Written statement to the United Nations Fourth World
Conference on Women, distributed officially to all
participants.
A bold and
courageous plan for the advancement of both men and women, the
Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women
stands on solid ground. It sets out an Agenda for Equality
which stresses women's rights as human rights, emphasizes
shared responsibility and partnership between women and men,
and calls for immediate action to create a peaceful, developed
and just world, based on the principle of equality and built
on the strength of women's knowledge, energy, creativity and
skills. Thus the Platform for Action addresses the advancement
of women from the standpoint of moral principle, as distinct
from pure pragmatism.
The Bahá'í
International Community is encouraged by and applauds this
principled approach, but we feel it must go much farther. If
the Platform for Action is to win the worldwide support it
requires for successful implementation, the principle on which
it is founded, the equality of men and women, needs to be
understood as an essential aspect of an even broader
principle: the oneness of humanity. Properly understood in the
context of the oneness of humanity, equality of the sexes must
be embraced not only as a requirement of justice but as a
prerequisite for peace and prosperity. Nothing short of a
compelling vision of peace, and commitment to the values on
which it must be based, will have the power to motivate the
revolutionary changes in individual behaviour, organizational
structures, and interpersonal dynamics called for by the
Platform for Action.
Traditionally,
religion has been one of the most powerful sources of both
vision and values. Every religion, particularly in its early
stages, has evoked a new vision for society, articulated
values consonant with that vision, and inspired both personal
and institutional transformation. At the same time, it must be
acknowledged that religion has also been a source of division
and social fragmentation. Indeed, the record of religions in
promoting the advancement of women has been uneven. While,
typically, in the early years of their existence, religions
have tended to encourage the participation of women,
historical evidence suggests a gradual tendency among
religious institutions over time to establish practices and
support attitudes that impede the development of women's
potential.
Because religion
is such a potentially powerful force for progress, religious
leaders and people of faith everywhere are urged to step
forward as lovers of humanity to promote those eternal,
unifying principles -- or spiritual values -- that can inspire
in both individuals and governments the will to implement the
Agenda for Equality.
Foremost is the
principle of the oneness of humankind. It lies at the heart of
the exhortation that we should treat others as we ourselves
would wish to be treated, an ethical standard upheld in some
form by every religion. To establish justice, peace and order
in an interdependent world, this principle must guide all
interactions, including those between men and women. If the
treatment of women were scrutinized in the light of this
ethical standard, we would doubtless move beyond many
traditional, religious and cultural practices.
The personal
transformation required for true equality will undoubtedly be
difficult for men and women alike. Both must relinquish all
attachment to guilt and blame and courageously assume
responsibility for their own part in transforming the
societies in which they live. Men must use their influence,
particularly in the civil, political and religious
institutions they control, to promote the systematic inclusion
of women, not out of condescension or presumed self-sacrifice
but out of the belief that the contributions of women are
required for society to progress. Women, for their part, must
become educated and step forward into all arenas of human
activity, contributing their particular qualities, skills and
experience to the social, economic and political equation.
Women and men together will ensure the establishment of world
peace and sustainable development of the planet.
Religious leaders
and people of faith everywhere have a special responsibility
to reaffirm those eternal spiritual principles that unite and
bind together the hearts and release the capacities of every
soul. Galvanized by the spirit and vision of the oneness of
the human family, women and men together can, in the spirit of
the Agenda for Equality, create a peaceful, just and
prosperous world in which to nurture the generations to come.
