Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Forty-eighth session
17 January- 4 February 2011
Item 6 of the provisional agenda
Implementation of articles 21 and 22 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Reports provided by the specialized agencies of the United Nations system on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their activities
Addendum
Note by the Secretary-General*
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
I.Introduction
1.The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, at its forty-eighth session, will examine the national reports of the following countries: Bangladesh; Belarus; Israel; Kenya; Liechtenstein; South Africa; and Sri Lanka.
2.Article 22 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women invites specialized agencies to “submit reports on the implementation of the Convention in areas falling within the scope of their activities”, accounting for recent activities, policies and programmes. Accordingly, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reports hereafter on the implementation of article 10 on “education” and related articles.
3.The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) assigns two basic functions to education. Firstly, it stipulates that “education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality” and secondly, that “it shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace” (art. 26, para. 2). Despite the commitments made by Member States to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the other more recent human rights instruments, much work remains to be done to achieve just and harmonious societies. Human rights abuses and violent conflicts persist which affect disproportionately women and girls. Violence occurs at every level, including in school environments.
4.The right to education is at the very heart of the UNESCO mission and is an integral part of its constitutional mandate. The Constitution of UNESCO expresses the belief of its founders in “full and equal opportunities for education for all”. Exclusion from education and from fundamental human rights is one of the most powerful obstacles which stand in the way of democracy and peace.
5.UNESCO’s normative action for the implementation of the Convention against Discrimination in Education (1960) contributes to promoting equality of educational opportunities among girls and boys. Basic education for girls and women has also been an important element in the vision for education developed by the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first century, in its Report presented to UNESCO: “Learning: The Treasure Within” (1996), which stated that “Education is a human right and an essential tool for achieving the goals of equality, development and peace. Non-discriminatory education benefits both girls and boys, and thus ultimately contributes to more equal relationships between women and men. Equality of access to and attainment of educational qualifications is necessary if more women are to become agents of change”.
6.UNESCO has a major role and responsibility within the United Nations system in the field of the right to education, and for the implementation of the “Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women” which provides that “the States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in order to ensure to them equal rights with men in the field of education…” (Article 10).
II.General activities of UNESCO to implement the Conventionin the Secretariat
7.As a specialized agency of the United Nations, UNESCO contributes to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. In UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy for 2008-2013, gender equality has been designated as one of two global priorities of the Organisation (the other one being Africa). This “Priority Gender Equality” is pursued through a two pronged approach, (a) gender-specific programming and (b) gender mainstreaming in all of UNESCO fields of competence. UNESCO’s first woman Director-General, elected in November 2009, has made gender equality one of the principal priorities of her mandate, and is strongly engaged in pursuing this commitment through substantive programmes and concrete action.
8.UNESCO’s efforts to promote women’s empowerment, women’s rights and gender equality are guided by the Beijing Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), resolutions and international and regional Instruments relevant to UNESCO’s areas of action, its Medium-Term Strategy for 2008-2013, its biannual Programme and Budget document, as well as its organization-wide “Priority Gender Equality Action Plan for 2008-2013” which supports and guides the implementation of its global “Priority Gender Equality”. The Action Plan contains information on strategic actions by programme sectors pertaining to gender equality with corresponding expected outcomes and performance indicators for 2008-2013, principal elements of implementation, monitoring and reporting on action in support of gender equality, and institutional mechanisms for the pursuit of gender equality in the Organization with focus on capacity development, accountability and representation of women and men in decision-making levels in the Secretariat.
9.UNESCO primarily addresses the following types of discrimination and violence against women: interpersonal violence in and out of schools; trafficking in women; and women in conflict and post-conflict situations. Activities cover various fields of education; the natural sciences; the social and human sciences; culture; and communication and information. A two-pronged approach to discrimination and violence against women has been developed:
A behavioural approach. Through education and with the help of ICTs, UNESCO seeks to build commitment to peace and non-violence in the minds of women and men. This includes the promotion of gender-sensitive Human Rights education and non-violent conflict resolution approaches. UNESCO’s Human Rights Education programme seeks to bring about a profound reform of education in order to transform attitudes and behaviours that condone violence. It touches upon curriculum development, in-service and pre-service training, textbooks, methodology, classroom management, and the organization of the education system at all levels.
A structural approach. UNESCO looks at the structural causes of violence against women and seeks to encourage holistic and culturally appropriate policy responses towards their elimination.
10.Within the Secretariat, the Division for Gender Equality in the Office of the Director-General is responsible to initiate, facilitate and monitor all actions pertaining to women’s empowerment and gender equality at Headquarters and in the field. The Division works with staff in the programme sectors in headquarters as well as in field offices in the implementation of the Priority Gender Equality through the Action Plan.
11.The Division for Gender Equality also organizes high-level and awareness-raising events to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, and the International Women’s Day on 8 March. To mark the occasion on 25 November this year, UNESCO hosted a series of events starting from 28 October, which included conferences, exhibitions, roundtables and film screenings that underscored the different forms of violence against women in UNESCO’s fields of action, and highlighted efforts underway in different regions of the world to prevent it.
12.UNESCO events to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in 2010 started on 28 October 2010 with the conference and artistic exhibition “Under the wings of the butterflies” on the life of the three Mirabal sisters – political activists in the Dominican Republic who were brutally assassinated on orders of Dominican ruler Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961) and in whose honour the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was established by the General Assembly in 1999. 13.On 22 November, UNESCO organized the conference and artistic exhibition “Voices on the Rise: Afghan Women Making the News” that gave insight into the challenges faced by Afghan women journalists. On 25 November, the Conference “Women, Water and Sustainable Development in Africa”, addressing women’s central role in the provision, management and safeguarding of water, emphasized that access to clean water and to sanitation will not only reduce women’s workloads, increase girls’ opportunities to attend school, and free up time for other economic activities, but will also lead to increased security for women and girls who face the constant risk of being raped and assaulted when fetching water far away from home.
