Annex
Further actions and initiatives to implement
the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
II. Achievements in and obstacles to the implementation of
the 12 critical areas of the Platform for Action [Suite...]
E. Women and armed conflict
15. Achievements. There is a wider recognition that
armed conflict has different destructive impacts on women and
men and that a gender-sensitive approach to the application
of international human rights law and international humanitarian
law is important. Steps have been taken at the national and
international levels to address abuses against women, including
increased attention to ending impunity for crimes against women
in situations of armed conflict. The work of the International
Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda has
been an important contribution to address violence against women
in the context of armed conflict.
Also of historical significance is the adoption of the Crime
Statute of the
International Criminal Court, [9]
which provides that rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution,
forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization and other forms of
sexual violence are war crimes when committed in the context
of armed conflict and also under defined circumstances, crimes
against humanity. Women's contribution in the areas of peace-building,
peacemaking and conflict resolution is being increasingly recognized.
Education and training on non-violent conflict resolution have
been introduced. Progress has been made on the dissemination
and implementation of the guidelines for the protection of refugee
women, and on addressing the needs of displaced women. Gender-based
persecution has been accepted as a basis for refugee status
in some countries.
There is recognition by Governments, the international community
and organizations, in particular the United Nations, that women
and men experience humanitarian emergencies differently, and
there is a need for a more holistic support for refugee and
displaced women, including those who have suffered all forms
of abuse, including gender-specific abuse, to ensure equal access
to appropriate and adequate food and nutrition, clean water,
safe sanitation, shelter, education, social and health services,
including reproductive health care and maternity care. There
is greater recognition of the need to integrate a
gender perspective in the planning, design and implementation
of humanitarian
assistance and to provide adequate resources. Humanitarian relief
agencies and civil society, including non-governmental organizations,
have played an increasingly important role in the provision
of humanitarian assistance, as well as in the design, where
appropriate, and implementation of programmes to address the
needs of women and girls, including refugee and displaced women
and girls in humanitarian emergencies, and in conflict and post-conflict
situations.
16. Obstacles. Peace is inextricably linked to equality
between women and men and development. Armed and other types
of conflicts, wars of aggression, foreign occupation, colonial
or other alien domination, as well as terrorism, continue to
cause serious obstacles to the advancement of women. The targeting
of civilians, including women and children, the displacement
of people, and the recruitment of child soldiers in violation
of national or international law, by State and/or non-State
actors, which occur in armed conflicts, have had a particularly
adverse impact on gender equality and women's human rights.
Armed conflict creates or exacerbates the high level of female-headed
households, which in many cases are living in poverty. The underrepresentation,
at all levels, of women in decision-making positions, such as
special envoys or special representatives of the Secretary-General,
in peacekeeping, peace-building, post-conflict reconciliation
and reconstruction, as well as lack of gender awareness in these
areas, presents serious obstacles. There has
been a failure to provide sufficient resources, to adequately
distribute those
resources and to address the needs of increasing numbers of
refugees, who are
mostly women and children, particularly to developing countries
hosting large
numbers of refugees; international assistance has not kept pace
with the increasing number of refugees. The growing number of
internally displaced persons and the provision of their needs,
in particular women and children, continue to represent a double
burden to the affected countries and their financial resources.
Inadequate training of personnel dealing with the needs of women
in situations of armed conflict or as refugees, such as a shortage
of specific programmes that address the healing of women from
trauma and skills training, remains a problem.
17. Excessive military expenditures, including global military
expenditures, trade
in arms and investment for arms production, taking into consideration
national
security requirements, direct the possible allocation of funds
away from social and economic development, in particular for
the advancement of women. In several countries, economic sanctions
have had social and humanitarian impacts on the civilian population,
in particular women and children.
18. In some countries, advancement of women is adversely affected
by unilateral measures not in accordance with international
law and the Charter of the United Nations that create obstacles
to trade relations among States, impede the full realization
of social and economic development and hinder the well-being
of the population in the affected countries, with particular
consequences for women and children.
19. In situations of armed conflict, there are continued violations
of human rights of women, which are violations of fundamental
principles of international human rights law and international
humanitarian law. There has been an increase in all forms of
violence against women, including sexual slavery, rape, systematic
rape, sexual abuse and forced pregnancies, in situations of
armed conflict. Displacement compounded by loss of home and
property, poverty, family disintegration and separation and
other consequences of armed conflict are severely affecting
the populations, especially women and children. Girls are also
abducted or recruited, in violation of international law, into
situations of armed conflict, including as combatants, sexual
slaves or providers of domestic services
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F. Women and the economy
20. Achievements. There is increased participation of
women in the labour market and subsequent gain in economic autonomy.
