Mme Silvana PANEGROSSI (Italie): Parmi les nouvelles activités entreprises par la FAO pendant les dernières années, la délégation italienne considère d'intérêt primordial celles liées au Plan d'action pour l'intégration des femmes dans le développement. Le document C 93/14 décrit le très bon travail accompli par l'Organisation pendant les deux dernières années pour améliorer l'accès de la femme à la terre en reconnaissant que les femmes sont le fondement historique de nombre de systèmes agro-écologiques durables dans le monde. L'intégration de la femme dans les activités agricoles et, par la suite, dans les entreprises agricoles, est un phénomène que tous les soi-disant pays industrialisés ont connu et connaissent encore.
Permettez-moi, Monsieur le Président, de vous donner quelques exemples de progrès réalisés dans mon pays:
Pendant le développement industriel italien, c'est surtout la main-d'oeuvre masculine qui a été touchée par l'exode agricole, provoquant ainsi un processus substitutif de la femme à l'homme, processus qui a été dénommé "féminisation" de l'agriculture. A cause de cela, les femmes qui, en 1951, constituaient 24 pour cent de la main-d'oeuvre agricole, en constituaient 3 6 pour cent environ en 1981; et depuis lors, cela n'a pas changé.
Ces dernières années, le féminisation a donc subi un arrêt pour ce qui concerne l'emploi dans son ensemble. Au contraire, la présence des femmes au sommet des entreprises agricoles en qualité d'entrepreneurs s'est accrue. Cela démontre que cette présence est toujours plus qualifiée et que la femme devient un élément non plus substitutif mais compétitif par rapport à l'homme.
En 1970, le recensement agricole relevait que 680 104 entreprises avaient comme exploitant une femme, soit 18,9 pour cent du total des entreprises. En 1982, elles étaient 711 956, soit 21,8 pour cent, pour atteindre 790 128, soit 25,9 pour cent en 1990.
Malgré la diminution générale des entreprises agricoles italiennes, celles gérées par des femmes ont augmenté de 15 pour cent. Ce qui est encore plus significatif, c'est le fait que les augmentations arrivent à leur maximum pour les entreprises ayant entre 10 et 30 hectares de superficie agricole utilisée et atteignent plus de 60 pour cent. Ce sont donc les entreprises les plus grandes qui sont touchées par ce phénomène selon lequel la femme est responsable au premier chef de son entreprise. L'augmentation de la capacité de gestion des femmes est donc indiscutée, même si l'on doit la
placer dans un cadre complexe de stratégies familiales et de division du travail entre les conjoints.
A propos de ces rapports de travail entre les conjoints, il est intéressant d'observer que, tandis que la femme participe moins qu'auparavant aux activités de travail dans l'entreprise de son mari, le mari prend toujours davantage part au travail dans l'entreprise de sa femme. Entre 1975 et 1990, les journées de travail des femmes dans l'entreprise de leur mari ont diminué, passant de 122,5 millions à 54,2 millions (cette estimation est limitée aux entreprises ayant plus d'un hectare de superficie agricole utilisée). Pendant la même période, les journées de travail des hommes dans l'entreprise de leur femme ont augmenté, passant de 6,2 millions à 8,6 millions. Donc, les maris qui acceptent de faire le subordonné de leur femme sont de plus en plus nombreux. Une petite révolution est en cours.
Julio LUCINI CASALES (España): Nuestra Delegación, Señor Presidente, agradece profundamente el esfuerzo que viene realizando la FAO en un tema de tanta trascendencia como es el de la integración de la mujer en el desarrollo. Igualmente, agradece la aportación a esta Conferencia del tercer informe sobre la aplicación del Plan de Acción que se viene poniendo en práctica sobre este asunto.
Permítanos, Señor Presidente, hacer unas breves reflexiones sobre estas cuestiones en general y sobre algunos de los extremos reflejados en el informe presentado.
Dentro de las prioridades programáticas establecidas por el Plan, se llama la atención sobre la número 6, referente a acopio de datos, estudios de investigación, comunicación e información pública.
Nuestro país ha dedicado un importante esfuerzo en esta dirección durante los años 1988 a 1990, a nivel nacional, y contamos con estudios muy completos en relación con la situación socioprofesional de la mujer en la agricultura, totalmente en línea con los planteamientos que el documento distribuido hace en sus párrafos 80 y 81. Estos trabajos se consideran de gran utilidad para analizar unas posibles modificaciones metodológicas en relación con la confección del censo agropecuario mundial, así como para el diseño de operaciones estadísticas sobre la valoración de la fuerza de trabajo de la mujer en la agricultura. Además de dar cuenta en este Foro del esfuerzo realizado, la colaboración con distintos Organismos Internacionales, algunos de ellos citados en el documento que estamos analizando, de la institución española que lo ha llevado a efecto, el Instituto de la Mujer, garantiza su difusión y posible uso en futuros trabajos sobre el tema.
En este mismo sentido señalamos que, aunque el documento hace referencia a actividades desarrolladas por alguna oficina regional de la FAO, no recoge las llevadas a efecto por la Oficina Regional para Europa en relación con el trabajo de la mujer y la familia agrícola en el desarrollo rural. Creemos que los trabajos realizados últimamente, algunos de ellos precisamente en nuestro país durante 1993, pueden tener un alto grado de interés y servir de modelo metodológico para nuevos estudios a realizar en otros continentes, aunque haya que tener en cuenta el distinto entorno en que se van a ajecutar.
En el análisis del tercer informe que venimos comentando se echam de menos, al menos en número suficiente, referencias explícitas al importante papel
que la mujer agricultora puede desempeñar en la ejecución de la política de desarrollo rural, relacionada con los usos no agrarios del espacio rural: agroturismo, promoción de productos agroalimentarios locales, etc. No dudamos que la presencia de la mujar rural en proyectos y actividades de este tipo es un sistema rápido y eficaz de avanzar en su incorporación al desarrollo.
Por otra parte, la entrada de la mujer en los procesos económicos y contables de la explotación, según tenemos contrastado en experiencias propias, mejora con mucha frecuencia la gestión total de la propia explotación y, a su vez, la propia gestión general del hogar. Como el informe resalta numerosas veces, y en línea con esta última reflexión, los programas de mejora de alimentación tienen una referencia inevitable en la mujer agricultora, tanto en su faceta de productora de alimentos como en la de responsable de la preparación de los mismos a nivel familiar.
Aunque los comentarios tanto del informe presentado, como de nuestras propias reflexiones, se dirigen frecuentemente a la mujer agricultora y a su incorporación al desarrollo dentro del mundo agrario, creemos necesario resaltar que todos los programas y proyectos en este sentido no deben olvidar otros muchos esfuerzos e inciativas que vienen desde otros sectores. La incorporación de la mujer al desarrollo tiene que alcanzarse poniendo en conexión los planes específicos para la mujer agricultora dentro de su medio con cuantas iniciativas surjan en otras áreas y sea posible aprovechar.
Como apuntó en su intervención la honorable representante de Austria esta mañana, creemos que son abundantes las iniciativas procedentes de numerosas Organizaciones No Gubernamentales que tienen establecidos programas totalmente equiparables a los que tienen por finalidad principal la integración de la mujer en el desarrollo. Sería por tanto conveniente unir al máximo los esfuerzos de la FAO y de tales organizaciones para alcanzar conjuntamente metas más ambiciosas. Concretamente sería un apoyo mutuo muy valioso realizar en común el estudio de programas de crédito supervisado dirigido a la mujer del medio rural y a realizar por las instituciones correspondientes.
Consideramos de gran interés las apreciaciones que reiteradamente se repiten en el documento sobre el papel de la mujer en el desarrollo sostenible, la ordenación de los recursos naturales y el medio ambiente. No parece ni lógico ni fácil establecer programas y proyectos específicos dirigidos a la mujer con esta finalidad y sí, por el contrario, hacer el máximo esfuerzo para que todos los programas y actividades que se inicien contemplen desde su elaboración y lleven incorporados criterios en esta dirección. Como muy bien resalta el documento, las mujeres están, frecuentemente, en el centro del problema, siendo las mejor y las peor dotadas para manejar el medio ambiente.
Por último, Señor Presidente, nos referiremos a ciertos aspectos que el documento recoge en sus puntos 33 a 49 sobre extensión y capacitación técnica.
No se puede discutir la conveniencia de que en los equipos polivalentes de extensión agraria, se encuentren mujeres con objeto de atender aspectos relacionados con la mujer campesina. Sin embargo, creemos que es aún más conveniente que los programas redactados y a ejecutar por tales equipos contemplen de forma conjunta los problemas generales de la explotación, la familia y la comunidad a la que pertenecen, no perdiendo en ningún momento
de vista el papel que la mujer agricultora juega y puede jugar en los tres planos: la explotación, la familia y la comunidad. La realización del programa la llevará a efecto el equipo de extensión en su conjunto, con una distribución de funciones lógica entre los hombre y las mujeres del mismo.
Por otra parte, creemos que la referencia a la privatización de los servicios de extensión y capacitación a los que se alude en el punto 35, debe ser matizada.
Se debería distinguir claramente entre los servicios que se realizan desde el entorno de las actividades lucrativas y aquéllos que proporcionan instituciones sin ánimo de lucro, tales como organizaciones agrícolas, ONGs, etc. Parece que se deben considerar servicios privâtizados los que corresponden al primer grupo.
Desde esta aclaración, que pedimos figure en el documento si ello es posible, compartimos que tal privatización puede repercutir en una disminución en cuanto a la presencia de la mujer en los mismos, con el inconveniente que esto llevaría para el equilibrio en la confección y ejecución de los programas teniendo en cuenta la necesidad de incorporación de la mujer al desarrollo. Igualmente, esta privatización puede repercutir en hacer menos fuerza en aspectos educativos que requieren mucho tiempo, dada la lentitud de asimilación de los mismos, y que los servicios privados tienden a atender con menor intensidad que los públicos. Estas circunstancias deben figurar en cuantas ayudas preste la FAO a los distintos países en relación con programas de extensión y divulgación, así como en los de organización de los propios servicios de extensión agraria.
Eberhard SCHMAUZ (Germany) (Original language German): My delegation welcomes this comprehensive working document where reference is made to the implementation of the Plan of Action for Integration of Women in Development for the Period 1992-93.
We would like to thank Mr Hjort for his very comprehensive and detailed introduction. Given the breadth of the programme, the high priority it is given and the priority it will have in the future with the FAO, it would be a good idea if we could get regular information on the degree of implementation and how much work has been done, and what the priorities of the work are. We thank the Secretariat for the reporting work that has been done thus far.
My delegation wishes to refer to some of the matters we consider to be of importance in this Report, document C 93/14. The text makes it clear that where political and economic decisions are made the specific interests of women are not properly taken into account. This goes particularly for bodies of Member States, and also for FAO management itself, in spite of the educational efforts made by FAO with its own staff, about which we have heard on a number of occasions. Therefore, we suggest that we consider how decision-makers can be acquainted more closely with this problem so that in the future they can work more effectively and in a more targeted fashion so we can come up with solutions regarding matters specifically pertinent to women.
From our point of view it would be desirable if we could get some depiction of the position of women in development in a fourth progress report, and not only with regard to developing countries. We would like to see this fourth Report covering Eastern and other European countries. A certain
amount of experience has been gleaned in the FAO/EEC Working Party on Women and Rural Families in Rural Areas.
