INPUTS FOR COMPILATION DOCUMENT by JAWW (Japan Women’s Watch)
The JAWW (Japan Women’s Watch) is a Japanese women’s network to enhance the empowerment of women and contribute to the world women’s movement. It works for the implementation of the BPFA (Beijing Platform for Action) and other UN outcomes in close collaboration with APWW (Asia Pacific Women’s Watch). Responding to the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima, JAWW received contributions from global women’s networks and distributed them among women’s groups which have been supporting affected people. JAWW also has been advocating for institutionalization of women’s participation in decision making process in the reconstruction process. In the process of UN Conference on Sustainable Development 2012, so-called Rio+20, representing women major group, JAWW joined the Japanese National Preparatory Committee for Rio +20 which consists of multi-stakeholders and produced an input to the compilation document. JAWW also actively participated in the the Asia-Pacific Regional Preparatory Committee Meeting for the Earth Summit 2012 on 19-20 October 2011 held in Seoul, Republic of Korea and worked as a member of women’s caucus. Representing women’s network in Japan, the JAWW submits the following inputs for the compilation of the outcome document for Rio+20.
a. The expectations for the outcome of Rio+20 and the concrete proposals, including views on a possible structure of the Outcome document Despite the 20 years’ efforts worldwide since Rio, little progress has been achieved in terms of mainstreaming gender equality in sustainable development. Recalling the Agenda 21 and Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, both governmental and non-governmental organizations should re-affirm the women’s empowerment and gender equality are a core principle of sustainable development in the Outcome Document of the Rio +20. Considering the inequality between genders that remains in various spheres of the society, especially economic situation and the participation in decisionmaking, governments should clearly express their commitments with concrete measures, including positive actions and cross compliances, to rectify the situation. 1
Based on the heartbreaking and disastrous experiences in Fukushima at the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquakes and its long term damages on human beings, society and economy, JAWW strongly proposes that the energy policy should depart from dependency on nuclear energy and up-scale funding to renewable energy. The process of shifting to renewable energy should be transparent and participatory, so that women and other vulnerable people can participate in the decision-making process as equal to men. Women should be regarded as a producer of energy but not merely a consumer and should be guaranteed to have equal opportunities to acquire new technologies and various benefits. Gender disaggregated data is the basis of promoting gender equality in sustainable development. More resources should be allocated for the collection, analysis and disclosure of gender disaggregated data in relation to sustainable development.
b. Green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication: The green economy should be defined as the one that enables gender justice and long term social and wellbeing of present and future generations, especially marginalized groups, including women in poverty. The goals and monitoring tools of the green economy should include indicators to measure the achievement of gender justice.
c. Institutional framework for sustainable development: Based on its experience of advocacy to connect gender equality in the sustainable development, JAWW proposes to institutionalize that the organization/section in charge of gender equality should be a part of organization/section in charge of sustainable development. In Japan, as a result of the advocacy by women’s network, the Japan’s Basic Guidelines for Reconstruction which is based on the Basic Act on Great East Japan Earthquake Reconstruction (Law No. 76, 2011) clearly states that gender equality and women’s participation in decision- making are the basic principle in the reconstruction process and the section/person in charge should be included in the headquarters for reconstruction at national and local levels. This must be a good example how to connect both. Convenor of JAWW, Masako Tanaka (EZZ01606@nifty.com) Contact person: Yukiko Oda (odayukiko2009@gmail.com) 31 October 2011 2