30 August 2002
Programme Director,
Sisters from all over the world,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am indeed privileged to be with you today as you prepare to conclude the important work of the Women's Action Tent.
It has always been true that interaction between civil society and governments is imperative for progress, in all fields. It is therefore important to me that you have afforded us the opportunity to join you this evening.
My dear sisters, it is also critical that we interact because we all have great expectations about the outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, (WSSD), and have views about what needs to be done.
I must say I am inspired by the concept of the Women's Action Tent, which brings together women of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds to come and share their knowledge and experiences with each other and the world.
By working together, you are acknowledging that women need to unite in their diversity in order to create a progressive and peaceful planet for all. The topics being discussed at this summit, for example, energy, water, biodiversity and others, affect all of us, but affect women more directly and fundamentally, particularly in the developing world.
It is therefore important that you are here to make your voices heard about what should be done to improve the quality of life of women and indeed all the peoples of the world.
The issues you have been grappling with are indeed critical for the success of the programmes of governments throughout the world, if they are to achieve the goal of a better life for all.
The WSSD 2002 no doubt offers an opportunity for the strengthening and enhancing of global governance systems to achieve sustainable development.
Through effective and efficient governance, we can achieve the goals of sustainable development. However, we need to acknowledge, as you have pointed out, that governance is not yet gender neutral worldwide.
The procedures, structures, and functions of governance are still skewed in favour of men, and exclude the knowledge, experiences and perspectives of more than half of humanity, formed by women.
Such challenges make it imperative that the work continues to ensure women's participation in governance as this is essential to ensure sustainable development, as stated in Chapter 24 of Agenda 21 and other international protocols calling for the advancement and inclusion of women in various decision making structures.
The participation of women needs to become a reality, and not just a matter of debates and discussions in various platforms. In the African continent, we believe an important step was taken in July when the Assembly of African Heads of State unanimously adopted the principle of gender parity in all its structures, including the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), and the Peace and Security Council.
This was done out of a realisation that we have lost out for too long, on the experiences, perspectives and knowledge of women. These are essential ingredients for good governance and sustainable development.
The question of global security is also another that affects women directly, and it is therefore not surprising that you have not left this matter out of your deliberations. Millions of women around the world are refugees because of wars they had no role in starting.
If we are to empty refugee camps and end the suffering of women and children, we require our sisters to have a stronger voice and participate in security apparatuses around the globe to ensure that those who take decisions understand the impact those decisions will have on women.
We look forward to the participation of women in the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, and I am convinced that their contribution will add enormous value. We also strongly support the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which calls for women's participation in conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping and peace building.
In South Africa, we believe we have made good progress with regard to women's empowerment and participation in most spheres of life.
The governing party, the African National Congress, has made it mandatory that women should have at least a one third representation in all its structures, as well as structures such as Parliament.
We are also proud of the fact that many members of the cabinet are women, and that our parliament is controlled and run by women, for example the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces are women.
I am sure you will agree with me when I say that legislation and policies cannot, by themselves achieve the ideals of a truly non-sexist global order.
Therefore we need to ensure that we sustain and step up the campaign to educate our communities and nations on the crucial nature of equality of women and men. We will have succeeded when we can really say that we are subconsciously living those ideals.
And I want to urge you to continue to organise and mobilise your untiring energies to influence national and global agendas because of their unique perspectives on important issues such as health, access to opportunities, peace, globalisation, gender mainstreaming and education.
There can be no progress without addressing these issues, and there certainly can be no sustainable development without the development of women.
As you prepare to highlight your concerns and proposals to the governments of the world at the main UN Summit you are continuing in the proud tradition of women activists for change.
The changes we are seeing in the world, with the advent of globalisation and the knowledge economy, poses new challenges to all of us. The issue of sustainable development means different things for different people.
For some, it is simply the perpetuation of the negative effects of globalisation on the poor nations of the world, giving rise to the very apt description of President Mbeki of "global apartheid". Our focus must be to turn around this effect, which further impoverishes the poor, and widens the gap between the rich and poor day after day.
Together we have a historical opportunity to ensure that our commitments and our actions translate globalisation into a "global solidarity" where each of us receive their equal share of both the responsibilities and the benefits associated with it.
If we are living in a global village, without borders, then certainly we cannot afford to have one area of the village being healthy and prosperous at the expense of the other where poverty, hunger and disease are the main reality.
We must ensure that sustainable development means acting on our promises of ten years ago in Rio. We cannot keep on reiterating what was said before.
The time for action is now.
My brothers and sisters, the noble goals we set for ourselves will depend on the extent to which we are willing, and able, to work together. Global solidarity will mean that we work together, as equal partners in addressing the most pressing matters of poverty, unequal trade relations and environmental devastation.
It means that we need to level the playing fields between the industrialised nations and the impoverished regions of the world, so that genuine partnerships can guide and inform our actions.
I strongly believe that between us, as men and women of the world, and between the new technologies and indigenous knowledge systems, we are equipped to do the right things. Our legacy cannot be that we failed to do the right things.
Allow me to congratulate you on another successful Women's Action Tent, which, I am sure, will prove to be a fundamental contribution to the outcome of the overall Summit.
Because of your interaction here, as a critical cog in the global drive for sustainable development, we will be able to say, at the end of the Summit, that we have done the right thing.
I have had great pleasure in joining you for the closing ceremony of the Tent, and am happy for the opportunity to exchange ideas with you on issues that are of equal importance to all of us, irrespective of where we live in this global village.
The expression that says to empower a woman is to empower a nation should be adopted by the WSSD in the form that says to empower women is to empower the world!
I Thank You