UNITED NATIONS POLICIES ON GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE U.N. REGIONAL CARTOGRAPHIC CONFERENCES

Introduction

The United Nations plays an important role in establishing policies followed by governments and international professional organizations such as the International Cartographic Association (ICA). These policies guide international development and establish a general framework for international activities. The general membership of international cartographic professional organizations would profit from a deeper understanding of United Nations initiatives and from further cooperation with its institutions.

In early 1980's the ICA became a member of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and started to participate actively in the UN Regional Cartographic Conferences. The ICA's Commission on Gender and Cartography (formerly the Working Group on Gender and Cartography) has contributed to these Regional Cartographic Conferences several times in recent years. In 1990 the ICA also became a member of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), permitting participation in a variety of programs world wide, particularly those focusing on developing nations. In part, these activities have coincided with a focus on gender issues both within the UN and the ICA.

This paper provides background information about the United Nations; outlines UN activities and policies related to gender; provides an overview of the ICA's current involvement with the UN related to gender issues; and offers some general conclusions on the role of cooperation of ICA with UN.

Brief Background on the United Nations

The United Nations was founded after the Second World War with three main purposes: 1) to maintain international peace and security; 2) to achieve international cooperation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion; and 3) to further the economic, social and political development of non-self-governing territories. The Charter of the United Nations came into effect on Oct. 24, 1945, with 51 signatories. There are currently more than 180 member states. The five principal organs of the UN are the General Assembly (all members), the Security Council (with 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members), the Economic and Social Council (one-third of overall UN membership each year), the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat.

While the General Assembly cannot make laws, it does discuss a wide range of matters, make recommendations, and call international conferences (such as the Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro, 1992) where agreements are drafted for later adoption by member nations. UN policies or proposals are also developed or explored by a myriad special agencies such as UNESCO; regional commissions (which encourage development in particular parts of the world); functional commissions, such as the Commission on Geography; or special bodies such as United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF ).

A great many nations attach considerable importance to the work of UN, particularily in two areas: the fields of economic and social development, and the high quality statistical and technical studies it undertakes and distributes [1].

The United Nations and Gender Equality

The United Nations has been playing a pivotal role in promoting the equality of the sexes and raising the status of women worldwide since its creation, through its divisions, agencies, international conferences, recommended platforms for action and declarations that are later adopted and implemented by member governments.

Among the key UN offices and agencies involved in gender issues are the following:

• The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), reporting to ECOSOC. This Commission is a standing specialized subsidiary body charged with special functions concerning the advancement of women. These include the organization of UN conferences on women and monitoring the implementation of the strategies adopted.

• The Division for the Advancement of Women, a standing division of the UN, serves as a Secretariat for the Commission. It reports on activities undertaken at all levels to implement the Forward Looking Strategies adopted at the Nairobi International Women's Conference, and is undertaking the World Survey on Women.

• The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) provides direct support for women's projects and promotes the inclusion of women in the decision-making processes of mainstream development programs.

In addition, many UN Commissions and agencies have working groups or have produced reports or recommendations on gender issues within their areas; an excellent example is the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development whose Gender Working Group report entitled "The Gender Dimension" was adopted by the Commission and by ECOSOC. Through the International Council of Scientific Unions it was widely disseminated to scientific unions and related bodies across the globe [2].

In the last two decades, the United Nations has identified barriers to women's progress, and proposed strategies to overcome them through a theme decade focused on women and a series of international government conferences followed by Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) forums.

• The United Nations Decade on Women, 1975-85, with its theme, "equality, development, peace," was highlighted by international conferences in Merida, Mexico, Copenhagen, Dannemark and Nairobi, Kenya. It did much to focus the world's attention on the reality of women's lives in a global context.

• The Nairobi conference of 1985 adopted the ground-breaking "Forward Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women," a blueprint for action to advance the status of women in national and international economic, social, cultural and legal development to the year 2000. There are five sections: Equality, Development, Peace, Areas of Special Concern (such as health, education, employment, etc.), and International and Regional Co-operation. Each section identifies obstacles to progress, basic strategies to overcome obstacles, and specific measures to implement strategies [3,4].

