Paragraph 143(e)iv – Beijing Platform for Action. Chapter IV
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2019/08/25
Strategic objective E.2.
Reduce excessive military expenditures and control the availability of armaments
Actions to be taken
143. By Governments:
e. Recognizing that women and children are particularly affected by the indiscriminate use of anti-personnel land-mines:
iv. Within the United Nations context, undertake to support efforts to coordinate a common response programme of assistance in de-mining without unnecessary discrimination;
Beijing Declaration (1995)
If we’re looking at the continued context of the need to improve the lot of humanity, then the best bet, if speaking in a global context, will, on average, be the emphasis on the rights and privileges, responsibilities and burdens, of women and girls alongside ones held by men and boys with some inevitable differences between the two leading to different responsibilities and burdens.
Equality before the law and in human rights, except for a couple specified around, for example, motherhood (as a violation of this generally true principle), and then with a further focus on the ways in which the application of women’s rights ties to specific actions in the world by governments and the ways in which governmental actions create the basis for more integrated human rights within a society. It seems like a dual-step process for more rights for more people.
One of the issues with the anti-personnel land-mines is the ubiquitous use of them in some wars and then the national amnesia about their use. This is not forgotten by those who happen to live with them. UNICED estimates as many as 110,000,000 mines are lodged in the ground around the world. Not much the international order or the local communities can do alone; unless, they begin to worm together more, as they have been, to have an integrated response strategy to dislodge these anti-personnel land-mines.
As UNODA stated, “Anti-personnel landmines are prohibited under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (or MineBan Convention), adopted in 1997.”
Human Rights Watch reports, “Antipersonnel landmines are weapons that cannot discriminate between a civilian or a soldier, and wind up killing and maiming civilians that step on them or pick them up long after a conflict. The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty comprehensively bans the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of antipersonnel mines, and requires states to destroy their stockpiles and clear all mined areas as well as assist landmine survivors. A total of 164 states have joined the Mine Ban Treaty and are making progress in achieving a mine-free world.” This is a serious issue.
It requires serious responses and amounts to crimes of prior generations burdening those self-same generations and their descendants. This is one of the horrors of war. It makes one think, “When will it stop?” One of the moves towards this is the ban on this with enforceable treaties followed by the act of dislodging them. Problem, they’re lodged in the ground. A terribly difficult situation creating horrific post-war murders and maimings of children and women mostly.
The programme assistance for de-mining with an emphasis on “without unnecessary discrimination” is an important part of this. This part of the paragraph emphasizes support by the United Nations and then the work oriented around the state actors or governments.
–(Updated 2019-08-21, only use the updated listing, please) Not all nations, organizations, societies, or individuals accepts the proposals of the United Nations; one can find similar statements in other documents, conventions, declarations and so on, with the subsequent statements of equality or women’s rights, and the important days and campaigns devoted to the rights of women and girls too:
- 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).
- Some general declarations (not individual Declaration or set of them but announcement) included the UN Decade for Women (1976-1985).
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979) and the Optional Protocol (1999).
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and the optional protocol (1993).
- Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), Five-year review of progress (2000), 10-year review in 2005, the 15-year review in 2010, and the 20-year review in 2015.
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), and the UN Security Council additional resolutions on women, peace and security: 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013), 2122 (2013), 2242 (2015), and 2467 (2019).
- 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.
- UN Women’s strategic plan, 2018–2021
- 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, emphasis on the entirety of the goals with a strong focus on Goal 5
- 2015 agenda with 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (169 targets for the end to poverty, combatting inequalities, and so on, by 2030). The SDGs were preceded by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from 2000 to 2015.
- The Spotlight Initiative as another important piece of work, as a joint venture between the European Union and the United Nations.
- February 6, International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation is observed.
- February 11, International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed.
- June 19, Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict is observed.
- June 23, is International Widows’ Day is observed.
- October 11, International Day of the Girl Child is observed.
- October 15, International Day of Rural Women is observed.
- November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is observed.
- Gender Inclusive Guidelines, Toolbox, & United Nations System-wide Strategy on Gender Parity.
- Say No, UNiTE, UNiTE to End Violence against Women, Orange the World: #HearMeToo (2018), and the 16 days of activism.
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