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Topic Discussion III
Participation in
Democratic Decision-Making:
The Vital Voices of Women, Civil Society and
Pluralism
Room 5
(20 of 22 pages)
We should encourage the creation of regular man/woman caucuses or consultation
forums, where they could get together and exchange ideas about matters of common interest. It doesn't have to be
necessarily a question of men/women relationships over time, but if we share a common interest, let's say you take
the case, let's say Kosokov for example, some people will say the UN security was sidestepped and therefore, those
who were going into Kosokov, because they were not authorized by the security council. But there is some people
who decided that they are going to use their [inaudible] right, while they are democratizing the security council,
but they are taking -- they are threatening with the [inaudible] right, simply because domestically they have got
problems at home. And these are things which women and men can also share, a variety of interests, political, social,
cultural and other things we can talk about.
I think in some countries, I don't know whether it's in Bangladesh or some of these countries, they have a system
of issue a credit to women collective organizations, a bank or whatever they have, things like that and there's
a system of providing -- using credit on terms to women's organizations, either by state or private financial institutions.
Speaker: [Not available due to technical difficulties]
Speaker: That's good. Congratulations. And I think also -- I lived in Sweden for about 14 years, I went
to school there. You know, the joint responsibility of our family affairs, the bringing of minor children, sometimes
you say a woman takes maternity leave, but also in Sweden they do the same thing, too, so it's a joint responsibility.
So is washing dishes and if your wife is going to -- your partner is going to a meeting, don't say you stay home
and wash the dishes, I'm going to the meeting. There can be a split if the program collides. So what I'm trying
to talk is a joint responsibility of our family affairs and participation in public life by both men and women.
That's a small contribution, Madam.
Chair: Thank you. The last speaker I'm going to recognize, because we're running out of time is the gentleman
on the side and I think then when we adjourn, there will be opportunity for people to respond, but I think I'd
like to make sure that we end on time. Okay.
Bob Burrowes: I'm Bob Burrowes and I'm the President of the American Institute for Yemeni Studies. I'm a
political scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle and I've been a student of Yemeni politics for --
well, since 1976 and I think I can bring a perspective over time involving a suggestion.
And what I would like to suggest is that -- well, the subject of my suggestion has to do with this notion of fear
and the use of NGOs as vehicles for citizen participation. And what I would like to suggest is that NGOs should
begin to think in terms of establishing mutual protection societies across sectors and within sectors and I think
I can give a good example from the recent Yemeni experience.
When unification occurred in 1990, you had in the north and south two societies in which you did not have previously
press and freedom of expression. You had the sudden tremendous flowering of the press, daily, weekly, monthly periodicals,
newspapers and so on and over the years since then and I think one of my -- one of the speakers earlier referred
to this, that in recent years has been a gradual repression of the press in Yemen and that's the negative side
of it.
But the positive side of it is that whereas several years ago when an action was taken openly or covertly by the
regime or friends of the regime against a party or against a paper, or against a journalist, the rest of the journalistic
community wouldn't respond in a collective way. And I think a positive thing since then and in the present period,
is that in fact acts of oppression are directed towards journalists, journalism, newspapers. What's happened in
Yemen is that the press community has begun to develop a capacity to collectively, you know, close ranks, join
together and stand up to the regime and protect the person that's been hurt or the paper that's been closed.
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