From Manila to Bangkok

Liu Bohong, Professor at China Women's University [Women of China English Monthly]

On the global agenda for gender equality, 2015 is of special significance, as it marks the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women. In March 2014, the United Nations (UN) launched the Beijing+20 campaign to celebrate the anniversary of the conference. All of the UN's member states and countless international women's organizations participated in the campaign. Beijing+20 had special meaning for Chinese women, as China hosted the Fourth World Conference on Women, and as 5,000 Chinese women attended the women's nongovernmental organization (NGO) forum held in conjunction with the conference. Through the conference, Chinese women gained a deeper understanding of both gender equality and the UN's democratic decision-making mechanism.

Attending Women's NGO Forum in Manila

Several preparatory activities were held at the national, regional and global levels prior to the conference. Activities at each level included a governmental meeting and a women's NGO forum. The Asia-Pacific Women's NGO Forum was held on November 16-20, 1993, in Manila, capital of the Philippines. The Asia-Pacific Governmental Meeting was held on June 7-14, 1994, in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia.

In September 1993, I retired from the People's Liberation Army, and I began to work at the Women's Studies Institute of China, under the All-China Women's Federation, in Beijing. Two months later, I went to Manila to attend the forum. That forum broadened my horizon.

First, I immediately noticed the difference between the women's forum and other kinds of meetings. For example, a lot of men normally participated in such meetings in China, but most of the forum's participants were women.

Also, rather than soldiers who wore uniforms, the participants wore different kinds of dresses. I was surprised to see some of the women took their babies to the forum. To support the women, the forum had a daycare center to take care of the babies. Some of the women were descendents of original inhabitants of some of the Asia-Pacific countries. They wore cloth gowns and straw sandals, and they spoke their local dialects. Until I saw them at the forum, I had thought only officials and experts were permitted to attend such international meetings.

During the forum, I learned the origins and meanings of various words, including "grass-roots," "participation," "subject" and "empowerment," and I gained a deeper understanding of the meaning of the Fourth World Conference on Women.

Second, I learned about the top concerns of women in the Asia-Pacific region. The forum's three original topics were: Political empowerment of women, economic empowerment of women and women's participation in development. The forum reviewed and evaluated the implementation of the Nairobi Strategy; and summarized experiences, pinpointed challenges and seeked new development approaches. However, the list eventually grew to 12 topics — health, labor, agriculture, culture and education, political empowerment, economic empowerment, violence, women's human rights, scientific technology, original female inhabitants, family, women and environment.

The topics broadened my vision and perspective on women's studies. The 12 topics discussed at the forum were not exactly the same as the 12 critical areas of concern mentioned in the Beijing Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women. However, that forum enlightened me on women's studies.

Third, I came to understand how the women's movement affected the UN's decision-making. As an international governmental organization, the UN had a mechanism to ensure there was a democratic decision-making process, and to prevent decision-making mistakes. The UN held nongovernmental forums before conferences, so it could listen to representatives from NGOs and grass-roots organizations.

Women from various countries have established NGOs. They discuss important topics at NGO forums and evaluate their government's implementation of UN policies, conventions and strategies. They lobby the UN and their governments, so the UN and their governments will listen to them and reflect women's wishes during decision-making.

Nowadays, Chinese are familiar with the acronym NGO. However, until we attended that forum, Chinese had not heard of NGO. Until that forum, Chinese women had never dreamed of lobbying their government representatives.
 
Attending Beijing+20 Conference in Bangkok

This year, the UN will review the progress made by member states in implementing the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) at the national, regional and global levels during the yearlong Beijing+20 campaign. Over the past 20 years, I have grown from a novice into a veteran scholar on women's studies. On November 17-20, 2014, I attended the Asian and Pacific Conference on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment: Beijing+20 in Bangkok, capital of Thailand.

The world has undergone dramatic changes during the past two decades. Gone is the global environment under which the UN's member states made a concerted effort to advocate gender equality and sustainable development. Coinciding with the rise in global tensions caused by terrorism, many countries have been reducing the resources previously allocated to promote gender equality and sustainable development. The global financial crisis limited women's participation in economic affairs and resulted in a shortage of funding to ensure women's development and protect women's human rights. Despite such dramatic changes, countries in the Asia-Pacific region have been making progress in implementing the Beijing Declaration and BPFA, adopted at the World Conference of Women in 1995.
The UN's member states in the Asia-Pacific region have made progress in the 12 critical areas of concern mentioned in the Beijing Platform for Action. Three categories of regional achievement have been identified by the states:

First, the states have strengthened gender equality in their national governments and governance. The states have highlighted adoption of gender-equality-related policies, legislation, action plans and strategies, the establishment and/or strengthened status and mandates of national women's mechanisms, the increase in awareness of and commitment to gender equality across government entities, and the expansion of gender mainstreaming across the government sector, including the introduction of gender-responsive budgeting;

Second, the states have made achievements in eliminating violence against women and girls, including introducing legislation, strengthening law enforcement, establishing government entities (tasked with addressing the elimination of violence against women and girls), establishing prevention programs, increasing awareness and mobilizing communities, and implementing targeted campaigns that address such issues as human trafficking; and

Third, the states have promoted women's leadership and political participation. Women continue to occupy senior positions in government and nongovernmental organizations, from serving as heads of government and judges of supreme courts to holding positions on national boards, special taskforces and peace-negotiating organizations. There have been positive impacts of special temporary measures, such as quotas, in increasing the representation of women among political party candidates and parliamentarians.
  
