CSW 1992

The Commission on the Status of Women 36th Session took place in Vienna, 11-20 March 1992

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Contents

I. Matters Calling for Action by the Economic and Social Council or brought to its attention

A. Draft resolutions
I. Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat
II. Women and children under apartheid
III. Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women
IV. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
V. Violence against women in all its forms
VI. Communications on the status of women
VII. Advancement of women and human rights

B. Draft decisions
I. Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its thirty-sixth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-seventh session of the Commission
II. Request for additional conference facilities during the thirty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women

C. Resolutions of the Commission brought to the attention of the Council
36/1. Advancement of women and the family
36/2. Inclusion of the question of women in the agendas of forthcoming international meetings
36/3. Women in decision-making bodies
36/4. Integration of elderly women into development
36/5. Women and development
36/6. Women and the environment
36/7. Advancement of women and acts of terrorism against women
36/8. Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace

II. Programming and Coordination Matters Related to the United Nations and the United Nations System

III. Monitoring the Implementation of the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women

IV. Priority Themes
A. Equality: Elimination of de jure and de facto discrimination against women
B. Development
1. Integration of women in the process of development
2. Women and the environment
C. Peace: Equal participation in all efforts to promote international cooperation, peace and disarmament

V. Preparations fo the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace

VI. Provisional Agenda for the 37th Session of the Commission

VII. Adoption of the Report of the Commission on its 36th Session

Chapter I. Matters Calling for Action by the Economic and Social Council or brought to its attention                                                                      [ Up ]

A. Draft resolutions

1. The Commission on the Status of Women recommends to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of the following draft resolutions:

DRAFT RESOLUTION I                                                                   [ Up ]

Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat*

* For the discussion, see chap. II.

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling Articles 8 and 101 of the Charter of the United/Nations, and recalling also the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women,/1/ in particular paragraphs 79, 306, 315, 356 and 358, in which importance is attached to the appointment of women in the Secretariat at senior decision-making and managerial levels,

Recalling also the relevant resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and other bodies that have been adopted since Assembly resolution 2715 (XXV) of 15 December 1970, in which the question of the employment of women in the Professional category was first addressed,

Noting with concern that the goal of a 30 per cent participation rate of women in posts subject to geographical distribution by the end of 1990 had not been achieved by the end of 1991,

Bearing in mind the goal of achieving by 1995 an overall participation rate of women of 35 per cent of all posts subject to geographical distribution, set by the General Assembly in resolutions 45/125 of 14/December/1990 and 45/239 C of 21/December 1990, and a participation rate of women in posts at the D-1 level and above, set by the Assembly in resolution 45/239 C, at 25 per cent of the total within the overall participation rate of women of 35 per cent in posts subject to geographical distribution,

Also bearing in mind that a visible commitment of the Secretary-General is essential to the achievement of the targets set by the General Assembly of an overall participation rate of women of 35 per cent, and, at the D-1 level and above, of 25 per cent by 1995,

Welcoming the progress report of the Secretary-General concerning the comprehensive study of the barriers to the advancement of women and elements of the action programme for the advancement of women in the Secretariat for the period 1991-1995,/2/

1. Strongly urges the Secretary-General to increase the number of women in posts subject to geographical distribution, particularly in senior policy-level and decision-making posts, in order to achieve an overall participation rate of 35/per/cent by 1995, and a goal of 25/per/cent of the total within the overall participation rate of 35 per cent in posts at the D-1 level and above, taking into consideration the need to increase the representation of women from countries with a low or no representation of women, especially from the developing countries;

2. Urges the Secretary-General to appoint women to senior policy-level and decision-making posts in his next appointments, and to achieve the targets set for the Secretariat by 1995;

3. Urges the Secretary-General to ensure that achievement of these goals will not be impeded by the temporary suspension of regular recruitment imposed in the context of the current restructuring;

4. Calls upon all Member States to contribute fully to increasing the participation rate of women in the Professional category and above throughout the United Nations system by, inter alia, nominating more women candidates, especially for senior policy-level and decision-making posts: encouraging women to apply for vacant posts and by creating national rosters of women candidates to be shared with the Secretariat and the executive bodies of the specialized agencies and related organizations, taking into consideration the need to increase the representation of women from countries with a low or no representation of women, especially from the developing countries;

