President to deliver keynote address at Int'l Women's parley

FROM RODNEY Martinesz in Beijing

PRESIDENT Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga will deliver the keynote address at the conference to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Beijing World Conference on Women today.

The occasion will prove a poignant moment for President Kumaratunga whose mother, Sirimavo Bandaranaike addressed the first World Conference on Women 30 years ago in Mexico as Prime Minister.

The Fourth World Conference on Women (1995), also known as the 'Beijing Conference' and its Platform for Action (BPFA) were results of decades of activism on the part of the women's movement.

World Conferences on Women were held in Mexico City (1975), Copenhagen (1980) and Nairobi (1985). They stressed the importance of issues related to the improvement of the status of women.

The General Assembly at 58th session in 2004 adopted Resolution 58/142, which recognised that: 'Women's full and equal participation in the political process and decision-making will provide a balance that more accurately reflects the composition of society, is needed to strengthen democracy and promote its proper functioning, plays a pivotal role in furthering women's equal status, including improving women's socio-economic status, and contributes to redefining political priorities and providing new perspectives on political issues.'

Early this year, the Commission on the Status of Women conducted the 10 year review and appraisal of the BPFA and commemorated the 30th anniversary of the first World Conference on Women.

This 'Beijing + 10' Conference has the objective of identifying achievements, gaps and challenges in implementing the BPFA, which has been signed by 189 Governments, the outcome documents, as well as the Beijing + 5 Political Declaration.