Some Governments have introduced a variety of measures that
address women's economic and social rights, equal access to
and control over economic resources and equality in employment.
Other measures include the ratification of international labour
conventions as well as enacting or strengthening legislation
to make it compatible with these conventions. There is increased
awareness of the need to reconcile employment and family responsibilities
and the positive effect of such measures as maternity and paternity
leave and also parental leave, and child and family care services
and benefits. Some Governments have made provisions to address
discriminatory and abusive behaviour in the
workplace and to prevent unhealthy working conditions, and have
established
funding mechanisms to promote women's roles in entrepreneurship,
education and training, including scientific and technical skills
and decision-making. Research has been conducted on barriers
to economic empowerment faced by women, including the relationship
between remunerated and unremunerated work, and tools are being
developed to assist with this assessment.
21. Obstacles. The importance of a gender perspective
in the development of
macroeconomic policy is still not widely recognized. Many women
still work in
rural areas and the informal economy as subsistence producers,
and in the service sector with low levels of income and little
job and social security. Many women with comparable skills and
experience are confronted with a gender wage gap and lag behind
men in income and career mobility in the formal sector. Equal
pay for women and men for equal work, or work of equal value,
has not yet been fully realized. Gender discrimination in hiring
and promotion and related to pregnancy, including through pregnancy
testing, and sexual harassment in the workplace persist. In
some countries, women's full and equal rights to own land and
other property, including through the right to inheritance,
is not recognized yet in national legislation. Progression in
the professions, in most cases, is still more difficult for
women, due to the lack of structures and measures that take
into account maternity and family responsibilities. In some
cases, persistent gender stereotyping has led to a lower status
of male workers as fathers and to an insufficient encouragement
for men to reconcile rofessional and family responsibilities.
Lack of family-friendly policies regarding the organization
of work increases these difficulties. Effective implementation
of legislation and practical support systems is still inadequate.
The combination of remunerated work and caregiving within families,
households and communities still leads to a disproportionate
burden for women as long as there is insufficient sharing of
tasks and responsibilities by men. It is still also women who
perform the larger part of unremunerated work.
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G. Women in power and decision-making
22. Achievements. There has been growing acceptance
of the importance to society of the full participation of women
in decision-making and power at all levels and in all forums,
including the intergovernmental, governmental and non-governmental
sectors. In some countries, women have also attained higher
positions in these spheres. An increasing number of countries
applied affirmative and positive action policies, including
quota systems or voluntary agreements in some countries and
measurable goals and targets, developed training programmes
for women's leadership, and introduced measures to reconcile
family and work responsibilities of.both women and men. National
mechanisms and machineries for the advancement of women as well
as national and international networks of women politicians,
parliamentarians, activists and professionals in various fields
have been established or upgraded and strengthened.
23. Obstacles. Despite general acceptance of the need
for a gender balance in
decision-making bodies at all levels, a gap between de jure
and de facto equality has persisted. Notwithstanding substantial
improvement of de jure equality between women and men, the actual
participation of women at the highest levels of national and
international decision-making has not significantly changed
since the time of the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995,
and gross underrepresentation of women in decision-making bodies
in all areas, including politics, conflict prevention and resolution
mechanisms, the economy, the environment and the media, hinders
the inclusion of a gender perspective in these critical spheres
of influence. Women continue to be underrepresented at the legislative,
ministerial and sub-ministerial levels, as well as at the highest
levels of the corporate sector and other economic and social
institutions. Traditionally assigned gender roles limit women's
choices in education and careers and compel women to assume
the burden for household responsibilities. Initiatives and programmes
aimed at women's increased
participation in decision-making were hindered by a lack of
human and financial
resources for training and advocacy for political careers; gender-sensitive
attitudes towards women in society, awareness of women to engage
in decision-making in some cases; accountability of elected
officials and political parties for promoting gender equality
and women's participation in public life; social awareness of
the importance of balanced participation of women and men in
decision-making; willingness on the part of men to share power;
sufficient dialogue and cooperation with women's NGOs, along
with organizational and political structures, which enable all
women to participate in all spheres of political decision-making.
