Economics, not women’s rights

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33883, 1 July 1975, Page 17

Economics, not women’s rights

(tX.Z P A .-Reuter —Copyright) ] MEXICO CITY. ' June 30. j 1 The United Nations < Women’s Conference will resume today after a ; week-end recess with its < attention on the develop- * ing countries’ demand i for global economic 1 changes rather than oh 1 sexual equality. United Nations officials ex- < ipect much of the debate tok

be now devoted to arguments iover the politically-tinged [final declaration. The two-week-long conference will end on Wednesday. According to conference sources, about 90 developing •countries have agreed on a draft declaration which links women’s rights to the call for a fundamental reshaping of international economic relations in favour of the poorer nations. The United States. West Germany, and Britain have (an alternative draft which .concentrates more on 'women’s problems, but Wes-

tern delegates said that they hoped to do little more than moderate the developing countries’ declaration. Specific women’s issues have been overshadowed by U.N. politics at the conference.

Many developing countries have regarded the meeting a trial run for the U.N. special session and General Assembly later this year, at which they intend to redouble their demands for a revision of the economic system. Others have promoted their own platforms: the Latin Americans have used the conference to call on the

U.S. to return the Panama Canal to Panama and Arab countries have attacked Israel and called for a solution to the Palestine problem. The U.N.’s 10-year plan of action for women’s rights, which had been expected to provide the main practical outcome, lost some of its force when delegates ran out of time and adopted it without discussing the major recommendations.

Their decision last Friday left the plan, which calls for more education, medical care, jobs, political power, and (legal rights for women, without any watchdog machinery.

And, U.N. officials said, governments would be free to claim that since it has not been fully discussed, they are not morally obliged to put into effect any provision they dislike.

The unofficial meeting of 5000 women which has been! going on at the same time also closes on Wednesday. Some women’s grievances have been aired, but manv of the loosely-organised sessions have been taken over by pressure group campaigning on issues as diverse as nu-i clear disarmament. Soviet! control of the Ukraine, and I lesbianism.