Beijing Platform for Action. Chapter IV. A. Women and Poverty – Paragraph 59(c)-(d)
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/09/29
Strategic objective A.1.
Review, adopt and maintain macroeconomic policies and development strategies that address the needs and efforts of women in poverty
Actions to be taken
59. By multilateral financial and development institutions, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and regional development institutions, and through bilateral development cooperation:
c. Find effective development-oriented and durable solutions to external debt problems in order to help them to finance programmes and projects targeted at development, including the advancement of women, inter alia, through the immediate implementation of the terms of debt forgiveness agreed upon in the Paris Club in December 1994, which encompassed debt reduction, including cancellation or other debt relief measures and develop techniques of debt conversion applied to social development programmes and projects in conformity with the priorities of the Platform for Action;
d. Invite the international financial institutions to examine innovative approaches to assisting low-income countries with a high proportion of multilateral debt, with a view to alleviating their debt burden;
Beijing Declaration (1995)
In the Beijing Declaration, Chapter IV continues in some of the same tone with the inclusion of larger world financial institutions in the advancement of women’s rights. In section (c), we can see the need to find not only the solutions to inequity through the aims of economic and social development but also with the “durable solutions to external debt problems.”
This is a complicated problem. Indeed, debt can be a means by which nations can take advantage of others, especially the poor. Consider that a form of economic warfare, the forms of finance programs and targeted objectives become the basis for considering what will and will not be within the rubric of the practical implementation of women’s rights.
If a nation is bogged down by debt, the ability to reinvest its own income-generation into future social development programs and initiatives for the country can be hampered, even including those oriented towards the advancement and empowerment of women. Other measures suggested for the reduction, even blanket elimination, of debt is the “debt forgiveness,” “debt relief measures,” and “debt conversion to social development programmes.” All intriguing ideas.
Section (d) ties these various forms of debt solutions through something like a debt artificial solvency solution from an external source for the ability of the nations to continue in their path from developing nation to developed nation. The invitation of the international financial institutions can be important for the development, socially and economically, of a society.
They can help with the inclusion of a variety of “innovative approaches” for the ‘helping hand’ towards lower income nation-states. Without this help, the development of nations would be more difficult. At the same time, this dependence, over sufficient time, on external financial centres could leave the developed nations and their attendant citizenry in the potential midst of easy abuse and misuse by the international financial institutions.
Nonetheless, there was in 1995 and continues to be now great potential in bottom-up globalization, from the people in other words, for the improved livelihoods and living conditions of human beings around the world. There are issues pressing at the heels of us all, but they press harder for those with worse shoes, less money, and unable to run as fast – so to speak.
The chances for the low-income countries with a “high proportion of multilateral debt” to be able to have some debt burden is incredibly important for their host populations to be able to flourish and develop as time progresses, especially as climate catastrophes will require funds foe recovery and, most importantly, preventative measures – including transitioning to low-carbon energy consumption-production cycles as well as the infrastructure to be able to withstand the grave environment catastrophes staring us in the faces.
The World Bank and the IMF can be important in this, especially now; but, at the same time, they could abuse this great power given to them. It is up to the international populations to withstand the potentials for abuse and work in coordination for equitable international development, so at-home and abroad for the good of all – especially as we see a threat worth uniting us all wth the crimes of prior generations in the destructions of ecosystems where current and near-future generations are paying those costs (for the worship of mammon on a short-term basis).
–One can find similar statements in other documents, conventions, declarations and so on, with the subsequent statements of equality or women’s rights:
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Preamble, Article 16, and Article 25(2).
- Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) in Article 1.
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) in Article 3, Article 7, and Article 13.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979).
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993).
- Beijing Declaration(1995).
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000).
- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000).
- The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa or the “Maputo Protocol” (2003).
- Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence or the Istanbul Convention (2011) Article 38 and Article 39.
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