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H. Institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women
24. Achievements. National machineries have been instituted
or strengthened and recognized as the institutional base acting
as iscatalystsll for promoting gender equality, gender mainstreaming
and monitoring of the implementation of the Platform for Action
and in many instances of the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women. [10]
In many countries, progress has been achieved in terms of the
visibility, status, outreach and coordination of activities
of these machineries. Gender mainstreaming has been widely acknowledged
as a strategy to enhance the impact of policies to promote gender
equality. The goal of the strategy is to incorporate a gender
perspective in all legislation policies, programmes and projects.
These machineries, despite their limited financial resources,
have made a significant contribution to the development of human
resources in the field of gender studies and have also contributed
to the growing efforts for the generation and dissemination
of data disaggregated by sex and age, gender-sensitive research
and documentation. Within the United Nations system,
much progress has been made in the mainstreaming of a gender
perspective,
including through the development of tools and the creation
of gender focal points.
25. Obstacles. In a number of countries, inadequate
financial and human resources and a lack of political will and
commitment are the main obstacles confronting national machineries.
This is further exacerbated by insufficient understanding of
gender equality and gender mainstreaming among government structures,
as well as prevailing gender stereotypes, discriminatory attitudes,
competing government priorities and, in some countries, unclear
mandates, a marginalized location within the national government
structures, lack of data disaggregated by sex and age in many
areas and insufficiently applied methods for assessing progress,
in addition to paucity of authority and insufficient links to
civil society. The activities of the national machineries were
also hindered by structural and communication problems within
and among government agencies.
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I. Human rights of women
26. Achievements. Legal reforms have been undertaken
to prohibit all forms of discrimination and discriminatory provisions
have been eliminated in civil, penal and personal status law
governing marriage and family relations, all forms of violence,
women's property and ownership rights and women's political,
work and employment rights. Steps have been taken to realize
women's de facto enjoyment of their human rights through the
creation of an enabling environment, including the adoption
of policy measures, the improvement of enforcement and monitoring
mechanisms and the implementation of legal literacy and awareness
campaigns at all levels. The Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women has been ratified
or acceded to by 165 countries and its full implementation has
been promoted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women. At its fifty-fourth session, the General Assembly
adopted the Optional Protocol to the Convention, [11]
allowing women claiming to be victims of a violation
of any of the rights set forth in the Convention by a State
party to submit their
claims to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women, to which non-governmental organizations contributed
by raising awareness and
generating support for its adoption. Women's NGOs have also
contributed to raising awareness that women's rights are human
rights. They also generated support for the inclusion of a gender
perspective in the elaboration of the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court. Progress has also been made to integrate the
human rights of women and mainstream a gender perspective into
the United Nations system, including into the work of the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and
of the Commission on Human Rights.
27. Obstacles. Gender discrimination and all other forms
of discrimination, in
particular racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance continue to cause threat to women's enjoyment of
their human rights and fundamental freedoms. In situations of
armed conflict and foreign occupation, human rights of women
have been extensively violated. Even though a number of countries
have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women, the goal of universal ratification
by the year 2000 has not been achieved, and there continue to
be a large number of reservations to the Convention. While there
is an increasing acceptance of gender equality, many countries
have not yet implemented fully the provisions of the Convention.
Discriminatory legislation as well as harmful traditional and
customary practices and negative stereotyping of women and men
still persist. Family, civil, penal, labour and commercial laws
or codes, or administrative rules and regulations, still have
not fully integrated a gender perspective. Legislative and regulatory
gaps, as well as lack of implementation and
enforcement of legislation and regulations, perpetuate de jure
as well as de facto inequality and discrimination, and in a
few cases, new laws discriminating against women have been introduced.
In many countries, women have insufficient access to the law,
resulting from illiteracy, lack of legal literacy, information
and resources, insensitivity and gender bias, and lack of awareness
of the human rights of women by law enforcement officials and
the judiciary, who in many cases fail to respect the human rights
of women and the dignity and worth of the human person. There
is to their full enjoyment of those rights, which embrace certain
human rights as defined in paragraph 95 of the Beijing Platform
for Action. Some women and girls continue to encounter barriers
to justice and the enjoyment of their human rights because of
such factors as their race, language, ethnicity, culture, religion,
disability or socio-economic class or because they are indigenous
people, migrants, including women migrant workers, displaced
women or refugees.
