Asia Pacific women demand States’ commitment to gender equality and women’s rights – The future women want!

Women from Asia Pacific region call for all stakeholders’ commitment to gender equality and women’s rights in four key areas as basis for sustainable development. The purple scarves are the sign of solidarity on and commitment to the crucial issues of women’s rights and gender justice among all women in Rio+20.

Access to resources

Equal and enhanced access of rural, indigenous and migrant women to productive resources, health care and social services, land, finance, sustainable and appropriate technologies, information, education, training and markets is crucial for just and sustainable development as well as eradicating poverty. “Food sovereignty is crucial for sustainable development and eradication of poverty. Women must have ownership of and control over production, marketing and fair distribution of wealth and management of natural resources. This must be realised with just agrarian and land tenure reform which stipulates women’s equal land and property ownership.” Lita Mariano, a woman rice farmer from the Philippines, emphasized.

Decent work and living wage

Living wage, sufficient to cover enough food, adequate housing, education, utilities, health and daily expenses for a family to live in dignity, is a basic human right. Aliza Yuliana Syahrizal from Indonesia reiterated:  “this must be extended to all women workers in industries, formal and informal, including domestic work, particularly women migrant domestic workers regardless of their legal status.”

Peace

Militarisation often a justification for peace and development, only fuels conflict in communities. Violence against women increases in military defence of natural resource extractions. “Governments must fulfill and protect women’s human rights and recognise women as leaders in peace processes to ensure just and lasting peace.” Nawn Latt from Burma said.

Voice

Persistent inequalities – including economic, social, cultural and political – prevent rural indigenous and migrant women’s full and meaningful participation in policy making, development programmes and implementation.  “Governments and development institutions must recognise rural, indigenous and migrant women’s knowledge and visions in decision making at all levels of development policies.” Tess Vistro from the Philippines claimed.

Join us and develop our demands for sustainable development at the side event, “Voices from Asia Pacific: Just and Sustainable Development Goals for Women”, 1:30-3:00 p.m. on the 15^th June 2012 at T-3, Riocentro.

Reference:  Tess Vistro: tessvistro@yahoo.com / Tomoko Kashiwazaki: riwwenpo@apwld.org

15 Jun, 2012
Posted in Gender Justice and Forests, News