Report of the United States Delegation to the World Conference on the UN Decade for Women [electronic resource] : Equality, Development and Peace (Copenhagen, Denmark, July 14-30, 1980) / Maureen T. Whalen, Ed.
This report describes how the U.S. Delegation prepared for and participated in the World Conference of the UN Decade for Women. The conference dealt with the topics of equality, development, and peace. The report covers five years, beginning with U.S. participation in the International Women's...
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| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
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Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse,
1981.
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| Summary: | This report describes how the U.S. Delegation prepared for and participated in the World Conference of the UN Decade for Women. The conference dealt with the topics of equality, development, and peace. The report covers five years, beginning with U.S. participation in the International Women's Year Conference, Mexico City, 1975, and continuing through to the present. Background information, the agenda, committee reports, and conference outcomes and conclusions are discussed. The World Conference was a difficult meeting for the United States because many parts of the agenda was politicized. The conference sparked a great deal of interest among women's organizations and feminist activists in the United States. In its preparation process, the U.S. Secretariat continually explained the meaning of a government-to-government conference, i.e., that delegates are instructed and, when speaking officially, must reflect official U.S. government positions and policies. Unfortunately, there were instances when U.S. policies ran contrary to what some American women wanted the delegation to say, and when this happened, resentment and frustration grew. For many American women, Copenhagen was their first exposure to a forum where anti-American sentiment was openly expressed. Although on a personal level delegates and observers interacted in a spirit of friendship, during formal presentations and discussions many statements critical of the United States were made. The problem was exacerbated by the naivete of some U.S. women. The United States voted against the conference's Program of Action because of three paragraphs which refer to the Middle East in ways which are antithetical to U.S. foreign policy. (Author/RM) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED213654. |
| Physical Description: | 153 p. |