14.In preparation for the Millennium Development Goals High-Level Meeting that took place in New York in September 2010, UNESCO organized a high-level international conference entitled “Gender Equality: the Missing Link? – Rethinking the Internationally Agreed Development Goals beyond 2015” in Athens that addressed the critical importance of the need to continue to promote gender equality in the context of multiple global crises, and the need to mobilize the international community to overcome traditional resistances to women’s empowerment and gender equality. To further discuss future prospects for the achievement of gender equality, a follow-up seminar was organized at UNESCO Headquarters on “UN-Women: the New UN Framework for Gender Equality" with the participation of Rachel Mayanja (Assistant Secretary-General and Head of OSAGI and IANWGE) and Aminata Touré (Director of Gender Equality, Human Rights and Culture at the UNFPA).
15.In accordance with its multi-year programme of work for 2010-2014, the Commission on the Status of Women will consider “Access and participation of women and girls to education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work” as its priority theme during its fifty-fifth session in 2011. In order to contribute to a fuller understanding of the issue and to assist the Commission in its deliberations, UNESCO, in collaboration with the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (now part of UN-Women), convened an expert group meeting (EGM) on ‘Gender, Science and Technology’. The EGM explored the gender dimensions of science and technology with a view to identify policies and programmes that can accelerate progress towards the internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs. EGM also examined strategies for increasing women’s access to and use of technology, including more gender-responsive products, increasing women’s access to and participation in science and technology education and training and eliminating barriers to women’s participation in science and technology employment.
III.Measures taken by UNESCO to implement the provisions of the Convention in the countries to be considered at the forty-eighth session
A.Country-specific reports: UNESCO initiatives/projects
16.There are included below country-specific reports on UNESCO initiatives and projects in the following countries: Bangladesh; Belarus; Israel; Kenya; Liechtenstein; South Africa; and Sri Lanka.
B.Longitudinal and comparative gender-parity educational statistics for all countries reporting for the forty-eighth session
Bangladesh
17.Bangladeshis not party to the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education.
Constitutional framework
18.The right to education is not expressly mentioned in the Constitution as modified in 2004. Nevertheless, the Constitution makes it the responsibility of the State to “provide the basic necessities of life, including … education” according to Article 15. Moreover, Article 28 grants the citizen the fundamental right to non-discrimination “on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth” in their access to “any educational institution”. Finally, the protection of freedom of religion is such that the pupils shall not “be required to receive religious instruction” (art. 41).
Legislative framework
19.Within the legislative framework, a first step to universal primary education has been made with the Primary Education (Compulsory) Act (1990) which declared education compulsory for children from 6 to 10 and has been implemented countrywide in 1993. A strong social mobilization process has been initiated to create awareness and elicit participation of all, including the training of village-level committees, organizing rallies of mothers, student brigades, and use of mass and electronic media. As a result, the people have become more conscious of the need for education, which translates into increasing school enrolments and improving completion rates. The system of establishment of private universities was regulated by the Non-Government Universities Act No. 34 of 1992 Article 5 states that “Private universities shall be open to men and women of any caste, religion, race and class”, whereas according article 7 (f) “it shall reserve five percent of the total number of seats fixed for the admission of students for the admission of indigent or gifted students, and all such students shall have opportunity to study without paying fees”.
Policies
20.The education structure consists of a formal sub-system and a non-formal sub-system. Both sub-systems also have parallel religious streams. The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MOPME) is responsible for basic education. The Ministry of Education (MOE) is responsible for secondary and higher education; it also looks after the Madrasah (Islamic) and other formal religious streams of education. More than 700 NGOs are active in non-formal education, with some of them organizing and managing formal primary schools as well. The private sector manages schools where teaching takes place in English.
21.The Second Primary Education Development Programme 2004-2009 (PEDP-II) was launched as a sequel to PEDP-I with the aim of expanding access to quality primary education and equity for all eligible girls and boys in Bangladesh. It also “develops strategies and action plan for mainstreaming indigenous children’s education”. The Reaching Out-of-School Children (ROSC) 2004-2010 project was developed to supplement PEDP II (that focuses solely on the formal system) by addressing the needs of the large numbers of out-of-school children, especially girls. According to the government, the project caters for vulnerable groups for example landless or racial minorities and disadvantaged girls and boys of urban areas.
22.Secondary education programmes have been developed as well; Secondary Education Sector Improvement Project (2000-2010) (SESIP), developed within the framework of the secondary education development plan, aims to strengthening management systems and capacity of secondary education; quality support systems of secondary education, and equitable access of girls and boys to secondary education. The Female Secondary Education Stipend Project (FESP) has been created to improve gender equality issues and focuses on rural girls providing them monthly payments and text books allowance. One key achievement that is often cited is that the country achieved gender parity at primary and secondary education. In addition education has been made free for girls up to grade 12 from 2002.
23.Bangladesh has undertaken systematic reforms across all sectors in the last decade, with an emphasis on initiatives to increase women’s participation through laws, international conventions, and affirmative actions to meet quotas to ensure women’s participation. Bangladesh is also looking into the achievement of gender equality in all spheres of society. Since landlessness and poverty have forced women and men to find jobs outside their homesteads, the equal rights and responsibilities of women and men will be further promoted.
