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WOMEN GAIN SOME, LOSE SOME IN JOHANNESBURG
The Women's Development and Environment
Organization (WEDO), echoing other civil society
groups' assessment of the Johannesburg Summit,
saw mixed blessing coming out of the recently
concluded meeting.
In a brief report issued right after the
conclusion of the meeting, WEDO labeled the
implementation plan as "not an action plan and
contains few targets for implementation" and,
therefore, does not advance the international
movement toward sustainability. As early as the
fourth preparatory meeting in Bali, women's
groups had detected a lack of "political will
and commitment of resources needed to implement
the still far-reaching Agenda 21."
WEDO, however, did not overlook the gains that
were won, particularly in the commitments to
improve access to clean water and basic
sanitation. Advocacy groups also succeeded in
inserting explicit language guaranteeing women's
right to inherit land in the official document.
Women's groups also seemed satisfied with the
gender sensitive provisions of the plan.
However, the big disappointment was that such
good intentions were not provided a clear path
for implementation.
In particular, WEDO stated that "the Summit had
failed to establish the international governance
structures and resources necessary to ensure
that these words will be transferred into
action." Without clear implementing programs,
civil society groups clearly need to press
governments and the United Nations to fulfill
their promises and show good faith in their
intentions. - ENVIRONMENTAL BROADCAST
CIRCLE (EBC), THE PHILIPPINES
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