Summary Report and Declaration - Thai Women Forum

Wednesday, 28 October 2009 18:25

Summary Report and Declaration
Thai Women Forum:
National Consultation on Beijing + 15 Review
15-18 September 2009, Nonthaburi, Thailand

Thai Women Forum 2009: National Consultation on Beijing +15 was held during 15 – 18 September, 2009. The event was part of the national review on the occasion of 15 years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. It was co-organized by the Office of Women’s Affairs and Family Development, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and Thai WomenWatch. Over 900 women and men, representatives of government and non-government organizations, grassroots and community workers, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities as well as various marginalized groups from all 76 provinces of Thailand attended the four days event.

The Prime Minister of Thailand, H.E. Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva gave a keynote address at the opening session which was televised live nationwide and attended by a number of dignitaries from various fields including the Minister of Social Development and Human Security, heads of key organizations working on women’s empowerment, and members of the media. One of Thailand’s most famous poet, Jiranan Pitpreecha, recited an inspiring poem celebrating women’s empowerment that she has composed specially for this event.

In his speech, the Prime Minister expressed his hope that the outcome of Thai Women Forum will provide an up-to-date information on gender issues in Thailand so that his government will use it to push for various programs that will promote gender equality in Thai society.

He told the participants that in his opinion, women and men are equally important to society, and there is no reason to treat one sex as superior to the other. He believed that in each of the issues to be discussed during the Forum, women still face more problems than men. Although the Thai constitution specified that women and men have equal rights but the challenge is the gap between words and reality. Due to resource constraint, the Prime Minister recommended strategic approach by identifying the core of all problems that should be tackled first and would then lead the way to solving all the rest. The main problem is‘lack of opportunity’ – in education, occupational training, access to jobs, or career advancement. Lying behind these problems is the attitude of persons with the authority to ‘provide opportunity’ or ‘create change’.

Therefore, all forms of gender discrimination must be eliminated. This is the challenge for everyone, not only for the government. He reminded the Forum participants that it is the duty and responsibility of every Thai citizen to create the society they want, the one they would be happy and contented to live in. No one person or one group can solve the problem of gender inequality because it is the problem for everyone.

The Prime Minister also emphasized the important role played by the media in transforming gender role in society and expressed his opinion that gender equality can truly happen only when the person controlling the media sincerely believe that women and men should be equal.

He ended his speech with the pledge that his government would do everything to create gender equality, would encourage all Thais to have equal opportunity in access to education, employment, heath care and equal participation in deciding the country’s problems. He invited people in all walks of life to join him and the government to build a society where everyone has equal opportunity.

In the plenary sessions, panelists from both government and non-government sectors debated the 12 issues of concerns from the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action plus the additional issues from the Outcome document of the 2000 Special Session of the UN General Assembly, including poverty, education, health care, violence against women, armed conflict, decision-making, human rights, environment, labor migration, media, population aging, HIV/AIDS, globalization, the girl child, and equal sharing of responsibilities. Below are some of the key concerns raised by the panelists:

• What are the causes of poverty in the past few years? How women’s wisdom could help solve the poverty problem?
• How to promote equal access to quality education?
• What would be the strategic solutions for women’s health care problems? What kind of government’s policies should be urgently implemented?
• How to promote human rights and equal access to resources?
• What is the role of family and society in ending domestic violence?
• How to make the legal system more sensitive to the issues of sexual violence?
• What are the best ways to promote equal decision-making in different provinces?
• How to increase women’s participation in the preservation of natural resources and environment?
• How to empower women to become more competitive in the labor market?
• What measures should the government introduce to prepare Thai society for the aging population?
• How should parents look after children in the cyber era?
• How to encourage the media to be more responsible in gender issues?

The above issues were debated more intensively during the group discussions and the summary and recommendations were presented for further exchanges in the plenary session the following day. A number of best practices and problem solving using local wisdoms were shared among participants, as well as emerging issues and suggestions on new ways to deal with them.

At the closing session which was attended by the Minister of Social Development and Human Security, all participants jointly pledged to “The Declaration of the Thai Women Forum 2009.”

 

The Declaration of the Thai Women Forum 2009

 

We, more than 900 women and men gathering here at the Thai Women Forum 2009: Weaving Wisdoms, Confronting Crises, Forging the Future which was presided over by H.E. Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Prime Minister of Thailand.

We recognize and are aware of problems our country is facing and are firmly determined to search for appropriate solutions for these problems, making the best use of our wisdom and resources.

We recognize that women’s capability and wisdom can have strong and beneficial influence on their families, communities and societies. Since women comprise over half of the population, their power should be utilized as the key driving force in their families, communities, and societies to tackle problems and subsequently lead to a secured and peaceful future for all.

Intense and lively dialogue at various sessions during the four days of the forum have shown that Thailand has been successful to a certain degree in promoting gender equality, which came about as a result of cooperative efforts between various sectors - government, non-government and civil society organizations. However, many problems persist while new challenges continually arise and opportunities for implementation still lie ahead that could help us realize our common goals.

We reaffirm our intention to continue our commitments to and implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and Outcome of the 2000 Special Session of the UN General Assembly. The ultimate goal is the achievement of true gender equality in Thailand.

Subsequently, we agree to devote our priority attention to the following issues.

1. Rights to quality education and healthcare services
2. Job security and sufficient income to be self-reliance
3. Rights to receive information to keep up with the world
4. Safety and security in the conduct of private and public lives
5. Equal rights and opportunities to participate in decision-making at all levels of politics and administration
6. Rights to live with dignity throughout the life cycle, particularly during old age
7. Encourage the portrayal of women’s image in a positively creative way

 

We, women and men who come together at this Forum, will cooperate with all sectors of society - government, non-government and civil society, and hereby pledge to continue our commitment to and the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

18th September 2009
Nonthaburi, Thailand