24.The Bangladesh Platform for Action addresses violence against women, legal rights, health and education as the major gender issues. Increasing girls’ access to schooling has been the goal of education reforms undertaken since 1992. Affirmative action measures have more than doubled female teacher recruitment. School stipends for girls and Food-For-Education programmes were introduced to reduce primary school dropout rates. New curriculum and textbooks were screened for gender bias.
25.The main weaknesses for addressing gender equality issues in both government and NGO instructional systems are poorly trained teachers, learning environments that are not gender friendly, static classroom practices, non-relevant curriculum, and the lack of an assessment system. Management practices maintain a status quo that limits women’s ability to provide leadership in governance at every level.
Education
26.The objectives of the project on “Integrated Education Health and Capacity Building of Adolescent Girls Programme” were to provide knowledge, tools and services to a large number of disadvantaged adolescent girls in slum areas in Dhaka. The major themes of the project included “Adolescent Family Life Education”, “Non-formal Continuing Education”, “Health Education with Special Emphasis on Reproductive Health”, and “Skills Development for Capacity Building and Credit Support”. 400 adolescent girls were enrolled at seven Non-formal Education Centres.
Communication and Information
27.Two hundred (200) grassroots journalists in 10 coastal districts benefited from a training programme on Ethics and a Code of Conduct, Gender Sensitive and Rights-Based Reporting organized by the Mass-line Media Centre (MMC), a major NGO focusing on media development and democracy in Bangladesh. This activity was made possible thanks to a grant from UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). MMC selected 198 working journalists, 81 of whom were female, to follow the training which lasted three days over a ten-month period. The tools included a newly published book on a Code of Ethics in Journalism, prepared by MMC, as well as presentations on gender equality and rights issues. The participants produced 600 gender sensitive and rights-based reports, as well as 50 field-based reports. The follow-up of the training was facilitated by the establishment of dedicated websites, an electronic newsletter and the monitoring of press freedom. Since the training, it has been observed that grassroots journalists have prepared more reports on gender sensitive and rights-based issues and are making efforts to maintain a code of ethics.
Fellowships
28.UNESCO has given the following fellowships to women in Bangladesh from 2007 until 2010:
22/07/2008: Co-sponsored Fellowships (UNESCO/CHINA – The Great Wall) in the field of Agricultural Environment Sciences;
11/08/2010: Co-sponsored Fellowships (UNESCO/REPUBLIC OF KOREA) in the field of Education – Teacher Training in Basic Education
Belarus
29.Belarushas been party to the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education since December 1962.
Constitutional framework
30.Article 49 of the 1994 Constitution of Belarus states as follows: “Everyone shall have the right to education. Access to free general secondary and vocational-technical education shall be guaranteed. Secondary and higher education shall be accessible to all according to the capabilities of each individual. Everyone may, on a competitive basis, obtain the appropriate education at state educational establishments free of charge.” Concerning gender equality, Article 32 stipulates that “Women shall be guaranteed equal rights with men in their opportunities to receive education and vocational training, (…).” and article 22 underlines that “All shall be equal before the law and entitled without discrimination to equal protection of their rights and legitimate interests.”
Legislative and Administrative framework
31.The Education Act was adopted on 29 October 1991.. The general education system includes the following cycles: primary, basic and secondary (11 or 12 years of study, ages 6 to 17 or 18), which can exist separately or as part of a basic or secondary school. According to the Act, “The Republic of Belarus guarantees the development of education on a priority basis, the appropriate social and economic conditions for the functioning of the education system, the rights of women and men to receive general and vocational schooling, the transmission of general cultural values, and the protection of intellectual property, talent and culture”.
Policies
32.The main priorities of Belarus for 2006-2010 are education and health. They are also recognized by the National Programme and Development Plan of Belarus until 2020.
33.General basic education is compulsory. Article 49 of the Constitution guarantees the right of Belarusian citizens to receive free primary and secondary education. Moreover, education grants are received by 24.3 per cent of children. The State provides free food for children under the age of 2 in low-income families.
34.Women and men can apply equally for any higher education programme at any Higher Education Establishments (HEI). To make it more effective and attractive, the intensification of the international scientific cooperation and the promotion of academic mobility are necessary, as well as a special financial support of young female scientists’ research projects trough the system of the state grants. There is a system of human rights education at school and university levels. Since 2003 the National Plan on Human Rights Education “Exploring Human Rights law” has been applied in the country. It is implemented as an academic course at Universities.
Communication and information
35.The UNESCO Office in Moscow supported a series of curriculum development activities in Belarus with the aim to provide academic community with knowledge and materials on gendered media self-regulation and the rule of law. A summer school and two books were published to provide the Journalism Department of the Belarusian State University with a solid theoretical knowledge and practical skills to introduce future female journalists and mid-career professionals to the notion of media regulation and self-regulation. The International Summer School brought together leading Russian and Belarusian female experts in the field of media law. The event targeted media law experts and media educators from universities and other institutions of higher education coming from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and the Russian Federation. The programme included the issues of international standards of freedom of expression, access to information, protection of honour and dignity, author rights in journalism and communication, self-regulation of the media as well as approaches and methods of teaching media law to journalists and media professionals.
Fellowships
36.UNESCO gave the following fellowships to women in Belarus from 2007 until 2010:
23/02/2010: Co-Sponsored Fellowships (UNESCO/ Russian Federation) in the field of Sustainable Energy Development
Israel
37.Israel has been party to the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education since 1961.
Constitutional Framework
38.Israel has no written constitution in one single document, but rather a number of Basic Laws but all of them guarantee the right to education.