5. Recommends that all organizations of the United Nations system accord priority to increasing the numbers of women in Professional and senior policy-level and decision-making posts to achieve the same targets set for the Secretariat by 1995;

6. Welcomes the decision of the Secretary-General to regularize the post of Focal Point in the Office of the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, as well as the establishment of an additional General Service post to assist her;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the findings of the comprehensive study of the barriers to the advancement of women and a full action programme for the advancement of women in the Secretariat for the period 1991-1995 are submitted to the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session;

8. Further requests the Secretary-General to ensure that his annual report on the status of women in the Secretariat includes strategies and modalities for implementing the action programme and the relevant mandates adopted by the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, and to submit the report to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-seventh session and to the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session, as well as to those bodies that have administrative, budgetary and personnel responsibilities for the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat.

DRAFT RESOLUTION II                                                                   [ Up ]

Women and children under apartheid*

* For the discussion, see chap. III.

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolution 1991/20 of 30 May 1991,

Reaffirming the provisions of the Declaration on Apartheid and its Destructive Consequences in Southern Africa, contained in the annex to General Assembly resolution/S-16/1 of 14/December/1989,

Recalling General Assembly resolution/46/79 of 13/December/1991,

Alarmed by the grave socio-economic deprivation to which the majority of the people, especially the women and children, are subjected as a direct consequence of apartheid,

Deeply concerned about the alleged State complicity in politically motivated violence that has to date claimed thousands of lives and has left hundreds of thousands homeless, the majority of whom are women and children,

Noting the positive changes initiated by the South African authorities aimed at dismantling apartheid, which were the result of the relentless struggle waged by the people of South Africa as well as the pressure exerted by the international community,

Noting with satisfaction the signing of the National Peace Accord in September/1991 and the convening of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa in December/1991, and expressing the hope that this will constitute a major contribution towards the final ending of violence in South/Africa,

Welcoming the holding of the Convention for a Democratic South/Africa as an attempt to resolve the problems of South Africa by peaceful means as envisaged in the Declaration on Apartheid,

Recognizing that the equality of women and men cannot be achieved without the success of the struggle towards a united, non-racist, non-sexist and democratic South Africa,

Aware of the attention given by the United/Nations and particularly its Centre against Apartheid and the Division for the Advancement of Women to the issue of assisting South African women to participate fully in the process of establishing a non-racist democracy in their country,

1. Commends those women both inside and outside South Africa who have resisted oppression and have remained steadfast in their opposition to apartheid;

2. Demands the immediate unconditional release of all political prisoners and detainees, among whom are women and children, in accordance with the undertaking of the South African authorities;

3. Urges those involved in the Convention for a Democratic South/Africa to place high on their agenda issues concerning women such as freedom, justice and equality, development and the environment;

4. Also urges the South African authorities to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution/34/180, annex, of 18/December/1979, at the earliest possible opportunity;

5. Appeals to all countries and United/Nations bodies, in conformity with General Assembly resolution/46/79 and in consultation with liberation movements, to increase their support for educational, health, vocational training and employment opportunities for women and children under apartheid;

6. Requests the Centre against Apartheid to widen and strengthen its cooperation with the Division for the Advancement of Women, with a view to creating specific programmes of assistance to South African women to participate fully in the process of transition of their country towards a non-racist democracy;

7. Appeals to the international community to give its full and concerted support to the vulnerable and critical process now under way in South Africa through a phased application of appropriate pressures on the South African authorities as warranted by developments, and to provide assistance to the opponents of apartheid and the disadvantaged sectors of society in order to ensure the rapid and peaceful attainment of the objectives of the Declaration on Apartheid and its Destructive Consequences in Southern Africa;

8. Decides to remain seized of the issue of women and children living under apartheid;

9. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on the implementation of the present resolution to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-seventh session.

DRAFT RESOLUTION III                                                                   [ Up ]

Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women*

* For the discussion, see chap. III.

