sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga

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Over the past two decades, there has been slow progress in women’s participation in the
following areas: (i) leadership positions and decision-making; (ii) land ownership; and (iii) resource
access, management and planning —all requisites for achieving <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong>.
(a)
Leadership positions and decision-making
Almost <strong>20</strong> <strong>years</strong> after the Rio Declaration, women’s participation in decision-making and in
leadership positions is still low at every level.
Agenda 21, chapter 24, paragraph 2(b) states that one of its objectives is “to increase the
proportion of women decision makers, planners, technical advisers, managers and extension workers in
environment and <strong>development</strong> fields”. Paragraph 7 specifies that “women should be fully involved in
decision-making and in the implementation of <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> activities” to ensure that the goal
of averting rapid environmental and economic degradation in developing countries is achieved.
Since 1995, the proportion of women heads of State worldwide has remained below 10%.
Women’s representation in Latin America and the Caribbean follows this global trend but reached two
peaks during this <strong>20</strong>-year period: in 1995, women heads of State in the region accounted for 25% of all
women heads of State worldwide; in <strong>20</strong>10 they accounted for 23.5%, rising from only 12.5% in <strong>20</strong>00
and 0% in <strong>20</strong>05 (IPU, <strong>20</strong>06, <strong>20</strong>10).
There has been a gradual increase in the proportion of seats held by women in the region’s
national parliaments. In <strong>20</strong>10, this share averaged <strong>20</strong>%, only six percentage points under the average for
developed countries. 10 At least 23 of the 28 countries that have achieved a 30% representation in national
parliaments have applied quotas (UN-Women, <strong>20</strong>10a). At least 10 Latin American and Caribbean
countries now have laws establishing quotas to promote women’s participation in politics (ECLAC,
<strong>20</strong>10). The trend in women’s seats in national parliaments is repeated in women’s participation in
ministerial positions, which is only 19% in Latin America and the Caribbean (the majority in social
portfolios). 11 The low percentage of women ministers in science and technology portfolios, as well as in
finance, trade and national budget portfolios, limits women’s influence in these areas that are so important
for <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> and resource allocation (ECLAC, <strong>20</strong>10).
Women’s representation in local public office is also low. Between 1998 and <strong>20</strong>09, the proportion of
women elected as mayors rose slightly from around 5% to nearly 8%, with women holding more than 10% of
mayoral posts in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Dominican Republic (ECLAC, <strong>20</strong>10).
Affirmative action promoted by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination against Women, including quotas, helps to increase women’s participation in politics,
fostering a more balanced representation and ensuring that women’s views are considered. However, it is
essential for Governments to become more aware of the gender perspective and to adopt positive
measures, in order to promote an enabling environment for women’s representation and participation at
all levels of decision-making (global, national and local). In response to the recommendations in the
section on international and regional cooperation and coordination, the United Nations General Assembly
established the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-
Women) in <strong>20</strong>10.
10
11
See ECLAC, Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean [online] http://www.eclac.org/
oig/adecisiones/default.asp?idioma=IN.
UN-Women, internal records of women in parliament and women ministers of State. March <strong>20</strong>11 update.