Before we begin our observation, Canada would like to convey its sincere sorrow on the passing of President Assad and would like to also convey our condolences to his family and people.
For the past week, our negotiators have been working exhaustive hours to develop language and a document that is action-orientated and makes gains on Beijing. For this we are in their debt.
Canada is pleased to join in consensus that this document reflects the issues, which most member states believe, are important to achieving equality for the world's women.
Canada brought to the table many issues, which we feel would improve, de jure and de facto, the lives of women and girls not only in our country, but also in many countries of the developing world.
We are therefore pleased to see some of these adopted here today and reflected in the document.
The Cairo +5 Conference drew important conclusions in the area of sexual and reproductive rights. Canada remains strongly committed to the principles established by this conference.
We would note that we have made no gains from Beijing on the inherent right of the person to make decisions about her sexual and reproductive life. However, Canada is pleased that the document reaffirms and reinforces women's rights as human rights and that there is censure for the abhorrent practice of trafficking in women and girls and an acknowledgement of the compounding role played by new communications technology in this regard.
Canada is also pleased that there is renewed commitment to enhance the relationship between government, NGOs and civil society at the national and international levels since we believe that this is essential to the development of practical and effective strategies for the de facto equality of women.
We are especially pleased that there has been expanded support for NGO programs on race and ethnically based violence.
President, our world is diverse. The inequality of women's lives in developed and developing countries demands recognition of diversity of race, religion, class, sexual orientation, age, mental and physical disabilities, and ethnic, indigenous, immigrant and refugee status.
Paragraph 2bis. recognizes the discrimination that women may experience and the violation of their human rights on a number of these grounds and underlines the responsibility of governments and the international community to take the necessary steps to prevent and/or remedy such discrimination. However, we note that the paragraph makes no specific reference to sexual orientation.
President, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a violation of human rights. This principle is established in Canadian law. On the international level, sexual orientation is included as the prohibited grounds of discrimination set out in a number of binding international human rights instruments, either as discrimination on the grounds of "sex", or on the grounds of "other status". The United Nations Human Rights Committee and other parts of the United Nations human rights system have upheld this position.
Given this, we regret that the document fails to include a more explicit reflection of this principle.
However, Canada considers that the matter of sexual orientation is encompassed in the reference to "other status" in paragraph 2bis.
Canada considers paragraph 2bis. to constitute an unqualified condemnation of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Finally, given that women and their children are the most frequent victims of landmines, given the strong statement of concern in Beijing, five years ago, and given the progress made since then as well as the signature of the Ottawa Treaty, Canada is puzzled and disappointed there is no reference to landmines in this, a document which is meant to protect women and their children.
In conclusion, and notwithstanding this reservation, Canada recognizes this document as a move forward and toward equality for women in the world, since we believe gender equality to be essential to the world's future, economic, social and democratic development and to peace and human security.