[Table
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J. Women and the media
28. Achievements. The establishment of local, national
and international women's media networks has contributed to
global information dissemination, exchange of views and support
to women's groups active in media work. The development of information
and communication technologies, especially the Internet, has
provided improved communication opportunities for the empowerment
of women and girls, which has enabled an increasing number of
women to contribute to knowledge sharing, networking and electronic
commerce activities. The number of women's media organizations
and programmes has increased, facilitating the aims of increased
participation and promotion of positive portrayals of women
in the media. Progress has been made to combat negative images
of women by establishing professional guidelines and voluntary
codes of conduct, encouraging fair gender
portrayal and the use of non-sexist language in media programmes.
29. Obstacles. Negative, violent and/or degrading images
of women, including
pornography and stereotyped portrayals, have increased in different
forms using new communication technologies in some instances,
and bias against women remains in the media. Poverty, the lack
of access and opportunities, illiteracy, lack of computer literacy
and language barriers, prevent some women from using the information
and communication technologies, including the Internet. Development
of and access to Internet infrastructure is limited, especially
in developing countries and particularly for women.
[Table
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K. Women and the environment
30. Achievements. Some national environment policies
and programmes have
incorporated gender perspectives. In recognition of the link
between gender equality, poverty eradication, sustainable development
and environment protection, Governments have included income-generating
activities for women, as well as training in natural resource
management and environmental protection in their development
strategies. Projects have been launched to preserve and utilize
women's traditional ecological knowledge, including the traditional
ecological knowledge of indigenous women, in the management
of natural resources and the preservation of biodiversity..
31. Obstacles. There is still a lack of public awareness
about environmental risks faced by women and of the benefits
of gender equality for promoting environmental protection. Women's
limited access to technical skills, resources and information,
in particular in developing countries, due to, inter alia, gender
inequality, have impeded women's effective participation in
decision-making, regarding the sustainable environment, including
at the international level. Research, action, targeted strategies
and public awareness remain limited regarding the differential
impacts and implications of environmental problems for women
and men. Real solutions to environmental problems, including
environmental degradation, need to address the root causes of
these problems, such as foreign occupation. Environmental policies
and programmes lack a gender perspective and fail to take into
account women's roles and contributions to environmental sustainability.
[Table
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L. The girl child
32. Achievements. Some progress was made in primary
and, to a lesser extent, secondary and tertiary education for
girls, owing to the creation of a more gender-sensitive school
environment, improved educational infrastructure, increased
enrolment and retention, support mechanisms for pregnant adolescents
and adolescent mothers, increased non-formal education opportunities
and enhanced attendance at science and technology classes. Increased
attention was given to the health of the girl child, including
the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents. An increasing
number of countries introduced legislation to ban female genital
mutilation and imposed heavier penalties on those involved in
sexual abuse, trafficking and all other forms of exploitation
of the girl child, including for commercial ends. A recent achievement
has been the adoption of the optional protocols to the Convention
on the Rights of the Child on involvement of children in armed
conflict [12]
and on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
[13]
33. Obstacles. The persistence of poverty, discriminatory
attitudes towards women and girls, negative cultural attitudes
and practices against girls, as well as negative stereotyping
of girls and boys, which limits girls' potential, and inadequate
awareness of the specific situation of the girl child, child labour
and the heavy burden of domestic responsibilities on girls, inadequate
nutrition and access to health services, and lack of finance,
which often prevent them from pursuing and completing their education
and training, have contributed to a lack of opportunities and
possibilities for girls to become confident and self-reliant,
and independent adults. Poverty, lack of parental support and
guidance, lack of information and education, abuse and all forms
of exploitation of, and violence against, the girl child in many
cases result in unwanted pregnancies and transmission of HIV,
which may also lead to a restriction of educational opportunities.
Programmes for the girl child were hindered by a lack of or an
insufficient allocation of financial and human resources. There
were few established national mechanisms to implement policies
and programmes for the girl child and, in some cases, coordination
among responsible institutions was insufficient. The increased
awareness of the health needs, including the sexual and reproductive
health needs, of adolescents has not yet resulted in sufficient
provision of necessary information and services. Despite advances
in legal protection, there is increased sexual abuse and sexual
exploitation of the girl child. Adolescents continue to lack the
education and service needed to enable them to deal in a positive
and responsible way with their sexuality.
