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COPYRIGHT 2002 African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)
In 1992, women from around the world took a comprehensive global platform to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.(UNCED). This platform was used to successfully lobby for an array of critical references to women in Agenda 21, including Chapter 24 on women, Principle 20 on gender equality and an additional 145 references throughout the document.
In the ensuing decade, women have struggled for and gained significant commitments to gender equality at key UN conferences--the World Conference on Human Rights, International Conference on Population and Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women as well as within the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These gains are, however, being eroded. In some cases, they are actually being reversed.
In Rio de Janeiro, women's central role in sustainable development was officially recognised for the first time. Despite the fact that this role has how been well documented through extensive research and data collection, women's equality and gender perspectives are still seen as peripheral by many governments.
Women therefore demanded that the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WEED) turn the promises of the last ten years into concrete action.
The women's caucus asserted that peace and human rights must be the basis of engagement in the 21st century. They urged governments to agree to:
* Enforce nuclear disarmament, renounce war as a sovereign right and adopt conflict resolution systems towards the attainment of real human security.
* Adhere to international law, in particular the agreed provisions of treaties on arms control and economic, social and cultural rights, including the right...
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