Dag van de waarheid???

Vandaag spreekt onze Nederlandse vrouwenvertegenwoordiger de VN toe. De bekroning van een jaar lang voorbereiden voor Caecilia van Peski.
Haar concept statement met de veelzeggende titel  "Women, Peace en Security in t he context of good democratic governance" vond ik op de site van de NVR, en kopieer ik hieronder. Binnenkort zullen we daar ook wel de definitieve tekst kunnen lezen... (http://www.nederlandsevrouwenraad.nl/vrouwenvertegenwoordiger/)

Vandaag ook staan de media bol van de verontwaardiging van vrouwen aan de top in bedrijfsleven en politiek vanwege de eenzijdige samenstelling van het kabinet Rutte I. Waar zo'n jonge flamboyante man in zou kunnen uitblinken is een onvoorspelbare en onverwachte kabinetssamenstelling, waarin op zijn minst de helft vrouw zou moeten zijn. De PVV zou het gedogen, want die zijn tegen de onderdrukking van vrouwen.

Van Caecilia van Peski leerde ik onlangs nog waarom het van belang is dat vrouwen een stem krijgen in bestuursorganen op allerlei niveau's:  omdat alleen zij de behoeften van vrouwen op de juiste wijze kunnen inschatten, en dus de belangen van deze helft van de bevolking op de juiste wijze onder woorden kunnen brengen en vervolgens behartigen.

Maar Rutte geeft de voorkeur aan een Old Boys Netwerk. Positieve uitznonderingen zijn Marja van Bijsterveldt, Edith Schippers en Melanie Schultz...als ze het worden...
Gelukkig kunnen zij zich met elkaar verbonden voelen, en zijn ze nog net niet een excuus-truus, maar ik vraag me werkelijk af hoe goed er gezocht is naar geschikte vrouwen voor de diverse posten.
Misschien hadden de vrouwen zichzelf toch iets nadrukkelijker kandidaat moeten stellen?????

Lees meer over de verontwaardiging op http://www.zibb.nl/10277087/Personeelszaken/Personeelszaken-nieuws/Personeelszaken-nieuwsbericht/Ruttes-voorkeur-voor-mannen-belachelijk.htm?utm_source=nieuwsflits&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=Nieuwsflits-11_oktober_2010
en over Edith Schippers en haar standpunten inzake volksgezondheid op http://www.skipr.nl/actueel/edith-schippers-vrijwel-zeker-minister-volksgezondheid-69000.html

Freke Schoemaker


CONCEPT-STATEMENT

65th General Assembly of the United Nations – NYC, October 2010
Women, Peace and Security in the context of Good Democratic Governance
Mr. President, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
“Today, as we usher in a new era of responsibility, accountability, and transparency, we must strive to reawaken people’s faith in their governments. Our world’s strength, progress and development are directly impacted by our ways of governing. A governing in unity, peace and security. The women of the world play a pivotal role in this.”
These words are not my words. They were uttered by Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, on the occasion of her entry into office in 2006. As the first democratically elected female president in Africa, Johnson-Sirleaf has shown great courage and commitment to building a just society, and inspired me in my own humble endeavors towards the same goal. Through the example of her leadership, Johnson-Sirleaf continues to inspire and empower women worldwide.
Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights every person on this planet has the right to take part in governing his or her country. The empowerment and autonomy of women and the improvement of women's status are essential for the achievement of good governance for the sake of sustainable development in all areas of life.
For this reason, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has adopted the advancement of gender justice in democratic governance in stable and fragile states as one of its principal aims. Around the world, in times of peace and especially of war, women remain vastly under-represented in national and local assemblies. As a result, laws, policies and government institutions fail to adequately reflect the needs of all citizens and fall short on supporting progress on women's rights.
To illustrate this point, let me quote from the Global Gender Gap Report. This report assesses countries’ performances in distributing resources and opportunities amongst the male and female parts of their populaces. My home country, The Netherlands, ranks in the 2008 Report’s global top-ten, even as, deplorably, The Netherlands continue to show an undiminished under-representation of women in positions of power.
Despite the widespread movement towards democratization in most countries, women remain underrepresented at many levels of government and other executive bodies. Women have not been able to make enough progress in achieving the target endorsed by the Economic and Social Council. The “parity-zone” of 40-60 percent of women in positions at decision-making levels at mid-year 2009 is far from being reached. Although women make up at least half of the electorate in almost all countries and have attained the right to vote and hold office in almost all United Nations Member States, women continue to be seriously underrepresented as candidates for public office. Government structures continue to be barriers to women's participation in public life. Women may be discouraged from seeking political office by discriminatory attitudes and practices, family and child-care responsibilities, and in many cases the high cost of seeking and holding public office.
Mr. President,
The power structures that prevent women from leading fulfilling lives operate at many levels of society, from the most personal to the highly public. Achieving the goal of equal participation in decision-making will bring about a new balance that more accurately reflects the composition of society and is needed in order to strengthen genuine democracy and promote its proper functioning. Without the active participation of women at all levels of decision-making, the goals of equality, development and peace cannot be achieved. For women in decision-making positions make unique contributions to redefining political priorities, placing new items on the political agenda that reflect and address women's gender-specific concerns, providing new perspectives on mainstream political issues.
Owing to their limited access to the traditional avenues to power, such as the decision-making bodies of political parties, employer organizations and trade unions, women have gained access to power through alternative structures, particularly in the non-governmental organization sector. Even so, through non-governmental organizations, grass-roots organizations and direct democracy, women have been able to articulate their interests and concerns and have placed women's issues on the national, regional and international agendas.
Amongst and in governments, corporations, the mass media, banks, academic and scientific institutions, and regional and international organizations, there is still ample room for improvement to remove structural and attitudinal barriers for those institutions and constituents to fully benefit from female perspectives and the leadership of women as managers, policy makers, diplomats, governors and negotiators.
The pressing urgencies and challenges of this day and age call upon all public, private and individual agents in global and local societies to undertake positive action to timely build a critical mass of women leaders. Specifically, I make an appeal to you today to do whatever lies within the scope of your authority and power to further the following priority issues:
· Endorse electoral systems that encourage political parties to integrate women in public positions;
· Encourage forms of direct democracy that can strengthen good democratic governance and offer more people – including women – a way to take part in governing their own states;
· Support efforts by non-governmental organizations, trade unions and the private sector to achieve equality between women and men in all tiers;
· Work towards seeking accountability from elected representatives on their commitment to gender concerns;
· Advocate at all levels to enable women to influence political, economic and social decisions, processes and systems;
· n situations of tension and unrest, install early warning systems to prevent the outbreak of conflict. Design these systems as such that they recognize the role that women play as agents of change.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The ground has shifted. The stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. Now is the time to act, firmly and decisively, to bring about an equal global society that brings lasting peace and enduring opportunities to all of its members. Now is the time to act, for me, and for you, to do whatever lies within our power to write our best possible lines on the pages of human history.
Thank you.

Word lid van Vrouwenbelangen als je, met ons, vindt dat Gelijk Staatsburgerschap voor vrouwen in Nederland nog niet bereikt is. Kijk voor meer informatie op http://www.vrouwenbelangen.nl/vereniging/index.htm