Women in Employment and

Economics of Gender

Convenor : Conchita Jimenez Poncini (International Federation of University Women)

Co-Convenor: Karin Kausch (International Federation of Business and Professional Women)

Objective
The Working Group ensures that issues related to work and employment of women and enhancing women’s advancement in all sectors of the economy and at the decision-making level are on the agenda of international organizations (especially ECE at the regional level, ECOSOC, UNCTAD, ILO, the World Bank and the WTO). In particular, it is concerned with the following:

• that women are not the victims of economic crises
• that women are not exploited in the process of globalization
• that the role of transnational corporations include the promotion of equal opportunities and equal treatment between women and men workers
• that women are empowered as producers and consumers
• that public authorities promote women’s land ownership, property rights including intellectual property, and access to credit
• that new technologies and e-commerce have a positive impact on women's employment and promotion prospects and economic empowerment

Activities
The WG has focused on advocacy, technical inputs, organization of open meetings, networking. Some highlights of these activities over the last 6 years are the following:

• 1995 - Organized a joint ILO/NGO workshop in Huairou (parallel with the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing) on “Valuing Women’s Employment: Critical Issues for the 21st Century. A report of the proceedings was published.
• Organized informal panels during the ILO Annual Conferences over the last 6 years on: Home Work (1996 and 1997), Job Creation in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (1998), Maternity Protection (2000 and 2001) and The Role of Women in the Informal Economy (2002).
• 2000 - Convener of the caucus and workshops on Women and the Economy during the NGO parallel meetings to the Economic Commission for Europe on Beijing Plus 5.
• 2000 . Organized two high level panels during the parallel NGO Forum to the UN General Assembly Special Session on Social Development in Geneva as a follow up to the Copenhagen Social Summit of 1995: one panel was on Economic Development and Social Responsiblity; the other on Intellectual Property Rights and Electronic Commerce.
• Organized panels within the umbrella of the Committee during the Commission on Human Rights: on Ageing and Gender; on the Role of the Media; on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; etc.
• Organized presentations by eminent personalities from the private sector, specialists from UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, UNCTAD, ILO, World Bank, WIPO, etc. on employment of women and mainstreaming gender equality perspectives.
• The WG Convener (IFUW 1995-2001), (Zonta 2001-present) have delivered statements at ILO Annual Conferences and have intervened in UN meertings notably in general sessions of the Economic, Social and Cultural Committee.
• 2009 jointly with the Committee on the Status of Women an ECE NGO preparatory meeting in conjunction with the ECE Beijing + 15, publication of the outcome document and recommendations is published herewith.

I salute the presence in Geneva of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, and its advocacy work for gender equality and the advancement of the status of women and their empowerment in decision-making. I especially appreciate the Committee’s valuable inputs to ILO efforts aimed at decent work for women, as equal partners of men.
The Committee has played a unique role in giving a voice to unorganized women who are concentrated in low-paid and low status jobs, and whose non-remunerated work is economically unrecognized and undervalued. I wish to express our appreciation of the work of the Committee, and in particular of its Working Group on Women’s Employment and Economic Development, as one of the ILO’s valued partners in this area.
The ILO also appreciates the Committee’s contributions to helping advance the mainstreaming of gender and gender equality in the ILO, by its active presence in our meetings and other advisory activities. The Committee’s concerns are as much ours, and we count on it for helping to continue our common endeavour for social justice, economic development and gender equality.

Juan Somavia, Director General,
International Labour Organization