REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON WOMEN AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
BEIJING, CHINA
9 – 11 NOVEMBER 2011

BACKGROUND

International Forum on Women and Sustainable Development was organized by the All China Women’s Federation in Beijing, China. The All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) was founded on April 3rd, 1949. It is a mass organization of Chinese women of all ethnic groups in all walks of life, striving for women’s advancement. Its mission is to represent and safeguard women’s rights and interests and to promote equality between women and men.

ACWF is also a member of the National Working Committee on Women and Children under the State Council. It is in consultative status with the ECOSOC of the United Nations.

INTRODUCTION

Sustainable development, as a visionary development paradigm shift, represents a big step forward in the progress of human society. It demonstrates the resolve and efforts of people around the world to ensure sound development and the well-being of the current and future generations. Sustainable development can neither be achieved nor sustained without the participation of women who are an important driving force.

The United Nations and member states have already initiated different kinds of activities to prepare for the Rio+20 Summit. Both sustainable development and empowerment of women are considered a priority of the United Nations in 2011. As such, it is of special significance to reflect women’s needs and concerns and heed women’s voices in the preparations for the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, and to incorporate gender perspectives into the final document of Rio +20. It is out of these considerations that the All China Women’s Federation hosts the International Forum on Women and Sustainable Development in Beijing.

GOAL OF THE FORUM

The overarching goal of the Forum is to provide an opportunity for the exchange of progress, insights and challenges under the theme of women and sustainable development.

OBJECTIVES

i. To review the progress and challenges in pursuing sustainable development from a gender perspective ii. To secure the much-needed political commitment to the empowerment of women and gender mainstreaming in the process towards sustainable development iii. To discuss opportunities and challenges in green economy and development iv. To share success and insights in innovation for sustainable development

Plenary Session 1: Ministerial Discussion: Commitments and Actions- Country Experiences towards Sustainable Development

This session moderated by Ms. Allyson Maynard Givson, Senator of the Bahamas & Former President of International Women’s Forum focused on the political commitment to and implementation of gender mainstreaming in national development. In 1992, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development adopted by 178 governments, underlined that woman have a vital role in environmental management and development. Women’s full participation is therefore essential to the achievement of sustainable development. The issue of women and sustainable development has been discussed at different international conferences related to environment, climate change, human rights and disaster risk reduction, especially the Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. The session is expected to highlight both success and challenges in ensuring empowerment of women and mainstreaming of gender in socio-economic development at national level.

18 speakers were selected from various country and given 5 minutes each to talk about the Countries Experiences towards Sustainable Development. Following are the list of countries participated in the Plenary 1: a) UNISDR b) United Nations c) Brunei d) Cambodia e) Ethiopia f) Fiji g) Indonesia h) Kenya i) LAO PDR j) Myanmar k) Singapore l) Thailand m) USA n) Vietnam o) Iran p) Japan

Many speakers in this session shares the same thought which is education, health, employment and economic independence are critical enablers for women to participate in sustainable development.

Role of women leaders in the efforts and initiatives to influence social changes that would lead to a better future were acknowledged.

Plenary Session 2: Sustainable Development Policy and Planning – Women’s Voices

The session was moderated by Ms. Kao Ching- Chi Sophia, Chairperson of Hong Kong Women’s Commision and there were 4 speakers namely: i. Ms. Xie Ru, Vice Governor of JiangXi Province, China ii. Ms. Saumura Tioulong, Member of Parliament, Cambodia iii. Ms. Jacqueline Susan Mbabazi, Wife of Prime Minister, President of Women’s League, NRM, Uganda iv. Mdm. Wan Hasmah Wan Mohd, Director-General, Department of Women Development, Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, Malaysia v. Ms. Zenepe Luka, President of Foundation ‘Nermin Vlora Falaschi’, Abania

This session focused on Women’s leadership and active participation in policy and decision-making processes for sustainable development. The session has assessed to what extent national policies and planning meet women’s needs and concerns, how strong women’s voice has become in sustainable development policy and planning. In this session, bottlenecks for enhancing women’s voice in formulation gender-sensitive development policy and planning towards sustainable development were also discussed.

The Director-General for the Women Development Department from our Ministry has presented a 10 minutes speech about Women and Sustainable Development in Malaysia. Many participants were appalled and supported Malaysia’s view and progress towards the Women’s Policy and Planning in Sustainable Development.

PLENARY II: PANEL 1 –
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT POLICY AND PLANNING - WOMEN’S VOICES
MDM. WAN HASMAH WAN MOHD
10 NOVEMBER 2011

1. Good Afternoon, Madam Moderator, Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. At the outset, allow me to thank the All China Women’s Federation for inviting Malaysia to this forum and for this opportunity to speak on this very important topic of Women’s Voices in relation to policy and planning for Sustainable Development.

2. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action endorsed by world leaders at the Fourth World Conference in 1995 identified critical areas of concern for achieving gender equality. The Platform stresses that full participation; empowerment and equality of women are the foundations for peace and sustainable development. Undoubtedly, Policy that does not include women and men alike will not succeed in the long run, may bring negative impact on society and carry us farther away from our sustainable development goals.

