Panel Makes 1st Decisions on Women’s Platform

BEIJING — Negotiators at the world conference for women here resolved a thorny human rights issue, and Tuesday approved language calling for cuts in arms spending and protecting women from rape in wartime.

The decisions were the first by a committee writing the “Platform for Action” for the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women, whose 189 country delegations must approve the text Friday.

The committee also formally adopted texts on advancing peace, ending the increasing poverty of women, ensuring equal access for women in decision-making and calling for more financial resources to implement the Platform for Action.

Negotiators said they resolved the human rights issue late Monday by dropping the word universal from definitions in the platform.

The bargaining had revolved around the issue of whether human rights are universal or relative, depending on the culture and level of development of each country.

Still unresolved was language on sexual orientation, which relates to discrimination against lesbians, and women’s inheritance rights, said Irene Freudenschuss-Reichel, the Austrian head of the committee dealing with human rights.

Although she said she was optimistic, the work of the main drafting committee was delayed a day because of disputes over language, and the Platform for Action will not go before the 189-member plenary session until Friday, officials said.