Women on the move - newsletter 6
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Women on the Move # 6
Published by United Nations
Secretariat of the Fourth World Conference on Women
Division for the Advancement of Women
SUMMARY
- Regional preparatory process completed
- Program set for Latin America and the Caribbean
- First high level meeting for North America & Europe
- Challenges for Arab women of Western Asia
- Dakar rounds of the regional process
- Indigenous women call for action in Mar del Plata
- Expert group meeting on Gender Education and Training
- A train ride to Beijing
- Calendar. Note to readers.
REGIONAL PREPARATORY PROCESS COMPLETED
The five regional inter-governmental conferences which were scheduled as part of the preparatory process for the Fourth World Conference on Women (FWCW) have been held and six months of wide-ranging consultations are now at an end. The regional conferences were attended by Government Ministers, officials, UN experts and NGO's. They were organized by the UN Regional Commissions and were all attended by Mrs. Gertrude Mongella, Secretary-General of the FWCW.
The purpose of these meetings was to enable governmental representatives and non-governmental observers to review relevant issues and assess the situation of women in each region in the light of the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies adopted in 1985. As a contribution to the Beijing Platform for Action, each meeting adopted an action plan reflecting the issues and concerns of women within the region and identifying new strategic areas for future action.
A noteworthy feature of these consultations was the differing priorities identified by each region, with the exception of such issues as employment, violence and under-representation in the political and economic processes. All regions reported that while women had made appreciable advances in certain areas during the past decade, the overall position was that much remained to be done before any region could claim to have achieved the objectives of Nairobi.
Thousands of representatives have now participated in this process, beginning with the 7-14 June consultations for Asia and the Pacific in Jakarta, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean from 25-29 September in Mar del Plata, and North America and Europe in Vienna from October 17-21. The final consultations were in Amman from 6-10 November for Western Asia and for Africa in Dakar, from 16-23 November.
The conferences were preceded by youth consultations held under a special programme "Voices of Youth for the Beijing Conference " initiated by the FWCW Secretariat. All five youth consultations produced amendments to the regional plans and these will be merged into a Youth Platform for presentation to the Commission on the Status of Women in March 1995.
The Nairobi Legacy
The Forward-Looking Strategies had reaffirmed international concern about the status of women and had provided a framework for renewed commitment by the international community to the advancement of women and the elimination of gender-based discrimination.
In Nairobi, three sub-themes, education, employment and health which had been identified for the Copenhagen Conference in 1980, were incorporated into the strategic plan. These sub-themes were added to the main theme Equality, Development and Peace which had been identified at the first world conference on women in Mexico City in 1975 and which later became the theme of the United Nations Decade for Women, 1976-1985. The goal of the Beijing Conference will be to promote action, to overcome remaining obstacles to women's advancement, and to set an agenda for national and international action into the next century.
Setting the tone in Jakarta
At the first regional consultation in Jakarta ( see Issue No 5) the Ministerial meeting was inaugurated by President Soeharto of Indonesia and was attended by representatives of the 58 countries in the Asia and Pacific region. Its focus was on three main topics : women in economic development; women in social development and empowerment of women.
In the overview of the Plan of Action which was unanimously adopted by the intergovernmental conference, it was emphasized that social change in the region had been accompanied by significant changes in the relationships between men and women, especially in those societies where there had been major advances in education for women and in their participation in the labour force. But disparities still persisted and the absolute indicators of women's status and development remained low in the 13 less developed countries of the region.
The meeting adopted the Jakarta Declaration for the Advancement of Women in Asia and the Pacific and a Plan of Action which listed ten critical areas of concern (See Box -). It reaffirmed the commitment of Governments in the region to international instruments, and in particular, to the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) which was adopted in 1979 and entered into force as an international treaty two years later. Only five countries of this region have ratified it.
Fifteen representatives of youth organizations lobbied for their views to be reflected in the Plan of Action. Seventy NGO's were also represented. One of the main concerns of NGO's, according to Khunying Supatra Masdit, Convenor of the Beijing 95 Forum, was the need to " rethink seriously the dominant development paradigm, translate this into effective policies and arrange to make critical changes". This should lead to alternative models of development that were sustainable, equitable, humane and respectful of the rights of women and men.