The number of women in FAO training projects as a whole has gone down compared with past years, although from the point of view of FAO, FAO regards rural women as an important target group. Therefore, we would suggest that the reasons for that development be examined so that we can then motivate women in a targeted way to take part in these training programmes. The observation that women do not take up or only take up training and extension services to a limited extent leads to the question whether measures are far too over-ambitious or unsuitable. I think we have to make sure that the access of women and other matters which are relevant to the acceptance and efficiency of these projects should be built in to the project design phase; they are for the project implementation phase. This is an approach which could also be used with regard to the access to, and take-up of, extension services by women.
In this connection, the cut in the budget of Position 01 for the training of women in the Sub-Programme 2.1.5.4 of US$391 000 for the biennium 1994-95 is something that we decry. This is particularly due to the fact that women in developing countries are under-represented amongst extension agents.
Mr Hjort in his introduction referred to this budget approach, and we have noted what he said. We very much welcome the fact that the priority of this programme of action will be one of the contributions by FAO to the World Women's Conference in Beijing in 1995. Here I should like to refer to the work that has been done as the follow-up to UNCED and the International Conference on Nutrition.
Koen ADAM (Belgique): Monsieur le Président, m'exprimant au nom de la Communauté européenne et de ses Etats Membres, je voudrais vous soumettre quelques commentaires sur le thème "Intégration des femmes dans le développement". Il existe un large accord pour reconnaître que ce thème est en passe de devenir prioritaire, en raison de ses implications pour la viabilité économique et le développement durable.
L'importance attribuée par la Communauté à ce thème se reflète dans les textes de la Convention de Lomé IV et du Règlement du Conseil CEE 443/92, consacrés à la coopération avec l'Asie et l'Amérique latine. Ils soulignent le rôle décisif des femmes et indiquent que les hommes et les femmes doivent pouvoir participer aux opérations de développement et en bénéficier sur un pied d'égalité. L'objectif premier de la politique communautaire est d'assurer la pleine intégration des femmes comme acteurs et comme bénéficiaires dans l'ensemble des actions de développement, dans toutes leurs phases de préparation, conception, mise en oeuvre, suivi et évaluation.
Dans ce contexte, il est rassurant de retrouver bon nombre d'objectifs et de préoccupations de la Communauté dans le Troisième Rapport sur la mise en oeuvre du Plan d'action pour l'intégration des femmes dans le développement. Nous observons, en particulier, des similitudes dans la traduction de ces objectifs en politiques concrètes et dans les obstacles rencontrés ou perçus.
Sans prétendre examiner ici de manière exhaustive le Plan d'action, certaines de ces priorités peuvent être comparées aux expériences
communautaires. Ainsi, le Plan d'action élaboré par la Communauté européenne met l'accent sur un nombre limité d'actions stratégiques:
- la sensibilisation et la formation du personnel;
- la mise à disposition de lignes directrices et de manuels sur l'intégration des femmes au développement;
- la sensibilisation des décideurs ACP à cette problématique;
- et enfin, les missions d'appui technique.
La Communauté et ses Etats Membres considèrent que la formation du personnel est un facteur clé pour l'intégration des femmes dans le développement. Des instruments pour assister le personnel à mettre en oeuvre ces politiques ont été élaborés.
Il s'agit entre autres de manuels qui fournissent les orientations sectorielles appropriées pour l'intégration des femmes dans toutes les phases du cycle des projets. Ils couvrent aujourd'hui les secteurs de l'agriculture, de l'élevage, de la sylviculture, de l'eau potable et de l'assainissement. Un autre chapitre est en préparation sur le secteur de la pêche.
En outre, des ateliers de formation, mettant à profit ces manuels, ont été organisés. Cet exercice a été couronné de succès. La mise à jour régulière du matériel de formation est prévue pour assurer l'évolution dynamique de la stratégie en question.
La formation de décideurs est aussi capitale. Un séminaire régional a été organisé au Botswana en 1992 comme suite à une évaluation réalisée en 1989-90 sur l'intégration des femmes dans les programmes de développement rural du Fonds européen de développement dans huit pays africains. Cette expérience pilote sera étendue dans la mesure des moyens budgétaires au rythme de deux séminaires par an. Enfin, l'axe principal de la stratégie d'intégration des femmes au développement et une condition de son succès est la mise à disposition d'expertise technique appropriée des projets de terrain. Celle-ci fait trop souvent défaut. Pour cette raison, la Communauté fournit à ses délégations cette expertise de haut niveau, indispensable à l'examen approfondi des projets et programmes du FED. A ce jour, les programmes du Fonds européen de développement de quelque 25 pays d'Afrique, Caraïbes, Pacifique ont été analysés. Des adaptations de ces projets et stratégies sont planifiées en conséquence, avec la collaboration de toutes les parties concernées.
En vue de mesurer l'impact de l'ensemble du Programme d'action du Fonds européen de développement, une étude statistique a été réalisée pour définir comment les femmes avaient été prises en compte en tant que groupe cible dans les programmes de développement ruraux du FED. Le résultat de l'enquête établit que seulement 24 pour cent des projets avaient identifié les femmes comme groupe cible. Nous espérons accroître considérablement cette proportion dans l'avenir. Les données préliminaires du septième Fonds européen de développement semblent indiquer un net progrès à cet égard.
Monsieur le Président, nous apprécions que la Communauté européenne et la FAO aient une approche en harmonie. Néanmoins, notre expérience nous fait penser que même les meilleurs plans d'action peuvent perdre en dynamisme et en efficacité du fait d'une certaine dilution du message dans la structure
qui le reçoit. Ainsi, pour mesurer ce phénomène, la Communauté entreprend actuellement une évaluation appliquée aux administrations de la Communauté européenne et de ses Etats Membres. Il devrait en découler une base solide pour les orientations politiques futures. Je conclurai, en rappelant qu'afin d'accomplir des progrès substantiels pour l'intégration de la femme dans le développement, des engagements sans réserves sur certains principes sont les préalables indispensables. Mais ils ne sont pas par eux-mêmes suffisants: sans mécanisme opérationnel de suivi et de contrôle, le thème femmes et développement relèvera seulement de la réthorique.
Mrs S.L. BASSETT (United Kingdom): I should like to begin by offering my thanks for the introduction to this progress report and to the Secretariat for its preparation. These issues are considered extremely important by the UK Government. The report was therefore received with interest.
The report provides a detailed analysis of project development and monitoring, including listing constraints identified under four critical areas of financial resources; technical training and extension services; environment, natural resources management and sustainable development; and nutrition and food security.
We were interested to hear how, once constraints have been identified in the critical areas, mechanisms are put into place to ensure that the experiences gained from project-specific activity can be fed back into the system at policy level - put more simply, how what is learned from experience is translated into what we do in the future. This is vital for progression, and from the report FAO clearly appreciates this.
My delegation is pleased to endorse the growing highlighting of gender issues by FAO, but we would underline the importance of bringing to prominence the increase in rural women's workload through income-generation schemes and the need to bear this in mind when setting up such schemes. This point is not sufficiently brought out in the report.
Paragraph 81 highlights the need for, and lack of, robust information relating to the quality of data - which includes definition of the procedures for data collection - relevant to women in development. The United Kingdom recommends that specific action is taken to strengthen the establishment of databases for use in effective monitoring both at the project-specific and macro-policy level.
Looking at the report in general terms, our impression is that the importance of, and need for, an integrated approach to social and gender issues is not made sufficiently explicit. The rationale behind such an approach is not spelled out clearly enough, and although the report does in places make reference to these points it would strengthen the strategy if these messages were reinforced throughout the report.
We welcome the measures described to target women within training programmes and we hope these measures will continue to be reinforced.
Regarding paragraphs 78 and 82, we fully endorse the FAO pro-active stance in bringing the interdependence between gender issues and key development issues to the attention of member governments and to inform and motivate FAO representatives to dialogue with the UNDP resident representatives in order to include gender issues in the preparation of all TSS-1 proposals.
Turning to the provision of expertise and knowledge, section 4 of the report, the UK position is that expertise on women in development, gender, and social issues canot be separated, and we should not attempt to do so. In the Overseas Development Administration women in development and gender issues are considered by our Social Development Advisers, with the specific departmental objective of promoting women's social, economic, legal and political status of women throughout the ODA's programmes. It is not clear from this report quite how FAO is dealing with the integration of all these issues.
We would appreciate some clarification as to whether the ESHW, which serves as the coordinating unit for issues relating to women in development and gender, has a wider brief to deal with social issues. We would also be interested to hear more about FAO's policy position on the relationship between social, women-in-development and gender issues.
The United Kingdom endorses both the concept of a specialist unit dealing with these issues and the building of expertise within technical units. Our position is that social development specialists should be drawn from backgrounds such as social anthropology which involve training and experience in in-depth field work, since this has been found to ensure good quality advice. Before committing ourselves further on the ESHW, we would need more information: for example, what form the expertise takes either in the specialist unit or within technical units; the numbers of staff involved, together with information on their qualifications and background; and details of their terms of reference and whether these include a brief to deal with social issues or with the full range of women-in-development and gender issues.
We are pleased to see a reference to the development of practical tools, such as manuals, and are particularly keen to endorse the need to give priority to the early completion of the technical supplements, in conjunction with the SEGA programme.
Finally, the United Kingdom welcomes the FAO proposal concerning the formation of a working group composed of senior-level staff from the divisions with a significant number of women-in-development and gender issues in their programmes. We consider this vital in the interests of permitting interaction between the key concerned individuals. We, as well as FAO, would hope to see the outcome as a further enhanced commitment to the integration of these important and significant issues into the decision-making process.
Mrs Maria GALVOLGYI (Hungary): At the start of my intervention, I wish to thank Mr Hjort for his introductory remarks.
The Hungarian delegation has studied carefully the third Progress Report and is satisfied to learn that FAO continues to give high priority to women's issues. We share the opinion that FAO has made significant progress in this important field, both from substantive and administrative points of view.
As far as the substantive programme actions are concerned, the development is remarkable, but their full success is highly dependent on the member countries themselves, as was also emphasized by Mr Hjort.
In this regard, FAO initiated programmatic priority on women in sustainable development. Natural resource management and the environment is being supported vigorously in the context of the implementation and follow-up of Agenda 21.
As to the five administrative points, the progress made so far is acknowledged. In our view the development to appraise and monitor regular and field programme activities is very important. The establishment of an inter-departmental working group and divisional core groups seems to be a good path in the future implementation of the Plan of Action.
My delegation strongly supports the idea of increasing the number of women on the professional staff of the Organization. However, we feel that more efforts should be made, more steps should be taken, in recruiting highly-dedicated professional women on to the staff in order to secure their full and equitable participation in the decision-making processes.
I now wish to turn to the activities of the FAO/EEC Working Party on Families and Women in Rural Development. This Working Party started its activities in 1966 and has dealt with a lot of important socio-economic problems of the European region. At the very beginning of the 1990s, it took up the issues of rural development through entrepreneurship and village development, people's participation and community building, partnership and networking in rural development, rural agri-tourism and, most recently, the analysis of the socio-economic status of women and families in rural areas in central and eastern European countries.
As has already been mentioned by the distinguished delegate from Austria, the activity of the FAO/EEC Working Party is completely in line with the Plan of Action for the integration of women in development. Hungary has always planned an important role in this Working Party and we did our best to contribute to its successful operation.
