Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations

by Minister-Counselor Ms. Kyung-wha Kang
at Commission on Human Rights Fifty-ninth session, Geneva

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Chairperson,

Distinguished delegates,

Representatives of non-governmental organizations and United Nations entities

It gives me great honour and pleasure to address the fifty-ninth session of the Commission on Human Rights in my capacity as Chairperson of the 48th and 49th sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women, and to continue a practice begun in 1998, when my predecesssor at that time addressed this Commission for the first time. I would like to extend to you, Madam Chairperson, the very deep appreciation of the Bureau of the 47th session of the CSW, on which I had the pleasure of serving as Vice-Chairperson, for your valuable participation in that session. It was the first time that the CSW had the pleasure of a reciprocal visit from the Chairperson of your Commission. I am very confident that your participation will prove to be the beginning of a very useful annual exchange. I look forward to welcoming your successors to the 48th and 49th sessions of CSW in 2004 and 2005.

I should also like to take this opportunity to thank the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Sergio de Mello, for his participation in the 47th session also, as well as his unwaivering commitment to the protection and enhancement of the human rights of women in many corners of the world.

The Commission on the Status of Women and its Bureau have consistently given particular attention to regular interaction and coordination between our two Commissions. The Commission's mandate in follow-up to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome document of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly in 2000 includes questions concerning the human rights of women and violence against women, two areas in which your Commission has taken a specific interest for some time. The CSW closely follows your work in this regard. In particular, we appreciate that the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women has significantly enhanced the efforts in this area. We look forward to the continuation of the mandate, which can be expected to make further contributions to concrete action at all levels. I would like to extend my personal appreciation and compliments to the outgoing Special Rapporteur, Mrs. Radhika Coomaraswamy,. For her contributions and the dedication with which she has implemented the mandate.

The CSW also systematically works to enhance its role as catalyst for the use of the gender mainstreaming strategy. All stakeholders - Governments, entities of the UN system and intergovernmental and expert bodies ?have an ongoing responsibility to clarify and incorporate gender perspectives in their respective areas of work., and to develop and implement practical measures to eliminate disadvantages and discrimination women encounter in those areas. Promotion of gender equality continues to call for the consistent and systematic use of the gender mainstreaming strategy in all areas of human rights by this Commission, in addition to the targeted attention it gives to women's human rights and violence against women. As the functional commission with perhaps the longest track record in attention to gender perspectives, the progress you have achieved and the remaining challenges you face could provide very important lessons for other intergovernmental bodies. The comprehensive review of ECOSOC Agreed Conclusions 1997/2 on gender mainstreaming, which the Council is committed to undertaking before 2005, could be a useful occasion for sharing your experiences.

The Commission on the Status of Women has for many years worked on the basis of a multi-year programme of work. Selected topics are dealt with in a comprehensive and in-depth manner at the annual sessions. We last considered violence against women and human rights of women as separate topics in 1998. At the 47th session this year, we took them up together. The Commission held a most interesting panel discussion, the scope of which was quite comprehensive, ranging from domestic violence to trafficking, and from regional efforts for the promotion of women's human rights to trends in the implementation of the CEDAW Convention. Although agreed conclusions on this topic were not adopted by the Commission, delegations unanimously reaffirmed their commitment to the fight against violence against women and the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome document of the Special Session in 2000.

I should like to mention one innovation in the working methods of the CSW which we introduced this year. The Commission held for the first time a high-level round table on national experiences in institutional capacity-building, in particular in relation to the two thematic issues examined by the Commission. Ministers and other senior officials with responsibility for promotion of gender equality at the national level held an interactive dialogue to exchange experiences and information, and to discuss lessons learned. The focus of the dialogue responded directly to the current emphasis within the United Nations on implementation. Together with the examples of good practices provided during the panel debate, the round table is expected to enhance the efficacy of the CSW in its central role in the follow-up to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome document of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, especially as we prepare for the 10th anniversary of Beijing in 2005.

In conclusion, I do hope that the cooperation between our two Commissions will be further strengthened and refined in the years ahead towards the enhanced protection and enjoyment of the human rights of women.

Thank you.