Despite such achievements, countries in the Asia-Pacific region still face various challenges in implementing the Beijing Declaration and the BPFA. The states have identified the following eight major challenges in realizing gender equality and women's empowerment:

First, legislative "gaps" and institutional-related obstacles that pertain to policy; inadequate communication, coordination and capacity, which impede the mainstreaming of gender across the government sector; insufficient technical and financial resources, especially for national women's mechanisms; and lack of understanding of, and appreciation for, gender equality among politicians, policymakers and public servants;

Second, patriarchy, specifically the associated discriminatory, prejudicial and confining "mindsets," attitudes, values, beliefs and perceptions;

Third, violence against women and girls, and armed conflicts that have undermined peace and the security of women and girls;

Fourth, women's political empowerment;

Fifth, women's economic empowerment;

Sixth, health issues, especially maternal morbidity and mortality, and high adolescent fertility rates;

Seventh, environmental issues, especially climate change and environmental degradation, which affect women's safety, lives and income; and

Eighth, lack of equitable consideration and response to the needs and interests of the diversity of women and girls.

Confronted by the challenges, the states have identified the following six key requirements for accelerating implementation of the BPFA:

First, there must be a political commitment and "whole-of-government" approach to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women. The states emphasize the need for greater political will and shared responsibility across government ministries and departments, and that will must be reflected in the existence and implementation of comprehensive and multisector gender-equality policies, plans and programs;

Second, gender consciousness must be improved;

Third, gender capacity must be enhanced;

Fourth, there must be enhanced collaboration among government entities, and between governments and civil society;

Fifth, there must be a greater investment in resources. The states highlight the need for sustainable financing mechanisms, targeted resourcing and greater allocation of funding in nation's budgets for national women's mechanisms. Fulfillment of mandates and operationalization of commitments is seen as being contingent upon adequate resource investment; and

Sixth, there must be accountability. Enhanced accountability requires the monitoring and evaluation of the breadth of gender equality initiatives, which, in turn, necessitates the articulation of measurable targets and indicators, as well as the collection of sex-disaggregated date and the application of gender statistics.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, I hope the goals set during that conference will be achieved, as soon as possible, in China and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Professional Women: The Year to Have IMPACT

I'm delighted to be back for a second year as a contributor to Women of China English Monthly. I look forward to sharing more about the fascinating work I do with high-performing professional women in China, and around Asia-Pacific. In 2009, I started a company that focused on diversity and professional women's empowerment, and I haven't looked back. I am continually inspired by the incredible women with whom I work. The vision I have is to see Asian women leading global businesses.

This year, I'll focus on what we can all do, as women, to have an impact and derive fulfillment from our careers. I intend to ignite your curiosity, help deepen your cultural and self-awareness, and encourage you to build bridges around the world — all as professional women. I'll be happy to share real stories and insights from the dynamic group of women with whom I work in China.

When we talk about having IMPACT, we will focus on the following:

Identifying your values and strengths

Focus on what you're good at, what you're interested in and what's important to you. Identifying what these things are, and finding ways to maximize the amount of time you spend doing them, will lay the foundation to having an impact and generating fulfillment from what you do.

Maximizing your confidence and self-esteem

A healthy self-esteem comes from a positive mindset, and the consistent practice of positive self-talk. In many cases, increasing self-esteem is about giving yourself permission to be who you really are. Improving your confidence, on the other hand, is about stepping out of your comfort zone and taking risks. It's not about taking any risk; it's about taking the right kinds of risks, which will allow you to maximize learning, growth and impact.

Prioritizing a healthy lifestyle

As smart, successful women, we're out trying to “have it all,” and our own basic needs can take a back seat to our careers, and the careers of those who depend on us.
Setting priorities, which include a reasonable and sustainable regiment of sleep, diet and exercise, is critical to feeling good, thinking fast and being at your best, so you can lead and support those around you.

Assessing, managing and growing your relationships

Having a strong and healthy network is important. Assessing the status of existing relationships will help you determine the helpful forces that bring out the best in you. Add value to others, and try to help people who support you in the best ways. Look at how to form and maintain relationships across a wide spectrum of people, as this will ensure that you are learning and developing, both professionally and personally.

Communicating effectively, with influence

Effective communication means being highly aware of the situations in which you find yourself, and then adapting your communication style accordingly. We'll look at some common situations that call attention to gender and culture, and how to best communicate to make sure that others buy into what you have to say.

