2000 - Special Washington & New-York

New York, Tuesday, October 17, 2000

We the women...

Echoing the Millennium Summit's "We the peoples," a large delegation of the World March of Women will address the UN Secretary-General on behalf of: We, the women, demand to live in a world free of poverty and all forms of violence against women. Simultaneously, thousands of women will be demonstrating in the streets to demand these changes-now.

...on the World March of Women in the Year 2000

Made up of grass-roots women, of all origins, nationalities and orientations (political, cultural, sexual, etc.), living in all kinds of conditions, the World March of Women is an autonomous women's movement comprised of women's groups, trade unions and social movements with no ties to governments.

These women who have come from the four corners of the earth declare that for humankind there is no possible future unless there is equality between women and men, and unless the collective wealth is distributed equitably. Reaching this goal is an urgent task that will not afford any delay.

2000 good reasons to march-when we see the world through the eyes of women and girls!

Many people wonder why women continue to march! Have we not won considerable gains? Did not the Beijing + 5 meeting and the Copenhagen + 5 Summit not confirm the commitments of the UN and member States concerning women and even extend them? Did they not confirm the international community's commitments to eradicate poverty? Did not the Millennium Summit also reaffirm principles, promises and commitments?

The World March acknowledges that much has been accomplished since the first international conference in Mexico in 1975, that progress has been made, particularly as regards respect for women's fundamental rights. Nonetheless, the March insists that the Secretary-General look at the world through the eyes of women, and especially young girls, to see how unacceptable the situation of women is at the start of the new millennium.

An act of citizenship, a political action

The March is not a women's parade but a political action. It wants to address the structural causes of poverty and violence against women. It clearly identifies neo-liberal capitalism and the patriarchy as dominant systems that maintain the vast majority of women in a position of exclusion and feed fundamentalism and conservatism of all kinds.

The March wants to express women's anger and frustration on seeing the UN associate with private enterprise in a Global Pact or ally itself with the world's most powerful bodies (OECD, IMF, World Bank) at the Copenhagen + 5 Summit. The March is asking the UN to assert its political authority and to demand respect for values and practices associated with fundamental human rights and with civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.

Women demand real structural change, not mere structural adjustments

World solutions for world problems. The March is bringing together the force of millions of women mobilizing for the immediate application of demands that would make a considerable change in the concrete living conditions of women throughout the world. The demands involve the UN; many are based on the action of governments that are sovereign, free of corruption, open to pluralism and immigration, democratic, participatory and answer to their citizens.

Eradicating violence against women

All the demands concerning violence against women require a steadfast commitment from governments and the UN to put an immediate end for once and for all to the violence that kills and mutilates women and shatters their lives by the million. The advent of true equality between men and women is also a requisite for the elimination of violence against women.

Constitutional States observant of international law. The March was gladdened by the UN initiative of having core treaties signed at the Millennium Summit, but it insists that all reservations be removed and particularly that these international instruments be applied in actual practice, day in, day out. The March also demands:

- strengthening of the 1949 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others through a mechanism that would take into account UN resolutions on the traffic of women and children and on migrant women workers;

- recognition by all States of the International Criminal Court and their willingness to submit to its jurisdiction.

States proactive in fighting violence against women by implementing action plans, effective programs and projects, and providing adequate financial and other means to end all forms of violence against women; and by granting the right to asylum for women victims of sexist discrimination and persecution and/or sexual violence.

States concerned over the plight of women whose rights are denied due to their sexual orientation. The issue of homosexuality is still the subject of systematic blocking by many States including the Vatican. The March wants to help break down the resistance by demanding that sexual orientation not be a reason to deprive anyone from the full exercise of the rights stipulated in international instruments. It also demands the right to asylum for victims of discrimination and persecution due to their sexual orientation.

States capable of ensuring peace through disarmament and a UN capable of ending all forms of intervention, aggression and military occupation.

To do away with poverty

All the demands are aimed at changing the dominant economic system, proposing alternatives for redistributing wealth, subordinating economic exchange to respect for fundamental human rights. All demands must take into account the perspective of gender and be true means to break the cycle of women's poverty.

A new slant on old proposals

The March is advocating urgent measures that can be taken to eliminate extreme poverty immediately. Some of the measures are:

- elimination of Third World countries' debt;
- an end to structural adjustment programs;
- introduction of the Tobin tax;
- investment of 0.7% of the industrialized countries' GNP in official development assistance;
- implementation of the 20/20 formula between donor countries and recipients of international aid.

These proposals would have to be implemented with particular emphasis on women since women are the poorest of the poor.

Legislating against poverty

If governments are serious in their Millennium Assembly commitment to "making the right to development a reality for everyone [including women], and to freeing the entire human race from want," one thing they could do is adopt a legal framework and national strategies aimed at eliminating poverty. These strategies should not be directed from abroad following a hard and fast neo-liberal model dictated by lending and investment institutions.

A world council for economic and financial security should exist to redefine the rules for a new economic system. The World March is asking that the international political community stop leaving everything to the market forces and waiting-in vain-for globalization to be profitable for all and for humanity's wealth to be shared in solidarity.

A proactive role vis-à-vis the World Bank, IMF and WTO

The March is counting on the UN and on its Secretary-General to demand from these institutions that they put respect for fundamental human rights first and subordinate profits and competition to the values adopted by the Millennium Assembly: freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature, and shared responsibility for managing economic and social development. These values are incompatible with projects such as the Multilateral Agreement on Investment and its clones.

An exemplary role for the UN

It is true that considerable progress has been made by the UN and its main agencies, but the road still to be travelled is long indeed. The March wants the UN to show, within its ranks, that it is possible to achieve equality between men and women right now.

The World March demands that the 21st century be one of action, that principles and declarations be implemented, that promises be fulfilled. And women will continue to march!