June 3, 2004
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Important Questionnaire/Beijing+10
"NGO Committee on the Status of Women" <ngo_csw_ny@hotmail.com>
08 Jul 2004
Dear Colleagues,
Thirty years have passed since the first United Nations World Conference on
Women was held in Mexico City in 1975. As you probably know, that gathering
inaugurated a series of conferences that for the very first time brought
women's issues to the world stage and showed the link between women's rights
and the peace and well being of the entire planet. At the upcoming 49th
Session of the Commission on the Status of Women from February 28 -March 11,
2005, we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the fourth World Conference
on Women in Beijing by reexamining the Platform for Action (BPfA) and its
Outcome Documents produced at the General Assembly Special Session in 2000
(also known as Beijing +5). Although implementation of the promises made by
governments in these documents has been slow, some very creative
partnerships have formed among governments, NGOs, the United Nations and
international women's rights agencies that prove positive change is not only
possible but is occurring right now.
To capitalize on these changes and to make certain that we have as
comprehensive a picture as possible prior to the 10th year review of what is
presently going on globally to implement the BPfA we ask that you complete a
questionnaire prepared by the UN Division for the Advancement of Women. It can be found at
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/2005Review/index.html. This questionnaire, that Member States were asked to complete by April 2004,
addresses four areas:
1) What are the main achievements, gaps and challenges in ten years of implementation of the PFA,
2) What progress has been made in implementation of the specific Critical
Areas of Concern and the areas identified in Beijing + 5,
3) What is the status of institutional arrangements and mechanisms, and
4) What commitments have governments made to address identified gaps and
challenges?
Your governments may have consulted some of you as they completed their
questionnaires. However, your unique perspective of events is most
important. So, even if it means repeating information, please take the time
to complete your questionnaire and please send as much information as you
can gather regarding activities in your region. Do not assume that your
region's news is unimportant. Often, in areas where the agenda for the
advancement of women is clearly lagging behind, it is the NGO community that
is spearheading positive change despite discouraging political and economic
environments. From the completed questionnaires we will compile a report
and provide a global analysis of the NGO perspective on the above issues. This report will help us chart a specific course for continued progress. It
will also be submitted to the UN Division for the Advancement of Women as
input from NGOs. Please be as forthright as possible in your answers. We will make certain that confidentiality will be maintained.
Please complete the questionnaire by August 15, 2004, and send it and the
names and contact information for the representatives you choose to serve on
the international NGO planning group to ngo_csw_ny@hotmail.com or fax the
information to the group's coordinator at 1-212-692-0724.
We are very much looking forward to receiving your input which will assist
with BPfA implementation strategies and will make participation for all the
NGOs at the 49th Session of the CSW a productive and satisfying experience.
We are making every effort to include NGO input in the formal deliberations
of the Member States at the 49th CSW and will inform you of panel discussions and other opportunities where NGO experts can give input.
Warm regards,
Bani Dugal
Chair, NGO Committee on the Status of Women
Principal Representative to the United Nations
Bahá'í International Community's United Nations Office