Lilian was selected
to be one of the leaders of the Women's Major Group in advance of the
conference, which is a very prestigious honor for both her and ICJW, the
organization she represents.
The Major Groups, set up under Agenda 21, are nine categories
through which representatives of all sectors of society and all types of people
can participate, including consumers, workers, business persons, farmers,
students, teachers, researchers, activists, indigenous communities, and other
communities of interest.
The Women's Major Group operates under Agenda 21: Chapter 24,
entitled: "Global Action For Women Towards Sustainable And Equitable
Development". The international community has endorsed several plans of
action and conventions for the full, equal and beneficial integration of women
in all development activities, in particular the Nairobi Forward-looking
Strategies for the Advancement of Women, which emphasize women's participation
in national and international ecosystem management and control of environment
degradation.
Several conventions, including the Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and conventions of ILO and UNESCO
have also been adopted to end gender-based discrimination and ensure women
access to land and other resources, education and safe and equal employment.
Also relevant are the 1990 World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and
Development of Children and the Plan of Action for implementing the Declaration.
Effective implementation of these programs will depend on the active involvement
of women in economic and political decision-making and will be critical to the
successful implementation of Agenda 21.
Among the events organized by the Women's Major Group at Rio+20
are the Women Rio+20 Good Practice Award ceremony, the Women’s Resistance and
Resilience side event, and a side event on protecting women’s health and
future generations from harmful environmental impacts.