PROGRAMME SET FOR LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN
The Latin American and the Caribbean region has 41 full member states and six associates and is the only region in the world in which all member states are parties to CEDAW. During the past decade, the region has experienced far-reaching economic changes and while the economies of many countries continued to expand, there was still persistent, increasing and extreme poverty. And the effects of the debt burden and structural adjustment policies have had grave consequences for the social, economic and physical welfare of women.
According to studies presented by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) the region now has the least equitable income distribution in the world. Concern about economic issues was reflected at the regional preparatory consultations at Mar del Plata and in the regional five-year Programme of Action.
The consultative process which was instituted for the region enabled member states to participate fully in the preparations for Beijing. These included a full schedule of sub-regional meetings where the Platform for Action was discussed by representatives of governments, national machineries, NGO's and UN agencies.
Six hundred delegates from 38 member states and five associates were at Mar del Plata for the Ministerial conference which was opened by President Carlos Saul Menem of Argentina. Discussions centred around such strategic areas of concern as social and economic development with a gender perspective, reduction and relief of women's poverty, human rights , peace and violence and the equitable participation of women in decision making.
The Regional Programme set core objectives for "gender equality and the complete integration of women in the development process". Eight priority areas were identified. (See Box)
Youths & NGO's Meet
Youth consultations took the form of working groups, strategy sessions,and lobbying of key delegations to gain support for the document Youth Amendments to the Draft Regional Programme of Action for Women in Latin America and the Caribbean 1995-2000 which was produced.
Fifteen hundred participants from 41 countries attended the NGO Forum. It was organized into three on-going workshops dealing with the main themes : Democracy and Citizenship, Development and Structural Adjustment Policies, and Violence Against Women. There were also dozens of smaller workshops looking at other areas of concern, with violence and reproductive health receiving particular attention. The issue of the mass media's stereotyped depiction of women in a negative light was also discussed.
FIRST HIGH-LEVEL MEETING FOR NORTH AMERICA & EUROPE
North America and Europe contain the world's oldest democracies, and the richest and most economically powerful nations. Yet reports presented at the regional preparatory meeting in Vienna, detailed a long list of the concerns for women: rising unemployment, restrictions on reproductive rights, under- representation in the political process,inadequate roles in economic decision-making, discrimination in employment, the gender pay gap, the feminization of poverty and insufficient networking and institutional arrangements to promote the advancement of women.
These and other issues were addressed by Government Ministers as they began to review and appraise international strategies that were adopted in Nairobi. All countries however reported progress in the adoption of legislation aimed at enhancing equality between men and women, in the establishment of national machineries to strengthen women's position in society and in the growing strength of the feminist movement.
Organized under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) which consists of 54 member countries in Europe (including the Commonwealth of Independent States) North America and Israel. The preparatory meeting formulated proposals for inclusion in the Beijing Platform for Action. This was the first high-level multilateral event on women ever to be held in the European region, and it constituted a unique opportunity for forging closer links among countries in their policies and activities for the advancement of women. It was attended by representatives of member states, UN organizations, inter-governmental organizations, NGO's, experts and professional associations.
Seven critical areas of particular concern and relevance to the ECE region were identified. (See box) Governments were committed to achieving a more equitable and sustainable society where women's knowledge, potential and contributions were recognized and taken into account.
The basic principles on which action to achieve such a society were detailed in the regional platform. Heading the list was the promotion and protection of the human rights of women in all stages of the life cycle - childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age - and this should recognize that many women face additional barriers because of such factors as race, language, ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic class or status as indigenous people, migrants, displaced people and refugees.
The attendance of more than 1500 women at the NGO Forum demonstrated the building interest in the Conference preparations and the success of a drive to make it as representative as possible. Twelve workshops were organized to cover such themes as the globalization of the economy and economic justice; political participation and violence against women. Other workshops dealt with women's human rights, armed conflicts, militarization, disarmament, environment and social ecology- migrant, displaced and refugee women; health and reproductive rights and indigenous peoples.