3. Malaysia appreciates the achievements made in the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Beijing Platform for Action at all levels in advancing the status of women and promoting sustainable and continuous development. Similarly, Malaysia is steadfast in making good on our obligations to achieve the Millennium Development Goals through numerous policy measures and programmes, some of which I would like to share with you in brief this afternoon.

Ladies and gentlemen, 4. Responsible Governments the world over have formulated gender equality policies and national programmes to ensure that women assume prominent roles in the country’s move towards sustainable development. In Malaysia, policy making and planning towards the full involvement of women in the country’s development is outlined in the national policy on women and its action plan comprising 13 areas of focus. These areas of focus ensures a holistic approach that would provide a conducive environment for women to enable them to achieve their full potential and inculcate gender equality at all levels of society, based on the Federal Constitution, CEDAW, MDGs and the Beijing Platform Action.

Council for Women and Family Develoment
Majlis Pembangunan Wanita dan Keluarga (MPWK)

5. Recognising that women are an invaluable resource to the nation, women’s voices are being heard at grassroots level through the Council for Women and Family Development. The Council, better known by its Malay acronym, MPWK is created at each parliamentary constituency throughout the country and is comprised of women community leaders, local NGOs and civil society. The main function of the MPWK is advocacy and outreach to the grassroots through skills training and capacity building programmes for the local community. Their existence becomes a very important channel for women to voice their opinions which are then conveyed to the political leaders and the Government.

6. A very important achievement of the MPWK is supporting the Government in its efforts to promote women’s economic independence and to ensure women have equal access to and over economic resources by providing funding and assistance for various businesses set up by women.

7. A total of 38,672 (or 49%) women entrepreneurs received microcredit loans amounting to RM113.6 million (44%) between 2006 to 2009 under the Entrepreneur Economic Fund from TEKUN Nasional, an agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based industry.

8. In the recently announced National Budget for 2012, microcredit finance has taken much limelight where the revolving fund of RM2.1 billion is set up for women entrepreneurs to avail themselves to under the Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia microcredit scheme. This scheme which is modeled after the Gramin Bank of Bangladesh, boasts of having close to 0 non-performing loans (NPL). This certainly speaks of nothing but the integrity and discipline of the borrowers who are women entrepreneurs.

Non-Government Organisations 9. Malaysia also recognizes the importance of women’s voices in particular those who can form their own structured groups as non-government organizations. These NGOs have played very important roles as the instigator of ideas, collaborators and pressure groups to the policy makers. NGOs are an important part of the country’s machinery for advocating ideas and for spreading awareness and programmes to women in all strata or society.

10. Although Malaysia is a small country there are over 300 local women NGOs where 120 of the larger ones come together under the umbrella of the National Council of Women’s Organisations or the NCWO. There are also many internationally based NGOs which have opened their chapters in Malaysia, some of whom are present in this hall today. Together, the national and international NGOs certainly form a formidable force for policy makers to reckon with.

11. In the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, collaboration with the women NGOs has become a standard operating procedure for planning and policy making. NGOs carry with them the voice of the women they represent and therefore they are the very important stakeholders that policy makers and planners must consult with prior to formulating and implementing a policy.

Gender Focal Point
Ladies and gentlemen,

12. Malaysia shares with so many earlier speakers this morning, the belief that a very important conduit for sustainable development is to ensure gender issues are mainstreamed into policy making and the Government administration. In this regard, several mechanisms are created, one of which is to appoint a gender focal point at every Ministry and Federal Government Department. These focal points are appointed by the highest authority of the government administration and they comprise of Deputy Secretaries General and Deputy Directors General of the ministries and departments. In other words, the Gender Focal Points are the second-in-command in each organization and are then gender sensitized and trained to ensure that gender equality and the gender agenda is part of their policy making. 13. Another mechanism is the Malaysia Gender Gap Index or MGGI which was developed in partnership with UNDP in 2004 as a tool for monitoring trends in gender disparities over time, for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions aimed at the integration of women into the development process and for advocacy purposes.

14. Thirdly, gender sensitization training and programmes have been continuously provided to Government officers, particularly to policy makers and implementers to ensure that gender perspectives are mainstreamed into the nation’s development process.

Women in the Workforce and Decision-making Positions
Ladies and gentlemen,

15. Women’s participation in the labor force translates into women’s voices being heard and is important for sustainable development. Women who choose their reproductive duties over a career path or climbing the corporate ladder continue to be given a new lease of life as the National Budget has earmarked special funds for their re-training before re-entering the job market. 16. We agree too that greater gender equality in decision-making positions and the adoption of social justice criteria for policy will enhance our capability to counter the challenges of sustainable development. Therefore, the Government of Malaysia recently launched a policy in which private and corporate sectors should have at least 30% representation of women in decision-making positions. In 2004, a similar policy was applied on the public sector with resounding good results. From a mere 18.8% in 2004, we now have 32.3% of women in decision making positions such as Secretaries and Directors General and Heads of various Departments.