Legislative framework
39.According to the Compulsory Education Law (1949), and to the changes introduced by the reform of the school system in 1968, compulsory education applies to all girls and boys between the ages of 5 (compulsory kindergarten) and 15 (grade 10) inclusive. This education is provided free of charge. In addition, the law provides for free education for adolescents aged 16-17, as well as for 18-year-olds who did not complete their schooling in grade 11 in accordance with the curriculum. The State is responsible for provision of free primary education under this law. Important additions to the original version of this law include a prohibition against discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin, a prohibition against discrimination in acceptance, placement, and advancement of pupils as well as a prohibition against punishing pupils for actions or omissions on the part of their parents.
40.The Pupils’ Rights Law of 2000 establishes principles regarding girls’ and boys’ rights in compliance with the UN Charter for Children’s Rights. According to this law, a child has a right to education, to participate in matriculation examinations, a right to confidentiality and to realize her or his rights.
41.The Women’s Equal Right Law, amended in 2000, expresses a policy of guaranteeing equality to women and men. Section 6 of the amended law proclaims that every woman and man have equal right to a dignified existence, which includes equal treatment in the area of education.
Natural sciences
42.Adad Yonath was the L'Oreal-UNESCO Laureate 2008 for Europe for her structural studies of the protein biosynthesis system and its disruption by antibiotics. Prof. Yonath made many crucial insights and developed innovative techniques that led to determining the structure of ribosomes, the site of protein biosynthesis in living cells.
Fellowships
43.UNESCO gave the following fellowships to women in Israel from 2007 until 2010:
20/08/2007: RP-UNESCO Fellowships Programme in support of Priority Programme Areas in the field of Biodiversity with focus on the Regulation of Genetically Modified Organism.
Kenya
44.Kenya is not party to the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education.
Constitutional framework
45.Recently, Kenya adopted by referendum a new constitution, which recognises every person’s right to education (art. 43). In addition, it stipulates that every girl and boy has the right to free and compulsory education (art. 53). According to this new Constitution, the State shall put in place affirmative action programmes to ensure that young girls and boys receive relevant education and training (art. 55) and that minorities and marginalised groups, especially women, are provided with special opportunities in education (art. 56).
Legislative framework
46.The Education Act (1968, revised in 1980) assigned the responsibility for education to the Ministry of Education and instituted various organs for the organisation and management of education at all levels. It gives guidelines on the establishment and development of schools, their management and administration. The Children’s Act, which was enacted by Parliament and took effect from 1 April 2002, requires the government to undertake all the necessary steps to make available free basic education to every girl and boy.
Policies
47.Kenya has made commendable progress in universalising primary education since the National Conference on Education in Nairobi in November 2003, organised by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. The government has also initiated programmes to strengthen partnerships among key education partners and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education. These programmes have focused on girls, health and nutrition, and capacity building for efficient school management, curriculum reviews, and policy-oriented educational research.
48.Until the 1970s, considerably more boys than girls had access to education in Kenya. However, with the Government’s intervention and public awakening, parents began to send, and keep their girls in school. According to a conference organized by the African Union’s International Centre for Girls’ and Women’s Education, Kenya is currently among 15 countries in Africa that are closing the gap on gender inequality in education. A Gender and Education Policy developed in 2003 makes provision for the re-admission of girls who become pregnant while still at school, even allowing them to seek a place at a different institution to the one they originally attended. In the interest of equal access, the government plans to introduce a bursary programme directed at girls in difficult circumstances, in particular those at the upper primary level in the rural and slum areas. The Children’s Act of 2001 that provides for education as a right to all children has further enhanced the drive for girl’s education. In addition, the reforms like free primary education and expansion of secondary education have created more educational opportunities which will indirectly promote girls education.
Education:
49.In December 2007, the UNCT completed the UNDAF 2009-13. After the post-election crisis of January-March 2008, the UNDAF results matrix was revised with UNESCO’s assistance. Unlike previous years, the current UNDAF is aligned with the Kenya vision 2030. Furthermore, in order to be effective, the UNCT Kenya had decided to concentrate on a few joint programmes. These are: gender equality and women’s empowerment; youth empowerment and employment; HIV & AIDS; and food security and nutrition. UNESCO is active in two of the programmes: HIV & AIDS and gender equality. All the joint programmes (except HIV & AIDS) suffer from lack of funds, which means that agencies only participate with their own resources. Since UNESCO has no designated funds in the area of gender, the Organization was only involved in the programming exercise and project development.
Natural sciences
50.The Government identified in 2009 that mainstreaming of gender in STI is a serious concern and it is likely that UNESCO may be called upon to assist in the development of a gender policy for the science and technology sector.
Social and human Sciences:
51.UNESCO is contributing towards capacity-building activities to enhance the knowledge base on women and gender equality in Kenyan society, and to undertake training and advocacy activities favouring girls and women. This should help to provide support for women’s participation in public life in Kenya, and also important policy-relevant research on issues such as gendered poverty and violence against women which can be used by the Ministry and Government in planning and implementing measures to ensure fulfilment of their commitments under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
52.UNESCO is also supporting the establishment of a Regional Research and Documentation Centre on Women, Gender and Peace Building, to be located in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Kenya is one of States concerned by the establishment of this centre. In this context, the Kenyan Minister for Gender, Children and Social Development participated in the two meetings of the Forum of Ministers of Women of the Great Lakes Region held in 2008 and 2009, and Kenya hosted a Forum follow-up meeting in 2009 in Mombasa. The Kenyan Minister also participated in the Third Forum of Ministers held in Arusha, Tanzania, in December 2010.
