§ Lord Braine of Wheatleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ask the United Nations why delegates from non-English speaking countries at the United Nations' World Conference on Women in Beijing had no translation services available at informal consultations where the key negotiations were carried out, and what information was made available to them about the decisions reached.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseySubstantive negotiation of key texts was conducted in the Drafting Committees, on which all official delegations were represented and for which interpretation facilities were available. Although non-English speaking delegates were at a disadvantage during discussions which took place outside the formal sessions, these exchanges were subsequently considered in the Drafting Committees. Decisions were thereafter taken in the Main Committees and endorsed in Plenary, all of which had interpretation and documentation facilities in all UN languages.