GENDER EQUALITY AND THE FUTURE

Vesala. In the summary of the workshop it was emphasized that Agenda 21 is a democratic process. Participation and real influence are in this way, necessary parts of the work -and gender equality is a prerequisite for success. 
There is a need for increased recognition and participation of women in environmental policy-making. Our experiences are that women are active at the grassroots level and the men at the top decision-making level. We would like to see more women in decision-making positions, at all levels, where they can better influence the whole process. 
Only by integrating all the three components, the economic, the social and the environmental we can achieve a sustainable society. And the women's influence is of crucial importance for success. 
The 3rd Conference of Baltic Sea Women was invited to Tallinn, Estonia, by the Estonian Minister of Gender Equality.


By Ms Cay Sevon
City of Turku
e-mail: cay.sevon@turku.fi

The 2nd Baltic Women's Conference was held in Helsinki on March 9-11, 2000. An impressive participation of active women representing different sectors of society in the whole Baltic Sea region met at the Finlandia Hall to debate gender equality and the future. There was electricity in the air when, at the opening session, the chair of the Finnish organising committee, the First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Finland, Ms. SirkkaLiisa Anttila, introduced the newly elected Finnish President of the Republic, Ms. Tarja Halonen. 
The 1st Baltic Sea Women's Conference was held in Lubeck, Germany, in 1997. The main theme then was Women in Politics. In the resolution of the 1997 conference, the participants pledged themselves to increase the participation of 

women in politics. At least at the highest level the task had been fulfilled in the host country in the time between the conferences. 
One question which aroused discussion in the workshops, was the Swedish and Finnish experiences of gender quotas as a means of promoting equal participation in public government. On this point the discussion will surely continue. Experiences of non-representing quota systems in elected bodies in several countries, as well as a tendency to turn away from the public sphere to the private, lessen the attraction of quota systems, although the Finnish and Swedish experiences seem to speak for the use quotas in nominated (as opposed to elected) bodies. Examples would be state committees or commit-tees of regional and local authorities. 
One of the main themes at the 2 nd Baltic Sea Women's Conference was " A Sea Full of Life-Empowering Women on Environmental Challeng-es". The UBC Women's Network was part of the International Programme Committee for the Conference. Agenda 21, one of the workshops within the theme, was chaired by Hjördis Höglund, coordinator of UBC Women's Network and Riitta

NEW EU PROGRAM ?

networks in the BSR, members of the EU parliament and of the Committee of Regions in Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Finland. Relevant national governments dealing with Interreg III in the EU countries and those in the Baltic Countries and Poland dealing with Phare CBC must be informed, as well as the regional offices of UBC member cities and BSSSC regions in Brussels.
Among other tasks the working group has to create a good application to the Interreg III, outline a management unit and an efficient application and decision making system. The creation of this program is one of the most important tasks for the UBC in the near future.

Transborder co-operation is the third largest field of activity for the European Union after Agriculure and Regional Cohesion in terms of allocated funding. Interreg III will channel the major part of EU transborder funding. 
Interreg III could be the source for funding for a very needed program for small-and medium scale projects in the Baltic Sea Region. UBC has therefore appointed a working group with the purpose to work for the creation of such a program, consisting of Mr Risto Veivo, Mr Paweł Zaboklicki, Ms Karin Wohlgemut and Mr Viktors Buls, representing UBC and Ms Krystyna Wróblewska, representing BSSSC. Mr Juhan Janusson is coordinating the work.

There are many tasks to be carried out before the project can be successful. First, we need to show a need for the project. The working group will send out a questionnaire where cities will be asked to state urgent projects that could be financed by the program. There is also need for financially strong partners that can guarantee the management of the projects. Probable such partners could either be a consortium of the largest UBC member cities or associations of local and regional authorities in Denmark, Sweden and Finland. The role of this partner must be further specified. 
It is necessary to inform and mobilise all friends of Baltic Sea Cooperation, for example the major