In this regard, my delegation would like to take the opportunity to express our appreciation to the Working Party and to FAO for organizing an agri-tourism workshop in Hungary and for providing high technical assistance to my country in order to revitalize this kind of rural activity. We hope that the Working Party, under the aegis of the Regional Office for Europe, will further provide technical assistance to the European countries in transition, in the fields of training, village development, farm management, rural entrepreneurship, rural agri-tourism and so on.
In conclusion, my delegation commends the Secretariat for the excellent paper; at the same time, we look forward to cooperating usefully with the aforementioned Working Party whose future role and activity will have to be reflected in the Regular Programme of the Organization.
ZHANG XIGUI (China) (Original language Chinese): At the outset I wish to thank Mr Hjort for his very comprehensive presentation and I wish to commend the Secretariat on their preparation of document C 93/14.
This document lays down the priorities of the Action Plan concerning the integration of women in development, and reviews the main measures adopted for the implementation of the Plan and the recommendations of the Conference. This document is exhaustive and full of information.
I now wish to make a few comments on this Agenda item on behalf of my delegation. We have noted that for the implementation of the Conference Resolution on the Action Plan for the Integration of Women in Development, FAO has already made a great many efforts in the two different areas, namely the systematic integration of the two problems concerning the role of women and the general ethic of the Organization, thanks to policies, programmes and projects; secondly, the identification of the main obstacles to the participation of women in the Organization's activities and the activities of governments and states, and it lays down a number of measures for overcoming such obstacles.
As far as our Organization is concerned, we have noted that as far as the training of those who are to implement the Action Plan through policy advice given to governments is concerned, and in targeting women and women farmers as beneficiaries of farming activities and extension work, FAO has achieved a great deal of success. This should contribute to the participation of women in rural development and to the improvement of their socio-economic status. We hope that FAO will continue its efforts and activities in this area.
We also believe that the improvement of the status of women, as well as their integration in development, is indeed a very complex task. The problems of the integration of women are linked to economic, historic and religious problems. To resolve these problems, I believe it is necessary to adopt sectoral and professional measures. It is even more important to place all this in a broader socio-economic context.
I am certain, Mr Chairman, that you have already acknowledged that the Chinese Government has taken remarkable steps to improve the status of women to allow them to play their full role in the economic and social fields. In particular, in the agricultural area, special measures have been adopted in favour of women and children. The Government attaches very special importance to the integration of women in all the various activities. Women represent a given proportion of all the population involved in all the different activities; in particular in agriculture and in rural enterprises, women hold a very important place. However, owing to the influence of the feudal mentality in many areas, in rural and backward areas, there is a prevailing idea that men hold superiority over women. A lot has to be done to place men and women on an equal footing. The authorities in China, jointly with FAO, are designing a project to promote the participation of women in development and a framework proposal for policies which will lead to the establishment of a special unit dealing with gender issues in the agricultural sector and in the Agriculture Ministry. The Chinese Government wishes to cooperate more and more with FAO in designing better policies for the implementation of the Action Plan in China.
Ricardo LEON-VALDES (Chile): En primer término, señor Presidente, mi delegación quisiera expresar su reconocimiento a la Secretaría por la elaboración de tan completo documento, que refleja la preocupación y seguimiento que ha dado la FAO a un tema tan importante como lo es la Integración de la Mujer en el Desarrollo Agrícola, valorando el aporte de la mujer rural en la economía familiar por la generación de ingresos y la generación de ahorro y seguridad alimentaria a través de la producción para el autoconsumo.
Esta materia constituye para Chile, así como lo han expresado otros oradores de países en vías de desarrollo, un asunto de particular importancia en consideración al alto número de mujeres campesinas que año a año deben incorporarse a la actividad productiva, con su consecuente impacto económico-social, por las variables que compromete.
Ya sabemos de la existencia de barreras culturales, que dificultan en gran medida la incorporación efectiva y eficaz de la mujer al mundo del trabajo, haciéndolo un asunto complejo, que disminuye su aporte marginal a la economía de su unidad familiar.
En este sentido hay que reconocer los esfuerzos realizados por la FAO y otras agencias de las Naciones Unidas, por incrementar las funciones de la mujer y mejorar su acceso a los recursos productivos, frente a las limitaciones estructurales que afectan a los países en vías de desarrollo.
Mi delegación comparte el interés manifestado por la capacitación y la extensión que resultan ser, en efecto, pese a las limitaciones enunciadas, el mejor vehículo para que las mujeres participen de las actividades del desarrollo y se beneficien de ellas. Al respecto, quisiera mencionar la valiosa experiencia que en conjunto con los organismos no gubernamentales en mi país que se han elaborado para enfrentar a este sector que representa la extrema pobreza con una alta tasa de analfabetismo y todas sus consecuencias en la organización de estos grupos en cooperativas campesinas, figura que junto con mejorar su condición jurídica, social y de productividad de los grupos de trabajo de mujeres, ha tenido un impacto también en el mejoramiento de su calidad de vida.
Finalmente, señor Presidente, quisiera referirme a un aspecto no señalado en las actividades de extensión y capacitación presentadas en el documento y que dice relación con la mantención de las funciones del hogar mientras la mujer trabaja, circunstancia que debería ser considerada en el análisis global.
En este sentido pareciera ser importante considerar la participación de otras agencias de las Naciones Unidas y también como lo han venido entregando hasta ahora de organismos no gubernamentales, de manera tal que se consideren el máximo de variables para la ejecución del Plan de Acción.
Ms Rosanne Mary KAVA (Australia): Australia commends FAO on its ongoing efforts to lift the participation of women in all its programmes and activities, using as a vehicle the Action Plan before us.
Australia has a strong commitment to Women in Development. In fact, WID concerns have been an integral part of Australia's development assistance policy since the mid-seventies.
In 1992 Australia's WID policy was reviewed and updated. The objectives of the current policy are threefold: to ensure that women have a say in decision-making; to increase women's direct participation in all development cooperation activities; and to enhance women's status through initiatives which address the causes of systemic disadvantage.
Australia's policy is based primarily on the principle of integration; that is, bringing women into mainstream programmes and projects. The WID policy is supported by a strategy for implementation which includes:
- five-year WID strategy development for each component of Australia's development assistance programme; and
- increased integration of WID in country programmes through institutional strengthening.
Australia also supports WID-specific projects under schemes such as the WID Fund Small Grants Scheme in recognition of the disadvantaged status of women in many developing countries.
Australia is also supporting a number of activities associated with the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women.
Turning now to the document before us, C 93/14, we are pleased to commend the progress made by FAO in developing, updating and implementing the Plan of Action for Women in Development into FAO's administrative and substantive programmes.
Australia recognizes the many and varied constraints to progress and emphasizes the importance of finding innovative ways to overcome such barriers. Australia welcomes the new interventions that FAO has used in attempting to increase women's access to resources, such as women's access to credit and training. It will be important, however, to monitor closely these programmes. We look forward to future reports on the implementation of these initiatives.
Australia stresses the importance of disseminating project/programme ideas and lessons learned. Without this communication it is possible that other organizations will expend their limited funds duplicating the experiences of FAO. It is recognized that FAO has strong links with other organizations, but a concrete form of exchange and coordination with a wide variety of institutions would be advantageous. Australia strongly encourages the production and dissemination of guidelines as mentioned in paragraph 6.
We take this opportunity to emphasize also the need for collecting gender-disaggregated baseline data. In our view, this information is a valuable input for informed policy-making, monitoring and for identification and recognition of areas where urgent action is needed.
Australia commends the Collaborative Socio-Economie and Gender Analysis (SEGA) Training Programme. From its own experience, Australia recognizes a common problem of gender analysis training, leaving participants "ready, willing but unable", as so aptly put in paragraph 67(b).
In our own case, Australia provides introductory gender analysis training to all staff, and is currently developing an advanced course designed to "enable" its staff with regard to WID. Gender analysis training strategies are being developed to provide customized gender analysis training for programme areas, contractors and selected overseas posts.
Australia welcomes the in-house initiatives that FAO is undertaking to monitor the mainstreaming of WID, for example the "WID Flag" (paragraph 113), in the regular programme and field programme areas. Australia uses WID markers to assess the extent of integration of WID concerns into all phases of our own International Development Assistance Agency's activities.
Where practical, we would encourage FAO to take the initiative in providing advice to member countries and not merely to requests for assistance. While the requests that FAO is receiving are increasing, it is noted that the numbers are still not in line with the "actual need for gender related policy formulation assistance" (paragraph 82).
The low level of participation of FAO representatives in the implementation of the Plan of Action also needs to be redressed. It is suggested that strategies for motivating Member Governments through FAO representatives be revised and improved.
Australia would also like to associate itself with the comments of the distinguished delegates of Hungary and Canada on the enhanced recruitment of women professionals in FAO. We also fully support the comments of the UK and others on the importance of establishing an effective working group to ensure the integration of women in development into all FAO programmes.
In conclusion, Australia generally supports the actions undertaken by FAO to promote the participation of women in development and we agree with the priority areas identified. We emphasize, however, the need to maintain and strengthen the current levels of effort to ensure that the changes being introduced are sustained.
Marian BRZOSKA (Poland): The Polish delegation would like to congratulate you on the report and on the valuable discussion on the integration of women in development.
My intention is only to underline a few issues from the longer text which we will deposit.
First, in Poland over 7 million women live in the rural areas, half of working age. The number of professionally active women is higher in the urban areas.
Second, up to 1990 the number of women not active professionally in agriculture has been increased because of growing employment opportunities outside agriculture. In the last years, in the period of transformation, this process was stopped. Unemployment is a big problem. It is a problem even for the 20 percent of women active in agriculture who are managing farms. They run very small farms.
Third, in the period of transformation of the economy and production of food, there has only been one effective way to improve the work and life of village women and that is the development of an infrastructure with water installation, gas installation, a telephone system, etc. We are dealing with that.
Poland has established, together with the World Bank, an infrastructure project 1994-97 of about US$500 million in value which will improve agricultural development, tourism and family life.
Fourth, the division of difficulties related to life in the rural area: Polish women show great social awareness in self-governing groups, institutions, educational and rural organizations. "Businesswomen" is a new term in the Polish village.
Parviz KARBASI (Iran, Islamic Republic of): In the name of God. My delegation would like to thank the Secretariat for document C 93/14 and Mr Hjort for his clear introduction. We have studied the report which is a good start.
Many distinguished delegates made useful interventions, so I will be brief.
The integration of women in agricultural activities is very important. We note that women's development requires an integrated and coordinated plan of action between the different UN agencies.
In the Islamic Republic of Iran women have equal rights with men in all developmental activities such as education at all levels, the use of credit and banking services, ownership and equal opportunities on the political, social and economic platforms.
Women in agriculture have a very important responsibility. Without their participation, our agricultural system would not be able to grow as fast as it is doing right now.
On page 1 of document C 93/14, paragraph 5 indicates the priorities of the Plan of Action on eight topics. As we know, illiteracy, lack of nutrition and the population increase are causes of poverty and slow development. This is one of the areas that should be the first priority of the Plan of Action for the Integration of Women in Development.
We believe the basic unit of society is the family. The key to the family is the woman. In this regard my delegation believes that the first priority should be a plan of action for the integration of women in development through a pilot project coordinated by FAO, WHO, Unesco and UNEP.
