ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTING MILLIONS OF WOMEN WORLDWIDE URGE U.S. TO STOP BLOCKING CONSENSUS ON WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS
Thursday, March 3, 2005

The continued U.S. refusal to join the global consensus affirming the Platform for Action is a betrayal of women worldwide. We are outraged that the united voices of women from every corner of the planet are not enough to persuade the U.S. delegation to abandon its isolationist stance as governments review 10 years of progress and challenges since the UN Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing.

The United States tried with its amendment to inject their domestic agenda into an international agreement—playing politics with women’s lives. It distracted government and world attention from the urgent need to reinvigorate the implementation of the Beijing consensus that is lagging in too many countries. Other governments came here in unity to discuss that challenge and to agree on concrete steps to take.

We remain determined to push the United States and other governments to fulfill the promises they made at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. Only then will women’s rights truly become human rights around the world.

Issued on behalf of: 

Amnesty International

Area de Atención Integral a la Adolescencia y Juventud SI Mujer (Nicaragua)

Articulação de ONGs de Mulheres Negras Brasileras

Articulación Feminista Marcosur, Red Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Educación Popular con Mujeres (REPEM)

Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)

Balance, Promocion para el Desarrolo y Juventad (Mexico)

Black Women’s Afro-Latina and Afro Caribbean Network

Caribbean Feminist Research and Action Puerto Rico (CAFRA)

Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir América Latina

Center for Women’s Global Leadership (USA)

Centre for Reproductive Rights (USA)

CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality (Netherlands)

Consellho Nacional de Mulheres indigentes (Brasil)

Convergencia Nacional de Mujeres (Honduras)

Coordinación Mexicana de Seguimiento (Mexico)

DECIDIR (Bolivia)

Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN)

Equidad de Género, Ciudadanía, Trabajo y Familia (México)

Feminist Majority (USA)

Femmes Africa Solidarite

FEIM

Girls Power Initiative (Nigeria)

Grupo de Información para la Reproducción Elegida GIRE (México)

Iniciativa Centroamericana de Seguimiento a Beijing (Honduras)

International Center for Sexual and Reproductive Rights Increase (Nigeria)

International Coalition for Adult Education

International Gender Trade Network

IPAS (USA)

Red de Jóvenes (Brasil)

Red de Violencia contra las Mujeres de Centroamérica

Red Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Jóvenes por los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos (REDLAC)

Red Nacional de Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos (Ecuador)

Red por los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos DDSER (México)

Red Siempre (Puerto Rico)

United Methodist Women

Women’s Action for New Direction/WAND (USA)

Women’s Edge (USA)

Women’s Environment and Development Organization (USA)

Youth Coalition

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