Press
Release ECE/GEN/00/6
Geneva, 20 January 2000
Outcome and
Recommendations from the UNDP Workshop on
the Contribution of Women to Economies in Transition
The UNDP
Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS organized a Workshop on "The Contribution of
Women to Economies in Transition" on 18 January 2000, prior to the ECE Regional
Preparatory Meeting for Beijing + 5. Panellists included 6 representatives of Governments,
Ombudsmen Offices, NGOs and experts from Albania, Armenia, Lithuania, Russia, Tajikistan
and Ukraine.
The Workshop concluded that women are
bearing most of the hardship in the CIS and the CEE, particularly in those countries where
the transition process has led to decreasing standards of living and in war torn areas.
Yet, they have also been a source of innovation, which has contributed enormously to the
transition process. They have demonstrated a number of initiatives and adaptability to
changing gender roles in the market economy by setting up businesses to complement
incomes, cushioning its economic constraints and caring for the well-being of their
families and taking on additional workloads to satisfy social and family needs. They have
been the pillar of the public sector, often remaining in underpaid and undervalued
positions. They have been very actively involved in setting up small businesses, and in
participating in NGO and civil society structures.
The recommendations of the Workshop were:
To properly assess, evaluate and reward
the contribution of women. National development agendas should reflect the gender
perspective in key economic and social development policies.
To implement engendered social and
economic policies that include mechanisms to ensure equal participation by creating the
necessary infrastructures that allow women to combine their reproductive responsibilities
with their engagement in productive labor. This would require the active involvement of
men, society and the private sector in order to share social responsibility for the
well-being of families and ease the burden on women.
Engendered social and economic policies
and programmes should focus on the elimination of discrimination in the workforce.
Relevant government institutions and representatives of the civil society need to
strengthen the enforcement of legislation that guarantees the rights of working women,
especially vulnerable groups. They in addition should monitor its implementation through
existing or new institutions, such as Ombudsman offices. The private sector should play
its part in equalizing opportunities, by not only adopting anti-discriminatory practices,
but also by introducing incentives to utilize the full potential of women.
To develop both quantitative and
qualitative data, including not only statistics disagregated by sex, but also statistics
that map the changes in gender roles and the access to equal rights and opportunities.
To develop the necessary tools and
mechanisms to analyze national programmes and socio-economic policies and practices from
the gender point of view. The analysis should focus on their impact on men and women and
on the feedback mechanisms that ensure success. These mechanisms can include analysis of
issues related to public expenditure and budget reviews and monitoring.
To promote a dialogue and strategic
partnerships between governments, civil societies and experts, including economists,
social scientists and gender specialists to support integrated approaches to social
development and economic analyses that incorporate gender equality considerations.
In order to ensure the implementation of
the objectives above, the international community, including donor governments, the UN
system, and all organizations working in the region should provide financial support,
technical assistance and advocacy.
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For further information please
contact:
Ms. Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh
Gender Advisor
UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS
Telephone: (41 22) 917 7345, 917 7346
E-mail: [email protected]