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III. Current challenges affecting the full implementation
of the Beijing
Declaration and the Platform for Action
34. The review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action occurred in a rapidly changing
global context. Since 1995, a number of issues have gained prominence
and acquired new dimensions which pose additional challenges
to the full and accelerated implementation of the Platform in
order to realize gender equality, development and peace by Governments,
intergovernmental bodies, international organizations, the private
sector and non-governmental organizations as appropriate. Continued
political commitment to gender equality at all levels is needed
for the full implementation of the Platform for Action.
35. Globalization has presented new challenges for the fulfilment
of the
commitments made and the realization of the goals of the Fourth
World Conference con Women. The globalization process has, in
some countries, resulted in policyshifts in favour of more open
trade and financial flows, privatization of State-owned enterprises
and in many cases lower public spending, particularly on social
services. This change has transformed patterns of production
and accelerated technological advances in information and communication
and affected the lives of women, both as workers and consumers.
In a large number of countries, particularly in developing and
least developed countries, these changes have also adversely
impacted on the
lives of women and have increased inequality. The gender impact
of these changes has not been systematically evaluated. Globalization
also has cultural, political and social impacts affecting cultural
values, lifestyles and forms of communication as well as implications
for the achievement of sustainable development. The benefits
of the growing global economy have been unevenly distributed,
leading to wider economic disparities, the feminization of poverty,
increased gender inequality, including through often deteriorating
work conditions and unsafe working environments, especially
in the informal economy and rural areas. While globalization
has brought greater economic opportunities and autonomy to some
women, many others have been marginalized, owing to deepening
inequalities among and within countries, by depriving them of
the benefits of this process. Although in many countries the
level of participation of women in the labour force has risen,
in other cases the application of certain economic policies
has had such a negative impact that increases in women's employment
often have not been matched by improvements in wages, promotions
and working conditions. In many cases,
women continue to be employed in low-paid part-time and contract
jobs marked by insecurity and by safety and health hazards.
In many countries, women, especially new entrants into the labour
market, continue to be among the first to lose jobs and the
last to be rehired.
36. Increasing disparities in the economic situation among
and within countries,
coupled with a growing economic interdependence and dependence
of States on external factors as well as financial crises have,
in recent years, altered prospects for growth and caused economic
instability in many countries, with a heavy impact on the lives
of women. These difficulties have affected the ability of States
to provide. social protection and social security as well as
funding for the implementation of the Platform for Action. Such
difficulties are also reflected in the shift of the cost of
social protection, social security and other welfare provisions
from the public sector to the household. The decreasing levels
of funding available through international cooperation has contributed
to further marginalization of a large number of developing countries
and countries with economies in transition within which women
are among the poorest. The agreed target of 0.7 per cent of
the gross national product of developed countries for overall
official development assistance has not been achieved. These
factors have contributed to the increasing feminization of poverty,
which has undermined efforts to achieve gender equality. Limited
funding at the State level makes it imperative that innovative
approaches to the allocation of existing resources be employed,
not only by Governments but also by NGOs and the
private sector. One such innovation is the gender analysis of
public budgets, which is emerging as an important tool for determining
the differential impact of
expenditures on women and men to help ensure equitable use of
existing resources. This analysis is crucial to promote gender
equality.
37. The impact of globalization and structural adjustment programmes,
the high
costs of external debt servicing and declining terms of international
trade in several developing countries have worsened the existing
obstacles to development, aggravating the feminization of poverty.
Negative consequences of structural adjustment programmes, stemming
from inappropriate design and application, have continued to
place a disproportionate burden on women, inter alia, through
budget cuts in basic social services, including education and
health.
38. There is a greater acceptance that the increasing debt
burden faced by most developing countries is unsustainable and
constitutes one of the principal obstacles to achieving progress
in people-centred sustainable development and poverty eradication.
For many developing countries, as well as countries with economies
in transition, excessive debt servicing has severely constrained
their capacity to promote social development and provide basic
services and has affected full implementation of the Platform
for Action.
39. In countries with economies in transition, women are bearing
most of the
hardships induced by the economic restructuring and are the
first to lose jobs in
times of recession. They are being squeezed out from fast-growth
sectors. Loss of childcare facilities due to elimination or
privatization of State work places,
increased need for older care without the corresponding facilities
and continuing inequality of access to training for finding
re-employment and to productive assets for entering or expanding
businesses are current challenges facing women in these countries.
40. Science and technology, as fundamental components of development,
are
transforming patterns of production, contributing to the creation
of jobs and new job classifications, and ways of working, and
contributing to the establishment of a knowledge-based society.
