Conference News - Gender justice, developent and rights:substantiating rights in a disabling environment

Abstract

"The Special Session for the Beijing + 5 review, Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century, took place in a markedly different ideological environment from that of the 1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing. In the wake of recent financial crises, particularly in Asia, the neoliberal consensus is in considerable disarray. Faith in the ability of unregulated markets to provide the best possible environment for human development has been shaken. In response to obvious failures in the current development model, the international community has begun to move in various directions. As yet, however, there is little coherent orientation to this process. At the same time, human rights are seen as an inseparable part of the quest for stable democratic rule, and a significant number of governments have made a commitment to observe them. These political changes, as well as new legal instruments, have provided opportunities for civil society organizations to press for the implementation of formally acquired rights. They have also led to a shift in the priorities and practices of many NGOs. One example of this shift has been the widespread adoption of rightsbased strategies."(pg 1)