Issued by: Gauteng Legislature
As the newest member of the UNITED NATIONS, the South African government delegation to the World Conference for Women in Beijing was very successful. The 40 members of the official delegation participated in a large variety of working groups, workshops and other special events during the two-week conference, often working late into the night. The main debates at the conference focussed on poverty, education, health, human rights, women and the media, women and the environment, the girl child, women and the economy and women in decision making.
The contentious points emerged in discussions around education, health and human rights. With regards to education, more conservative countries were opposed to sex education in schools without consent of parents, while the same countries also were more strongly outspoken against pro-choice during the debate on abortion. For the first time the item of sexual discrimination was placed on the agenda and the South African delegation, in accordance with the Interim Constitution, raised its voice against this and any other form of discrimination.
Since the Beijing Conference was a conference of commitments towards the empowerment of women, it goes a long way in attempting to address the concerns of women internationally as well as locally. Areas that were identified as priorities for South African women were poverty, violence, education & health. These areas were extensively debated and governments made concrete commitments to address these problems. This was done, for instance, by making available and mobilising additional financial resources to address the most basic needs of women, and by adopting and implementing laws and policies that will eradicate discrimination against women in the family, at work and in society at large.
All discussions and deliberations by the South African delegation were guided by the Interim Constitution and the RDP. Together with other governments of the world, the South African government committed itself to the implementation of the "Platform of Action" adopted by the World Conference for Women in Beijing. Government and the NGO's will now have to link up to establish how this process will be taken forward. Regional reportback meetings and workshops are planned for the near future. The success of failure of Beijing will be measured by the quality of life of women in South Africa ten years from now at the next World Conference on Women.
(Issued by Loretta Jacobus, MPL, Gauteng Legislature) 19 September 1995