These kinds of pilot projects would look at training and its extension and at home economics, illiteracy and education in the population and environment together.
These kinds of measures would definitely have a greater impact on the integration of woman in development.
My delegation would like also to see the participation of women from developing countries in the Organization on an equal basis as that of women in developed countries.
Regarding the activities of FAO on the integration of women in development, it is essential that FAO pay great attention to the qualified, successful woman in development in different countries through close collaboration with the national authorities, and use their experience in their work.
Jagan NATH THAPLIYA (Nepal) : Mr Chairman, my delegation would like to thank the Secretariat for preparing this very valuable and important document C 93/14. Our thanks also go to the Deputy Director-General who introduced the document in such a very lucid manner.
My country has accorded top priority to integrating women farmers in agricultural development activities in our recent plan, that is the Eighth Five-Year Plan, 1992-97. A separate Women Farmer Development Division has recently been established in the Ministry of Agriculture to look after this issue. What we presently need is to strengthen technical capabilities to
enable the concerned institutions to mainstream the gender issues in planning, programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
My delegation would like to take this opportunity to thank FÀO and the Government of Norway for running a project entitled, "Project Enhancing the Agricultural Production Capacity of Rural Women". We have very much benefited from the project. However, the coverage of the gender issue needs to be extended, expanded and strengthened in Nepal.
Mr Chairman, will you please excuse me now from this meeting as I have also to attend the Plenary session.
Mrs Melinda L. KIMBLE (United States of America) : The United States delegation wishes to acknowledge FAO's continuing efforts to enhance its gender-orientated programming and to acknowledge the useful introduction by Deputy Director-General Hjort. We also applaud the excellent work the Secretariat has done on document C 93/14, and the many useful insights made by other Member States in discussing this document.
The priorities outlined in the Action Plan for the Integration of Women in Development makes sense, but beyond the excellent diagnosis of the problem we have the impression that insufficient attention has been paid to making "Women in Development" principles an integral part of every major FAO programme activity. For example, as significant as the efforts represented by FAO's production of the "State of Food and Agriculture", "World Food Security and Nutritional Status", and "Agriculture: Towards 2010" are, these reports devote almost no attention to the analysis of women's use of agricultural or natural resources, the income of rural women or their food security and nutritional well-being.
This is not just an FAO problem. Every development agency is grappling with the need to make their programmes and projects more women-relevant. Research and extensive field observations have now proven conclusively that "Women make the difference" in the long-term success or failure of sustainable development activities. Development of consistent guidelines for incorporating WID activities into all programme fields should help improve programming effectiveness.
The United Nations system is now in a cycle of major international meetings that will underscore the need for women-focused development investments. The first of these sessions - a Unesco-sponsored summit for the 9 countries with the highest illiteracy and highest rates of population growth - is a first attempt to highlight the linkages between education of women and the empowerment of developing societies to manage their human and natural resources.
Early in the next year we will all be actively engaged in preparations for the World Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. In quick succession the UN will hold the Social Summit in Copenhagen and the Women's Conference in Beijing. The FAO experience in WID and its strategy for the future should factor in our thinking for these fora. Every UN agency, including FAO, should incorporate the principles set forth in Agenda 21, Chapter 24, in strengthening its programme. We must not let opportunities pass without a concerted effort to redirect our development engagement in ways that will enhance the involvement and leadership of women throughout society, and most particularly in agriculture - an activity which already engages the vast majority of women in developing economies.
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Women farmers need the same access to information as men farmers. In many rural areas, out-migration of men in search of better-paying urban jobs has created new, women-dominâted rural sectors. These women need support. Every society, developed and developing, has too few women in agricultural science and related activities. Trained in agriculture, women bring the added dimension of their gender experience to solving community development programmes. Women need access to credit, land tenure rights, and a voice in making critical decisions about agricultural inputs and marketing if they are to be fully successful farmers and strategies devised to address these related problems. Another basic remaining problem is how to get more women into agricultural colleges. We would like to see more statistical information and strategies devised to address these related problems.
More and more evaluative studies illustrate that project designs that look at community, village and family structures as a part of the planning process have more chance of success than projects that do not take these factors into account. Women's roles in society vary widely. Moreover, as societies change women are challenged to adapt. Successful development strategies that strengthen women's adaptive capacities will have multiple benefits. In this regard we believe there is also much more scope for FAO collaboration with non-governmental organizations in implementing FAO's Plan of Action at the field level.
In conclusion, FAO's laudable efforts to implement the Women Development Plan of Action are at a critical stage where increased demands far outweigh the resources and high-level attention being devoted to them. To make significant, visible progess, FAO needs to examine carefully how existing staff resources can be deployed to increase the capacities of the Women in Agricultural Production and Rural Development services. To bring itself in line with this commitment, FAO must also place far greater emphasis on recruiting women country representatives and on enhancing the role and representation of women at all managerial levels of its Headquarters and field staff.
We support the request made by Germany, the United Kingdom and other delegates for mechanisms such as a high-level working group and regular progress reports on such efforts.
Sra Grafila SOTO CARRERO (Cuba) : Agradecemos a la Secretaría de la FAO por la elaboración del documento C 93/14 y en especial al Señor Hjort por su presentación a esta Comisión.
El recuerdo de la acción de la FAO en favor de la integración de la mujer al desarrollo es de mucha utilidad para nuestro trabajo.
Mi delegación considera que la FAO debe continuar prestando atención a los instrumentos y actividades de capacitación que hacen falta para intensificar la integración de la mujer en los programas y actividades centrales de la FAO. En sus actividades de campo la FAO deberá continuar centrándose en la adopción de todas las medidas tendientes a garantizar a las mujeres del medio rural un acceso equitativo a los recursos productivos y servicio agrícola y a su participación en la adopción de decisiones dentro de las organizaciones rurales, especialmente mediante la creación de ámbitos normativos y jurídicos que garanticen su plena igualdad con el hombre, haciendo en ese sentido las indicaciones pertinentes a los países aunque respetando plenamente la decisión de los mismos.
Mi delegación piensa que la FAO y otras organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas pudieran tener en cuenta dentro de sus actividades, en lo que se refiere a la incorporación de la mujer al desarrollo, la parte que les compete del Plan de Acción de Nairobi sobre la mujer.
Consideramos además que deben tenerse muy en cuenta los aspectos referentes a la integración de la mujer al desarrollo agrícola y rural que están contenidos en el Programa de Acción de la Conferencia Mundial de Reforma Agraria y Desarrollo Rural que, si bien se celebró hace bastante tiempo, se encuentran aún vigentes puesto que muchos de esos aspectos no han sido cumplimentados, en especial la participación de la mujer en la eliminación de la pobreza rural. En tal sentido, mi delegación considera muy adecuado que se haga este recuento, a fin de actualizar de manera correcta el Plan de Acción para la integración de la mujer en el desarrollo agrícola y rural, muy especialmente si tenemos en cuenta que en 1995 se celebrará en la República Popular China la Conferencia Mundial sobre la Mujer.
A mi delegación le parece que es muy importante y necesario el incremento del personal femenino en la Secretaría de la FAO, en sus distintas divisiones y departamentos. En tal sentido apoyamos lo que al respecto han expresado otras delegaciones que nos han precedido. Sin embargo, consideramos que la FAO ha hecho un avance importante en este aspecto y tal vez fuese necesario que nuestros países presentaran más candidatas mujeres con la calidad profesional requerida a fin de que tengan la posibilidad de ser seleccionadas para formar parte del personal de la Organización tanto en la sede como en el campo.
En la Región de América Latina y el Caribe se han celebrado talleres subregionales para la implementación del Plan de Acción para la integración de la mujer en el desarrollo. En 1991 se celebró un taller en El Salvador en el cual se creó la Red Regional de Instituciones y Organizaciones en apoyo a la mujer rural. En 1992 se celebró en Santiago de Chile una reunión de coordinadores de los integrantes de dicha Red y próximamente se celebrará en Tegucigalpa (Honduras) una reunión para dar continuidad a estos trabajos y poner en marcha las actividades de la Red Regional sobre la integración de la mujer al desarrollo, en América Latina y el Caribe.
Ms Irma-Llisa PERTTUNEN (Finland): I shall be speaking on behalf of the Nordic countries, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and my own country Finland.
First of all, the Nordic countries would once again like to reiterate their endorsement of the objectives of the Plan of Action. FAO should do its utmost to see that women have equal rights and opportunities and that their valuable contribution is acknowledged and utilized.
The Nordic countries welcome the initiative to update the Plan of Action by setting priorities and incorporating monitoring indicators. The timing of the exercise takes place in parallel with the global review of the integration of women in development strategies prior to the Fourth World Conference on Women to be held in Beijing in 1995. We note with satisfaction the statement in the Progress Report to the effect that FAO has already started the preparation for the Conference and that the whole Organization will be involved in the preparatory activities. Keeping in mind FAO's critical importance in the UN system in alleviating poverty through involvement in food production, food security and nutrition, FAO is expected to make a significant contribution to the Conference. A systematic
involvement of the technical divisions as well as the field representatives is needed.
One of the principles in the original Plan agreed upon in 1989 was a strong training component. The Nordic countries emphasized the training of the FAO staff as a priority. We are pleased to note that 80 percent of the entire staff has been trained. However, in the proposed budget for the next biennium, the training component will be heavily reduced. Our understanding is that new staff, new ideas and additional information should require a continuous training component. The planned ambitious joint exercise with UNDP and World Bank called Socio-Economie and Gender Analysis (SEGA) calls also for expanded staff training. Another component of in-house training to be added is the training of senior management. There is no information in the document as to whether the decision-making level has had any gender-specific training.
The other important part of the gender-specific training is the one directed to member countries, and especially to the policy makers. When the training activities are linked to an active policy discussion with respective Governments, the demand for gender-specific programmes and projects will grow. The fact that only 10 percent of the FAO field representatives have been able to attend training is hampering the intensity of the gender issues in the policy dialogue. The Nordic countries want specifically to endorse building regional and national training capacity as stated in paragraph 7(C) in the document. If there is no demand and knowledge in member countries the whole issue becomes "donor driven" and has only limited possibilities for success on a sustainable basis. The Nordic countries are looking forward to the results of the SEGA exercise which is supposed to enhance training in the recipient organizations, too.
The way of presenting the results and participation in training in Table 1 is in our view an example on how the data on development activities should be presented. By dividing the participants by gender, the Table becomes a real instrument for monitoring. It shows that women make up only 22 percent of the target group and that only in grassroots training have women had a slight majority. On the other hand grassroots training is only about 3 percent of the whole training programme. It is a well-known fact that it is not possible to enhance the status of women without involving them in the decision-making process. Therefore, training of less than one fourth of female managers, policy-makers and specialists is not sufficient to create a critical mass in member countries to argue for a change in policies.
The UN has set a target for its specialized agencies, that by 1995 at least 35 percent of the staff should be female. That will not be the case in FAO where the figure lies now at 20 percent at Headquarters and only 4.6 percent in the field. The report highlights the so-called significant improvement on the number of women in senior positions. Nevertheless, the situation still calls for the continuation of an active policy for recruitment at all levels. We need to ask what happens to female careers, when P4 level has 17 percent, P5 has 7.3 percent and at director level women account for only 1.5 percent of the whole group. Among the nine candidates for the post for Director-General there were no women; neither was gender an issue during the campaign.
