Among the 35,000 plus women gathered in Beijing and Huairou in September 1995, ten were from The Feminist Majority. Here are on-site accounts that Feminist Majority Delegation members posted on The Feminist Majority Foundation Online throughout the conference. |
September 2, 1995 - Colleen Dermody
Day Three of the Women's NGO Conference
Huairou, China - Day three of the Women's NGO Conference took a positive turn as the weather became sunny and a comfortable 78 degrees for the over 19,000 participants who are currently registered. Forum officials report attendees continue to stream in.
Morning activities included a parade of Vietnamese women celebrating their annual National Day through the Global Village Tent. There are over 250 Vietnamese feminist women attending the NGO Forum.
At a morning press conference, NGO Forum officials announced they would meet with the China Organizing Committee (COC) and the Chinese government Security Services and Foreign Affairs Division to discuss continued reports of harassment and disabled participant's lack of access to parts of the Conference sites.
After a two hour meeting about the interpretation of the letter of agreement, the NGO leaders received confirmation from Xu Ahiltan, Vice-Secretary-General of the State Council and Secretary-General of the COC, that participants will have freedom of expression within the Forum site and will be free to gather in hotels.
Khunying Supatra Masdit, Convenor of the NGO Forum and 18 international representatives, presented the COC with the reports of surveillance and harassment. Volunteers and officials of the NGO Forum will monitor the Conference to insure the Chinese authorities follow their agreements with the Forum. NGO leaders will meet for a report on the Chinese compliance within 24 hours to see if further action needs to be taken.
Even with complaints, many attendees are reporting that the Forum is running smoothly today after several days of chaos.
Schedule of Plenaries
Statistics on the Status of Women
Copyright 1995, The Feminist Majority Foundation and New Media Publishing Inc.
