-------------------------From: APC online.pavilion----------------------

                        Opening Keynote Address

              by Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Price Laureate

               read on video to the NGO Forum on Women
                       Beijing'95,  31 August 1995

It is a wonderful but daunting task that has fallen on me to say a few
words by way of opening this Forum, the greatest concourse of women
(joined by a few brave men !) that has ever gathered on our planet. I
want to try and voice some of the common hopes which firmly unite us
in all our splendid diversity.

But first I would like to explain why I cannot be with you in person
today. Last month I was released from almost six years of house
arrest. The regaining of my freedom has in turn imposed a duty on me
to work for the freedom of other women and men in my country who have
suffered far more - and who continue to suffer far more - than I have. 
It is this duty which prevents me from joining you today. Even sending
this message to you has not been without difficulties. But the help of
those who believe in international cooperation and freedom of
expression has enabled me to overcome the obstacles. They made it
possible for me to make a small contribution to this great celebration
of the struggle of women to mould their own destiny and to influence
the fate of our global village.

The opening plenary of this Forum will be presenting an overview of
the global forces affecting the quality of life of the human community
and the challenges they pose for the global community as a whole and
for women in particular as we approach the twenty-first century.
However, with true womanly understanding the Convener of this Forum
suggested that among these global forces and challenges, I might wish
to concentrate on those matters which occupy all my waking thoughts
these days : peace, security, human rights and democracy. I would like
to discuss these issues particularly in the context of the
participation of women in politics and governance.

46 or millenia women have dedicated themselves almost exclusively to
the task of nurturing, protecting and caring for the young and the
old, striving for the conditions of peace that favour life as a whole. 
To this can be added the fact that, to the best of my knowledge, no
war was ever started by women. But it is women and children who have
always suffered most in situations of conflict. Now that we are
gaining control of the primary historical role imposed on us of
sustaining life in the context of the home and family, it is time to
apply in the arena of the world the wisdom and experience thus gained
in activities of peace over so many thousands or years. The education
and empowerment of women throughout the world cannot fail to result in
a more caring, tolerant, just and peaceful life for all.

If to these universal benefits of the growing emancipation of women
can be added the "peace dividend" for human development offered by the
end of the Cold War, spending less on the war toys of grown men and
much more on the urgent needs of humanity as a whole, then truly the
next millenia will be an age the like to which has never been seen in
human history. But there still remain many obstacles to be overcome
before we can achieve this goal. And not least among these obstacles
are intolerance and insecurity.

This year is the International Year for Tolerance. The United Nations
has recognised that "tolerance, human rights, democracy and peace are
closely related. Without tolerance, the foundations for democracy and
respect for human rights cannot be strenghened, and the achievements
of peace will remain elusive". My own experience during the years I
have been engaged in the democracy movement in Burma has convinced me
of the need to emphasize the positive aspects of tolerance. It is not
enough simply to "live and let live" : genuine tolerance requires an
active effort to try to understand the point of view of others ; it
implies broad- mindedness and vision, as well as confidence in one's
own ability to meet new challenges without resorting to intransigence
or violence. In societies where men are truly confident of their own
worth women are not merely "tolerated", they are valued. Their
opinions are listened to with respect, they are given their rightful
place in shaping the society in which they live.

There is an outmoded Burmese proverb still recited by men, who wish to
deny that women too can play a part in bringing necessary change and
progress to their society: "The dawn rises only when the rooster
crows".  But Burmese people today are well aware of the scientific
reason behind the rising of dawn and the falling of dusk. And the
intelligent rooster surely realizes that it is because dawn comes that
it crows and not the other way round. It crows to welcome the light
that has come to relieve the darkness of night. It is not the
prerogative of men alone to bring light to this world: women with
their capacity for compassion and self-sacrifice, their courage and
perseverence, have done much to dissipate the darkness of intolerance
and hate, suffering and despair.

Often the other side of the coin of intolerance is insecurity.
Insecure people tend to be intolerant, and their intolerance unleashes
forces that threaten the security of others. And where there is no
security there can be no lasting peace. In its Human Development
Report for last year, the UNDP noted that human security "is not a
concern with weapons - it is a concern with human life anddignity".
The struggle for democracy and human rights in Burma is a struggle for
life and dignity. It is a struggle that encompasses our political,
social and economic aspirations. The people of my country want the two
freedoms that spell security: freedom from want and freedom from war.
It is want that has driven so many of our young girls across our
borders to a life of sexual slavery where they are subject to constant
humiliation and ill-treatment. It is fear of persecution for their
political beliefs that has made so many of our people feel that even
in their own homes they cannot live in dignity and security.

Traditionally the home is the domain of the woman. But there has never
been a guarantee that she can live out her life there safe and
unmolested. There are countless women who are subjected to severe
cruelty within the heart of the family which should be their
haven. And in times of crisis when their menfolk are unable to give
them protection, women have to face the harsh challenges of the world
outside while continuing to discharge their duties within the home.