Twenty-five young people participated in the Vienna Youth Consultation. The main concern raised by them was about relevant education and training for employment. Young people are most severely affected by unemployment, a trend particularly detrimental to young women entering the labor market for the first time. They called for promotion of understanding and respect for all, with effective methods for conflict resolution being taught. The group regarded environmental abuse as the legacy of the young, necessitating that young people are central to environmental policies and strategies.
CHALLENGES FOR ARAB WOMEN OF WESTERN ASIA
Arab states are facing many challenges in a regional and international situation which is moving towards more economic and political domination, the formation of economic blocs, the application of structural adjustment policies, an increase in indebtedness and a slow-down of economic growth in some member states. These factors and the heavy political context of wars and peace agreements and negotiations have had adverse effects on women's employment, social and economic participation, health, education and social services.
These were some of the topics discussed at the Western Asia Regional Preparatory Meeting in Amman. The Meeting, which was opened by HRH Princess Basma Bint Talal of Jordan, consisted of two parts. The first was an expert group meeting to review and assess progress achieved since Nairobi, and to draw up a draft Arab Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women to the Year 2005. The second part was a high-level ministerial meeting which discussed and adopted the Plan. Youth consultations and an NGO Forum were also held.
The Arab Plan urges Governments to establish policies and take quick action to meet the urgent needs of Arab women. These include legal rights, promoting awareness, education, literacy and rehabilitation, job promotion and the alleviation of poverty, and the provision of health, medical and psychological counselling services. The UNESCO World Report on Education informed that 65.5 million out 115 million Arab women are illiterate. At present the participation of Arab women in the parliaments and governments of the 13 member states is still very low.
A special area of concern for this region was the impact of war, occupation and armed conflict on women. Few Arab women participate in decisions that lead to wars but they bear the consequences - exile, captivity, imprisonment, torture, displacement, kidnapping, rape and psychological disorders.
At present the participation of Arab women in the parliaments and governments of the 13 member states was still very low. The Plan of Action has as a general objective that Governments should adopt a quota of 30 per cent female representation at all decision-making levels and an increase in the participation of women in efforts aimed at maintaining peace, resolving national, international and other conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy.
Twenty-five young people, both women and men, discussed and amended the draft regional Platform of Action. The major focus was the issue of peace, with a proposal to re-educate young people, particularly refugees, deprived of education during periods of war and conflict and reconstruction of former war zones, in order to reduce massive migration of younger people. Recommendations were made also about the importance of educating daughters and acting legislation to protect children on economic explotation and hazardous work. Priority should be given on information programs in health issues including reproductive health and family planning were also recommended for young people in the region.
DAKAR ROUNDS OFF THE REGIONAL PROCESS
The African regional consultations in Dakar attracted an impressive turnout of women who called for peace and an end to the suffering of women and children of the continent. Statistics presented by the Economic Commission for Africa told a grim tale: that on the level of human development, 32 of the 47 least developed countries in the world were in Africa . More than 70 percent of rural women were illiterate and lived below the poverty line. The maternal mortality rate was 600 per 100,000, almost double that of low and middle income developing countries and more than 40 times greater than in the industrialized nations. Women earned only 10 percent of the income from formal employment and owned only 1 percent of the continent's assets.
This and other factual information was presented at the Dakar NGO Forum which attracted the biggest number of women of any other of the regional meetings. Over 5000 women attended and they placed peace, education and human development at the top of their agenda . They supported the Peace Tent, erected with the support of UNIFEM, the UN Fund for Women, which provided a platform for women and young people who had lost families and all they owned in civil wars and coups in their countries. As Mrs Mongella told the NGO Forum, the time had come for African women to tell their Governments that "enough is enough " and to demand an end to war and a place in the peace process. The continent now spent $8 billion on arms and the time had come to divert these funds to development.
The African Regional Plan of Action considered at the intergovernmental meeting is an acknowledgment of these and other concerns of women in Africa. Core areas (see Box) include poverty and economic empowerment; health including reproductive health; women's legal and human rights; refugee and internally displaced women; and environment and sustainable development.
