Four Countries Mount Campaign To Delay Ratification Of New U.N. Agency For Women's Issues

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 15 Sep 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Cuba, Egypt, Iran and Sudan have launched a last-minute campaign to delay the ratification of the United Nations' so-called "super agency" for women's issues, the Guardian reports. The new agency would consolidate the four existing U.N. agencies that deal with gender issues -- the U.N. Development Fund for Women, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues, the U.N. Division for the Advancement of Women and the U.N. International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women. The agency would be led by an under-secretary general and handle issues such as violence against women, property rights and HIV/AIDS. According to the Guardian, the creation of the agency hangs in the balance unless the U.N. General Assembly passes a resolution ratifying it before the current session ends on Monday.

The four countries trying to block the agency are known to have poor records on women's rights, the Guardian reports. The countries could be successful in blocking the will of the majority because many of the 192 countries that make up the U.N. General Assembly -- particularly its 77 developing nations -- are often reluctant to vote without a consensus.

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposed the new super agency in 2006 as part of reform plans for the U.N. According to the Guardian, Egypt claims that the other reform efforts Annan proposed have been superseded by the push to create the new agency. Egypt argues that the creation of the agency should be delayed until progress is made on the other reform goals.

Last week, Gareth Thomas, the U.K. development minister, called on the four countries to end their effort to block the ratification process. Thomas said, "Too many countries continue to have a disgraceful record on women's rights, and that is why it is time for the U.N. to stop talking and take action." Thomas added, "A single agency for women in the U.N. would be a far more powerful voice fighting for the rights of women -- many of whom suffer appalling levels of violence and ill-treatment on a daily basis."

Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., and other supporters say that a new agency with a larger budget and staff is necessary to address issues of specific concern for women, such as domestic violence. Kate Allen, the U.K. director of Amnesty International, said, "This new U.N. body is vitally important and should not be used as a political bargaining tool by U.N. member states" (Tran, Guardian, 9/11).

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