Taking action for consistent growth

Become comfortable with asking for specific feedback, and be clear about how to break your goals into actionable items that allow you to grow and improve in important ways.
This year, I invite you to be courageous enough to know and be your true self. What are you doing to have IMPACT today? Let's hear from great women, and let's head on this journey together. Until next time…

Step Outside

We are all trapped, often contentedly, in our own bubbles.  We go about our routines, live our daily lives in relative ignorance of those who are not within our immediate circle of influence.  Not our family, relatives, neighbors, friends and immediate community of course, but all those whose paths we never cross, whose lives we rarely if ever contemplate.

I think humanity might take a dramatic step forward if we allowed ourselves (forced ourselves?) to have an awareness of all those with whom we share the planet.  We all walk separately together.  Race, language, nationality, religion, culture … so many things separate us.  However, our shared humanity — our struggles and triumphs — universally unites us.  If we could sense those people out of our tangential circle of influence, touch them, maybe know them, then wouldn't we help them if we were able?

We could leave the weight of ourselves at the front door as we head out to explore and enjoy the world of others, be it down the block or around the globe. We would be in part reassured in seeing others facing many similar dilemmas as we do, no matter their financial or social status or lack thereof.  We would be in part alarmed at the new, the unknown, including the daily drag of infirmity or poverty for so many, the ceaseless need for acquisition for many of the well to do, the sense of solitary for those without family, the chaotic clamor — its benefits and drawbacks — of those embedded in large or extended families.  We would be forced to grow, gain compassion.

We often pass by those in need without a glance.  This is not always due to a lack of caring or compassion.  At times there seems to be so much suffering that we feel the need to protect ourselves against the onslaught of powerful visual and emotional stimuli. At these times one approach might be, instead of looking away, looking right at the problem, the situation … the person. Instead of depressing or demoralizing us, perhaps it could serve as a reminder of each of our different places in life, how those with visible needs might be helped.  Once faced, any misperception, problem or fear immediately loses some of its potency. Fear of the unknown is the biggest fear.

We must wisely and with guarded openness enter each other's world, unfamiliar and foreign though they may be.  Soon the different will no longer be different. Understanding will replace fear.  Curiosity then knowledge and finally familiarity is the path to a more universal understanding of our fellow travelers on life's journey.  This increased understanding and later acceptance of those with different belief systems, histories and cultures can catapult society to the next evolutionary stage of human development.

People better knowing their world at large, better understanding peoples' differences and, more, similarities, will bring into reality the big picture vision — a renewed hope and sense of wonder at the discovery of our true nature, our undeniable interdependence.  

Mercy, Mercy Me

There seems to be very little variation when talking about New Year's resolutions with my family. We are tricked into thinking we've come full circle and, thus, that we can make a new start. As a family that hates waste, we prefer to start the year off economically, with our recycled resolutions from last year. Year after year, my mom swears she will learn how to bake that perfect blueberry pie. My sister will say she'll take Krav Maga lessons, and my brother will promise to move out of our parents' house for good. Only my Dad doesn't see a point in making resolutions — there isn't anything to improve in his life, and when it comes to the lives of others, it's none of his business. But as we all know him to be a superficially self-sufficient know-it-all who, in reality, would not survive a day without my mother and the company of the sports channel, nobody really pays any attention to anything he says. Ever!

At the risk of letting people think I don't believe in such silliness as making resolutions, I here confess I also fall into the trap of empty promises each New Year's Eve. As it is a bit of a family tradition, my resolutions also go around in circles. Formally, I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, and I never make any, but still, lurking somewhere deep inside the dusty, long-forgotten cupboards of my silly subconsciousness, my insecurities crawl their way up to the edges of my awareness, whispering their little turpitudes as they approach, especially on New Year's Eve.

Suddenly, I find it absolutely vital to my happiness to lose those five kilograms, which have been, quite literally, between myself and my bikini ever since I turned 22. After imagining myself rocking that pink bikini, with the yellow orchid print, I bought on my winter break in Costa del Sol in the very wild 1990s, another kind of disturbing anxiousness takes hold of me. I start feverishly pondering the meaning of life, and what I should do with mine and, oh my God, I am so not doing enough and should absolutely find ways to contribute and do something important and preferably upscale this year.

As I am writing down my options and searching the Internet for the vogue of the vogues, rolling my eyes at myself for missing all the cool things people have been doing while I was changing nappies and stepping on Duplo (what is this Ello people are on about?!), my husband walks by in his padded, windbreaker longjohns, a Beijing wintertime uniform for most of the locals. In passing, he asks why I am sighing so loudly. I reluctantly admit to him that I am thinking of my New Year's resolutions, and that it has made me feel rather inadequate about a great many things in life.

He is cheerfully unaware of such things as New Year's resolutions, and he thinks the issue silly: Why give simple decisions such undeserved importance when one can make similar resolutions every day. After some thinking, he flashes a wide grin typical to moments when he thinks he's come up with something clever, and he says he just thought of a great resolution for himself: He'll promise to be more lenient toward himself.

Damn with the 1990s bikini, and damn with the meaning of life. With a certain Marvin Gaye song as my Beijing soundtrack, my New Year's resolutions this year are to buy a bigger bikini, and to learn to be lenient toward myself, and others too.

(Source: Women of China English Monthly)