Many of my male colleagues who have suffered imprisonment for their
part in the democracy movement have spoken of the great debt of
gratitude they owe their womenfolk, particularly their wives, who
stood by them firmly, tender as mothers nursing their newly born,
brave as lionesses defending their young. These magnificent human
beings who have done so much to aid their men in the struggle for
justice and peace - how much more could they not achieve if given the
opportunity to work in their own right for the good of their country
and of the world?

Our endeavours have also been sustained by the activities of strong
and principled women all over the world who have campaigned not only
for my own release but, more importantly, for our cause. I cannot let
this opportunity pass without speaking of the gratitude we feel
towards our sisters everywhere, from heads of governments to busy
housewives. Their efforts have been a triumphant demonstration of
female solidarity and of the power of an ideal to cross all frontiers.

In my country at present, women have no participation in the higher
levels of government and none whatsoever in the judiciary. Even within
the democratic movement only 14 out of the 485 MPs elected in 1990
were women 

- all from my own party, the National League for Democracy. These 14
women represent less than 3 percent of the total number of successful
candidates. They, like their male colleagues, have not been permitted
to take office since the outcome of those elections has been totally
ignored. Yet the very high performance of women in our educational
system and in the managment of commercial enterprises proves their
enormous potential to contribute to the betterment of society in
general. Meanwhile our women have yet to achieve those fundamental
rights of free expression, association and security of life denied
also to their menfolk.

The adversities that we have had to face together have taught all of
us involved in the struggle to build a truly democratic political
system in Burma that there are no gender barriers that cannot be
overcome. The relationship between men and women should, and can be,
characterized not by patronizing behavior or exploitation, but by
metta (that is to say loving kindness), partnership and trust.  We
need mutual respect and understanding between men and women, instead
of patriarchal domination and degradation, which are expressions of
violence and engender counter-violence.  We can learn from each other
and help one another to moderate the "gender weaknesses" imposed on us
by traditional or biological factors.

There is an age old prejudice the world over to the effect that women
talk too much.  But is this really a weakness?  Could it not in fact
be a strength?  Recent scientific research on the human brain has
revealed that women are better at verbal skills while men tend towards
physical action.  Psychological research has shown on the other hand
that disinformation engendered by men has far more damaging effect on
its victims than feminine gossip.  Surely these discoveries indicate
that women have a most valuable contribution to make in situations of
conflict, by leading the way to solutions based on dialogue rather
than on viciousness or violence?

The Buddhist paravana ceremony at the end of the rainy season retreat
was instituted by the Lord Buddha, who did not want human beings to
live in silence [I quote] "like dumb animals".  This ceremony, during
which monks ask mutual forgiveness for any offence given during the
retreat, can be said to be a council of truth and reconciliation.  It
might also be considered a forerunner of that most democratic of
institutions, the parliament, a meeting of peoples gathered together
to talk over their shared problems.  All the world's great religions
are dedicated to the generation of happiness and harmony.  This
demonstrates the fact that together with the combative instincts of
man there co-exists a spiritual aspiration for mutual understanding
and peace.

This forum of non-governmental organizations represents the belief in
the ability of intelligent human beings to resolve conflicting
interests through exchange and dialogue.  It also represents the
conviction that governments alone cannot resolve all the problems of
their countries.  The watchfulness and active cooperation of
organizations outside the spheres of officialdom are necessary to
ensure the four essential components of the human development,
paradigm as identified by the UNDP: productivity, equity,
sustainability and empowerment.  The last is particularly relevant: it
requires that "development must be by people, not only for them.
People must participate fully in the decisions and processes that
shape their lives."  In other words people must be allowed to play a
significant role in the governance of the country.  And "people"
include women who make up at least half of the world's population.

The last six years afforded me much time and food for thought.  I came
to the conclusion that the human race is not divided into two opposing
camps of good and evil.  It is made up of those who are capable of
learning and those who are incapable of doing so.  Here I am not
talking of learning in the narrow sense of acquiring an academic
education, but of learning as the process of absorbing those lessons
of life that enable us to increase peace and happiness in our world.
Women in their roles as mothers have traditionally assumed the
responsibility of teaching children values that will guide them
throughout their lives.  It is time we were given the full opportunity
to use our natural teaching skills to contribute towards building a
modern world that can withstand the tremendous challenges of the
technological revolution which has in turn brought revolutionary
changes in social values.

As we strive to teach others we must have the humility to acknowledge
that we too still have much to learn.  And we must have the
flexibility to adapt to the changing needs of the world around us.
Women who have been taught that modesty and pliancy are among the
prized virtues of our gender are marvelously equipped for the learning
process.  But they must be given the opportunity to turn these often
merely passive virtues into positive assets for the society in which
they live.

These, then, are our common hopes that unite us -- that as the
shackles of prejudice and intolerance fall from our own limbs we can
together strive to identify and remove the impediments to human
development everywhere.  The mechanisms by which this great task is to
be achieved provided the proper focus of this great Forum.  I feel
sure that women throughout the world who, like me, cannot be with you
join me now in sending you all our prayers and good wishes for a
joyful and productive meeting.

I thank you.