Young people from the region presented the technical experts with strong amendments to the Platform. Young people, comprising at least fifty percent of the population of the continent were least empowered and most disadvantaged and special programmes, particularly in education and training should be initiated to enable them to obtain employment. Rural and marginalized urban youth, such as street children, required specific assistance to enable them to become economically self-reliant. Enrolment in the educational sector is declining in Africa, and it was the view of the young people that the educational system reinforced gender inequalities . They therefore advocated an expansion of access to educational opportunities and this should not be limited to basic and primary education at the expense of the higher and tertiary levels.
The young people were also concerned with the effects of the AIDS epidemic and accepted that the younger generation in Africa was most at risk. Young women are being seriously affected and their subordinate position, low level of empowerment, lack of access to education, health facilities, training, independent income, property and legal rights have placed them in a particularly vulnerable position.
The inter-governmental Ministerial Meeting was opened by President Abdou Diouf of Senegal. HM Queen Fabiola of Belgium joined representatives from the 51 states in the region at the opening ceremony. South Africa was represented at this regional consultation for the first time with a Ministerial and official team as well as over 150 delegates to the NGO Forum.
---BOXES---
AREAS OF CONCERN
ASIA AND PACIFIC
- a) The growing feminization of poverty
- b) Inequality in women's access to and participation in economic activities
- c) Inadequate recognition of women's role and concerns in environment and natural resource management
- d) Inequitable access to power and decision-making
- e) Violation of women's human rights
- f) Inequalities and lack of access to health
- g) Negative portrayal of women in the media
- h) Inequalities and lack of access to education and literacy
- i) Inadequate mechanisms for promoting the advancement of women
- j) Inadequate recognition of women's role in peace-building
AREAS OF CONCERN
EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA
- a) Insufficient promotion and protection of women's human rights.
- b) Feminization of poverty.
- c) Insufficient awareness of women's contribution to the economy in the context of sustainable development and insufficient promotion of their potential.
- d) Insufficient de facto gender equality in employment and economic opportunity and insufficient policies and measures to reconcile employment and family responsibilities.
- c) Insufficient participation of women on public life
- d) Insufficient statistical systems, databases and methodologies to inform policies and legislation and to secure equal treatment of women and men.
- e) Insufficient intra- and interregional networking and cooperation on the advancement of women.
AREAS OF CONCERN
WESTERN ASIA
- a) Safeguarding the right of Arab women to participate in power and decision-making structures and mechanisms
- b) Alleviation of poverty for Arab women
- c) Ensuring equal opportunity of Arab women at all levels of education
- d) Ensuring Arab women's equal access to health services
- e) Strengthening the capabilities of Arab women's to enter the labour market and achieve self-reliance
- d) Overcoming the impact of war, occupation and armed conflict on women
- e) Participation of women in the management of natural resources and the protection of the environment
- f) Elimination of violence against women
- g) Effective utilization of communications to effect changes in roles in society and achieve equality between the sexes
STRATEGIC AREAS
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
- a) Gender equity
- b) Economic and social development with a gender perspective: women's equitable share in the decisions, responsibilities and benefits of development
- c) Elimination of poverty among women
- d) Women's equitable participation in decision-making and in the exercise of power in public and private life
- e) Human rights, peace and violence
- d) Shared family responsibilities
- e) Recognition of cultural plurality in the region
- f) International support and cooperation
AREAS OF CONCERN
AFRICA
- a) Women's poverty, insufficient food security and lack of economic empowerment
- b) Inadequate access to education, training, science and technology
- c) Women's vital role in culture, the family and socialization
- d) Improvement of women's health, reproductive health including family planning and integrated program
- e) Women's relationship and linkages to environment and natural resource management
- f) Involvement of women in the peace process
- g) The political empowerment of women
- h) Women's legal and human rights
- i) Mainstreaming of gender-desegregated data
- j) Women, communication, information and arts
- k) The girl-child
INDIGENOUS WOMEN PARTICIPATED IN MAR DEL PLATA
At a private meeting with FWCW Secretary-General Gertrude Mongella,fifteen women representing some 23.6 million indigenous women, from the Aymara, Iroquoi, Mapuche, Quechua and Wayuu peoples, told her of " the critical conditions and extreme poverty" in which the 40 million indigenous people in the region are living.