53.In addition to support for the establishment of the Regional Research and Documentation Centre on Women, Gender and Peace Building, Kenya, with UNESCO’s technical support, will establish a National Gender Research and Documentation Centre which will work in collaboration with the Regional Centre. The objective is to be a Centre of excellence in Gender Research and Documentation in the Great Lakes Region and beyond. Through the Centre, networking and collaboration at the national level with linkages at the regional level and beyond will be enhanced, and the following activities will be undertaken:
Create a data base on sex disaggregated data;
Identify the gaps and how they will be addressed;
Promote partnerships through sharing of information and knowledge;
Develop a resource mobilization strategy for the Centre;
Strengthen the centre’s role in research for policy formulation and review.
54.The research themes of the centre will focus on:
Collection and utilization of sex disaggregated data on gender equality issues;
Baseline surveys on different issues on women’s empowerment and gender equality;
Domestication and implementation of regional and international gender related human rights instruments.
55.The centre will advance knowledge and research on women’s rights and help to inform about relevant policies on gender equality which should help Kenya to advance towards the fulfilment of its commitments under the Convention.
Communication and Information
56.UNESCO is promoting the engagement of African women’s organizations in processes leading to the drafting, adoption and effective implementation of Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation and related policies. In so doing, it seeks to advance the fulfilment of African women’s right to information by contributing to the enactment of laws formulated in a gender-inclusive manner. This effort is aligned with the Organization’s two global priorities, Gender Equality and Africa. Follow-up actions to the first phase of the Freedom of Information and Women’s Rights in Africa Project are being planned, and fundraising efforts are underway. South Africa and Kenya are among the countries included in the proposal for these follow-up actions.
57.As a first step in the Freedom of Information and Women’s Rights in Africa Project, a resource book entitled “Freedom of Information and Women’s Rights in Africa” has been produced in collaboration with the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET). The resource book compiles case studies from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Zambia. Three editions of the resource book have been published in English, and one in French (1,000 copies per edition).
58.Awareness has been raised on the importance of FOI for women’s rights among the Member States featured in the resource book, through an information meeting held at UNESCO Headquarters in March 2010. Following this information meeting, the resource book was launched internationally through a roundtable discussion held in Paris in March 2010 on the occasion of the celebrations of International Women’s Day. Awareness-raising efforts have also been undertaken in Africa: launch of the resource book at the regional level during the African Union Summit in January 2010; dissemination among women organizations, media houses, human rights organizations involved in FOI campaigns, journalism and communications students and research centres.
59.A proposal has been submitted to the European Commission to obtain extra-budgetary resources to fund follow-up actions in Cameroon, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The project duration will be 30 months. The amount requested from the European Commission is one million euros (90 per cent of the total estimated budget for the project, which is 1.1 million euros). Activities planned under this proposal preliminarily include: a) further dissemination of the resource book; including printing of new copies and translation into Swahili; b) production of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material for women’s organizations to use in their advocacy work; c) production of an advocacy toolkit to be used by African women’s rights organizations; d) efforts to engage media in awareness-raising campaigns (to increase women organizations’ participation in FOI processes and to create knowledge on FOI among women and girls), as well as to build media’s capacity to cover FOI and women’s rights issues (one media training workshop per country, and possibly the granting of funds to one selected reporter per country, to undertake an investigative journalism project that could contribute to further women’s rights through increased access to information); e) meetings to build links between organizations working on women’s issues with actors involved in FOI coalitions in each country, government officials, parliamentarians and politicians; f) country-level multi-stakeholder workshops; g) regional-level multi-stakeholder workshops; and h) Development of studies, reference material and a virtual platform to foster the exchange of experience and resources, news, existing and model FOI laws, regulations and policies, as well as to facilitate discussion and networking focused on FOI and women’s rights.
Culture
60.In November 2010, UNESCO organized a first NGO Forum in Nairobi preceding the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The aim was to build capacity and strengthen partnerships among NGOs, particularly those of developing countries, especially in Africa, as well as to promote greater involvement of civil society in the implementation of the Convention and in the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. The gender equality dimension of the intangible cultural heritage was strongly emphasized. The Forum brought together more than 100 participants. Nine (9) African NGOs participated in the Forum and in the 5-day Committee meeting funded by Hungary.
Fellowships
61.UNESCO has given the following fellowships to women in Kenya from 2007 until 2010:
20/08/2007: RP-UNESCO Fellowships Programme in support of Priority Programme Areas in the field of Biodiversity with focus on the Regulation of Genetically Modified Organism.
Liechtenstein
62.Liechtenstein is not a member State of UNESCO and as such is not party to the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education.
South Africa
63.South Africa has been party to the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education since March 2000.
Constitutional framework
64.The Constitution requires that education be transformed and democratized in accordance with the following values: human dignity; the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms; non-racism and non-sexism. The democratization of education includes the idea that all stakeholders (parents, educators, learners and members of the community) must participate in school activities. The right to education and especially basic education is provided for in the Constitution of 1997. Article 29 of the Constitution states that: “(1) Everyone has the right (a) to a basic education, including adult basic education; and (b) to further education, which the State, through reasonable measures, must make progressively available and accessible”.
Legislative framework
65.The National Education Policy Act is directed at the advancement and protection of the fundamental rights of every woman and man, which are guaranteed in terms of the Bill of Rights and in terms of international conventions ratified by South Africa. Among other provisions in NEPA, is the commitment towards achieving equitable education opportunities and the redress of inequality in education provision, including the promotion of gender equality and the advancement of the status of women.
66.The report submitted by South Africa for the Seventh Consultation on the implementation of the Convention Against Discrimination in Education (covering the period 2000-2005), mentions notably the challenge of eliminating racial discrimination in education, with a focus on racial integration strategy. The South of Africa School Act (SASA) undertakes to combat racism, sexism and all other forms of unfair discrimination and intolerance. The Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (2000) seeks to prevent or prohibit unfair discrimination. Moreover it is reported that in South Africa, citizens discriminated in education can approach the Constitutional Court to challenge the government.
