In his opening address to the Second Preparatory Committee, Mr. Antonio Blanca, the Under-Secretary-General for Human Rights, discussed the importance of reaffirming the universality of human rights. Also, in the annex to resolution 1991/30 of 5 March 1991, the Commission on Human Rights recommends that "the Preparatory Committee, being guided by a spirit of consensus, should make suggestions aimed at ensuring the universality, objectivity and non-selectivity of the consideration of human rights issues in United Nations human rights fora." To ensure universality, objectivity and non-selectivity, it is of utmost importance to consider the specific situation of women in all areas of human rights. Women constitute one half of the population of the planet. Without their full participation in the implementation of the objectives of the World Conference on Human Rights, we will surely fail to fully realize our goals. We, therefore, request that the World Conference comprehensively address the role of women on every item of its agenda.

For many years now, research has highlighted the widespread denial of human rights to women. Law, custom, tradition and stereotyping are continuously preventing their full participation in society. Despite some progress, women remain on the fringes of policy-making processes, and the systems which have traditionally oppressed them remain largely intact. The salient severity of this injustice undermine the success of all other efforts in human rights and development.

The United Nations' system should play a leading role in reversing the situation. Calling to mind the March 1992 draft resolutions E/CN.6/1992/L. 10 and L. 14 adopted by the Commission on the Status of Women, we recommend that the provisional agenda for the World Conference on human rights, in light of the six objectives of paragraph 1 of resolution 45/1550f the General Assembly, includes specific elaboration on the following concerns:

1. To examine the severity of the denial of human rights to women and girl children, to identify the obstacles to further progress and ways in which they can be overcome, paying special attention to gender bias in customs, traditions, language, and domestic and international law;
2. To reassert the fact that sustainable development is impossible without the integration of women in the process of development, recognizing the necessity of the participation of women in creating conditions whereby everyone may enjoy the rights set out in the International Covenants on Human Rights; the role of women should be especially emphasized when formulating forward-looking strategies on sustainable development, popular participation and democratic institutions;
3. To note the striking absence of women in the policy- and decision-making processes of both states and international organizations and to examine ways and means to increase the participation of women in international, national, and local legislative, judicial and administrative bodies, including the United Nations itself, recognizing the importance of their participation to the implementation of existing human rights standards and instruments;
4. To evaluate the effectiveness of the methods and mechanisms used by the United Nations to promote the human rights of women and, in particular, the girl child;
5. To formulate concrete recommendations for improving the effectiveness of United Nations activities and mechanisms in initiating fundamental changes in attitudes, customs, traditions and laws that foster gender bias. Emphasis should be placed on the role of both men and women in overcoming harmful attitudes and practices that perpetrate the unjust allocation of resources and entitlements to women in the family, community and nation. Moreover, the development of appropriate public information materials and formal and informal education programmes is essential.

For the World Conference on Human Rights to be a success, we need to firmly address the denial of human rights to half of the human race. Research has shown that we need to redefine the emancipation of women, safeguard their education, increase their participation in policy making, and affirm their vital role in sustainable social and economic development so as to open as yet unexplored possibilities for improvements in the promotion of human rights and in the material and spiritual progress of all peoples. It must be stressed, however, that the responsibility to bring change belongs not only to women. Men have a unique role to play in changing the status of women. When men lend their full cooperation to this process, welcoming women into all fields of human endeavour, valuing their contributions, and encouraging their participation, men and women together will form a partnership that will help create the moral and psychological climate in which human rights for all can become a reality.