Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-06-14-Speech-3-163"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20000614.7.3-163"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, I am very pleased to be here today to give you the Commission's view on the outcome of last week's extremely important conference in New York. I want to apologise for the fact that my colleague, Commissioner Diamantopoulou, is unable to be here this afternoon. As some of you will know, she was unavoidably delayed by commitments which she had undertaken before the timing of this debate. As honourable Members will also know, she is coming to the committee next week in order to have a full exchange with Members, many of whom will, of course, have shared in the success achieved last week. Members will be able to follow up any further details in that exchange with Commissioner Diamantopoulou next week.
I wish to begin, on behalf of the Commission, by thanking the Portuguese presidency for coordinating the Member States' positions so effectively and for handling the negotiations with other delegations so proficiently under what I understand were occasionally extremely difficult conditions.
We should also thank Parliament for its exceptionally cooperative approach to the special session. Members of the Committee on Women's Rights and Equal Opportunities made an extremely valuable contribution as part of the delegation. However, beyond that, they took the initiative in cooperating with parliamentarians from the Member States and from associated countries. That was an exceptionally useful piece of political coordination.
We in the Commission also very much welcome Parliament's motion for a resolution: it is a firm, constructive statement of Parliament's commitment to gender equality.
The European Union can be proud that it was the most progressive regional group represented at New York. Collectively we fought hard to move forward from Beijing. If we succeeded, it is due in part to the unity of purpose demonstrated by the various institutions. And succeed, I think we can say, we certainly did! In a number of areas the outcome document goes far beyond what was achieved five years ago at Beijing – a conference which I remember observing from slightly closer than would have been the case today. We managed that without having to concede any watering down of the Beijing Platform in other areas.
The document reaffirms women's rights as
rights. It urges all UN members to sign the CEDAW optional protocol and calls for a strong awareness of gender issues in the workings of the International Criminal Court. It recognises that discrimination against women is often compounded by discrimination on other grounds. While we did not obtain specific references to all the grounds listed in the EC Treaty, the presidency made the European Union position clear in a final statement before the General Assembly. We have new, much clearer language on the state's duty to end violence against women, including domestic violence, and to put an end to the appalling yet growing traffic in women.
The outcome document acknowledges the link between gender equality and greater prosperity. If women are given a chance to participate fully in social and economic life they will be better able to pull themselves and their communities out of poverty. It seems to me, with some responsibilities in this field, inconceivable to have a sustainable model of economic development which does not have gender issues at its heart.
The document reaffirms the prime importance of education as a means of empowering girls and women. It also refers to the need for a fair distribution of work between men and women, including work in the home, and for measures to make it easier to reconcile work with family care commitments. It also has something to say on methodology – how, in other words, to ensure that these fine intentions are put into practice. At the European Union's insistence the document recognises the importance of establishing benchmarks and progress indicators. Lastly, we welcome the reference to men's role in bringing about greater gender equality for they clearly have a considerable responsibility as well.
The Union is better equipped than ever to deliver on its Beijing commitments with its stronger stand on human rights, gender equality and discrimination. The Amsterdam Treaty gives the Union increased scope to push ahead with implementation of the Beijing platform for action. I hope nobody will doubt the Commission's determination to do precisely that. The effort is of course led by my colleague, Commissioner Diamantopoulou, but it is an endeavour in which all of us as Commissioners wish to be fully involved."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
"human"1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples