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Statement on RP Official Delegation's Backsliding on Beijing + 5

We, the members of Can�t Live in the Closet, Inc., together with colleagues from non-government organizations and networks in the Philippines,   are greatly concerned about reports that the official Philippine Delegation to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Women 2000 (or Beijing + 5) is backsliding on or repudiating  certain commitments made by the Philippine Government to the Beijing Platform for Action during the United Nations 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995.

We have received information that some members of the Official Delegation have been trying to curtail the expression of other members on issues relating to sexuality, reproductive rights and women�s health.  We are also disturbed by reports that some delegates have refused  to dialogue or consult with Filipino NGOs involved in women�s health, reproductive rights and sexuality issues.

This appears to be happening despite the fact that the Official Delegation is mandated to represent the needs and aspirations of all Filipino women - including teenage mothers, victims of unsafe abortions, survivors of sexual violence, as well as and lesbians and bisexual women.

There is complete silence among the Delegates on the non-traditional families and same-sex partnerships, as well as on the basic rights and dignity of lesbians in the Philippines. This, despite the fact that 42% of all Filipino households do not fall under the definition of a traditional nuclear family  and that some government agencies have recognized lesbian and lesbian-friendly organizations as partners in national development efforts.

This is very disappointing especially in the context of the role of the Philippine Delegation to the Beijing Conference in advocating for women�s rights.  At that time, the members of  the Philippine Delegation did not only sign and ratify the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995 but also staunchly defended the right of women to attain total fulfillment, including in sexuality-related matters.

In this connection, we also recall that it was the Philippines which introduced the draft of what is now called Women�s Convention - the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) � and shepherded it through the United Nations processes until it was ratified.   We hope that the present delegation will still remember this honorable legacy.

In the light of all these facts, CLIC, together with our colleagues from non-government organizations and networks in the Philippines:

Believes that the backsliding stance adopted by members of the present official Philippine Delegation to the Beijing + 5 may have deleterious consequences on the alleviation of the suffering of women and girls in our country;

Is saddened that the Official Delegation appears to be contradicting the major gains made over the past five years since the Beijing Platform for Action was ratified by our government, and may let decades of work go down the drain in just a few days;

Is concerned that the actuations of the Official Delegation may be putting in jeopardy the implementation of  present government policies that were brought about by official  commitments to international agreements and conventions, including the 1993 Vienna Conference on Human Rights, the 1994 Cairo Conference on Population and Development, and the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women and Development;

Is distressed that the unexpected stance taken by the Official Delegation may threaten  to put on hold many of the on-going government programs that can benefit the health, livelihood and lives of millions of women and girls through family planning, sexuality education,  violence against women,  equal access to job opportunities and resources;

Is  wary that the cavalier attitude of the Official Delegation towards policies and practices of various government offices which favor equal treatment women and men regardless of  sexual orientation will subvert the basic human rights guaranteed by the Philippine Constitution and by international covenants we have signed  about  our rights as women  to control our bodies,  our sexuality and our destiny;

Holds the Official Delegation answerable to the thousands of women who have struggled 
and died for the basic rights and freedoms we now enjoy: do not turn your backs on them.

We call on the Official Delegation to listen to the voices of all Filipino women, who now speak through the NGO representatives now attending the Beijing + 5 Conference.  We encourage the Official Delegation to remember that the future of our daughters, grand-daughters and great-grand-daughters depends on remaining steadfast to our commitments today.

6 June 2000

Can�t Live in the Closet (CLIC), Inc.
Kababaihan Laban sa Karahasan (KALAKASAN), Inc.
Women�s Media Circle Foundation, Inc.
Health Action Information Network (HAIN)					
Women�s Health Care Foundation, Inc.
Institute for Social Studies and Action (ISSA)
Sentro ng Manggagawang Pilipina (Sentro)

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