eawf origin and vision
During the NGO conference
of the Asia and Pacific region, held in Manila 1993, for the
preparation of the Beijing World Conference on Women, the participants
met in sub-regional groups. At the East Asia regional group
meeting, it was proposed and accepted unanimously that a
separate East Asia Women's Forum should be held on a regular
basis for the following reasons:
1.
Out of the immense
diversity of the whole Asia and Pacific region, the East Asian
Region shares a common cultural and religious background, such as Confucianism
and Buddhism.
2.
The region is characterized
by dynamic economic development and contains one highly developed
nation (Japan) as well as some of the fastest growing economies.
3.
The status of women
and problems women face is similar.
In the international arena, due to language barriers and cultural factors, the voices of women from this region are not so well heard and their display of leadership less visible. Therefore, the purpose of the East Asian Women's Forum is to empower East Asian women to take more active roles internationally by promoting networking among NGOs through the exchange of information and ideas, sharing the experiences and resources in overcoming economic, political, and cultural barriers faced by women in this region. It is hoped that this king of encounter will help promote peace and development in this region.
The spirit of the East
Asian Women's Forum is to ensure an open and safe environment
for women NGOs to discuss and share experiences, free from
any government intervention. It is also the aim of the Forum
to monitor the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and
discuss any emerging issues.
The first East Asian Women's Forum was held in October 1994 at Kanagawa Women's Centre, Enoshima, Japan. The main theme of discussion was East Asia's economic development, pollution and the environment and discrimination on women by traditional culture.
The second Forum conference held in Seoul, Korea in August 1996 was attended by four hundred women. Held one year after the Fourth UN World Conference on Women in Beijing, its focus was on the implementation of the Platform for Action adopted at the Beijing conference. Other discussed topics were comfort women, equal employment and human rights.
The third conference held in Mongolia 1998 discussed globalization and women's economic empowerment which included women's economic and employment situation and the impact of the economic crisis in Asia on women, women's human right included discrimination and violence against women, women's reproductive rights and women's political participation.
The fourth conference held in Taiwan 2000 looked at Women of the New Era. The conference studies a range of issues affecting women, which included women & development, domestic violence, employment, education, health, culture and human rights etc. Another encouraging development in this conference was the emerging of a Young Women's Forum.
In all the past conferences, apart from being a channel for communication, exchanges and mutual learning on the current status of women in the East Asia region, the resolutions made in these conferences have been used by women NGOs as tools for negotiations with their respective governments.
Members of the Forum
(in alphabetical order):
China
Hong Kong
Japan
Macau
Mongolia
South Korea
Taiwan
To analyze the situation of women and the causes of gender discrimination, which are controlled and affected by the rapidly changing economic development and cultural conditions.
To share the
experience and information of women's actions and struggles to change
their situation.
To empower women
and strengthen the women's movement in order to create an alternative
society based on gender justice, ecological sustainability and grassroots
global democracy.
To build a spirit of sisterhood and solidarity through regional networking among NGO women regardless of our differences in political system or economics, social and religious value systems.
The Forum shall be organized
by women NGOs, independent of any governmental control or direction.
Any woman who is a member of an NGO can
fully participate regardless of her political, economic,
ethnic or cultural background. Attention is to be
given to provide opportunities for marginalized and minority groups to
participate.
The organizing process should be democratic, participatory
and open.
All fundamental human rights,
including freedom of thought and speech, freedom of movement and
exchange for mutual education shall be respected and advocated.
The financial support for
the Forum, including funds needed by host organization and funds
to support participants should be primarily drawn from NGO sources.
The Forum is to be held every two or three years, and the venue of the Forum should be rotated.
東亞婦女論壇係緣於1993年秋天在菲律賓首都馬尼拉舉辦的『邁向北京的亞太非政府組織座談會』所達成『讓東亞婦女的心聲被聽見』的共識，因而協議組成非政府組織論壇，提供東亞婦女及婦女團體一個不受政府監督、控制的討論空間，並針對當代重要婦女處境與政策走向，進行溝通討論。除此之外，東亞婦女所面對的傳統文化及宗教信仰（儒家及佛教思想）及婦女地位問題都較近似。
此外，東亞婦女論壇的精神係與聯合國世界婦女大會的宗旨一貫相成，並以1995年世界婦女大會的十二大關切議題暨行動綱領為討論基準，如貧窮、教育、健康、暴力、戰爭衝突、經濟、政治、國家與國際關係機構、人權、媒體、婦女與環境、女童等皆與促進婦女權益息息相關，不容忽視的議題。
目前東亞婦女論壇已召開過四次大會；第一屆東亞婦女論壇於1994年2月於日本江之島舉行，主題著重在東亞經濟發展所引起的環境破壞、文化傳統對女性的歧視、以及對女性人權的侵害等嚴重情況。
第二屆於1996年8月假韓國漢城舉行，強調慰安婦、平等僱用與人權。
第三屆於1998年8月假蒙古舉行，討論主題有全球經濟及金融危機、性侵害與暴力、以及婦女參政權。
第四屆於2000年9月假台灣舉行，討論主題為新年代對婦女帶來的衝擊。
歷屆論壇除了透過交流分享訊息、經驗與報告方式及工作坊，來檢視東亞婦女的現實狀況之外，會中更進而提出決議與行動綱領，對各國政府提出建議，要求制定具體行動計劃幫助東亞婦女改善經濟、社會、政治處境；呼籲各政府應儘速在法律及制度層面設定及落實保障婦女人身安全的措施，強力譴責各種施加於女性身上有形及無形的暴力；並決議要積極促進年輕女性與女性候選人的參政培育計劃等。
東亞婦女論壇的八個地區為（按英文字母排名）：
中國
香港
日本
澳門
蒙古
南韓
台灣