ECLAC presents the unavoidable links between the Regional Gender Agenda and the Belém do Pará Convention during the IX MESECVI Conference.

Santiago de Chile, June 11 and 12, 2024 – In the framework of the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the historic Belém do Pará Convention, the Ninth Conference of States Parties to the Follow-up Mechanism to the Inter-American Convention on Preventing, Punishing and Eradicating Violence against Women “Belém do Pará Convention” (MESECVI) was held at ECLAC.

During the inauguration, Luis Yáñez, Secretary of the ECLAC Commission, emphasized the need to address violence against women in a comprehensive manner and incorporate it into broader policies and programs. Yáñez said: “At ECLAC, we are contributing in this direction, supporting countries and the MESECVI with quality data for decision-making and promoting a care society and women’s autonomy. The Secretary highlighted the agreements of the Regional Gender Agenda, in particular the Buenos Aires Commitment adopted at the XV Regional Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean.

For her part, Antonia Orellana, Minister of Women and Gender Equality of Chile and current President of MESECVI, highlighted that: “The challenge of this conference is to agree on strategies to accelerate the process of change, so that this generation is the last to live under conditions of structural gender violence.” The opening also included remarks by Alejandra Mora, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women of the OAS, who emphasized that “transformation is possible through multilateral collaboration with states, civil society and the women’s movement in our region.” María Noel Vaeza, Regional Director of UN Women, who noted that this is a time of significant regional challenges, underlining the need for a solid political vision backed by state policies and adequate budgets to effectively combat gender violence, and Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the OAS, highlighting the importance of regional collaboration to consolidate collective actions and maximize their impact.

Ana Güezmes, Director of the Gender Affairs Division of ECLAC, participated in the panel “Regional links: Regional Conference on Women and Belém do Pará, 30 years after the Beijing Declaration”, where she addressed the links between the Regional Gender Agenda and the Belém do Pará Convention. Güezmes began her intervention by highlighting the contributions of the Regional Gender Agenda and the commitments to achieve substantive equality and eliminate all forms of violence against women. “Over the past 47 years, the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean has become the main regional intergovernmental forum within the United Nations on women’s rights and gender equality, which has resulted in a deep, progressive and comprehensive Regional Gender Agenda, serving as a framework for countries’ public policies to achieve gender equality in law and in practice: the guarantee of women’s rights and autonomy. This agenda is being articulated as a cumulative agenda, with the international human rights framework at the global and regional level,” he said.

The Director stressed the importance of the Belém do Pará Convention as a pioneering treaty in the international recognition of gender violence as a violation of human rights, in conjunction with CEDAW and other United Nations initiatives. She also stressed that this Agenda recognizes femicide and proposes follow-up strategies, including measurement within the framework of the Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean (OIG), an initiative requested of ECLAC by the Member States through the Quito Consensus in 2007. She also highlighted that the Buenos Aires Commitment calls for the adoption and implementation of laws, policies, comprehensive and multi-sectoral action plans on co-responsible and non-violent masculinities and the effective protection of women human rights defenders. Güezmes stressed that “Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the regions in the world with the most legal advances in eradicating violence against women.”

During the session, the Director of the Gender Affairs Division presented figures from the IGO, revealing that more than two-thirds of women in the region have suffered gender-based violence. Between 2019 and 2022, 12 countries maintained stable femicide rates, while Honduras, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic recorded increases, with Honduras showing a 30% increase in 2022. However, the Dominican Republic and Honduras had significantly reduced their cases between 2019 and 2020. Only Bolivia, Guatemala, and El Salvador managed to reduce their femicide rates.

At the end of her speech, Ana Güezmes was emphatic in pointing out that “Transformative policies are urgently needed to guarantee women lives free of gender violence.”

During the dialogue between the delegations, the representative of Bolivia highlighted the importance of eradicating poverty and reducing infant mortality, while the representative of Guatemala underlined the progress in institutional mechanisms to address violence against women. Honduras mentioned the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Inter-American Convention on Women of the Organization of American States and the implementation of a national survey on time use. Mónica Botero, Director of the National Institute for Women of Uruguay, emphasized the need for solid State policies to avoid setbacks in the gender agenda. The representative of Colombia supported the work of women in the Caribbean and called on States to declare a decade for rural women and girls.

Among the agreements of the IX MESECVI Conference, the commitment to the continuous evaluation of gender violence, considering various vulnerability factors, stands out. In addition, the creation of a Model Law to prevent and eradicate gender violence facilitated by technology will be promoted, and important notes were taken on access to justice for women, with specific recommendations for Afro-descendant women. The Conference underlined the importance of the active participation of civil society and the implementation of measures for adaptation to climate change with a gender perspective.

During the Conference, the States Parties reaffirmed their commitment to eradicating gender-based violence and promoting comprehensive policies that address both violence and gender equality in the region. The importance of regional cooperation and civil society participation was highlighted, as well as the need for transformative policies that include the gender perspective in all areas, including unpaid work and care. In addition, the MESECVI Strategic Plan 2024-2029 was approved, which will guide efforts towards the effective implementation of the Belém do Pará Convention, highlighting the intersection between gender, technology and climate change. The conference also agreed to continue the periodic dialogue between the Competent National Authorities and the MESECVI Committee of Experts to strengthen the implementation and dissemination of the Convention.

Learn about the agreements reached here https://belemdopara.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MESECVI-IX-CE-doc.150.rev1_.ES_.Acuerdos.pdf

Learn about the Declaration on Accelerating Strategies for the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention on Preventing, Punishing and Eradicating Violence Against Women https://belemdopara.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/MESECVI-IX-CE-doc.149.ES_.-rev1.DeclaracionFortalecimientoMESECVI.pdf