17. We are now in the process of identifying talented women with potential to be trained so that there will no longer be any argument that there are not enough qualified women to be placed in decision-making levels. The Government of Malaysia has allocated a large sum for this purpose in the Budget 2012 when training will start, as companies are given a 5-year period to achieve the 30% target.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 18. In facing the new and emerging challenges of globalization and towards achieving sustainable development, women’s potential must be harnessed to enable them to compete on an equal footing with men, and to further contribute to the socio-economic development of the country. In this regard, Malaysia will continue to strengthen its education system, the most important vehicle for development, in order to ensure a more knowledgeable, reliable, creative and innovative women population.

19. Our challenges remain in eradicating poverty and closing the rural-urban gap in the areas of communication and infrastructure, keeping in mind the need to ensure that development balances the environment. As a developing country, Malaysia continuously develops a pool of S&T manpower to leverage on the new knowledge and technological advancements to achieve sustainable growth.

Conclusion
Ladies and Gentlemen, 20. Mainstreaming gender issues should not be misinterpreted as championing one gender against the other. Women’s achievement should be encouraged as well as that of men. Mainstreaming gender issues ensures that women’s voices are heard and will result in maximizing the full potential of the country’s human capital which ultimately will lead to a holistic and sustainable development.

I Thank you.

Plenary Session 3: Green Economy and Corporate Social Responsibility – Opportunities and Challenges

The 3rd Plenary Session focused on the exchange of information and knowledge on the relationship between green economy and corporate social responsibility. The session offered an opportunity for both public and private sectors to share their information, knowledge, opportunities and success in the path towards greener economy for sustainable development. Mr. Mazal Renford, Director for Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Center, Haifa Israel moderated this session. Following are the speakers who were invited to speak at the session: i. Zhang Junkuo, Director-General of the General Office, Development Research Center of the State Council, Researcher in China; ii. Mariana Bozesan, President & Founder AQAL Investing, Research Fellow at Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance, Germany; iii. Sueli Batista dos Santos, President of BPW, Brazil; and iv. Dolly Loiner, Commissioner of Political Affairs, AUC

Speaker from Brazil has shared about their successful project called Tree is Life Project. 3 million trees were planted in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in just one year. These planted trees prevent 47, 368 tons of carbon dioxide.

Plenary Session 4: Innovation for Sustainable Development- Women’s Roles
The final plenary session was moderated by Mr. Emmanuel de Guzman, Consultant for UNISDR. The invited distinguished speakers are: i. Gina McCarthy, Deputy Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, USA ii. Chen Xiaoya, Vice Minister of Science and Technology, China iii. Maria Emma Helena Van Reisen, Director, Europe External Policy Advisors iv. Olivia N. Muchena, Minister of Women’s Affairs, Secretary for Commissariat, Women’s League, ZANU-PF, Zimbabwe.

In this session, education and capacity building from a gender perspective was the highlight. There is now a global consensus that innovation is essential to the achievement of sustainable development especially in face of challenges posed by climate change. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions through renewable energy resources, investment in innovation and green technology is on the rise in both public and private sectors. Technology and innovation are used to convey message to the public. For example, in Zimbabwe, message on HIV is understood better via multimedia among women who are literate.

RECOMMENDATION * For women to become active agents and catalysts for sustainable development, their economic, social and political rights need to strengthened to ensure their ability to own land, control rights to natural resources, obtain necessary education and training, access information, raise financing and acquire relevant technology; * Gender-responsive green stimulus packages could ensure more effective and equitable resource allocations, benefits and service delivery in the areas of sustainable development; * Further efforts are needed in sustainable development and science & technology (S&T). Women must be motivated to be involved in S & T * Include one woman and one youth to demonstrate political involvement towards sustainable development * Enhance gender equality through gender budgeting for all programmes (using gender planning) * Deepening international engagement and cooperation between stakeholders based on 3 pillars.

CONCLUSION
At the end of the forum, the Declaration on Women and Sustainable Development was adapted. There was a small award ceremony to the Outstanding Contribution to Women’s Development and Women’s Friendship Award.

3 distinguished guests were invited to deliver a speech: a) Mireya Zanora Alvarado, Secretary-General of the Committee Environment and Tourism of the Latin-American Parliament, and President of the Women Committee of Legislative Assembly, Costa Rica b) Melanee Verveer, Ambassador on Global Women’s Issues, USA c) Meng Xiaosi, Vice President and Member of the Secretariat of ACWF, China.

The recommendations and suggestions given in the forum will be compiled and a concrete proposal on how Rio+20 can advance women’s empowerment and participation in sustainable development will be created and disseminated.

FIELD VISITS

Participants were brought to visit the most beautiful village in Beijing, Beigou Village of Bohai Town and Mutianyu Great Wall in Huairou District of Beijing.

The clean and tidy environment in the Beigou Village has attracted 12 households of foreign friends from several countries from US, Holland, Germany and etc. They transformed the villager’s old houses into yards with unique style. Participants were shown the difference between foreigner’s and locals hotel businesses.