One critical and maybe not-so-pleasant issue to many member countries is the question of legal matters. In many countries still women are denied equal credit. These legal barriers prevent overall growth in the developing world, since women are largely responsible for agricultural production and
especially food production. The Nordic countries would like to learn how FAO tackles this issue in the policy dialogue with the member countries.
The Nordic countries once again would like to stress the importance of integrating gender questions in the planning and implementation of all FAO programmes and projects. Unfortunately, this does not always seem to be done. We are disappointed to note that both the document on livestock prepared for COAG and the report on food security and nutrition status put forward at this Conference fail to address gender questions in a proper manner. Efficient implementation of WID policies presupposes certain institutional requirements. A clear and visible policy needs the support of the highest level of the Organization and a true commitment from the operational units. In this respect, the position of a coordinating unit for WID is important. The Nordic countries would recommend FAO to conclude its on-going review of the inter-departmental arrangements to enhance agency-wide coordination in gender questions. In our view the WID focal point should also be given a more prominent place in the Organization. Such a move would give gender aspects a higher status in the Organization's work.
The Nordic countries understand that growing demand for services related to WID issues as a result of the achievements gained in the implementation of the Plan of Action creates increased demand for resources. FAO has to ensure that this demand will be adequately met. Careful thought, however, should be given to how the resources should most rationally be allocated to fulfil both policy and operational functions.
The integration of women in development has to be addressed in a conscious and systematic manner. In this context we welcome the initiative to include a gender assessment as part of the project cycle, together with economic and technical analyses as an integral element in the new sustainability appraisal system. We are also pleased to note that FAO considers that closing the gender gap remains one of its challenges.
Hitoshi ASAKI (Japan): My delegation appreciates this concise document. My country recognizes it as significant that the awareness of women's role in rural development has been raised through the activities of United Nations' agencies including FAO.
On this occasion, my delegation would like to report on the progress of WID in my country. Compared to our long history of life improvement activities in Japanese rural areas, focusing on the important role of women in families as well as in villages, with foreign cooperation WID has been fully operated since the late 1980s. Guidelines for WID have been established based on our experiences and on information received from other agencies, including FAO.
My government fully understands that project-focusing in supporting women's role in rural development is very effective not only for agricultural production and management, but also for life improvements such as sanitation, nutrition, education, and so forth. Particularly essential is the concept of people's participation.
Finally, my delegation appreciates the outstanding activities of the RAPA office regarding outlining women's role in the village in order to identify their important role.
Dlmitrios MOUTSATSOS (Greece): I would like first to thank the Secretariat for the useful information contained in document C 93/14 concerning the important issue of Women's Integration in Development. The Plan of Action for Women's Integration in Development and the Plan of Action of the National Conference on Nutrition provided us with a valuable guidance in strategy and policy formulation in this field. However, despite the progress made in recent years, women's social and economic status still remains behind compared with that of the male population. In particular, rural women's contribution to society has not been fully recognized. In many countries, rural women are called upon to face serious constraints regarding access to food natural resources, financing, training -particularly in the sphere of management and extension services. In addition, there is also a lack of social care services in rural areas which does not enable them to be active according to their full potential.
Therefore, if we want to provide them with equal opportunities to work and access to health care services and education and to enable them to participate fully in the decision-making process, more attention should be paid to the above-mentioned issues and constraints.
Greece is fully aware of the problems that women face and we fully support the work and actions of FAO. Central to our policy is the aim to improve the status of rural women and to promote their integration in rural development. In this regard, several programmes for women are under implementation, with the helpful support of the European Community.
In conclusion, allow me to remind you that in October 1994 Greece will host the 7th Session of the FAO/ECA Working Group on Women and families in rural development. We are convinced that the outcome of this session will be valuable for European rural women as well as for rural women in other regions.
Idi MAMAN (Niger): La délégation du Niger tient tout d'abord à remercier la FAO de tous les efforts consentis tendant à sensibiliser l'opinion internationale quant à l'importance du rôle des femmes dans le développement agricole et rural. En effet, le rapport présenté perçoit avec lucidité les principaux problèmes à résoudre, les obstacles rencontrés et les défis à relever pour une meilleure intégration des femmes dans le processus de développement agricole et rural.
Au Niger, nous demeurons convaincus qu'aucun développement ne peut se concevoir sans la participation des femmes, qui constituent plus de 50 pour cent de la population. Dans le cadre de leurs activités, les femmes nigériennes font face à la plupart des obstacles relevés par le rapport, notamment les difficultés d'accès à la terre et au crédit. La politique nigérienne d'intégration de le femme dans le développement agricole et rural rentre dans la politique globale de la promotion de la femme et repose sur certaines stratégies dont notamment le développement des structures de promotion de la femme et une plus grande présence des femmes dans les structures de décision. En effet, pour garantir une meilleure intégration de la femme, il faut que celle-ci soit présente dans les instances de décision afin de faire prévaloir ses intérêts. Dans ce cadre, l'intégration des femmes envisagée par le biais des activités du Programme ordinaire et du Programme de terrain est une mesure très salutaire, et elle doit être encouragée.
La délégation du Niger soutient également les autres mesures proposées dans le rapport sur l'intégration des femmes dans le développement.
CHAIRMAN (Original language German): The delegations of Croatia, Estonia and Dominica have asked that .their statements should be put into the verbatim report. I would ask those delegations to make their statements available to the Secretariat as quickly as possible.
Amina BOUDJELTI (Algérie): Monsieur le Président, sans suivre tout à fait l'exemple qui vient de nous être fourni, je vais essayer d'être le plus brève possible. En effet, qu'ajouter au débat dense et riche d'enseignements et en expériences nationales qui vient de se dérouler dans cette salle, si ce n'est pour dire des choses qui ont déjà été dites?
Permettez-moi tout de même de remercier et de féliciter sincèrement le Secrétariat pour ce troisième rapport d'activité sur la mise en oeuvre du Plan d'action pour l'intégration des femmes dans le développement. Je vous l'ai dit, Monsieur le Président, je ne reprendrai pas ici tous les développements présentés sur l'importance du rôle crucial de la femme dans le développement de l'agriculture. Je me limiterai à dire que, de façon générale, nous nous rallions aux analyses qui ont été faites par différents intervenants, dont les délégués du Cap-Vert, du Canada, de l'Australie et des Etats-Unis, qu'il s'agisse des mesures fondamentales qui ont été prises ou des mesures administratives adoptées.
Aussi citerai-je donc rapidement, en ce qui concerne la mesure fondamentale, l'action du crédit foncier et toutes les mesures qui permettraient la mise en oeuvre d'une réglementation générale que la plupart des pays, dont le mien, ont adoptées sans qu'hélas elles soient devenues réalités.
En ce qui concerne les mesures administratives, nous citerons plus particulièrement les mécanismes de coordination tels que décrits au paragraphe 27. Nous approuvons donc la création d'un groupe de travail composé des principaux fonctionnaires des divisions dont un grand nombre d'activités concernent les femmes.
De même, nous partageons le souci exprimé par de nombreux autres délégués de voir renforcer les services de la promotion des femmes, de la production agricole et du développement rural, que l'on appelle ESHW, désignés pourtant comme unités de coordination externes et internes. Selon nous, cette division n'a pas été suffisamment renforcée pour compenser l'augmentation de sa charge de travail. Nous demandons donc instamment que le nombre des agents de ce cadre organique soit augmenté.
Cela étant, permettez-moi d'exprimer devant notre assemblée deux petites interrogations. La première concerne les femmes et le développement durable tels que décrits au paragraphe 50 et suivants. Tout en reconnaissant l'exactitude des remarques concernant la place de choix de la femme dans la préservation de l'environnement, je crains, à titre personnel, qu'il y ait le danger de la cantonner dans ce rôle qui a des relents de femme gardienne du foyer. La deuxième a trait aux mesures administratives, et plus particulièrement au recrutement des femmes par la FAO. Ma délégation, à l'instar de la plupart des intervenants précédents, estime que le personnel de la FAO est en trop grand nombre masculin.
En outre, s'agissant de l'intégration des femmes dans le développement, ma délégation craint que les chiffres donnés aux paragraphes 142 et 143 ne soient encore en deçà de la réalité en ce qui concerne les femmes originaires des pays en développement. Nous aimerions, dans toute la mesure possible, obtenir ces chiffres et ces données du Secrétariat. Qu'il soit bien clair qu'il ne s'agit pas ici de critiquer le Secrétariat ou même les gouvernements - nous avons tous notre part de responsabilités - mais je crois que ces chiffres pourraient nous aider à changer les choses dans l'avenir.
CHAIRMAN (Original language German): Thank you very much, distinguished delegate of Algeria. I certainly have sympathy for your questions, but I have to tell you that in my country we have a saying: behind every successful man there is an efficient woman.
C. KIEMTORE (Burkina Faso): Nous avons examiné avec intérêt le rapport d'activité sur la mise en oeuvre du Plan d'action pour l'intégration des femmes dans le développement.
La délégation du Burkina Faso saisit cette opportunité pour remercier la FAO d'avoir bien voulu attribuer le prix Boerma 1993 à une femme du Burkina. C'est là une preuve de l'intérêt que le Burkina Faso, d'une part, et la FAO, d'autre part, accordent à l'intégration de la femme dans le développement.
Ma délégation souhaite apporter son ferme soutien aux objectifs poursuivis à travers la mise en oeuvre du Plan d'action. Nous appuyons la plupart des idées qui ont été énoncées par les délégations qui nous ont précédés.
En ce qui concerne l'élaboration et le suivi des projets, je voudrais souligner l'importance d'une connaissance plus approfondie et plus systématique du fonctionnement des exploitations agricoles. L'élaboration de projets en milieu rural devrait être chaque fois précédée d'une étude multidisciplinaire orientée vers le rôle et la place dans l'unité de production et dans l'espace économique des projets. Il s'agit de développer davantage le volet socio-économique des études de faisabilité.
En ce qui concerne l'accès des femmes au crédit et aux services bancaires, on a trop souvent axé les efforts sur la formation en matière de gestion d'unités économiques collectives ou individuelles sans aborder le problème majeur de l'inexistence de structures ou de systèmes nationaux d'octroi de crédits aux femmes. A cet effet, nous appuyons l'idée d'aider à la création du groupement d'épargne et du crédit rural principalement orientés vers les femmes.
De même, nous pensons que, dans certaines conditions, la création de banques spécialisées pour le développement des femmes est pleinement justifiée. Le rôle que peut avoir la FAO consistera à assister et à conseiller les gouvernements, par exemple en affectant une part plus importante du programme de coopération du PNUD aux études stratégiques de politique en faveur de la femme.
S'agissant des mesures administratives, nous appuyons les différentes propositions visant à augmenter les effectifs féminins employés à l'Organisation. Mais la sous-représentation des femmes dans le personnel ne
concerne pas uniquement la FAO. La situation est encore plus préoccupante au niveau des gouvernements.
Pour ce qui est plus spécialement de la vulgarisation et de la formation technique des femmes, la FAO devrait encourager les gouvernements afin qu'ils intensifient le recrutement et la formation d'animatrices pour encadrer les femmes agricultrices.
