PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON INTER-AMERICAN SUMMITS MANAGEMENT

OEA/Ser.G  CE/GCI-40/95
29 November 1995
Original: English

REPORT OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION OF WOMEN TO THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON INTER-AMERICAN SUMMITS MANAGEMENT

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION OF WOMEN

9 October 1995

Her Excellency
Ambassador Harriet C. Babbitt
Organization of American States
Washington, D.C.

Excellency:

On the instructions on the President of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM), Amb. Dilma Quezada Martinez, I am forwarding herewith a summary of the activities of the Commission undertaken in accordance with the priorities adopted by the Summit of the Americas. This document is a follow-up to the initial observations of the Commission submitted in March of this year.

We regret that the participation of the Commission in the IV World Conference on Women did not permit the presentation of this document within the time frame indicated by you.

The Declaration and Plan of Action adopted by the thirty-four nations continues to be one of the principal planning documents used by the Commission in its 1995 programming, and will, as well, continue to be used during the upcoming biennium.

Accept, Excellency, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration.

Linda J. Poole
Executive Secretary

ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT

1. Gender Training

a. The publication of the Gender Training Manual developed by PAHO in English and Spanish has been co-financed by CIM and PAHO and will be published by the close of 1995.

b. The PAHO Training of Trainers activities has been carried out in the Caribbean and Central American regions and will shortly begin in the Andean region. Once this phase is completed, staff of the national machinery for the advancement of women will be included in the national training activities to be carried out as part of the joint activities of CIM and PAHO to strengthen these institutions.

ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT

1. CIM participated in the First Forum on the Participation and Women in Politics, cosponsored by PARLACEN and UNICEF, hold in Panama in July 1995.

2. CIM, UNIFEM are co-sponsoring with the National Women's Service (SERNAM-Chile) a study on the possible implications that the entry of Chile to NAFTA may have for women.

FUTURE ACTIVITIES

1. The CIM Strategic Plan of Action has indicated the following as immediate priorities for action: the participation of women in the structures of power and decision-making; eradication of poverty; education; elimination of violence against women and the promotion of human rights.

2. Joint Project: CIM-IDB-UNICEF-UNIFEM

CIM, UNICEF, UNIFEM and the IDB have agreed to work together in the development of a program to promote the participation of women in politics and decision-making. (Project design stage)

ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT

1. CIM and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-sponsored the South American Encounter on Women, Violence and Human Rights (Chile: December 1994).

2. CIM and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs co-sponsored the Encounter on Women, Violence and Human Rights for the countries of Central America, Mexico and the Dominican Republic (Honduras: April 1995).

3. CIM, UNIFEM and the Ministry of Women's Affairs will co-sponsor the Caribbean Encounter on Women, Violence and Human Rights (Trinidad and Tobago: October 1995).

4. A copy of the Convention of Belem do Par� has been sent to The Special Rapporteur and the Inter-American Commission of Women has offered its assistance to her in the performance of her duties.

5. As of the date of this report, twenty-four (24) countries have signed the Convention, thirteen have ratified it, the parliaments of an additional four countries have voted in favor of ratification and the Convention is under active consideration before parliament in another nine countries.

6. The Convention of Belem do Par� has been translated into Aymara, Creole, Dutch, Guaran� and Quechua, as part of a campaign to disseminate information concerning The Convention and the matters dealt with therein.

7. The Inter-American Commission of Women, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Washington College of Law of The American University have agreed to hold a Conference on Women, Human Rights and the Inter-American System: An Agenda for Action in February, 1996.

8. The Inter-American Commission of Women, the Inter-American Commission for the Control of the Abuse of Drugs (CICAD) and the Inter-American Children's Institute (IIN) have agreed to undertake a joint project on Women, the Family and the Impact of Drug Abuse.

ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT

1. CIM was one of the principal donors to co-finance the preparation of the national reports submitted by the OAS member states to the IV World Conference on Women.

2. CIM, CARICOM- UNIFEM, and UNECLAC co-sponsored the final Caribbean Pre-Beijing Planning Conference (Barbados: July 1995).

3. CIM participated in the iv World Conference (September 1995) and presented the CIM Strategic Plan of Action and the Convention of Belem do Par�, adopted by the OAS General Assembly in 1994, as well as the CIM Strategic Plan of Action, adopted by the CIM Assembly of Delegates in November 1994.