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HUMAN RIGHTS
Everything is interrelated
The perspective of young women, one that is fresh and evolving, provides an opportunity for change in the traditional approach to human rights, women's rights and development. Young women are in the unique position to bring the force and energy needed to struggle against the things which have held back women for too long. In order to understand and take actions which will support women, we need to consider social and economic issues from a holistic and open approach that listens to the voices and struggles of all women. The realization that there is an inter-relationship between all aspects of social and economic development must be the basis upon which we as youth must look at and work on development issues. Before the term sustainable development was used, the terms environment and development were used and seen as two separate issues, not as two aspects of life which are intimately interrelated. That has also been the case for recognizing that freedom and human rights are a precondition for development. The fact that freedom and human rights are a pre-condition for development is now accepted by the United Nations, and presumably its member nations. There is a general acceptance, at least in theoretical terms, that development which benefits all the individuals of a community or country can only take place where human rights are respected.
It is unfortunate that this debate did not proceed to examine the rights of women in the same light. This changed with the United Nations Human Rights conference in Vienna in 1993, where women's groups organized in order to insure that women's rights are included as human rights. The rights of women have also for too long been looked at in isolation, when at all. Ambassador Merwat Tallawy, Chair of the UN Commission on the Status of Women stated recently that: "Just as the environment was a catalyst for development issues, human rights should be a catalyst to promote equality among all groups of the population". The youth chapter of Agenda 21, clearly states the importance of combating human rights abuses as a prerequisite for sustainable development.