Held ten years after the International Women's Decade, the Beijing Conference and Forum was the world's largest ever gathering of women. Attended by more than 30,000 women and men, representatives of governments world-wide negotiated and adopted a "Platform for Action", a major UN policy document to which member states will be held accountable in the coming years [5]. The document aims at removing the still-existing obstacles to implementing the Forward-Looking Strategies to achieve full and equal participation of women in political, civil, economic, social and cultural life at national, regional and international levels by the year 2000. Its critical areas of concern were as follows:

1. The persistence and growing burden of poverty on women.
2. Inequality in access to health and education services.
3. Violence against women.
4. Effects of armed conflict against women.
5. Inequality in women's access to economic structures and policies.
6. Inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision-making.
7. Insufficient mechanisms to promote the advancement of women.
8. Lack of awareness of and commitment to women's human rights.
9. Insufficient use of mass media to promote women's positive contributions to society.
10. Lack of recognition and support for women's contribution to managing natural resources and safeguarding the environment.
11. The girl child.

Items 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are of particular interest to the international organizations, the world cartographic community and those in related fields. The strategic objectives recommend in the for these items in the Platform for Action are as follows [6]:

The Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women stressed the importance of safeguarding women's rigths and emphasized the principle of shared responsibility and partnership between women and men as the bases for achieving equality, development and peace. The effective implementation of the strategic objectives of this conference will necessarily, require changes in values, behaviour, procedures and modification of the internal dynamics of power and organizational structures [7].

The International Cartographic Association and the United Nations

UN sponsored regional cartographic conferences have been held since 1955, with the first conference, for Asia and the Far East, held in Mussoorie, India. One of the objectives was the "stimulation and execution of practical topographic surveys, including geodetic controls, to meet the needs of the region in question" [8]. Designed primarily to assist developing countries, these regional conferences are held every three-to-four years in three regions: The Americas, Africa, and Asia and the Pacific. These conferences allow participants to evaluate progress in the region, discuss problems and recommend solutions. Formal papers and background documents are presented and draft resolutions are adopted.

Conference participants are high-ranking delegates designated and sponsored by governments, including executives, decision-makers from national surveying, mapping and hydrographic charting departments and agencies, and international organizations. The ICA traditionally sends its president, secretary general or its a vice-presidents to each conference. To provide an example of participation, at the 12th (Asian) conference held in Bangkok in 1991, 186 representatives and observers of 40 countries and territories, 8 specialized agencies and 4 intergovernmental and international scientific agencies took part. According to a UN source, "the number of women participants [at these conferences] is insignificant" [9].

Given the UN's overall goals with respect to the progress of women, including their professional development, it is fitting that gender issues be discussed at these conferences. The ICA Working Group and subsequently Commission on Gender and Cartography have been invited to contribute background papers to three most recent Regional Cartographic Conferences: for the Americas, New York, 1993 [10]; Asia and the Pacific, Beijing, 1994 [11]; and Africa, Nairobi, 1996 [12]. Specific resolutions regarding increasing women's participation in in national and international cartographic activities, were put forward by the Commission on Gender and Cartography, tabled at the conferences on behalf of the ICA and adopted by the conference participants.

The resolution passed at the 13 UN Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and Pacific:

The resolution passed at the 9th UN Regional Cartographic Conference for Africa:

While there is no mechanism to follow up on the implementation of the resolutions that have been passed, it is hoped that they will be enacted and/or publicized by the governments represented at each conference.

The ICA and Gender

The development of interest in and action on gender issues within the ICA began in 1987, when concerns were publicly voiced about "the disproportionately low participation of women" in the ICA by its president [13]. In 1989, the ICA President's Task Force on Women and Cartography was established, undertaking an international survey that identified the primary barriers to women's participation in the organization and proposed solutions to overcome these barriers [14]. At the next ICA Congress held in UK, in 1991, a Working Group on Gender and Cartography was established, to serve as resource on issues related to the gender and development and the first female vice-president [Dr. Barbara Patzenick-Bartz] was appointed to the ICA Executive Committee.

The Working Group's involvement with the UN began in 1993, when a background paper, on the international survey of women cartographers, was presented by Ms. Carol Braver from the USA, at the 5th UN Regional Cartographic conference for the Americas in New York [10].. In 1994 another paper was presented at the 13th UN Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Beijing [11]; a modified version of this paper featuring comments from women in cartography and related professions in the African region was presented in 1996, by the ICA Secretary General and Treasurer, Mr. Jean-Philippe Grelot, at the 9th UN Regional Cartographic Conference for Africa in Nairobi [12].

Other activities of the Gender and Cartography Working Group included organization of educational seminar and workshops to serve as role models and to create professional opportunities for women. Further, in 1994, members of the Working Group co-authored a winning research proposal for "projects of major projections" for an international competition organized by the PanAmerican Institute of Geography and History. This two-year project entitled "Geographic Information Processing and Electronic Atlases for Sustainable Development in Latin America" was orginally based on the a network of women holding academic positions at universities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Mexico and Peru. At the present time, other institutions such as National Mapping Organizations and Environmental Research Institutes have also expressed interest in participating in this project. The Gender Commission have already contributed to the training component of the project [15], by giving in cooperation with the ICA Commission on National and Regional Atlases a seminar during a symposium organized in Brazil, in 1996, by one of its member, Dr. Regina Vaconcellos, who also serves a one of the two ICA women vice-president.

