Women and natural disaters: A regional analysis on Asia and the Pacific

The ESCAP region is very prone to natural disasters. Nevertheless, specific research on Asia-Pacific countries focusing on the gender dimension of such events remains insufficient. The aim of the paper at hand is to address this gap as follows: first, a working definition of 'natural disaster' is proposed followed by an overview of the situation in the region regarding disaster frequency, people affected, human and economic leosses. Following this, women's specific vulnerabilites are analyzed. However, the picture of women as victim exclusively may provide women with unique chances for empowerment and change. The potential options are outlined in the fourth section of the present paper. The conclusion at the end summarizes all major findings.

Gender Equality and Empowerment: A Statistical Profile of Selected Issues in the Asia-Pacific Region

In this paper, the current gender situation regarding HIV/AIDS, education, labor participation and political participation is described on the basis of quantitative indicators relevant to countries in the Asia-Pacific region and compiled for as many members and associate members as possible. All four topics chosen are part of the “critical areas of concern” identified at the Fourth World Conference on Women and cover three major components of equality: basic human capabilities (e.g. health and education), the opportunity to apply these capabilities (i.e. through employment, status and income), and the ability to influence outcomes and to control one's own destiny (e.g. through economic and political decision-making).

The Asia-Pacific High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to Review Regional Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and Its Regional and Global Outcomes was held in Bangkok from 16 - 18 November 2009 to review implementation of the Platform for Action fifteen years after its adoption. The meeting adopted the Bangkok Declaration on Beijing+15, which reaffirms the commitment of governments in the region to implement the Beijing Platform for Action and to take concerted action to achieve equality for women accross the twelve critical areas of concern identified in the Platform for Action.

This publication comprises three papers cover different aspects of the issues leading to and associated with the commercial sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children in the Pacific.

This is a report of a regional stakeholders' consultation and planning workshop involving participants from the Governments and civil society of Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, as well as Pacific regional organizations, academic institutions and United Nations organizations. They came together to review findings from situation analysis research on commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and child sexual abuse (CSA) and share experiences, develop or strengthen key elements of a national plan of action and involve other Pacific stakeholders in addressing this problem. A key objective was to raise the awareness of participants of the gender-based risk factors documented in the situation analyses and the need to incorporate a gender approach for effective responses to CSEC and CSA, as well as consider the economic and social root causes of such exploitation and abuse.

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