Policies
67.The fundamental policy framework of the Ministry of Education was set out in 1995 in the first White Paper, “Education and Training in a Democratic South Africa: first steps to develop a new system”. The vast organizational process of de-commissioning the apartheid education structures, creating the national and nine provincial departments of education, transferring institutions, staff, offices, records and assets, was accomplished without a breakdown in education delivery. The White Paper 1 (1995) acknowledges that the care and development of young girls and boys must be the foundation of social relations and the starting point of human resources development strategies from community to national levels.
68.In the sphere of gender equity, much has changed in South Africa since 1994, and much has remained the same. The immediate post-apartheid period saw both the assertion of women as equal partners in all aspects of daily life and, on the one hand, the increase of violence against women and girls as well as of high levels of unemployment and poverty amongst women. The country had adopted the approach of education for all, and development and reform initiatives towards these goals are integrated into national strategic plans, policies and programmes. Girls’ education is one of the main achievements of the post-apartheid education system, with girls and boys enrolling in school in almost equal numbers. Educational opportunities for children from previously disadvantaged backgrounds are now considerably better than before. Numerous efforts have been performed in order to enable gender equality.
69.The Girls Education Movement was initiated to encourage girls to study science and technology. Furthermore, Guidelines for the Prevention of Sexual Violence and Harassment in public schools have been developed by the Ministry of Education. South Africa has delivered on Goal 3 of the Millennium Development Goals calling for the elimination of gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2015.
Natural sciences
70.The first L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards in the Life Sciences Ceremony for the “African Network of Scientific and Technological Institutions/L’Oreal-UNESCO Regional Fellowships for Women in Science” took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, in March 2010.
Social and human sciences
71.Within the framework of the programme on the action-oriented research to combat violence against women and with a view to developing policy recommendations on women’s rights designed to promote women’s full participation in and contribution to peace and security in post-conflict countries in Africa, UNESCO has initiated a research programme on women’s rights for peace and security in post-conflict democracies in Africa, in collaboration with the University of Hull, United Kingdom, and the Centre for Human Rights of University of Pretoria, South Africa. The first phase of this programme brought together researchers specialized in women’s rights in sub-Saharan Africa at a research meeting in Pretoria in 2007, to exchange ideas on key issues relating to “Women’s Rights for Peace and Security in Post-Conflict Democracies in Sub-Saharan Africa” and to develop policy recommendations for governments, international organizations and NGOs.
72.The research meeting also formed the basis for a productive dialogue on national policies on women’s rights with Ministers at the Second Forum of Women’s Affairs of the Great Lakes Region under the auspices of UNESCO. The dialogue developed consolidated policy recommendations for the report on “Women’s Rights for Peace and Security in Post-conflict Democracies in Sub-Saharan Africa”.
Communication and information
73.UNESCO is promoting the engagement of African women organizations in processes leading to the drafting, adoption and effective implementation of Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation and related policies. In so doing, it seeks to advance the fulfilment of African women’s right to information by contributing to the enactment of laws formulated in a gender-inclusive manner. This effort is aligned with the Organization’s two global priorities, Gender Equality and Africa. Follow-up actions to the first phase of the Freedom of Information and Women’s Rights in Africa Project are being planned, and fundraising efforts are underway. South Africa and Kenya are among the countries included in the proposal for these follow-up actions.
74.As a first step in the Freedom of Information and Women’s Rights in Africa Project, a resource book entitled “Freedom of Information and Women’s Rights in Africa” has been produced in collaboration with the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET). The resource book compiles case studies from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and Zambia. Three editions of the resource book have been published in English, and one in French (1000 copies per edition).
75.Awareness has been raised on the importance of FOI for women’s rights among the Member States featured in the resource book, through an information meeting held at UNESCO Headquarters in March 2010. Following this information meeting, the resource book was launched internationally through a roundtable discussion held in Paris in March 2010 on the occasion of the celebrations of International Women’s Day. Awareness-raising efforts have also been undertaken in Africa: launch of the resource book at the regional level during the African Union Summit in January 2010; dissemination among women organizations, media houses, human rights organizations involved in FOI campaigns, journalism and communications students and research centres.
76.A proposal has been submitted to the European Commission to obtain extra-budgetary resources to fund follow-up actions in Cameroon, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The project duration will be 30 months. The amount requested from the European Commission is one million euros (90 per cent of the total estimated budget for the project, which is 1.1 million euros). Activities planned under this proposal preliminarily include: a) further dissemination of the resource book; including printing of new copies and translation into Swahili; b) production of Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material for women’s organizations to use in their advocacy work; c) production of an advocacy toolkit to be used by African women’s rights organizations;d) efforts to engage media in awareness-raising campaigns (to increase women organizations’ participation in FOI processes and to create knowledge on FOI among women and girls), as well as to build media’s capacity to cover FOI and women’s rights issues (one media training workshop per country, and possibly the granting of funds to one selected reporter per country, to undertake an investigative journalism project that could contribute to further women’s rights through increased access to information); e) meetings to build links between organizations working on women’s issues with actors involved in FOI coalitions in each country, government officials, parliamentarians and politicians;f) country-level multi-stakeholder workshops; g) regional-level multi-stakeholder workshops; andh) Development of studies, reference material and a virtual platform to foster the exchange of experience and resources, news, existing and model FOI laws, regulations and policies, as well as to facilitate discussion and networking focused on FOI and women’s rights.
