The European Women's Lobby (EWL) wishes to express and stress the importance of embracing all the twelve critical areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action in the review process, as well as in future international and national activities in relation to gender equality. From a gender equality perspective, it becomes clear that different policy areas are inseparable, and to be truly efficient, it is absolutely crucial to pursue actions included under all the critical areas of concern. The EWL demands that governments firmly state their recommitment to the full implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action during the CSW and the Special Session of the General Assembly in June 2000.

In order to show that the current work for gender equality has a solid and central place in the international community, the five-year review of the implementation of the BPFA must also include a decision to hold a Fifth World Conference on Women in 2005.

The following document contains the EWL general comments in relation to the 'Proposed outcome document' for the meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women. For a more extensive assessment of the European context, we would like to refer you to the "EWL Regional Alternative report for the European Union", which includes further analysis and recommendations on all 12 critical areas of concern. Furthermore, in the "EWL comments to the ECE conclusions", you will find a critical assessment of the strength and shortcomings of the conclusions reached by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) in Geneva 19-21 January 2000.

It should also be stressed that the role of NGOs in the review-process must be strengthened, especially as concern consultation with NGOs and access to information, registration and documents, at both national and international level. The practical arrangements for NGO participation at the CSW needs to be improved in terms of meeting rooms, computers, interpreters etc. A broad participation of NGOs in the Special session is vital to the outcome of discussions.

2. Implementing the Beijing Platform for Action - General comments

Having already highlighted that governments must recommit themselves to the BPFA, the EWL would like to make some general comments on how the five-year review process should be used to reinforce measures, committing the different actors to undertake actions which will have a powerful impact in support of women's rights.

There is a strong need to speed up the implementation of the BPFA. In this context it is not acceptable that the proposed outcome document in many parts remains vague and not binding enough in terms of the actions proposed. The EWL would like to underline that there is a noticeable lack of performance indicators and benchmarks, and an absence of concrete time-bound targets in the proposed outcome document. For the sake of clarity and continuity, it would have been preferable for the outcome document to refer clearly to each critical area, proposing concrete goals and indicators for each of them.

In order to achieve real results, a global strategy such as the one contained in the BPFA needs to be made operational and concrete in the different international, national and even local contexts. This approach has been encouraged within the framework of Agenda 21 for the environment. There is an urgent demand to improve the procedure and set up the adequate support structures for the effective implementation of the BPFA. The National Action Plans in line with the BPFA are one essential element in this process, which needs to be reinforced and developed. The development of local BPFA plans and plans by other actors in the private or the informal sectors should also receive support.

• The National Action Plans for the implementation of the BPFA are instruments that need to be developed and that should lay down clear objectives, using time-bound targets, be accompanied by adequate budgets, and include the setting up of monitoring and assessment mechanisms.

3. Measures to be taken by the United Nations' system and at international level

Equal participation of women and men in decision-making at all levels represents a fundamental principle of democracy, and is one of the prerequisites for gender equality. The EWL strongly stresses that the issue of promoting women in positions of power cannot be seen as isolated but must be part of a global strategy, addressing women's situation in the whole of society. The Equal participation of women and men at all levels in the UN system as well as other international organisations and bodies is essential for reaching the goal set out in the BPFA, and the EWL is pleased to see that this issue is addressed in the proposed outcome document. However, the commitments need to be more far-reaching.

• The commitments made in the proposed outcome document should include an obligation for international structures and bodies to have an equal participation of women and men. The principle of democratic parity, or a requirement for all decision-making bodies to be composed of equal numbers of women and men, should be incorporated into the statutes of the United Nations.

• The UN should strengthen monitoring bodies for the implementation of the objectives set out in the BPFA, with a mandate to make recommendations and assess the progress of national and international actors, including a review of the National Action Plans.

• The use of financial incentives, both to speed up the implementation of the principle of mainstreaming, as well as to encourage the introduction of various gender equality policies, should be used by the different institutions in the UN system.

• All international instruments should be more gender sensitive and all actors should encourage the set up/ratification/ efficient and gender sensitive implementation of instruments for the protection of women's rights such as the optional Protocol to CEDAW and the Statutes of the International Criminal Court.

4. The use of mainstreaming and specific measures

The EWL welcomes the recommitment to a two-folded approach, based on the need to intensify the efforts to operationalise the principle of gender mainstreaming, and the absolute necessity to reinforce specific programmes and support for women in all different areas.

It should be more clearly stated that implementing mainstreaming requires a review of existing and proposed policies, and that policies are judged on the basis of whether the impact on equality between women and men is positive or negative. Furthermore, mainstreaming implies an obligation for all actors to undertake positive measures for promoting equality between women and men in all different policy areas.

The EWL is pleased to see that the proposed outcome document recognises that mainstreaming implies further development of gender analysis, studies, research, target-setting and the establishment of monitoring mechanisms. In this perspective it is also obvious that mainstreaming can only be carried out through the provision of increased resources, and the outcome document must be more firm on this point. The EWL must draw the attention to, and warn against, the negative effect of mainstreaming which has led to a backlash in some cases, e.g. specific programmes, funding, and implementing structures for gender equality are abandoned in the name of mainstreaming. Increased resouce allocation is needed for both specific actions for women, as well as for the implementation of mainstreaming. Mainstreaming must in no way threaten funding for specific programmes and measures for women's rights.

The following recommendations are crucial for an efficient realisation of mainstreaming:

• The provision of resources for effective implementation of mainstreaming via an important budget heading for such activities, while maintaining specific programmes for women.

• As a measure to monitor the allocation of financial resources, the EWL calls for the introduction of a reference to equality between women and men in all headings of national budgets, UN budgets, and other relevant regional and international institutions such as the European Union.

