WHAT CAN WE DO FOR THE FUTURE OF MANKIND IN OUR OWN ENVIRONMENT?
Address by Stefka Kucan At the plenary session of the Second International Conference “Women in the 21st Century: The Role of Women in the Development of Democracy in South Eastern Europe”


Ohrid (Macedonia), 13 April 2002


I am delighted that I can join you here in Macedonia to participate in the second international conference on the position of women, in which we share a mutual desire to promote and enhance the role of women in the development of democracy in South Eastern Europe. There are many reasons underlying the justification of such an approach, which has been divided up thematically into four working groups. We join the majority position of those analysing today’s situation in the world, where in principle the same open questions regarding the position of women are valid almost everywhere, but certainly in places and among people where the historical predominance of civilisations whose fundamental values have been instilled by the great world religions and cultures, from Christianity, Islam, Hinduism to Buddhism, and in places where people face social hardship and insufficient material and infrastructural potentials for survival and development.

But I should immediately add that fulfilment of individual and collective human rights – and therefore the rights of men, women and children, in other words a normal and creative life with good prospects – is vitally, fatally dependent on whether the 21st century will also be racked by continuing wars and the destructive fights of lesser or greater dimensions between peoples, nations and capital, which dominates the global economy and its development, but alongside developmental success also bears co-responsibility for the great social gaps and injustices, as well as environmental imbalances in the world.

I remember with what great hopes mankind entered the new era, which was set to be governed by a civilisation of peace and cooperation. But today’s reality is both disturbing and awarness wakening; disturbing because of social vulnerability, cruel aggression and wars. And the greatest victims of this aggression across the entire world, including the Balkans, are women and children.

This very aggression convinces us that the primary and fundamental condition for being able to secure human dignity and human rights, including the rights of women and children, is the establishing of sustainable peace and security. Only when we can finally break out of the hell of mutual destruction and unbearable suffering, can we succeed in creating solid foundations for economic and political development, and for democratic relations in which it will be possible to establish the equality of all people, including the equality of women. And this itself both enables and requires of women their active social and political commitment, their active involvement in the mechanisms and processes of democratic decision-making, in which conflicts among people, and social and other groups in exercising their interests can be resolved through dialogue and through a search for consensus. It demands the recognition of differences and the capability for living with these differences, including differences between the sexes, as well as the capability for mutual understanding, respect and cooperation.

I share the hopes of all of us who are convinced that in the greater part of South Eastern Europe positive and favourable changes are being made to the political, economic and social conditions, even changes of that kind. I want to believe that the democratic countries of Europe, which have experienced unbridled economic and social development precisely because of the preservation of peace ever since the end of the Second World War, will demonstrate, through actions in favour of peace and development, their responsibility and capability for settling the situation in the South-East of Europe, and will truly accept it as an inseparable part of the European continent. At the same time there will be a need to set out even more joint civil society and political activities of women for their justified, legitime and necessary and also by legislation provided and guaranteed equal involvement in the processes and institutions of political, economic and cultural democracy, where decisions are formulated and adopted, now, on the current and future circumstances of life, on the position of women and the fulfilment of their social and political rights.

In view of the experiences in my country Slovenia, I should like to underline that it is peace that enabled us to exploit the relatively favourable economic and political situation for democratic development and social security. It has made it possible for women to join the struggle for common democratic development and to strive for equal representation and cooperation in the political, economic, scientific, research, social, cultural and artistic life of a nation, a country and international community. Our path is far from being easy, and every day we have to renew the struggle and strive for fulfilment of the democratic standards we have acquired, standards which are formally stated, written in the Constitution, laws and other acts, but without them, without this legal foundation, their fulfilment would not be really possible, or there would be much fewer chances for them.

The formal and legal foundation for equality of women provides us with great support in this endeavour. With their presence in the social and political awareness, these democratic standards can influence and improve people’s real lives, the relationships among people, the relationships between men and women; living and working conditions; and they can create the circumstances that enable gendering of equality and can be realised and continuously fulfilled, somewhere more, somewhere less; with equal responsibility of men and women for cooperation in decision-making on public affairs, on the public welfare and on designing aims, desires and ways that might bring a good future to mankind.

In Slovenia too, women are not, in comparison to men, proportionately present in the leading political roles as ministers, parliamentary deputies and party members. It is the same in the business and management elite, and in the heading of scientific and university institutions. In Slovenia, as well, women’s work is often less paid, women, wives and mothers, are frequently physically and mentally abused. The funds for social and health care assistance, for unemployment and so forth are being reduced...

Nevertheless the democratic and secure circumstances, open to the world and sensitive to everything that is going on, make it possible for the public to get acquainted with these problems and the public, both laic and professional, could through their critical assessment and dissatisfaction with these problems, make changes for the better. And the work of the ombudsman and his office as well as the work of the Government’s Women’s Office make favourable changes towards improvement of the situation.

These are my experiences. There is no good in building castles in the sky. The equality of all people, irrespective of gender, age, national, religious or conscientious affiliation will only be possible if we build these foundations with patience, perseverance and courage, as they may only exist in the circumstances of peace and relative social security, that enable more prospects for development and democratisation. From this basis upwards the endeavours for democratisation are still demanding, but it is possible, step by step, to overcome even the greatest and hardest obstacles.

I do think, there are hopes for a better future for mankind in the 21st century. This conference also encourages and strengthens our hopes. For this reason I wish the conference every success in its work, a positive outcome and a constructive achievement. I sincerely wish that the public would listen carefully to the conference achievements, and accept them as their own, and that the public, together with journalists and media, will strive continuously for their popularisation, for greater awareness of them and for their fulfilment in the everyday life of families, companies, countries, regions as well as the international community.

I believe that the conclusions of this conference will be with us in our work for the future of mankind. May I thank the organisers and Mrs Trajkovski for the organisation of this important conference.

And, finally, may I thank you for your kind attention.