77.From the perspective of communication and information, some aspects related to media practice and content in the media underline the advancements or challenges South Africa is facing in relation to the objectives of the convention tackling discrimination against women. The source for the data mentioned below is the Gender and Media Progress Study from Southern Africa 2010 elaborated by Gender Links:
Article 4. Acceleration of equality between women and men. Gender equality is not given priority in South African media and it constitutes only 0.3 per cent of all topics covered in the media (as opposed to sports, which take 29 per cent of the coverage);
Article 5. Stereotypes and sex roles. Women only constitute 20 per cent of the sources of news, which prevents them from being heard, and creates preconceptions, prejudices and stereotypes. Women are mostly likely to be heard in topics considered as soft, making it difficult for them to challenge existing stereotypes;
Article 11. Discrimination regarding employment. Women constitute 54 per cnet of TV broadcasters and 49 per cent of all reporters. Women are especially under-represented as radio reporters. This is not in accordance with the South-African development Community Protocol on Gender and Development which pleads for 50 per cent representation of women in all areas of decision making;
Gender-based violence: stories about gender-based violence represent 3% of the topics covered by South African media. It is mainly men speaking about it, while women are most affected.
Fellowships
78.UNESCO has given the following fellowships to women in South Africa from 2007 until 2010:
05/03/2008: Co-Sponsored Fellowships (UNESCO/L’Oreal) Phase I in the field of Comparative Phylogeography.
22/09/2008: Co-Sponsored Fellowships (UNESCO/L’Oreal) for an award ceremony.
04/03/2009: Co-Sponsored Fellowships (UNESCO/L’Oreal) Phase I in the field of Medicine – African Traditional Medicine.
23/03/2009: Co-Sponsored Fellowships (UNESCO/L’Oreal) Phase II in the field of Comparative Phylogeography.
04/03/2010: Co-Sponsored Fellowships (UNESCO/L’Oreal) Phase I in the field of Medicine – African Traditional Medicine.
Sri Lanka
79.Sri Lanka is party to the UNESCO Convention against Discrimination in Education since August 1983.
Information and communication
80.UNESCO-sponsored community radio stations have proven instrumental for rural women in increasing participation and opinion sharing, improving and diversifying knowledge and skills and in catering to health and cultural needs. Local communities are provided with free Internet access. Besides its own Internet Café, the community radio has set up two free Internet access points at Gampola and Nawalapitiya community libraries. This has a big advantage for rural women since even those of them who may have access to the Internet have to pay a long distance telephone call each time they use it, a luxury that only very few can afford. The access points are also used as direct links to radio station to produce and air live broadcast programmes.
81.The community radio also develops its own computer database compiling information from the Internet that is often requested by community members. Much of the information on this website is available in local languages. This database attempts to solve the problem of non-availability of packaged information on the Internet adapted to rural needs. In addition, a collection of CD-ROMs will be made available at the community radio for public use.
Fellowships
82.UNESCO has given the following fellowships to women in Sri Lanka from 2007 until 2010:
28/07/2008: Research Fellowships (UNESCO/JAPAN: OBUCHI) in the field of Comparative Phylogenic study of Genus Machrobrachium: Hints for biodiversity conservation.
04/08/2009: Co-Sponsored Fellowships (UNESCO/CHINA – The Great Wall) in the field of Structural Engineering.
23/03/2009: Co-Sponsored Fellowships (UNESCO/CHINA – The Great Wall) in the field of Higher Education.
Constitutional framework
83.The Constitution of Sri Lanka, adopted in 1978, in its Chapter on Directive principles of State policy and fundamental duties, stipulates that “the State is pledged to establish in Sri Lanka a democratic socialist society, the objectives of which include: (…) the complete eradication of illiteracy and the assurance to all persons the right to universal and equal access to education at all levels” (art. 27 (2) (h)).
Legislative and administrative framework
84.The existing legislative framework comprises the Education Ordinance of 1939, the subsequent amendments to that Ordinance and a number of Acts enacted to set up various supportive bodies. Special Provision Act no. 8 of 1960 stipulated that the government is the sole provider of education to girls and boys aged 5 to 14. Special committees have been set up to motivate parents to send their girls to schools.
Policies
85.The origin of the education system in Sri Lanka can be traced back to the introduction of Buddhism in the third century B.C. The centres of learning were located within the premises of Buddhist temples. For centuries the concept of equality in education remained deep-seated in the country’s value system and was nourished by the religion of the majority. The present system is an outcome of an evolutionary process shaped by socio-economic and political factors and popular aspirations.
86.The schools are expected to play an active role in promoting moral, ethical and spiritual values. The schools are guided to initiate programmes aimed at cultural and moral development of the school community, and concepts relating to peace education, national harmony, democratic principles, human rights, gender equality and environmental conservation are built into the other subjects in the curriculum as appropriate. Education for conflict resolution and special activities related to peace education has been introduced in schools.
87.Education in Sri Lanka is mindful of the Millennium Development Goals in relation to the elimination of gender disparity in education. As a conscientious effort to promote gender equality in education, the Ministry of Education trained the national and sub national level education planners in developing gender responsive education for all levels. A gender sensitive five year plan for primary education (2000-2004) and a gender responsive medium term secondary education plan (2004-2008) have been formulated.
88.The non-formal education unit in the Ministry of Education is charged with the responsibility of identifying out of school children, especially girls, and providing them with alternate opportunities for education. Literacy centres have been established to address the needs of children either not enrolled in any schools or dropped out from school. A significant number of students are transferred from these centres to formal schools every year.
