U.N. Women's Conference Highlighted By Scientific Vitality, Resilience

Vitality, Resilience Author: Catherine Didion EDITOR'S NOTE: In September Didion, executive director of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), was among an AWIS delegation attending the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, and the Non Governmental Organization Forum held in the small town of Huairou, an hour from Beijing. Noting that the torrential rain in Huairou -- the effects of which were exacerbated by the uncomfortable conference facilities -- and participants' fights with the Chinese government over surveillance and restricted access received much media attention, Didion reports: "I can confirm that we jumped over many hurdles to participate ... but these pale in comparison to the vitality and strength of the women scientists we met from all over the world." Following is her account of the forum and conference. Many of the reports on the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women and the accompanying Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Forum held in China this September focused on the challenging conditions and the Chinese government's tight control over participants' every activity. This resulted from a decision that was made in May by the Chinese authorities to move the NGO Forum from Beijing to the small town of Huairou, located an hour's drive from the capital. While many international organizations decried this move, eventually it was accepted, as there was no alternative. The new site consisted of partially built structures and hundreds of huge tents to house the thousands of events that were scheduled. This uncomfortable situation was exacerbated by the heightened international tensions surrounding Harry Wu, a Chinese American human-rights activist, who was put on trial for espionage days before the U.N. activities were to begin. His last-minute release allowed United States first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to attend the U.N. conference and forum, but did not resolve the blatant denial by the Chinese of visas to many participants. As a member of the delegation from the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), I can confirm that we jumped over many hurdles to participate-visas being issued at 1:30 a.m. by the Chinese consulate on the day of departure; half-completed structures at the forum site that caused one to pause and pound the floor to ensure the building's stability; and nature's gift of rain, which turned the outdoor pavilions and tents into muddy camps reminiscent of Woodstock-but these pale in comparison to the vitality and strength of the women scientists we met from all over the world. NGO Forum On Women '95 An estimated 20,000 women attended the NGO Forum in Huairou. The forum was held in conjunction with the U.N. conference to provide an opportunity for participants to address issues relevant to the conference. The forum's more than 5,000 events were divided into 12 different themes, of which one was "Science & Technology." Examples of science-related workshops were "Scientific Literacy Among Women," "Women Scientists and Agriculture for Women," and "Challenges for Women Scientists in Societies in Transition," which were sponsored by scientific organizations from every corner of the globe. I was amazed at the vast number of workshops that focused on science and the genuine curiosity about women in science. AWIS, with generous support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), developed a multimedia exhibition on women scientists highlighting the current status of women in science and the role of science in sustainable development. The exhibit was strategically located near many official U.N. and governmental exhibits and drew a huge crowd. Members of the delegation met women scientists from many countries, including Japan, Sierra Leone, Mongolia, Cameroon, and Sweden. Discussions with these women were often prefaced with the comment that they wished women scientists from their countries had the "problems" that American women face. For them, tackling glass-ceiling or dual-career concerns was still many years away from their present reality. For example, six of the 18 members of the U.S. President's Committee of Advisers on Science and Technology are female. Similar advisory boards of other nations have a much lower representation of women-one out of the 30 members of the European Community's Committee for the European Development of Science and Technology is a woman. The AWIS delegation, composed of 10 women representing diverse scientific fields from all sectors of employment, distributed its 50 boxes of materials in the first few days of the forum owing to great demand. The 20,000 "I Support Women in Science" buttons printed in the five official U.N. languages were worn by thousands at the forum and U.N. conference. It was thrilling to see throngs of women in saris, African ceremonial dress, and Muslim veils wearing the buttons. In addition, with funding from the National Science Foundation, AWIS sponsored an exhibition and workshop on mentoring. The exhibit was part of a large Once and Future Pavilion on Science and Technology, where the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and other scientific organizations held their activities. At the workshop, established women scientists -including Martha Krebs, a physicist who is director of DOE's Office of Energy Research, and Xie Xide, one of the most famous Chinese woman scientists-discussed the impact of mentoring on their career paths and their strategies for advancement. The workshop, "Mentoring as a Tool for Advancement," was so well attended that for security reasons the doors to the room were locked! The Fourth U.N. Conference on Women was held in Beijing proper at the Beijing International Convention Center. Previous conferences were held in Mexico City, Mexico; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Nairobi, Kenya. The facilities were first-rate and the atmosphere much more formal, and the contrast with the forum in Huairou was not lost on any participant. More than 180 countries were represented at the conference with official delegations. Access to the conference was much more difficult to obtain than entry to the forum. AWIS, along with many other NGOs, was granted "accredited status" to observe the conference. The conference was a culmination of regional and international U.N.-sponsored meetings held during the last three years. The main document of the conference was the Draft Platform for Action, a blueprint for women's advancement in countries around the world. While science and technology was not one of the 12 "critical areas of concern" in the Draft Platform for Action, many of the recognized areas-health, education, environment, and development-encompassed science and technology. During the conference, represented countries debated the text of the platform, which was then ratified at the end of the conference. The ratified platform is now to be used by each participating nation as a guide for developing "commitments," which are specific strategies for implementing the ratified platform. The U.S. government announced several commitments that were being developed as a demonstration of the nation's intent to implement the platform, with an emphasis on four areas: equality and power-sharing; economic security, including balancing work and family responsibilities; the human rights of women; and health. Many other nations, including Japan and Australia, followed suit, and announced their own commitments for implementing the platform. AWIS-with Josephine Beoku-Betts of OFAN (the Once and Future Action Network) in Kingston, Jamaica, an organization working with women at the grass-roots level-cochaired the newly created Science and Technology Caucus at the conference, which was given access to many of the official working groups debating the text of the platform. Daily caucus meetings, which several scientific NGO representatives attended, determined where to focus the caucus' efforts. AWIS worked closely with the U.S. delegation as well as with many other delegations, including representatives from Australia, Mexico, Romania, and the United Kingdom. The caucus was successful in ensuring that science and technology were highlighted in many sections of the platform, particularly in the educational and environmental planks. Scientific topics debated in the halls of the convention center were varied. Among the more contentious were discussions on the ethical implications of the Human Genome Project, women's-health issues, and appropriate technology in agriculture. The true test of the durability of this conference will be in the next several months, as governments delineate their "commitments" and as budgetary realities conflict with good intentions. What will survive is a vibrant and growing network of women scientists scattered throughout the world. The ease of communication through E-mail, fax, and phone has diminished boundaries, and the interest in sharing solutions and strategies for encouraging women's full participation will only increase. It is somewhat ironic that the efforts of the Chinese to exile and silence the NGO forum to obscurity in Huairou actually amplified its voice. The obstacles encountered in China led to increased determination by the participants to be heard and is reflected in the platform that was ratified in Beijing. The exhilaration of the meeting and of working with talented women in science will last long beyond the muddy shoes we all brought back from China. Catherine Didion is executive director of the Association for Women in Science in Washington, D.C. She is online at AWIS@awis.org.

U.N. Women's Conference Highlighted By Scientific Vitality, Resilience

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