A 5^th World Conference on Women?

Andaiye

From the time we bought into the view of the world that revolutionary change was the stuff of yesterday and it was now passé and embarrassing to think of it, much less to stalk about it, still less fight for it, several things have resulted, including acceptance that there are no longer antagonistic contradictions in the world (but check Venezuela!), we are all part of that amorphous thing called “civil society”, and the UN is the guarantor of civil society’s “space” to speak to governments, IFIs etc.

Thus the frequently heard criticism that Caribbean NGOs or Caribbean women’s NGOs were insufficiently represented at various UN for a, as though these were the places to be if you wanted “change”

I put “change” in quotation marks because it is part of that whole language of compromise into which we’ve entered.

A 5th World Conference on Women to do what exactly? Work our tails off to try to push against those trying to push back language won at the 4th? Some of us pushing back re sexual and reproductive rights (our favourite) and some of us pushing back re globalization? To choose some of our countries at random: Look at Dominica! Look at Jamaica! Look at Guyana! Look and then let’s talk some more about whether our energies and time should go into a 5th world conference on women.

Nartel Green

Women have once again become apathetic and complacent. Most of those currently proactive, are so because of personal reasons. Too many women have labored too long and hard to take a hiatus until 2010. Momentum has been lost; seven more years and there might not be any at all. We need new voices and strategies to deal with the issues that have not been addressed since Beijing 95. If a World conference is not feasible, then why not regional ones.

Governments and politicians used stalling tactics and funds as reasons for not fulfilling commitments in the past. Now of course terrorism is a realistic concern. NGOs and women can point to these dire and dangerous conditions as a result of Governments’ lack of dealing effectively with geo-political issues.

Maggie Schmeitz

To put my opinion boldly: I don’t see any use in investing scarce energy, time and work in another UN process when the UN as a body needs to do some very serious soul-searching herself. Our enthusiastic participation was always based on the feeling that something could be ACHIEVED by participating. Since I was in Monterrey, were the consensus was already printed, ngo’s were barred from meetings, and at the same time were mentioned time and time again as an alibi to the press (“we are so happy with the ngo’s here who all support the consensus”), I don’t believe in achieving anything if there is no radical change in the role the UN is playing. Perhaps I’m too pessimistic, but this is how I see it.

Grace Talma

I do not think that we have implemented the actions of the 4th World conference. The UN has to work on strengthening its strategies to ensure that the implementation is taking place. We are still trying to work on the Millennium goals. We should not go for a fifth unless we are satisfied that the 4th has been achieved.

Judith Wedderburn

I really do not think that we should pursue a 5th World Conference on Women since so many of the commitments made at the 4th World conference have not only not been fulfilled, but there is immense pressure to roll back the little progress that had been made in some key areas – sexual and reproductive health, for example. We better try and prevent further roll back – that will take enough energy, resources, time – probably more than we now have (me, anyway!!)

I agree with Andaiye and others on this score.