They presented her with a copy of the document which they had forwarded to the regional conference. This document incorporates a set of proposals aimed at integrating their peoples in all levels of development planning in every country in the region, promoting legal recognition of their organizations and federations, while respecting their own forms of social organization and authority. Other points include a request for the implementation of security policies, free social welfare for peasants and indigenous peoples and the recognition of their right to own their own land.
The document also urges governments to recognize the "pluricultural, plurinational and multilinguistic characteristics of indigenous societies", and to support the Indigenous Fund for the Development of Indigenous People. The right of citizenship and the grant, free of charge, of identity documents in their country of residence were additional demands.
"We women are three times discriminated against: as women, indigenous and workers", they told Mrs Mongella and added "Only a few of us could come Mar del Plata and here everybody is taking our pictures as if we were ornamental objects and not as human beings able to think". Quecha representative Carmenlinds Porate also said that indigenous women are organizing their own forum in each country in preparation for Beijing.
"We would like an item on indigenous people to be included in the agenda . We do not want the Decade of Indigenous People to be seen as something folkloric", said Ms Porate.
This Decade, launched by the United Nations on 10th December 1994, which coincides with the International Human Rights Day, comes at the end of the International Year of Indigenous People. The theme of the Decade is to be amended to "Indigenous people -- partnership in action" to emphasize the cooperative character of the Decade. Among the objetives of those UN activities are the strenthening of international cooperation for the solution of problems faced by indigenous peoples in such areas as human rights, the environment, development, health, culture and education.
Indigenous women who participated to the NGO Forum and Ministerial Conference came from Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Panama and Venezuela.
A TRAIN RIDE TO BEIJING
The Geneva-based Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is organizing a Peace Train which will start in Helsinki, Finland and will complete a 22-day journey through Eastern Europe and Asia, making its way to Beijing, for the 1995 World Conference and NGO Forum on Women.
The Peace Train aims to establish a physical presence in the Beijing meetings in solidarity with the women of Eastern Europe and Asia. At least 200 women from various parts of the world who are active on peace and justice issues are expected to take part in this activity. The peace train will provide women with the opportunity to exchange ideas, take action and reflect on developing creative ways to confront the obstacles to achieving peace. The passengers will take part in workshops, discussion groups, and seminars on issues of peace, justice and equality. There will also be skills sharing sessions on mediation, conflict resolution, community organizing and NGO/grassroots organizational development.
A special feature of the Peace Train is its focus on young women. A structured course which can accommodate up to forty individuals will be offered with the objective of providing a guided learning experience during the journey for young women involved in peace and justice issues. It will be coordinated by qualified educators and will be equivalent to two to four academic units in recognized colleges.
Registration fee is approximately US$4,000.00 inclusive of a round trip air faire, accommodation and attendance at the WILPF Congress. Scholarships will be available for women in the South who are currently involved in peace activities.
For additional information, contact:
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom 1, rue de Varembe, 1211 Geneva 20 (Switzerland)
Phone (41 22) 7336175
EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON GENDER EDUCATION AND TRAINING
An expert group meeting on gender, education and training convened in Turin, Italy, has recommended far-reaching changes in national educational systems in order to achieve equality between girls and boys in access to education and training and a gender-sensitive curriculum.
The experts recommended significant increases in resources for education and a redeployment within national education budgets so that half the resources be directed toward basic education.
As part of the preparations for Beijing, the Secretariat of the Conference organized this expert meeting, with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation and collaboration from ILO, UNESCO, INSTRAW, and the World Bank. The meeting took place at the International Training Center of the ILO in Turin, 10-14 October 1994.
Experts in educational planning and financing, women's studies, teacher training, and science and technology for education from all regions of the world discussed the achievements made in girl's education and the remaining gaps, particularly in the less developed countries. They agreed on a set of recommendations in educational policy, access to quality education, improvements in the learning environment and educational requirements for the education of disadvantaged groups of girls and women.
To improve girl's access to education and vocational training, the experts stated that it was crucial to strive for changes in the social context and to enhance the value of the education of daughter for the family. They suggested that the minimum legal age for marriage be raised to 18 years in order to reduce dropouts resulting from early marriages.
