Paragraphs 64, 65, and 66 of the Beijing Platform for Action. Chapter IV. A. Women and Poverty
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/10/03
Strategic objective A.3.
Provide women with access to savings and credit mechanisms and institutions
Actions to be taken
64. By multilateral and bilateral development cooperation organizations:
Support, through the provision of capital and/or resources, financial institutions that serve low-income, small-scale and micro-scale women entrepreneurs and producers, in both the formal and informal sectors.
65. By Governments and multilateral financial institutions, as appropriate:
66. By international organizations:
Beijing Declaration (1995)
The Beijing Declaration from 1995 covers a wide range of territory in terms of the recognition of the rights and dignity of previous persona non grata or, or accurately, non-persons, generally women and most often the poor. Now, it is an interesting fact of life for many people of the world, especially women and people of color, that the blanket understanding of a position in life is one of the greater statistical likelihood of poverty than others.
In paragraph 64, we can see the emphasis for actions on the “multilateral and bilateral development cooperation organizations.” What some as handouts can, in the medium to long-term, can be drivers of decent portions of the economy, these can emerge in the provisions of these aforementioned organization to women entrepreneurs in more penurious or poorer circumstances.
These finances can help women to build their businesses in their communities, and so lift their communities out of poverty. It is intriguing to note the formal and informal sectors of the economy being included here. It is important, relevant, and a, probably, non-contentious point. If you want to empower women who are “low-income, small-scale and micro-scale,” then the best means by which to do it would be via the formal and informal sectors of the economy in unison.
Now, taking paragraph 65 also seriously, we can see the joint national and multinational emphasis with the government and the multinational financial institutions, respectively. There are some minimum “performance standards” to be taken into account. However, there is an importance in the generalized implementations and principles of consideration.
If we look at the means by which the investment in low-income women, en masse, we can develop see the iterative summing of power, of social development. With investments in women, we are far more likely to see the improvements in individual families, communities, and societies, simply because women do more of the unpaid labour of the family, the community, and the society, and are far more probable to reinvest resources into the family. Men do this less often, as an international statistical norm.
Furthermore, I like the inclusion of low-income men here, too, when it speaks to “capitalization,” “refinancing,” and “institutional development.” It becomes crucial for the most subtle nuance of the human person. That is, the ability to make choices; furthermore, choices with as few coercive external constraints as possible with utmost respect for the individual choices and dignity of the person – to choose for themselves as an individual with the right to self-determination. It comes in the form, as stated, of “self-sufficiency.” Nothing lavish, by necessity, but sufficient economic and resource ownership to be a self-owner of one’s life journey.
Paragraph 66 continues into the international organizations. Those organizations dealing with the increases in funding. The “programmes and projects” with the intention to aim for sustainable and productive activities of entrepreneurs. This is proposed to be an income-generating mechanism for the disadvantaged. In this, the whole floor of the society can be lifted; recalling, of course, the investment into the poorest of the nation for long-term benefit of the society, e.g., fundamental income generation.
It is intended, furthemore, to be of most benefit to women in the worst circumstances including the disadvantaged and those in poverty, of the female variety – which is most of those populations. This can help return many of the people back into the economic viability of the society in addition to empowering more of the citizenry to begin generating wealth from within their own societies for economic independence – or increasing monetary independence – of the nation-state.
–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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