• The development and use of performance indicators and benchmarks for assessing policies in all critical areas of concern, in terms of their impact on gender equality, must be speeded up. Adequate structures need to be set up or trained to meet these aims.

• Relevant comparative statistical data and studies are a corner stone in developing methods for assessment and indicators in relation to all the critical areas of concern of the BPFA, and governments and international institutions must commit themselves to develop these.

• The EWL emphasises that mainstreaming gender equality must also include analysis and measures, which addresses the situation of women of different groups, such as for example, black and ethnic minorities, different social and age groups, lesbian women, and disabled women.

• The role of women's organisations as important actors in the implementation of mainstreaming as experts on various issues, should be more emphasised in the outcome document. Clear commitments should be made, in particular concerning long-term funding and an institutionalised civil dialogue and co-operation.

• The outcome document needs to be more explicit about the absolute necessity for national and international bodies responsible for gender equality and that increased financial resources must be provided for them. The national and international bodies for gender equality should be placed at the highest level of government, and be involved in the development of a wide range of policies. Furthermore, the proposed document does not emphasise strongly enough the need for national and international bodies for monitoring and evaluating the impact of different policies and measures on gender equality.

• Gender awareness training programmes for officials and decision-makers, starting with the top positions, need to be established.

5. Legislative frameworks

Even though advances have been made as concern the protection of women's rights, the proposed outcome document needs to be amended as to a larger extent to mirror the fact that there are still major deficiencies in legal instruments both at national and international level protecting women's rights and addressing gender specific violations. Legislation against all forms of violence against women and the violation of women's human rights through trafficking and prostitution need to be strengthened.

Legal remedies in case of gender discrimination notably in relation to the labour market and social policies need to be improved and made more gender sensitive (e.g. the question of burden of proof in cases of sexual discrimination…). Social protection schemes have to provide for an individualisation of rights to social security.

Furthermore, legal provisions must not only ensure equal treatment before the law, or prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sex, but also commit to the goal of gender equality, thus taking the shape of positive obligations.

The legal frameworks in relation to the protection of migrant women and girls, women ad girls who have been trafficked and women and girls asylum seekers have to be greatly improved. The EWL insists that gender-based persecution or violence and the violation of women's human rights be recognised as a ground for granting asylum.

6. Involving men in the work for increased equality between women and men

Gender equality and the responsibility/care for dependant persons are issues for the society as a whole. The EWL welcomes the fact that men are no longer considered gender-neutral agents in the work for equality between women and men. Implementation of the principle of mainstreaming implies the participation and partnership with men. However, it is necessary to be more precise on what terms and in which way men are expected to engage in a partnership for greater equality between women and men. Women have sometimes witnessed a gradual abandoning of support for women specific programmes with the explanation that a gender equality action also should include men. Interpreted this way, the goal of increasing the participation of men has led to a reduction of women's access to resources and support.

Financial resources must be increased, as not to threaten the scarce resources available to women active in the field of gender equality. Furthermore, a new gender-contract and a better integration of men in gender equality issues cannot be sought without men being proactive about it and without a fair sharing of family responsibilities.

7. Globalisation - a trend that is threatening the full implementation of the BPFA?

Although several new trends pointed out in the proposed outcome document are relevant, the EWL would like to make some special remarks on the issue of economic globalisation, and the increased feminisation of poverty. Since the Beijing Platform for Action was agreed upon, the globalisation process has been speeded up, including increased trade liberalisation and intensified financial flows. Negative developments, which are linked to economic globalisation are increased economic gaps between countries, increased economic gaps between people in most countries, and a continuance of the trend of 'feminisation of poverty'.

As a result of economic globalisation and macro-economic policies, many States in Europe have cut public expenditures during the last decade, which has resulted in a weakening of public services. Many of the social security systems and social services that have seen cutbacks are particularly important to counteract poverty, especially among women. Women are in large majority among the people living under poverty levels, and face a much greater risk than men of falling into poverty.

The fight against poverty and for gender equality is endangered also by the impossible debt burden of many developing countries. Structural adjustment programmes in developing countries have too often led to drastic cuts in public expenditure on education, as well as basic health and social services. These developments are counterproductive to the aims of the BPFA, and the conclusion is that the inseparable aims of eradicating poverty and establishing gender equality are seriously threatened.

The lack of responses, from governments and international institutions, to counteract the negative effects of economic globalisation contributes to the aggravated situation. It is now the task of the governments to take measures to transform the current attributes of economic globalisation, in order to counteract the negative trends stemming from it. The EWL stresses that the outcome document addresses and/or strengthens its commitments in line with the following:

• The debt burden of the developing countries must be eased, and the EWL therefore calls on governments to come to an agreement in cancelling the debts of the poorest countries.

• Trade- and macro economic policies, at national, regional, and international level, must be reviewed and adapted to the aims set out in the BPFA and existing international Human rights instruments. For this end, the systematic use of gender impact assessments must be firmly established.

• International financial institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, must abide to the aims set up in the BPFA and other international Human rights instruments. Actions undertaken must always be assessed on the basis of their impact on gender equality. Reinforced gender equality structures and procedures, including financial and human resources, must be designed to meet these aims.

• Equality between women and men must be made a key objective in the work of the World Trade organisation (WTO).

• European Union : The EU should review its trade- and macroeconomic policies as to make sure that these contribute to the fight against poverty and social exclusion among women in Europe and in the developing countries. Furthermore, the enlargement process demands that the macro-economic policies enhance a just social development, with specific attention paid to an improvement of the situation of women in the transition countries.