The experts underlined that gender balance in the teaching profession and educational administration (principals, administrators and planners) at all levels should be ensured and where necessary, a quota system be established. The teacher, as an agent of change, played an important role in transmitting gender stereotypes.
To alleviate the problem of access to education which many girls face, smaller schools in remote areas should be constructed. Resources for education should be increased, either through re- deployment of military expenditure or through community-based fund raising. Resources within the education sector should be re- allocated to ensure that basic education ( including primary and adult education) receives at least 50% of the total national education budget.
The experts considered non-formal education as a means of educating girls and women who are out of school. Alternative delivery systems such as community schools are needed to improve the participation of girls and women in education and training.
Guidance and counselling for girls and women are important at all levels of education and training. Experts stressed that these should be "enabling" not " limiting". In higher education, link with the labour market should be developed and stereotyping should de avoided. The experts requested support for women's studies in order to ensure a body of knowledge on the improvement of the status of women and underlined that a campaign methodology proved effective in reducing adult illiteracy among women.
DID YOU KNOW
According to a recent UN report European women are experiencing more unemployment, increased part-time work and lower wages.
Many part time and precarious occupations, mostly employing women as a "special underclass", are being created as a result of the deteriorating economy, the report finds. Women's remuneration has dropped since the 1980's as has the general quality of choice of employment available to them. Women continue to be segregated into traditionally female occupations, particularly in the service sector. While women's participation in the labour force over the past 20 years has increased substantially, the trend has not been accompanied by a significantly higher proportion of women in managerial or decision- making posts.
ATTENTION NGOs IN CONSULTATIVE STATUS
NGOs in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council should inform the Conference Secretariat if they plan to send representatives to the Commission of the Status of Women in March/April 1995 and/or the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 1995. This will enable the Secretariat to arrange for ground passes and to send information as required to those planning to participate.
Don't wait. Let us know your plans
CALENDAR
Prior to the Conference, a number of meetings are taking place at the national, regional and international levels, organized by NGOs as well as by the United Nations. Following is a preliminary calendar, which also includes other major United Nations conferences:
1994
1-6 December UN General Assembly. 3rd. Committee
Debate on the Advancement of Women
5-9 December, New York
Expert Group Meeting Gender and the agenda for peace
7-9 December, New York
Informal Consultation on Draft Platform for Action
9 December
Human Rights Day
December, Paris. UNESCO
Consultations on Education and Development for Women and Out-of- School Girls in Last Developed Countries
1995
16-27 January, New York
3rd Prepcom for the Social Summit
16 January-3 February, New York
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women - 14th session
9-11 or 16-18 February, Strasbourg
Council of Europe Conference "Equality and Democracy: Utopia or Challenge"
28 February - 3 March. Toronto, Canada
UNESCO Symposium on Women and the Media
6-12 March, Copenhagen, Denmark
World Summit for Social Development
8 March
International Women's Day
14 March, New York
Conference on Women and the UN. (UN 50th Anniversary)
9-10 March, New York
19th Inter-Agency Meeting on Women
13-14 March, New York
NGOs consultations and meetings for the FWCW
20-31 March, New York
NGO Planning Committee consultations
15 March- 4 April, New York
Commission on the Status of Women, 39th Session last Prep-Com for the Fourth World Conference on Women
5 June
World Environment Day
21 August, New York
Youth Leadership Summit. (UN 50th Anniversary)
30 August-8 September, Beijing, China
NGO Forum
4-15 September, Beijing, China
Fourth World Conference on Women
22-24 October, New York
Special Commemorative Session of the General Assembly UN Fiftieth Anniversary
1996
4-13 June, Istanbul, Turkey
United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
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Note to readers
This is the sixth issue of Women on the Move distributed by the Secretariat of the Fourth World Conference on Women to inform you about its work and the preparatory activities for that event. The newsletter will be published bimonthly from now on . We would like to continue receiving your suggestions on how to improve it. It is hope that Women on the Move will facilitate dialogue and cooperation with UN agencies, grass-roots, regional organizations, national machineries and individuals.
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