Address by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen to the second Baltic Sea Women’s Conference in Helsinki on 9 March 2000

It gives me great pleasure to address this gathering, which is an important link in the chain of recent conferences in the Baltic Sea Region. It is also further proof of the dynamism that characterises cooperation between women in this part of the world.

It is very important to promote the status of women in general, but we can not succeed without making our whole society more democratic. It is not just a question of free elections, but also has to do with strengthening and developing the very foundation, civil society itself. Democracy is a process and means that people use to manage constant change. Therefore the participation of everyone - men and women - is an absolute requirement.

It is essential to put equality between people into practice. The first step in this is to eliminate discrimination. Implementation of women’s rights as human rights and giving women a real possibility to act and exercise influence in society are today’s great challenges

In our countries, human rights are nominally the same for all individuals, but in practice they are not implemented equally. Although the rights of women and girls are safeguarded in legislation, they are not respected in practice to the same degree as those of men and boys. In all countries, women constantly face various obstacles such as a weaker economic standing and cultural and economic factors which make it difficult for them to gain their rights. For this reason, we need to pay special attention to women´s rights.

Although responsibility for protecting and promoting human rights resides with governments, a lively human rights culture is unlikely to emerge without an active and well-functioning civil society. When it comes to women’s rights, women themselves are the most important resource. The role of women’s organisations and other NGOs is crucial in promoting the human rights of women and girls. The potential that networking among women offers is a key factor in implementing women’s rights in practice. One positive example is cooperation between women entrepreneurs who, by sharing experiences and working together, can clear new fields in which women can work and fully enjoy their rights. These themes are on the agenda here.

The promotion of gender equality in the Baltic Sea Region, the general theme that you have chosen for your conference, can be seen as part of a broader effort to strengthen women’s economic opportunities and safeguard their human rights. The wider context for the process is the implementation and follow-up of the UN Beijing Platform of Action. Regional and sub-regional conferences of this kind provide a valuable additional input to the global process of evaluating the state of gender equality in the world and speeding up progress on this front. Since the adoption of the Platform for Action five years ago, major progress has been made in the advancement and empowerment of women as well as in mainstreaming the gender perspective. Unfortunately, the process has also shown that we are far from full implementation of the Platform and that progress in different parts of the world is uneven.

I am pleased to see that there has been positive development where gender equality in the Baltic Sea Region is concerned. The states in this region can make a big contribution also to the implementation of equality on a global scale. That is something that many realised already at the regional meeting organised by the Economic Commission for Europe. I am convinced that we here in the Baltic Sea region can muster enough political will and ability to honour the commitments adopted in Beijing as well as to participate on a basis of solidarity in bringing the same things about also globally.

Regional processes are important. One that matters very much from our perspective is EU enlargement. It relates not just to the economy, but to the whole of society. We must draw the attention of both women and men to it and play an active role in this great change. The European Union’s Northern Dimension initiative and an American initiative concerning northern Europe provide additional frameworks within which to work. Naturally, the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe likewise remain at our disposal. Nordic-Baltic cooperation on the NGO level also deserves mention.

I am convinced that the EU enlargement process will promote gender equality. It is essential that the countries applying for EU membership fulfil the requirements of equality legislation and its implementation. Adjustment of social security levels and minority policy are equally important. Legislation alone is, however, not enough. Political will to improve gender equality in practice is also needed.

On a personal level, I am pleased that you have invited me here. I remember when, together with the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, I announced an initiative with the aid of which cooperation between women in the Baltic Sea Region acquired a transatlantic dimension. Only a year ago we jointly organised a very successful conference in Riga with the aim of promoting the status of women. It has already led to concrete cooperation in the region. The conference in Reykjavik last October carried the torch forward and achieved results that will be further discussed and evaluated in Vilnius next year. This is convincing proof that the process and series of events are well rooted. I am delighted to see that all Baltic Sea countries as well as the United States are represented here today.
To conclude, Ladies and Gentlemen, let me say a few words about this country. Finnish women were the first in the world to get full political rights. That was in 1906, when they were allowed both to vote and to stand in elections. The first female minister was appointed in 1926. Also in Finland the promotion of equality has required not only changes in attitudes, but also additional legislative actions. The 1986 Equality Act and its amendment to include the quota system adopted in 1995 have contributed positively in many ways to promoting equality between men and women. I am also happy to be able to speak to you as the first woman President of Finland.

No society where women are on a footing of full equality with men has yet come into being. There are undeniably differences from country to country, but the problems that women face are astonishingly similar in all societies. Their position in the labour market is unequal and they can be subject to sexual harassment and exploitation, including trafficking in women and girls, prostitution and violence. Behind these phenomena lie complex socio-economic and cultural factors.

For these reasons it is essential to continue to combat violence against women in all its forms, to work for equality in the labour market and to encourage women to become entrepreneurs. I am pleased that you have included all of these themes on your agenda.

Advancing the status of women and enhancing gender equality require the participation of every state in the world. This is our common endeavour, and it will benefit all - women and men - in developed and developing countries.

I wish you every success at this conference. It is my hope and belief that you will achieve good results in these important issues of gender equality in the Baltic Sea Region.