Whilst I have a subjective view on that we are not in a position to assess the issue fully because we do not yet have a critical mass of women leaders.
The fact that I stand before you today as an elected Head of State and that there are other Heads of State or Government who are women, is, I hope, an encouraging sign. However no one can afford complacency on this issue. I understand, for example, that since my own election the proportion of women in elected Parliamentary positions throughout the world may in fact have fallen.
Much remains to be done especially in areas of the world where women by force of circumstance are unable to escape from situations which impede their natural progress. By pushing to assist their advancement we can help them - and not only them. By empowering women we contribute to the wellbeing of everyone in their societies, men, women and children.
All of our countries still have some distance to go in achieving full equality. This is a task to which we can all contribute by working in international fora so as to create the conditions to stimulate others to move forward, while at the same time not being afraid to acknowledge that we too benefit from the incentive that comes from outside.
An example of this is that most member-States of the UN have freely adopted the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. This sets targets to aim for, and I know that in my own country, those targets have been key influences for positive change, for example on the status of children born outside marriage or on the independent domicile of married women.
Ireland, in fact, has made great strides on the question of equality over the last thirty years. I say this in the full recognition that we have still some distance to travel.
The pattern of progress has been fairly consistent worldwide. What is striking is that it seems to exist in a series of stages. For example, even where there is full legal equality, this may not immediately work its way fully into such things as the representation of women in Parliament or in high public office, due to many factors. There may still, for example, be fewer women candidates for public office then men. Moreover, the relative participation of women and men in democratic political life may be due to factors such as domestic commitments and the amount of leisure time available which bring us back to issues of childcare and eldercare which are central motifs of women's lives.
The problems in bringing women more fully into public life are not insuperable but they need to be tackled with imagination and generosity.
Turning again to Ireland, there are a number of positive developments which have taken place which reflect a commitment to positive change which I think you may find interesting and reflect changes or proposed changes in your own countries. These developments include
increase in women representatives in the Dáil, our House of Representatives. The percentage has risen now to 12%, compared to 7.8% in 1989.
Ireland has taken a policy decision to achieve gender balance on State boards. No sex should have more than 60% of the places on any one board.
Approximately half of the students attending 3rd level education courses in Ireland are women.
As elsewhere, it is the personal experience of discrimination which has been a powerful agent for change. What may have been an academic issue is no longer an academic issue if your daughter is concerned.
Within the European Union, of which Ireland is a member, the call for equality has been received enthusiastically and the vital principle of equality between men and women with regard to job opportunities and treatment at work is enshrined within the Union treaties.
Distinguished delegates, the role of women in society is evolving: they are moving from being the mainstay of the family to take on new roles as equal partners with men in society in general. As society has changed, education has helped women break out from their hitherto restricted world. Technology is assisting in this advancement and old stereotypes no longer bind us.
This is not to say that we would not wish to preserve the best from the past. Women themselves see no conflict between being an independent individual with aspirations and being a caring parent and loving partner.
Thus, the Year of the Family, makes this point by its apt choice to celebrate the family as the democracy at the heart of society, in other words respecting the individual rights within the family, as well as nurturing and protecting this most important unit within our society. Equality of men and women and mutual respect within the family helps it to develop to its full potential.
Today, women fulfil roles both in public life and at home. Partnership and sharing have replaced the stereotyping of the past which prevented women from taking on tasks and leadership roles for which they were as well suited as men.
Both men and women have gained considerably from the new order. Men and women can reach a new and more balanced partnership, choosing for themselves as appropriate the roles of breadwinner and homemaker, or joint breadwinner. The possibilities for both men and women to achieve fulfilment are broadened by this move away from limited prospects based on stereotypes.
At the same time it is worth recording that this kind of evolutionary change is not achieved seamlessly or painlessly. For the last few decades the onus for behavioural change has been overwhelmingly on women and they have met this challenge in a positive spirit with courage and determination. It is fair to say that the demands on men for change have been less to date but are increasing. This makes demands on the individual and it is important that public policy measures should recognise and facilitate this kind of charge and personal growth.
Moreover, enabling the individual man or woman to use their talents and attributes in the way they personally find most satisfying enriches our societies not only economically, but also spiritually and intellectually.
So, as you begin this session of the Commission we recognise that the task ahead is challenging. It is not easy to convince everyone that equality is ultimately in their own interest. However, I believe it is possible to take heart from the rate and extent of change to date. If we keep before us the image of the women of Somalia and Bosnia and if we think above all of the girl child and her all too often inferior rights and status these too must strengthen our purpose.
It is a heavy duty, but also a great privilege to work within this forum in which you sit today. The fact is, that this Commission, working in cooperation with the other bodies within the UN family has the capacity to achieve real and lasting progress.
I wish you every success in your work and I would like to thank you for the honour of inviting me to address you.