Technological change can bring new opportunities for all women
in all fields, if they have equal access and adequate training.
Women should also be actively involved in the definition, design,
development, implementation and gender impact evaluation of
policies related to these changes. Many women worldwide are
yet to effectively use these new communications technologies
for networking, advocacy, exchange of information, business,
education, media consultation and e-commerce initiatives. For
instance, millions of the worldss.poorest women and men still
do not have access to and benefits from science and technology
and are currently excluded from this new field and the opportunities
it
presents.
41. The patterns of migratory flows of labour are changing.
Women and girls are increasingly involved in internal, regional
and international labour migration to pursue many occupations,
mainly in farm labour, domestic work and some forms of entertainment
work. While this situation increases their earning opportunities
and self-reliance, it also exposes them, particularly the poor,
uneducated, unskilled and/or undocumented migrants, to inadequate
working conditions, increased health risk, the risk of trafficking,
economic and sexual exploitation, racism, racial discrimination
and xenophobia, and other forms of abuse, which impair their
enjoyment of their human rights and, in some cases, constitute
violations of human rights.
42. While recognizing that Governments have the primary responsibility
to
develop and implement policies to promote gender equality, partnerships
between Governments and different actors of civil society are
increasingly recognized as an important mechanism to achieve
this goal. Additional innovative approaches can be further developed
to foster this collaboration.
43. In some countries, current demographic trends, which show
that lowered
fertility rates, increased life expectancy and lower mortality
rates, have contributed to ageing of the population, and increase
in chronic health conditions have implications for health-care
systems and spending, informal care systems and research. Given
the gap between male and female life expectancy, the number
of widows and older single women has increased considerably,
often leading to their social isolation and other social challenges.
Societies have much to gain from the knowledge and life experience
of older women. On the other hand, the current generation of
young people is the largest in history. Adolescent girls and
young women have particular needs which will require increasing
attention.
44. The rapid progression of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, particularly
in the
developing world, has had a devastating impact on women. Responsible
behaviour and gender equality are among the important prerequisites
for its prevention. There is also the need for more effective
strategies to empower women to have control over and decide
freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality,
to protect themselves from high risk and irresponsible behaviour
leading to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS
and to promote responsible, safe and respectful behaviour by
men and to also promote gender equality. HIV/AIDS is an urgent
public health issue, is outstripping efforts to contain it and,
in many countries, is reversing hard-won gains of development.
The burden of care for people living with HIV/AIDS and for children
orphaned by HIV/AIDS falls particularly on women as infrastructures
are inadequate to respond to the challenges being posed. Women
with HIV/AIDS often suffer from discrimination and stigma
and are often victims of violence. Issues related to prevention,
mother-to-child
transmission of HIV, breastfeeding, information and education
in particular of youth, curbing high-risk behaviour, intravenous
drug users, support groups, counselling and voluntary testing,
partner notification and provision and high cost of essential
drugs have not been sufficiently addressed. There are positive
signs in the fight against HIV/AIDS in some countries that behavioural
changes have occurred among young people, and experience shows
that educational programmes for young people can. lead to a
more positive view on gender relations and gender equality,
delayed sexual initiation and reduced risk of sexually transmitted
infections.
45. Growing drug and substance abuse among young women and
girls, both in
developed and developing countries, has raised the need for
increased efforts
towards demand reduction and fight against illicit production,
supply and trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
46. The increase in casualties and damage caused by natural
disasters has raised awareness of the inefficiencies and inadequacies
of the existing approaches and intervention methods in responding
to such emergency situations, in which women, more often than
men, are burdened with the responsibility of meeting the immediate
daily needs of their families. This situation has raised awareness
that a gender perspective must be incorporated whenever disaster
prevention, mitigation and recovery strategies are being developed
and implemented.
47. The changing context of gender relations, as well as the
discussion on gender equality, has led to an increased reassessment
of gender roles. This has further encouraged a discussion on
the roles and responsibilities of women and men working together
towards gender equality and the need for changing those
stereotypical and traditional roles that limit women's full
potential. There is a need for balanced participation between
women and men in remunerated and
unremunerated work. Failure to recognize and measure in quantitative
terms
unremunerated work of women, which is often not valued in national
accounts, has meant that womenss full contribution to social
and economic development remains underestimated and undervalued.
As long as there is insufficient sharing of tasks and responsibilities
with men, the combination of remunerated work and caregiving
will lead to the continued disproportionate burden for women
in comparison to men.
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