Annex
Longitudinal and comparative gender-parity educational statistics
for all countries reporting for the forty-eighth session
Table 1.Primary education
|
Data |
Gross enrolment ratio. Primary. Female |
Gross enrolment ratio. Primary. Male |
Gross enrolment ratio. Primary. Total |
Gender parity index for gross enrolment ratio. Primary |
||||||||||||||||
|
Year |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
|
Country |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Bangladesh |
… |
… |
(*)94 |
97 |
97 |
… |
… |
(*)89 |
91 |
92 |
… |
… |
(*)92 |
94 |
94 |
… |
… |
(*)1.06 |
1.07 |
1.05 |
|
Belarus |
100 |
… |
100 |
96 |
95 |
98 |
… |
98 |
98 |
97 |
99 |
… |
99 |
97 |
96 |
1.02 |
… |
1.02 |
0.99 |
0.98 |
|
Israel |
… |
… |
111 |
112 |
111 |
… |
… |
110 |
110 |
109 |
… |
… |
111 |
111 |
110 |
… |
… |
1.01 |
1.01 |
1.02 |
|
Kenya |
… |
… |
110 |
111 |
103 |
… |
114 |
113 |
113 |
106 |
… |
113 |
112 |
112 |
105 |
… |
0.98 |
0.98 |
0.99 |
0.97 |
|
Liechtenstein |
… |
… |
(*)107 |
(*)109 |
(*)106 |
… |
… |
(*)107 |
(*)110 |
(*)108 |
… |
… |
(*)107 |
(*)110 |
(*)107 |
… |
… |
(*)1.00 |
(*)0.99 |
(*)0.98 |
|
South Africa |
… |
… |
… |
103 |
102 |
… |
… |
… |
106 |
106 |
… |
… |
… |
105 |
104 |
… |
… |
… |
0.96 |
0.96 |
|
Sri Lanka |
… |
… |
102 |
105 |
108 |
… |
… |
101 |
105 |
108 |
… |
… |
101 |
105 |
108 |
… |
… |
1.00 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
(*) National Estimation
... Data not available
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, (http://www.uis.unesco.org); last accessed on 24/11/2010.
Table 2.Secondary education
|
Data |
Gross enrolment ratio. Secondary. All programmes. Female |
Gross enrolment ratio. Secondary. All programmes. Male |
Gross enrolment ratio. Secondary. All programmes. Total |
Gender parity index for gross enrolment ratio. Secondary. All programmes |
||||||||||||||||
|
Year |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
|
Country |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Bangladesh |
… |
… |
45 |
45 |
45 |
… |
… |
40 |
43 |
42 |
… |
… |
42 |
44 |
43 |
… |
… |
1.12 |
1.05 |
1.05 |
|
Belarus |
91 |
… |
… |
96 |
97 |
89 |
… |
… |
94 |
95 |
90 |
… |
… |
95 |
96 |
1.02 |
… |
… |
1.02 |
1.02 |
|
Israel |
… |
… |
91 |
92 |
92 |
… |
… |
89 |
91 |
93 |
… |
… |
90 |
91 |
92 |
… |
… |
1.01 |
1.00 |
0.99 |
|
Kenya |
… |
56 |
56 |
48 |
48 |
… |
62 |
61 |
55 |
51 |
… |
59 |
58 |
52 |
49 |
… |
0.90 |
0.92 |
0.88 |
0.93 |
|
Liechtenstein |
… |
… |
(*)72 |
(*)70 |
(*)73 |
… |
… |
(*)68 |
(*)65 |
(*)65 |
… |
… |
(*)70 |
(*)67 |
(*)69 |
… |
… |
(*)1.06 |
(*)1.07 |
(*)1.12 |
|
South Africa |
… |
… |
… |
(**)97 |
(**)97 |
… |
… |
… |
(**)93 |
(**)92 |
… |
… |
… |
(**)95 |
(**)95 |
… |
… |
… |
(**)1.05 |
(**)1.06 |
|
Sri Lanka |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
(*) National Estimation
(**) UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Estimation
... Data not available
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, (http://www.uis.unesco.org); last accessed on 24/11/2010.
Table 3.Tertiary education (ISCED 5 and 6)
|
Data |
Gross enrolment ratio. ISCED 5 and 6. Female |
Gross enrolment ratio. ISCED 5 and 6. Male |
Gross enrolment ratio. ISCED 5 and 6. Total |
Gender parity index for gross enrolment ratio. Tertiary |
||||||||||||||||
|
Year |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
2007 |
2006 |
|
Country |
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Bangladesh |
… |
6 |
… |
5 |
5 |
… |
10 |
… |
9 |
8 |
… |
8 |
… |
7 |
6 |
… |
0.56 |
… |
0.55 |
0.55 |
|
Belarus |
… |
91 |
86 |
80 |
76 |
… |
63 |
60 |
57 |
56 |
… |
77 |
73 |
68 |
66 |
… |
1.44 |
1.43 |
1.41 |
1.37 |
|
Israel |
… |
… |
68 |
69 |
65 |
… |
… |
52 |
52 |
51 |
… |
… |
60 |
60 |
58 |
… |
… |
1.31 |
1.32 |
1.29 |
|
Kenya |
… |
3 |
… |
… |
… |
… |
5 |
… |
… |
… |
… |
4 |
… |
… |
… |
… |
0.70 |
… |
… |
… |
|
Liechtenstein |
… |
… |
(*)25 |
(*)20 |
(*)18 |
… |
… |
(*)48 |
(*)41 |
(*)42 |
… |
… |
(*)37 |
(*)31 |
(*)30 |
… |
… |
(*)0.52 |
(*)0.49 |
(*)0.44 |
|
South Africa |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
|
Sri Lanka |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
… |
(*) National Estimation
(**) UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Estimation
... Data not available
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, (http://www.uis.unesco.org); last accessed on 24/11/2010.
______________