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AMERICAS: Fighting to Get Gender on the Agenda

Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, May 2 2005 (IPS) - Women from throughout the hemisphere are mobilising to make sure their voices are heard at this year’s 4th Summit of the Americas in Argentina, but while some place emphasis on the negative impact of trade liberalisation, others are striving for the inclusion of a much broader range of issues on the agenda.

“Creating Jobs to Confront Poverty and Strengthen Democratic Governance” is the official theme of the upcoming Summit, which will bring together the leaders of all of the countries of the Americas – with the exception of Cuba – Nov. 4-5 in the Argentine resort town of Mar del Plata, 400 km south of Buenos Aires, where they will adopt a declaration and plan of action for the hemisphere.

The first Summit of the Americas, held in Miami, Florida in 1994, was organised by the United States to launch its initiative for the creation of a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) – a project that has failed to prosper because of disagreements between Washington and a number of other countries, particularly those of the Southern Common Market or Mercosur (made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay).

Although there have been attempts to emphasise other issues at subsequent summits, such as poverty, education and employment, the FTAA is nevertheless the raison d’être for the Americas Summit, and free trade has continued to be the focus of the agenda, the debate, and the criticism of those who oppose this process.

“They always come up with very evocative-sounding themes that are essentially a smokescreen for these meetings, but when it comes right down to it, the real goal is to push forward the process of trade liberalisation and the implementation of the FTAA,” said Norma Sanchis, Argentine coordinator of the Latin American branch of the International Gender and Trade Network.

Sanchis believes it is important for women to mobilise and begin voicing their expectations and demands as the Summit of the Americas approaches, but stressed that these meetings “were born with the clear objective of creating the FTAA,” which is why it is crucial to remain alert. “If these negotiations begin to move forward again, we have to be clear on what the cost will be,” she told IPS.

In her opinion, hemispheric trade integration in itself is harmful to women, as has already been demonstrated by the impact of subregional free trade pacts like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed by Canada, the United States and Mexico, and the agreement negotiated by the United States and five Central American countries.

As a result, it is essential to keep attention focused on this one particular point. “If it’s possible to make room for other issues besides trade liberalisation, like women’s health, then that’s great, but we must not forget that this a declaration adopted by the leaders, and is therefore something totally theoretical,” she warned.

Representatives of women’s organisations throughout the hemisphere met in Buenos Aires in April for the Gender Forum of the Americas, the first in a series of meetings that are supposed to encourage civil society participation in the preparations for the Summit.

Although the recommendations that came out of the Forum – and are to be submitted to the leaders participating in the Summit – are still being discussed, IPS was able to consult a draft version, which points to the fact that poverty, social exclusion and inequality affect the countries of the region to different degrees, and therefore opposes trade treaties based on unequal relations among the parties.

The draft recommendations also call for policies that incorporate a gender perspective, efforts to prevent violence against women, the recognition of women’s unpaid work in the home, respect for sexual and reproductive rights, and progress towards the legalisation of abortion.

The Argentine chapter of the Mercosur Women’s Forum has also drafted a series of proposals based on the theme of the Summit and aimed specifically at the hemisphere’s health ministers, who will be meeting in Mar del Plata five months before the heads of state and government come together.

The document, put together by non-governmental organisations in Argentina, underlines that although the question of gender equity has gained ground in successive Summits, “the issue has not been fully integrated into all areas, particularly health.”

“The creation of more and better jobs requires state policies that promote, protect and guarantee the fulfilment of the right to health, with emphasis on sexual and reproductive health, given its fundamental impact on women’s potential access to decent employment,” the document states.

It also calls for “reinforcing the autonomy of governments and the separation of church and state in the face of the pressures exerted by the leaders of conservative religious sectors,” which obstruct the implementation of progressive policies for women, including the legalisation of abortion.

The document further stresses that it is crucial for health ministries to be included in the FTAA negotiations, which until now have been limited to “closed” meetings of trade and industry officials, with “almost no participation on the part of civil society organisations.”

In an interview with IPS, Ester Nani, general coordinator of the Argentine chapter of the Mercosur Women’s Forum, noted that progress is always made in successive summits with regard to trade issues, but not on other issues of key importance to society, such as women’s health, “which isn’t even on the agenda.”

“Timid advances” have been made in incorporating a gender perspective at the Summits of the Americas, but women continue to be relegated to the list of “vulnerable sectors,” said Nani.

No value is placed on women’s contributions in the economic, social and employment spheres, and the importance of women’s health as a key to eradicating poverty is completely disregarded, she argued.

With regard to sexual and reproductive health, Nani noted that tremendous pressure is being exerted by women’s organisations to get this subject on the hemispheric agenda, including the issue of legalising abortion, although this point is still being debated with other organisations in the subregional forum.

In the meantime, the breadth and depth of these discussions and the proposals put forward are barely reflected in the draft version of what will eventually be the declaration adopted by the leaders participating in the Summit.

The preliminary version drafted by the Summit secretariat will undoubtedly undergo further changes, but it is a foregone conclusion that the space devoted to women’s demands will be extremely limited.

The current draft includes little more than one paragraph urging governments to “substantially reduce the gender gap” in employment and to “explore” ways of measuring the economic contribution made by women’s unpaid work in the home.

Sanchis commented that the draft prepared by the Argentine organisers “isn’t bad” since it states that economic growth is not sufficient to generate quality employment and calls for a better distribution of wealth. As for its take on gender issues, “it may be rhetorical, but it’s correct.”

In any event, the final declaration will go through a great many changes before it is adopted, which is why it is urgent for civil society as a whole to closely follow these discussions, she concluded.