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Summary: Pathway to Gender Equality - CEDAW, Beijing and the MDGs |
The Millennium Declaration of 2000 pledged explicitly “to combat all forms of violence against women and to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)”. Achieving the MDGs has become a high priority for all development partners – national governments, the UN system and international financial institutions alike, and there is both an explicit gender equality goal in the MDGs and recognition that gender equality is important for achieving all of the goals.
However, many women’s human rights advocates have noted that gender equality, which is vital for achieving all MDGs, is not well-reflected in the global targets and indicators. They are concerned that the obligations concerning gender equality represented in globally and regionally agreed documents such as the CEDAW or the Beijing Platform for Action have been poorly represented. Therefore advocates are calling for the inclusion of a broader range of gender-sensitive targets and indicators at the national level.
There is a place secured for combating gender inequality in the MDGs, but within its broad global framework gender equality concerns appear in a very simplified form, suggesting that the international community is falling behind on reaching the overall MDGs. Gender equality advocates have labored tirelessly to ensure that obligations and commitments under CEDAW and Beijing are fulfilled, and the results are now evident in the form of gender sensitive laws, constitutional provisions, judicial decisions, policies, government structures and resource allocations. Will the MDGs distract attention and commitment away from the gender equality processes we have worked for so long to make effective?
In order to achieve the MDGs the Declaration must recognize the central importance of gender equality to all progress in development. The approach this publication therefore proposes is one in which the MDGs are treated not as a brand new agenda but as a new vehicle for CEDAW and Beijing implementation. Many effective strategies for achieving gender equality have been developed over the past several decades through efforts to implement CEDAW and Beijing, and these proven approaches can be up-scaled and utilized in strategies to achieve the MDGs. By connecting the resources that are currently mobilized to achieve the MDGs to CEDAW and Beijing, big steps will also be made in the direction of achieving the MDGs themselves.
As the countries are preparing their National MDG Reports and outline their strategies in achieving the MDGs, there is a chance to influence the making of those reports in order to give the issue of gender equality in each Goal proper attention. Among the key steps to be taken are the following.
- Bring CEDAW and Beijing advocates to the table. The relevant sectors in society should be brought together to develop a National MDG Report, meaning experts from various government sectors as well as from civil society.
- Draw on CEDAW and Beijing for situation analysis. Most of the information has already been collected and is readily available in government and NGO reports that have been submitted to CEDAW, and in surveys and reports concerning the state of gender equality at the national level that have been prepared for Beijing +5 and Beijing +10. These resources should be used to develop the National Reports.
- Frame national indicators that respond to CEDAW and Beijing priorities. In regard to gender equality, national indicators should be adjusted and expanded to suit national contexts in the MDG reports. Such indicators have already been developed by CEDAW and Beijing; and those two documents can also serve as a resource when developing new indicators.
- Improve statistical capacity on gender equality issues. As the MDGs rely heavily on the use of statistical data, improvements must be made to the statistical data on critical gender issues. The availability of new and improved data will in turn support all advocacy efforts to advance
gender equality in the country.
- Identify appropriate implementation measures. CEDAW and Beijing can be drawn on to identify the actions most needed in each area in different country contexts under each Goal. In many countries the Beijing strategic objectives have been supplemented by national actions plans and reviews, and the CEDAW Committee has provided very detailed guidance on many key issues in its General Recommendations.
Discorso di Rachel Mayanja.doc
Women and MDGs.pdf |
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