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Thailand’s national machinery for the advancement of women was established in 1989. It was called the National Commission on Women’s Affairs (NCWA), and was made up of representatives from government and NGOs, as well as independent gender experts. The Prime Minister (or designated Deputy Prime Minister) was the Chairperson of the NCWA, and the secretariat, the Office of the National Commission for Women’s Affairs (ONCWA), sat under the auspices of the Prime Minister’s Office.
In 2003, the women’s machinery was renamed the Office of Women’s Affairs and Family Development (OWAFD). It received upgraded status as a department, was moved under the newly established Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and given a new mandate not only to promote gender equality but also family development. Its budget allocation was substantially increased to provide necessary resources to carry out programmes targeted at women’s empowerment and the effective implementation of CEDAW.
Ms. Kanda, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, took some time out of her busy schedule recently to answer a few questions about her work on CEDAW:
How long have you been involved with the national women’s machinery in Thailand?
Roughly four years. The national machinery is responsible for policies and programmes to promote gender equality, and for mainstreaming gender within government institutions. It provides recommendations regarding required laws or amendments to existing laws to improve the status of women. And it also coordinates and drafts Thailand’s reports to the CEDAW Committee, and ensures follow up on the Concluding Comments.
Were you in New York in January 2006, when Thailand’s combined 4th and 5th reports were reviewed by the CEDAW Committee?
Yes, I was part of the delegation; the Minister of Social Development and Human Security was the head of the delegation and I represented the national women’s machinery. We had a high-level delegation attend. They were senior officials from various ministries including labour, education, health, justice. We also had representatives from Philanthropic Associations and Thai Women Watch, who were active in helping us draft the National Plan of Action for women. Many of us were going to attend a review session for the first time, so we didn’t quite know what to expect. We had support from UNIFEM CEDAW Southeast Asia Programme who facilitated a ‘mock session’ for our delegation. The resource persons provided us substantive information so we could learn what to expect during the CEDAW review.
How was the ‘mock session’ helpful?
It’s like the concept of a ‘mock exam’, which I found very helpful. You get an understanding of how everything is done during the session, what the process is and what is expected of the delegation.
For example, questions were sent to us by the CEDAW Committee in advance to prepare written responses – but during the session, we also get asked other questions that we have to write down very quickly and divide up among the delegation to answer. Without knowing what to expect, it would be hard to do this fast! The mock session also helped since the facilitators threw additional questions at us that were not included in the CEDAW Committee’s list, and they raised some issues that we just assumed or didn’t notice.
I also think the mock session helped because we didn’t do too well in my opinion. It indicated the gaps and problems that we had to sort out before we attended the actual session. Having everything videotaped was also useful so we can use the information again to train others in the future.
What have you been busy with since the CEDAW Committee review?
We have introduced CEDAW principles in the training workshop for all the gender focal points in each ministry and department, aiming at review of the organizations’ master plan on gender equality. We have also organized inter-ministerial meetings to discuss the CEDAW Committee’s Concluding Comments, and come up with a timetable to take action on the Comments. We need to convince people that the Concluding Comments are not meant as a criticism but instead, they are really meant to act as guidelines and recommendations for meeting our obligations to the Convention.
You are also the current Chairperson of the ASEAN Committee on Women? How is ASEAN treating the promotion of gender equality in the region?
At the last ASEAN Summit in November 2007, equality for men and women was clearly articulated. We also have a new ASEAN Charter - while it doesn’t specifically mention gender equality, it does include the principles of equality, and respect and protection of human rights. It is important that we push CEDAW concerns within ASEAN, and share experiences and knowledge on implementation among the member states. This is something I have prioritized as chair of the women’s committee. We are also in the process of setting up a Commission on the Rights of Women and Children within ASEAN that would help to focus more attention on the needs of women and their families in the region. But this mechanism will need some time to develop to suit the protocol of ASEAN.
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CEDAW CHAMPION – Ms Kanda Vajrabhaya,