Pour terminer, nous en appelons à une meilleure prise en compte de la spécificité de la situation des femmes, aussi bien celles qui vivent dans les campagnes que celles qui vivent dans les villes, lors de la mise en oeuvre de programmes d'ajustement structurel, notamment lorsqu'il s'agira de privatiser les services de vulgarisation ou encore de libéraliser les prix des intrants ou de certains produits alimentaires stratégiques, ou enfin lorsqu'il s'agira de réduire le rôle de l'Etat dans le système et les circuits de commercialisation. Les femmes seront les plus touchées par ces différentes mesures.
Abdul-Razzak AL-HASSAN (Syria) (Original language ArabiC) : 1 should like to preface my remarks by thanking the Secretariat for this Report. It is a very good Report and certainly does justice to the importance of the matter with which it deals.
I do not think we have to list the role played by women, how important women are in food production and preparation, and also what women do regarding protection of the environment. I think this is all well-rehearsed and well known by the international community. However, I would like to say that it is necessary to promote the role of women in rural areas. We also have to look at access to inputs and the means of production. When we say that women have to take decisions regarding their farms and natural resources, this access also has to be in place.
The 26th Session of our Conference approved Priority 8 of the Plan of Action regarding the integration of women in sustainable development, taking account of the management of natural resources and the environment. The Syrian delegation feels that more projects would accelerate this integration process. We believe it would create and open up greater opportunities; for the success of these projects, it is vital to identify obstacles which may well be impeding work in this area.
Reference has been made to the training of women. It is important that training be made available so that women can play their role more effectively.
My delegation is very pleased to give you a realistic picture of women in rural areas in my country. Through legislation in my country, women can become co-owners or owners and they also rights to inherit. They can be members of a rural or agricultural cooperative and have rights to be on the boards of management. Women also have access to loans from agricultural banks; they can obtain credit facilities. These are guaranteed by the cooperatives of which they are members. They can actually market these goods in their own names and, further, keep the profit. The law guarantees these rights to women.
Women are able to play an important role in the development of agriculture and in rural development, but women need to have access to extension services and to education. Women need to have access to technological
know-how so they can really build on their potential and become an important part in production. Syria would like to have assistance from international organizations in this area.
Finally, my delegation would like to thank FAO for its activities, in attempting to improve the role of women, and to enhance that role in rural areas, as part of its push for sustainable development, to include women in managing natural resources and to strengthen its socio-economic role. We would like this work to be built upon so that further headway can be made in this area in the future.
Arrow Solomon OBURU (Kenya) : I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate and to compliment the Secretariat for their good report on the role of women as presented in document C 93/14. It is a good exposition of the role women can have in sustainable management in development.
Integration of women in development is a prerequisite to sustainable role development. The position and the importance of women in development in Kenya was recognized by policy formulators as decision-makers many years ago. Women are equal partners in development activities. Access to job opportunities is not gender-filtered. Women continue to beat men in interviews for jobs. In the public service sector, women constitute 43.7 percent of the workforce. In agriculture, women are the heart of food and agricultural production.
However, there are needs for development and application of appropriate technology which will ease the physical burden of many hours of work on farms by women. For example, the use of oxen or donkey-driven carts in order to fetch water has in Kenya facilitated an easy switch of water-fetching responsibility from women to the male members of the family. Similarly, the application of the ox plough in cultivation has lead to men undertaking cultivation on farms. Such easing of the load of women in development integrates the women into the comfort of utilizing products of development.
On the role of women in sustainable development, natural resource management and environment, it is important to note that access to, or affordability of, alternative energy sources of wood is fundamental to the contribution by women to the implementation of the conclusion of Agenda 21 of UNCED. In most parts of Africa, wood and wood products constitute over 80 percent of cooking fuel. Therefore, it is noted with appreciation under paragraph 53 of the document under discussion that the technical book which FAO proposes to publish on sustainable forest management will address gender issues. It is our hope that it will not only emphasize what women can do, but it will address alternative energies for use in cooking to that women do not have to spend hours fetching firewood; also they can enjoy the comfort of domesticated energy sources.
Ms Rosmalawati CHALID (Indonesia): We wish to express the Indonesian delegation's appreciation to the Secretariat for the information given on the Third Progress Report on the Implementation of the Plan of Action for the Integration of Women in Development and to Mr Hjort for his clear introduction. We welcome the Report since it reflects the commitment to enhance the role of women in development.
As regards the eight programmatic priorities of the action plans, we share the view that project development, training and policy advice are the three priorities which are the major means of effort towards reaching the goal of increasing women's participation in agricultural and rural development in member countries. The other five activities as mentioned in the document are, in fact, the ones which should be incorporated into the three priorities to enhance their implementation.
As experiences accumulate on the participation of women in development, we would like to suggest that, in the future, reporting of the implementation of the Plan of Action should be prepared in a more comprehensive and systematic way so as to include more detailed country experiences, to enable member countries to share each other's experiences.
As regards Indonesian efforts in increasing participation of women in development, we would like to reiterate our delegation's statement in the Plenary Session, that not only does our delegation support the Organizations's Plan of Action, but it has, in fact, already taken a number of actions to facilitate the implementation of the integration of women in rural and agricultural development.
Alnaji HAI M. JIR (Nigeria): We wish to commend the Secretariat and the Deputy Director-General for the document and the introduction.
I wish to acknowledge the efforts of FAO in the Plan of Action for the Integration of Women in Development. We wish to comment on two areas. With regard to page 1 of document C 93/14, priorities for implementation, I wish to comment on the training of women in development and re-orientation of home economics and agricultural curricula.
We would like the training programme to emphasize the improvement of existing methods and the development of medium-term technology to avoid costly approaches which may discourage participation.
The real intention of home economics and agricultural curricula should have an emphasis on sustainability and nutrition.
In assisting countries, a uniform formula may not apply. For example, in a country like my own which has distinct cultural and ecological zones. We, therefore, are in support of the statement by the Islamic Republic of Iran for a pilot project to be conducted in different ecological and cultural zones to avoid a uniform application which may not be applicable to everyone.
We in Nigeria consider women as an important element, although our recent census indicated that there are more men than women in Nigeria. However, to demonstrate our resolve on Women in Development, we have in Nigeria given support and encouragement to this programme. We are, for example, a fully pledged division of Women in Development in all our 31 states of the Federation. We have a national committee. We have a project called Better Life for Rural Dwellers which actually won the Hunger Project Prize in 1991.
We have a project funded by UNDP and the World Bank on Women in Development. We have women at all levels of Government, including Cabinet ministerial posts at both Federal and State level. In the bureaucracy we
have women heading ministries as directors-general or permanent secretaries and in all aspects of the public sector.
We have established banks like the People's Bank and the Community Bank which assist rural dwellers and low-income groups, especially women.
We have established cooperative groups for women all over the Federation, especially in processing, marketing, fish processing and production.
CHAIRMAN (Original language German) : The delegates of Angola and the Congo have asked that their statements be inserted into the verbatim report. We will, of course, respond to their requests.
Ms NAima AL-SHAYJI (Kuwait): I shall be brief. The reason I asked for the floor is that I want to raise one or two questions. May I first commend the Secretariat on its excellent efforts in the document. I really do not have any comments on it but I want to raise a few points or questions for all of us to think about.
I want to comment on the Chairman's remarks. You have in a way provoked me. You said that there is a saying that there is a woman behind every great man. For how long does the woman have to remain behind the great man? Are there not enough professionally qualified women all over the world, either in the UN system or in government, without still having men in the forefront?
My second point is that in two years' time there will be a UN Conference about the achievements and the involvement of women at all levels, including policy, peace, development and equality. It will be 20 years since this issue was first seriously considered by the UN system and the specialist agencies in the UN system as well as the bilateral institutions, whether at national or regional level. In 1995 will we still need to have FAO and other specialist agencies dealing with this matter? If we want to confine ourselves mainly to the agricultural sector, do we still have to convince the poiicy-makers everywhere, whether in the developing world or in the developed world, that there is an important role for women in agriculture? Do we still need to have a division, especially where there are few professional women who will have to fight for budgets and money to get some adequate staffing and support to be able to do the work?
This is my last question. Has FAO thought of any preparations for this Conference, such as an assessment of whether the declarations that are being announced by the various individuals and officials of governments of developed or developing countries are really just slogans being used to say that they have achieved and have women here and are recognizing that this is an issue of importance or has there been real achievement, especially in the agricultural sector?
Freddy ABASTOFLOR CORDOVA (Bolivia): Podemos reconocer que el común denominador de la pobreza rural se expresa a través de constantes como: la magra atención a la salud, la cual provoca altas tasas de mortalidad y morbilidad; el deficiente sistema educativo, que reduce enormemente las posibilidades de los pobres a competir dentro del mercado laboral moderno; la falta de vías de comunicación, que impide la comercialización de los
productos; la casi total ausencia de tecnología moderna dentro de la actividad agrícola, que da como resultado una baja productividad.
Por consiguiente, no hay duda que la pobreza más extrema está concentrada en áreas rurales. No en vano es más probable que una persona sea pobre si: vive en área rural; si posee escaso terreno y si es mujer.
La perspectiva analítica fundamental nos permite discernir que no se trata de marginar o segregar a la mujer rural dándole un tratamiento especial que en lugar de integrarla en iguales condiciones que los demás termine siendo el justificativo de todas las opresiones que sufre la mujer rural en nuestra sociedad.
La mujer rural pobre es el recurso más subutilizado en los países en vías de desarrollo y si las mismas se limitan a cuidar a los hijos, a atender el ganado y recibir canastas de alimentos provenientes de programas de ayuda internacional, nunca llegaremos a tocar las raíces de la pobreza rural.
Más si por el contrario, tratamos de encontrar los medios idóneos que le permitan integrarse plenamente a la actividad nacional de nuestros países y puedan constiuirse en un sujeto de producción, habremos logrado mucho.
En este sentido, el cambio estructural de las instituciones públicas que realizó el Gobierno de Bolivia, nos permitirá establecer mecanismos de coordinación interinstitucional para orientar acciones integrales que reviertan las condiciones de pobreza de la mujer, potenciando su capacidad de contribución al desarrollo, incorporándola como agente de producción.
Es así que el Gobierno boliviano tiene como objetivos generales:
- Asegurar el acceso de la mujer a los servicios sociales básicos, para lograr su crecimiento y desarrollo, como una forma de garantizar sus derechos
- Elevar el nivel nutricional de la mujer.
- Promover que las acciones del Estado, organizaciones no gubernamentales, agencias internacionales de cooperación y de la sociedad civil prioricen en sus labores en relación a la mujer rural.
Ycomo objetivos específicos tenemos:
- Mejorar la posición de la mujer respecto a los varones, potenciando su capacidad de decisión, su autoestima y creando las condiciones jurídico-legales para el ejercicio de su ciudadanía
- Democratizar los roles en la familia y la sociedad.
- Prevenir y combatir la violencia particularmente doméstica.
- Promover cambios legislativos.
- Valorizar y fomentar el rol productivo de la mujer
- Ampliar la cobertura y la calidad de los servicios de educación y salud.
- Promover la capacitación de recursos humanos en la perspectiva de género, a nivel del aparato estatal y de las organizaciones sociales.
- Sensibilizar a la familia, a la sociedad y al Estado sobre los derechos de la mujer
- Disminuir la mortalidad materna.
Los objetivos antes enunciados se fundan en lo derechos a la vida, al desarrollo, a la seguridad y a la participación.
Kiala KIA MATEVA (Angola): Monsieur le Président, je félicite d'abord Mr Hjort pour la présentation du document C 93/14.
