The Fifth African regional conference on women continues

lJNrr:Ef) NATIONS

ECONO MIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA

FIFJ'I-i AFRICAN REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON WOMEN

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PRESS RELEASE

Friday, November 18, 1994

THE FIFTH AFRICAN Rr.:;GIONAL CONFERENCE ON WOMEN CONTINUES

The Fifth African Regional Conference on Women (1994) preparing for the Fourth World Conference on Women (1995) continued its proceedings today through its working commissions (commission on the Platform of Action and commi$sion on Resolutions and Recommendations).

In the first commission, discussions hinged upon sustainable information mechanisms and systems to be set up at all levels to sensitize populations to the issue of equality among men and women, and to promote women and train them in judicial matters.

In this connection, many chapters of the Platform of Action were amended as required ~y members of the commission. The Chairperson (Tunisia) indicated that the work of the Commission would consist in enriching the areas specified by the united Nations and in setting priorities a~; the case arises. The Senegalese delegate then moved a proposal thf~ modification of item e), page 5 of the draft Platform ^IILmpLemorrt.at.Lon of the Abuja Treaty setting up the Economic Community of Africa" instead of "Ahuja Treaty setting up the Economic commission for Africa". This amendment was unanimously approved by members of the commission.

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The Moroccan delega-r.e proposed that .tthe development of national institutional mechanisms should be a priority". The Egyptian delegate wished that .the commission should insist on the scarcity of institutional mecbanisms that could ensure the advancement of women.

The representative of Malawi requested the commission to amend the list of the causes c~: poverty in pa r acrraph 32. In the same line, the representative cf Burkina Faso. deemed i t necessary to add to the same paragraph, the poor access of women to property and to financial ressource~.

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Discussions in the second commission (Resolutions and Recommendations) mainly dwelt on the identification of the actors and conditions that could faeili te the implementation of the African Platform of Action.

After a few amendments aiming at determining and enlarging the list of actors that should be involved in the implementation of the Platform, members of the commission identified, on the initiative of the Cameroonian delegate, two more conditions that could facilite the implementation process. These are: "peace" without which there can be no sustainable development, and "financing^{tl •} These conditions allowed members of the commission to emphasize the

proliferation of conflicts as an obstacle to the implementation of the Platform of action, just as the present level of poverty of African countries.

The Egyptian delegate requested the commission to be more specific on this point and to say "African countries globallyll, to indicate that all African c~lntries do not have the same level of poverty.

The proposal was unanimously rejected by all other members of the commission. '

Finally, the Ghanain delegate observed that not all African countries have ratified the "Convention on the elimination,of all forms of discrimination against women". Members of the commission therefore made a recommendation for the insertion of a paragraph on this SUbject.

The conclusions of tne two commissions will be presented and discussed on Saturd~y, November 19, 1994.

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