These opportunities are a clear reflection of the ICA policies to actively support the gender equity, especially after the Association have added to its statutes a nobel goal of "the promotion of equality of opportunity in all organizational units and at all levels of responsibility within the ICA and its member national organizations". and have upgraded its Gender and Cartography Working Group to the status of a full ICA Commission with a mandate to implement gender related policies.

Conclusions

The policies of the United Nations in relation to improving the status of women and their opportunities for development in every area, are having a significant impact world-wide. The International Women's Decade and its conferences have brought these issues to the forefront for a significant period of time in nearly every arena (government, private sector, and non-governmental organizations including professional associations) in virtually every part of the world.

This impact and momentum have also been felt by international organizations like the ICA, which has strongly encouraged initiatives to attract greater participation from women as well as improving their status and opportunities professionally. Other international organizations organizations such as International Union of Geographers have also previously established a Commision on Gender and Geography and recently yet another professional sister-organization, the "Federation International de Geometre (FIG) has also established a Working Group on Women in Surveying. All these activities are in a large part due to the contribution to the UN who has brought the gender issues to the attention of the international community.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to greatefully acknowledge the assistance of Ms. Carol Beaver, co-chair of the Commission on Gender and Cartography, former Chief of the Aeronautical Charting Division, NOAA, USA, Prof. Fraser Taylor, past President of the ICA, professor of Carleton University of Canada and Mr. K. Hans Stabe, head of the UN Cartographic Office United Nations, in the preparation of this paper. The authors also wish to thank Prof. Jackie Anderson of Concordia University, and Ms. Helen Kerfoot, Dr. Robert Thomson and Ms. Melanie St. George of Geomatics Canada for their help in the preparation of this paper.

References

[1] http://www.un.org/

[2] Gender Working Group, United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development, "Science and Technology for Sustainable Human Development. The Gender Dimension." IDRC, Ottawa: May 1995. Adopted by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in July 1995, 35p.

[3] The Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women. Adopted at the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, excerpt from A/Conf.116/28.

[4] Sandler, Joanne, 1989, It's our Move Now: A Community Action Guide to the UN Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, New York: International Women's Tribune Centre.

[5] United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women/Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, "Women 2000. Published to promote the Goals of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action", New York.

[6] Canadian Beijing Facilitating Committee, Take Action for equality, development and peace. A Canadian Follow-up Guide to Beijing '95, Ottawa: CBFC c/o Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, 1966. ISBN: 0-919653-41-3.

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[8] Stabe, 1996, Office of Cartographer, United Nations, quoted in correspondence

[9] Labonne, Beatrice, 1994, Chief, Sustainable Development and Environmental Management Branch, DEPSD, United Nations, New York, quoted in correspondence.

[10] Beaver, Carol, 1993, "The Role of Women in Surveying and Mapping.", Review of the Latest Developments Relating to Policies and Management of National Mapping and Charting Programs: Human Resources Development: Education, Training and Research. Submitted by the ICA to the 5th UN Regional Cartographic Conference for the Americas, New York, 11-15 January, 1993, Economic and Social Council (CRP.1/REV/1), 17 pp.

[11] Siekierska, E.M., 1994, "Gender and Cartography. A Background Document for the 13th UN Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific". Beijing, P.R. China, 11p.

[12] Siekierska, E.M., ed. by Jean-Philippe Grelot, 1996, "Gender and Cartography, A Background Document presented at the 9th Regional Cartographic Conference for Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, 9 p.

[13] Fraser Taylor, 1987, The Presidential Opening Address at the xx ICA Congress, Morelia Mexico.

[14] ICA Task Force on Women and Cartography, 1991, The Participation of Women in the International Cartographic Association (ICA): Report and Recommendations, Ottawa, Canada: Prepared by Eva Siekierska, Donna Williams, and Linda O'Neil, 57p.

[15] ICA Commission on Gender and Cartography and ICA Commission on National and Regionals Atlases, 1996, "Electronic Atlases and Cartographic Multimedia Products from CD-ROM to INTERNET" seminar Workbook. Symposium on New Technologies for Geospatial Information Processing with Focus on Education and Environment, GeoDigital '96, University of Sao Paolo, Brazil, 55p.