Comme il a été demandé en 1989 par la Conférence, à sa vingt-cinquième session, la FAO, à travers son Secrétariat, a préparé le troisième rapport d'activités sur la mise en oeuvre du Plan d'action pour l'intégration des femmes dans le développement.
Ma délégation tient à féliciter très vivement le travail réalisé par le Secrétariat.
Monsieur le Président, comme les délégations qui m'ont précédé, ma délégation reconnaît le rôle de premier plan joué par la femme dans le développement rural en particulier et d'un pays en général.
Ayant compris son importance, la FAO a mis à nu la situation de la femme, à tous les niveaux et dans tous les domaines.
Quels seraient les résultats dans le monde en développement et au sein de la FAO si nos beaux discours devenaient une réalité? Je crois qu'on sortirait de la salle les têtes hautes.
En Angola les autorités gouvernementales ont compris l'importance des femmes dans le développement. C'est pourquoi l'actuel Gouvernement de la République possède en son sein quatre femmes ministres dont les secteurs jouent un rôle très important dans la vie socio-économique du pays: l'exploitation du pétrole et les pêches. Nous savons que le nombre est très réduit mais c'est déjà le début de la mise en application. Notre gouvernement est conscient de ce que des actions concrètes doivent être faites: en ce qui concerne les propositions contenues dans le document C 93/14, nous appuyons les mesures administratives adoptées pour appliquer le plan et les recommandations de la Conférence.
Ma Vera TADIC (Croatia): The Croatian delegation would like to congratulate the Secretariat for preparing the document C 93/14 "Third Progress Report on the Implementation of the Plan of Action for Integration of Women in Development".
Becoming a new member of FAO, Croatia is very interested in and supportive of the aforementioned Report.
Being the Central European country in transition, Croatia toys to transform her agriculture from the "socialistic" to the market oriented. Although it is a long-lasting task, Croatia has the advantage of having 79.4 percent of arable land owned by private farmers and 21.6 percent owned by state. In
1 Texte reçu avec demande d'insertion au procès-verbal.
1989 Croatia had 569 000 farms which had an average area of 2.9 hectares. On most private farms women assume the main responsible work in agriculture production and processing while their husbands and sons work in industry. In fact, women are very often the only available working force. However, they lack appropriate education and training especially in entrepreneurial activities.
Croatia is very interested in being involved in FAO's future activities for the integration for women in development. There are two other reasons why the Croatian delegation supports the Plan of Action very strongly. The first one is currently very specific to Croatia. Croatia takes care, with the help of the international community of more than 500 000 war refugees and displaced persons, a figure equal to 12 percent of the Croatian population. These are mostly women and children, mostly from destroyed Croatian and Bosnian villages. They should be reintegrated to their agricultural livelihoods as soon as the war is ended. The task of reintegrating such a great number of persons to normal living conditions is a priority for Croatian Government and, especially, for the Ministry of Agriculture. That brings us to the second point: the post-war reconstruction in more than 500 Croatian villages destroyed by the war. It goes without saying that the work of rural women will be indispensable in implementing this priority task.
In conclusion, the Croatian delegation would appreciate more involvement of FAO in addressing the problems of women in countries in transition in assisting Croatia in the post-war reconstruction of agriculture with the full evolving of women's creative capabilities.1
Mrs Hannelore A.H. BENJAMIN (Dominica): Mr Chairman, my delegation wishes to restate its position on women in rural development. My delegation already gave a very precise statement on the same issue during the COAG meeting.
Our developed partners and FAO therefore many help to provide us with their support either directly or within regional and multilateral arrangements which will enable women in rural developing states to achieve the capital inflows and resources requirements necessary to make agriculture and agriculture diversification productive and competitive for them. It will require a demonstration of interest in the well-being to us as partners in an ever-changing world where the difficulties of one nation or of one region inevitably affect the opportunities of others, in this case the women in rural development.
Up to now women in rural development had and have to shoulder all the sacrifices in agriculture. But the key of agriculture production should really lie in strengthening their resilience. To achieve that:
- 
the women in rural development need to know that important farming can only be achieved through better training, so that they need to struggle less on their small piece of land for existence in an almost degrading way;
1 Statement inserted in the Verbatim Records on request
- they need to learn that the most important farming systems are: external existence in crops, fisheries and livestock, and how to deal with those;
- they need to learn how to deal with health problems like: malnutrition, malnourishment, vitamin deficiency, sanitary and hygiene problems, and be made aware about nutrition and environment and proper child care;
- they must be able to purchase land and how learn how to do their own banking, because often there are marital instabilities, male immigration or political instability:
The women in rural development often become household heads and their labour is divided between household work and income generating, and this puts a more heavy burden on them. Therefore the women need to understand the aspects of national and community development, and in their training in small animal husbandry needs to be included, and how to treat animal diseases if they occur.
If all this can be taken into account, then through training.and educating the women in rural development one would receive full sustained returns from their development activities, and that again can be of benefit to the country.
Lastly Mr Chairman, I would like to support what was said by the delegate from Jamaica; the time is overdue and we must make every effort to be of help to those who need our help and understanding, namely the women in rural development.1
Bashir S. MUNTASSER (United Nations Fund for Population Activities): It is a pleasure for me to attend the discussion on this issue which is very important to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities.
The experience of the past 30 years underscores that with respect to population concerns and socio-economic development there is a highly correlated improvement in the role and status of women. The economic expansion and improvement of the quality of life has been fastest in countries where women have a higher status and where a lower growth of population is prevailing. Population growth influences conditions of agricultural production and rural development overall.
This implies a great need to coordinate population, agriculture and rural development policies and programmes. The roles of women, including their role in production, in the community, as farmers and as managers of their environment, interact with population concerns and women's reproductive rights.
Against this background the United Nations Population Fund and FAO have collaborated since the Fund's establishment. FAO has been more visionary and receptive than many others in that it has been concerned with the inter-relationship between food needs, food supplies, agricultural production, rural development and population factors. FAO's work in the process of integrating population components into its own programme and into the work of its divisions and branches in their organization is
1 Statement inserted in the Verbatim Records on request.
encouraging for UNFPA, and this should be further expanded in the years to come.
The United Nations Population Fund's commitment to the enhancement of the role and status of women is reflected in its policies and all its programmes and projects. The Fund will continue to assist activities specifically directed to women, as well as ensuring that women are mainstreamed in all its programmes and activities.
Collaboration between the UNFPA and FAO is reflected in many areas - in training, data collection and dissemination of results related to the inter-relationship between population and agriculture and rural development, population information, education and communication activities, migration and promoting the participation of women in development.
The FAO Plan of Action for Integration of Women in Development is one of the areas which UNFPA is giving special attention to. In this respect, UNFPA supports FAO in examining the rural woman's needs and attitudes towards larger families and their relationship to environmental degradation, health and nutrition.
The forthcoming International Conference on Population and Development, which will take place in Cairo in September 1994, will provide an opportunity for FAO to contribute to the preparation of the Conference and to the Conference itself. One of the expert groups which has already been held was especially on women and it was held last year in Botswana. The International Conference on Population and Development will cover a wide range of relevant topics on women, including women's participation in decision-making, particularly at the grassroots level, and the promotion of women's economic security and their right to inherit and own land and to have access to credit, combat violence against women and girls - including sexual violence - and to achieve full gender equality so as fully to integrate women into the development and development programmes, but as a beneficiary and as an active participant and decision-maker.
Ms Francesca RONCHI PROJA (International Federation for Home Economics): I speak on behalf of the international non-governmental organizations participating in the meeting held on 9 November, the report of which is now available to all delegates.
The Plan of Action of FAO on Women in Development and the progress report were one of the three subjects discussed at the meeting, where the participation of the Chief of the Service of Women in Development, Dr Kirjaivainen, was much appreciated. Many of the INGOs are interested in, and are directly involved in, activities in favour of women in development. We had 26 international NGOs participating in the meeting with 40 participants. Briefly, the NGO participants considered the progress report a useful document. Many of the points and issues raised today by the delegates here were also discussed at the INGO meeting. I will briefly mention the role of women in food security as key food producers, especially of staple foods such as roots, tubers and pulses; the need to involve women fully at all stages of food production, processing and marketing; to include them in training programmes; in monitoring the use of natural resources; and to increase their independence within the family context by paying special attention to income-producing activities.
INGO participants indicated their willingness to cooperate more closely with FAO on Women in Development at the international level and, through their affiliates, at the national level. An analysis was suggested of the available information at FAO on women's role in cooperatives. The gender approach was appreciated since the concept emphasizes the necessity of both men and women sharing in family/household responsibilities and in other activities. More guidance is felt to be needed on how to apply that approach in the field, as other delegations here have emphasized. INGOs welcomed the participation of FAO in the preparations for the Beijing Conference in 1995, and hoped that the Organization would also be involved in the celebrations and activities for the International Year of the Family in 1994. The latter is very important because of the difficulties faced by families nowadays, and the need to support them in their various forms since the family is still the basic unit of society.
The international NGOs look forward to maintaining continuous contact with FAO to discuss further the possibilities of cooperation in the various aspects of the Plan of Action.
Finally, on behalf of the Organization which I represent at FAO, the International Federation for Home Economics, I would like fully to support the needs expressed by some delegations for extending the training of home economics, including all aspects of family life, to boys as well as girls so that they can better share the many responsibilities of the family which are often left only to women.
Mme Lydie ROSSINI VAN HISSENHOVEN (Conseil international des femmes):
Monsieur le Président, c'est au nom du Conseil international des femmes, une des plus anciennes ONG internationales, fondée en 1888 à Washington D.C., que je voudrais féliciter Monsieur Hjort pour l'excellente présentation et remercier le Secrétariat pour le document C 93/14.
Depuis ses origines, le CIF a eu à coeur la défense du statut des femmes, l'élimination de toutes formes de discrimination et suit avec intérêt tous les aspects économiques et sociaux du développement.
Pour ce faire, nos 15 commissions permanentes internationales travaillent activement dans le domaine de la nutrition, éducation, santé, environnement et habitat, législation et condition féminine, pour n'en citer que quelques-unes, aux niveaux national et international et sont prêtes à collaborer étroitement avec la FAO, et ce par des ateliers, des séminaires, sur le terrain, etc. Nous appuyons fortement les paragraphes 10, 14, 50. Nous apprécions le paragraphe 94 concernant le renforcement des groupes de femmes et des ONG, mais sommes assez déçus de la teneur du paragraphe 135 concernant les ressources financières.
Nous insistons sur le suivi de la Conférence de Rio Action 21 et de la CIN. En ce qui concerne l'Année internationale de la famille, nous voudrions insister sur trois aspects non négligeables: la violence dans la famille; et je vois que plusieurs délégations en ont parlé.
Il faudrait agir dans ce sens et encourager la législation pour dénoncer les abus et s'assurer que les délinquants soient punis.
Il faudrait soutenir les victimes de violence dans la famille par des groupes d'aide et de refuge pour les victimes.
Il faudrait réhabiliter les victimes et le membre de la famille maltraité et encourager l'éducation et les consultations sexuelles.
En vue de l'amélioration de la situation des femmes dans la société, il faudrait agir pour réunir les femmes à bas revenu pour des projets générateurs de revenus tels que la production et la commercialisation d'objets d'artisanat; réhabiliter les prostituées, les femmes intoxiquées par la drogue, aider celles qui sont handicapées mentales; améliorer la situation des femmes seules, spécialement les mères célibataires, les femmes âgées et handicapées; s'assurer ensuite que les femmes à bas revenus aient accès à un logement décent.
Voici trois aspects non négligeables sur lesquels nous voudrions insister: la violence dans la famille, la femme et la pauvreté, et ensuite la revitalisation du rôle du père pour une paternité plus responsable, reconnue et vécue.
Ceux-ci sont trois thèmes largement soutenus par nos conseils nationaux.
En ce qui concerne la Conférence mondiale sur la population qui se tiendra au Caire en 1994, nous voudrions insister pour obtenir des représentants d'ONG dans les délégations à la PreCom III.
Nous suivons avec intérêt les préparatifs de la quatrième Conférence mondiale des femmes de Beijing et aimerions être associés aux travaux de la FAO et obtenir des informations sur sa participation.
Nous avons également participé activement aux phases préparatoires de la Conférence sur la population et le développement.
Nous insistons sur les droits humains et donc l'égalité des sexes, l'éducation et les prises de responsabilité des femmes nécessairement liées à la population et au développement, la santé et l'éducation à la planification familiale à la fois pour les filles et les garçons.
Pour terminer, je désirerais remercier les délégations qui m'ont précédée et la FAO pour son action constante en faveur des femmes qui, comme l'avait déclaré le Directeur général lors de la Conférence mondiale sur la pêche en 1984, devraient au moins tirer leur juste part de profit et en avaient plaidé la cause.
H. MELICZEK (Officer in Charge, Human Resources, Institutions and Agrarian Reform Division): It is a great pleasure for me to address the members of Commission I and to reply to some of the questions raised with regard to the Third Progress Report on the Implementation of the Plan of Action on the Integration of Women in Development.
First of all, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the overall support you have given to the Progress Report. Your deliberations are, indeed, a great encouragement for us in the Human Resources Division, particularly for the Women in Development Service. Your support will provide fresh impetus to the implementation of the plan to which we as well as you Member Governments attach great importance.
With your permission, Mr Chairman, I will reply to a few general questions and then ask Ms Kirjavainen, Chief of the Women in Development Service, to answer some more specific questions.
I wish Mr Hjort was here with us to answer one of the most ticklish questions asked this afternoon - why are women not better represented in FAO? Unfortunately, Mr Hjort has been called to the Resolutions Committee and he has asked me to reply. We in FAO are not satisfied with the situation, but there is little we can do because the pool of female candidates is not very deep. Mr Hjort has asked me to ask you Member Governments to identify qualified women candidates for vacant positions in FAO. He has also suggested that delegates look at the list of participants of this Conference and just review how many of them are male and how many are female. This gives a reflection of the kind of candidates available for FAO positions.
As pointed out in paragraph 145 of the document we have been discussing, FAO has developed a strategy and implemented a number of measures to increase the access of women to professional positions. In particular, the monitoring of measures taken to increase the number of female staff will be intensified, and FAO is devising a system in which Divisions will be constantly informed of the percentage of women employed, and requested to fill vacant positions with qualified women. As regards the efforts of FAO to identify women with technical expertise, the Organization has enlarged the distribution list of vacancy announcements to ensure the widest possible dissemination to known sources of female candidates.
Now I would like to turn to the more technical aspects of the Report. While the majority of delegates have commended FAO on the progress achieved in implementing the Plan of Action, a few delegates observed that progress at country level has not been sufficiently smooth. In this context, may I recall the statement made by the delegate of Canada who said that changes do not occur overnight. I would like also to quote the delegate of Portugal who mentioned that issues of women in development require a change in mentality and attitudes.
On the other hand, we are very pleased to learn from the delegate of Italy that a small revolution is under way. This is a very positive example showing that women have gained recognition in agriculture and rural development.
The delegate of Austria asked what were we doing for women in Central and Eastern Europe. FAO, in particular the Human Resources Division, has conducted a series of sixteen country case studies addressing the problems of countries in transition, such as institutional development, rural employment, transformation of cooperative farms, and reorganization of delivery systems. The outlines for the country reports all contained a specific chapter on the role of women. The country case studies have been discussed at sub-regional meetings held in Hungary and Bulgaria. These meetings identified areas of technical assistance, and asked for follow-up information at national levels. FAO is ready to accommodate requests for such assistance.
In this context, I would like to refer to the work of the FAO Working Party on Women and the Farm Family, mentioned by the delegates of Austria, Hungary and Greece.
The delegate of Jamaica asked how WID issues could be integrated into the planning process. She suggested that manuals and guidelines for this purpose were missing. I would draw her attention to the document we have discussed today, which states in paragraph 70 (b) that FAO has prepared a
field manual on these issues, and in paragraph 70 (c) that FAO has prepared guidelines for women in development.
I would comment on the suggestion of the delegate of Canada to intensify linkages with WFP in the sphere of WID. FAO is ready to intensify its collaboration with WFP and to prepare more guidelines and manuals, as well as the SEGA document, and provide them to WFP.
We have taken note of the proposal of the delegate of Spain to work more closely with NGOs. We enjoy close cooperation with the International Cooperative Alliance, the International Federation of Agricultural Producers and the International Federation of Home Economists as well as with representatives of other NGOs such as the three Observers who have spoken during the afternoon session. They mentioned that on 9th November the Rome-based group of NGOs had a meeting in FAO regarding WID issues. Such discussions will continue in the future.
We have taken note of the proposal of the delegate of Germany to include in the next progress report any WID experiences in Central and Eastern Europe and in European countries in general.
I feel these are the more general remarks I wanted to make and I will hand over the floor to Ms Kirjavainen.
Ms Leena KIRJAVAINEN (FAO Staff) : It is a great pleasure for me to address delegates of Commission I, and I will tackle a few specific questions in regard to training, the SEGA programme, social issues and the preparatory activities for the World Conference on Women to be held in Beijing in 1995.
Several countries - the Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Hungary and others - raised the question of staff training, and particularly the increasing of their skills on how to integrate women in development concerns and gender issues in their technical work, and I would like to stress a few points.
First and foremost, it should be noted that the two-day workshop on gender sensitization is still continuing for new staff members and those among the twenty percent who have not yet been able to participate in the training session. In other words, the training programme has not stopped, but is continuing. Perhaps this was not very clearly expressed in the Report, but I would like to reassure those delegates concerned about this issue.
In terms of the follow-up activities of staff training, I refer to paragraphs 66 and 73 describing in detail the Social Economic and Gender Analysis Programme, and its purpose as a follow-up activity to the gender sensitization workshop.
Regarding the Netherlands recommendations to FAO to better integrate women in development into the work of the other technical units, there are three points I would briefly stress. First of all, over the last biennium the number of projects for which our Service is the lead technical unit has decreased about twenty percent, while on the other hand those in which our Service participates in the project task forces led by other technical units has increased by forty percent, which is a clear indication we are increasing our collaboration with other units and divisions in the Organization.
Secondly, within the SEGA programme development, we have the objective of increasing the technical capacities of the professionals in the technical units by the joint development of sector and sub-sector specific supplements and guidelines, as is briefly described in paragraph 72.
Thirdly, after having analysed and reviewed the experiences from the Inter-Departmental Working Group/Women in Development activities for the past ten years, we are now developing stronger mechanisms for cooperation with other units to mainstream women in development and gender issues. As indicated in paragraphs 123 and 124, we are now recommending the establishment of divisional core groups based on the model of the groups of women in fisheries. These would be the smallest coordination units within-house and would coordinate together with the leadership of the senior level working group on women in development and gender. This is how we are trying to strengthen in-house participation of technical units in women in development and our gender work.
The second area for expansion strongly raised by the delegate of the United Kingdom was the question of how FAO should tackle a wider mandate on the social issues and build up expertise in the area of social development, with a request for information about our staff capacities in this area and how we are handling the topics of social development. I am pleased to assure him that our Service has at present ten professional staff members from various disciplines - social, anthropology, research, home economics, resource management, rural development, extension, agronomy, and so on.
In addition, we have five women-in-development or rural development officers in our five regional offices who are supporting the programme development in their regions.
Regarding our social development capacity, we are considering gender as a subset of broader sociological issues in categories of ethnicity, age, sex, religion, political affiliation, etc. and not as a separate variable. We therefore have a concern for much broader issues than only gender and women, and this is how we want to approach this in the Plan of Action in its four spheres of economics, social development, decision-making and civil status.
There was a keen interest in the issue of how we are approaching and preparing for the Fourth World Conference on Women to be held in Beijing. This question was raised by the Kuwaiti delegate and many others. The Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 will be a unique opportunity to appraise the achievements of Member Governments and to renew our commitment to the advancement of women. Since Nairobi in 1985 we have gained very valuable experience and learned important lessons on how better to integrate women in agricultural and rural development. Efforts from all parties concerned are still needed, and welcome, to carry out the tasks indicated and to strengthen our capacity to alleviate poverty, particularly among rural women.
The so-called Platform of Action, which will be discussed and ratified by the World Conference on Women in Beijing, will be the new charter for governments as well as for UN agencies to bring women's issues to the forefront of political, social and economic agendas of development.
Regarding our preparatory activities for Beijing, FAO is taking very serious action in this regard. We are preparing a plan for the preparatory activities for the World Conference which will intensify, in particular,
the implementation of the Plan of Action and the selected eight substantive priority areas which were mentioned at the beginning of our progress report. The following are some examples of activities: a plan to provide assistance to selected countries for the preparation of national reports for submission to the Conference; support for the improvement of data collection on rural women to be included with these national reports; based on information campaigns, assisting gender analysis training for various partners, rural women, NGOs, women-in-development units in various ministries, particularly in ministries of agriculture, planning and rural development. We also plan to strengthen the women-in-development unit structure and their technical capacity to carry out these tasks. Throughout the implementation of the programme we shall support the participatory approach methodology.
I think these were the major areas that we agreed that I would address at this moment. If there is anything further, I should be pleased to respond to you.
DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL: May I again express appreciation for the many positive comments that were made and suggestions that were advanced. We shall be taking those into account. I believe the record shows that the Organization is making progress and I hope we can continue to do so. I do not believe that anyone should conclude from the fact that we are making progress that we are satisfied with it. We feel there is continuing need to try to move forward and make even greater progress and even faster progress.
I think there was one question which was perhaps not raised by the delegate from Finland on behalf of the Nordic countries concerning legal matters or legal aspects. We are well aware of the existence of legal constraints to the full participation of women in development, notably with respect to access by women to natural resources, agricultural services and institutions. Early steps towards a better understanding of the issues at stake have resulted in the collection of country-specific reference material on women's rights to natural resources and agricultural services. Indirectly, women's legal status vis-à-vis natural resources and related services has been investigated in the context of FAO's technical assistance activities in the field of natural resources legislation wherever relevant. FÀO plans to attend to these issues in a systematic fashion. Resources permitting, a publication can be prepared based on country studies highlighting legal constraints and facilitators to an enhanced role of women in agricultural development. Also, should requests be received from Member States of FAO for technical assistance in the improvement of women's legal access to agricultural and natural resources and related services, FAO will be pleased to respond through the provision of specialized legal expertise, through specific projects or as a dimension of other projects.
The meeting rose at 17.50 hours.
La séance est levée à 17 h 50.
Se levanta la sesión a las 17.50 horas.