The Economic and Social Council,

Having considered the reports of the Secretary-General/3/ and the notes by the Secretary-General/4/ concerning the situation of Palestinian women living inside and outside the occupied Palestinian territory,

Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women,/5/ in particular paragraph 260 thereof,

Recalling also its resolutions 1988/25 of 26 May 1988, 1989/34 of 24/May/1989, 1990/11 of 24/May 1990 and 1991/19 of 30/May 1991,

Deeply alarmed by the deteriorating condition of Palestinian women and children in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, as a result of the continued Israeli violation of Palestinian human rights and oppressive measures, including collective punishments, curfews, demolition of houses, closure of schools and universities, deportation, confiscation of land and settlement activities, which are illegal, and controversies over the relevant provisions of the Geneva Convention relevant to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949,/6/

1. Reaffirms that the basic improvement of the living conditions of the Palestinian women, their advancement, full equality and self-reliance, can only be achieved by an end to the Israeli occupation and the attainment of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people;

2. Demands that Israel, the occupying power, accept the de jure applicability of the Geneva Convention relevant to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, to the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, and to respect the Convention provisions;

3. Also demands an end to the Israeli violation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, including an immediate halt to the Israeli settlement activities that have harmful effects on Palestinian women and their families;

4. Calls upon governmental, non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations, including organizations of the United Nations system, to assist Palestinian women in the occupied Palestinian territory in developing small-scale industry and creating vocational training and legal consultation centres;

5. Requests the Commission on the Status of Women to monitor the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, in particular paragraph 260 concerning assistance to Palestinian women;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts in monitoring the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the mission of experts to Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic to investigate the condition of Palestinian women and children/7/ in order to improve the condition of Palestinian women and children;

7. Also requests the Secretary-General to review the situation of Palestinian women and children in the occupied Palestinian territory and in the refugee camps, and to submit a report to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-seventh session, using all available sources.

DRAFT RESOLUTION IV                                                                   [ Up ]

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women*

* For the discussion, see chap. III.

The Economic and Social Council,

Welcoming the fact that there are now 112 States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,/8/

Noting the importance of the monitoring function of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, as demonstrated most recently in its general recommendation 19 on violence against women, adopted at its eleventh session,/9/

Recalling its resolution 1991/25 of 30 May 1991 and other relevant resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council relating to support for the Committee,

Concerned that the duration of the annual session of the Committee, which is considerably less than that of other treaty bodies, has prevented the timely consideration by the Committee of many of the reports submitted to it by States parties,

Noting with concern that the Convention is the human rights instrument with the most reservations, and welcoming the decision by a number of States parties to withdraw their reservations to the Convention,

1. Supports the request of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women for additional meeting time and also supports the proposal that the twelfth session of the Committee should be of three weeks' duration;

2. Recommends that three weeks be allocated for each subsequent session until the Committee removes its backlog in considering reports;

3. Strongly supports general recommendation 19 on violence against women adopted by the Committee at its eleventh session, and calls on States parties to prepare their reports in accordance with this and other general recommendations of the Committee;

4. Welcomes other general recommendations adopted by the Committee at its previous sessions;

5. Urges the Secretary-General to continue to widely publicize the decisions and recommendations of the Committee.

DRAFT RESOLUTION V                                                                   [ Up ]

Violence against women in all its forms*

* For the discussion, see chap. III.

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolution 1991/18 of 30 May 1991, in which it requested that an expert group meeting be held to address the issue of violence against women and to discuss the possibilities of preparing an international instrument on this subject and the elements to be contained therein,

Bearing in mind that the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women/10/ identify violence against women as a major obstacle to the achievement of the objectives of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace,

Noting that, in general recommendation 19, adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at its eleventh session,/11/ the Committee recognized that gender-based violence was a form of discrimination that seriously inhibited the ability of women to enjoy rights and freedoms on a basis of equality with men,

Noting also the response of the Committee to the report of the Secretary-General on violence against women in all its forms,/12/ the annex to which contained the recommendations and a summary of the discussion of the Expert Group Meeting on Violence against Women, held at Vienna from 11 to 15/November/1991,

1. Calls on Governments to recognize that the elimination of violence against women is essential to the achievement of equality for women and is a requirement for the full respect of human rights;

2. Urges Member States to adopt, strengthen and enforce legislation prohibiting violence against women and to take all appropriate administrative, social and educational measures to protect women from all forms of physical and mental violence, in accordance with its resolution/1991/18;

3. Calls on States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women/13/ to take the steps necessary to implement general recommendation/19, adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at its eleventh session;

4. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on violence against women in all its forms;

5. Decides to convene an inter-sessional working group of the Commission on the Status of Women, open to all Member States and observer States, to further develop a draft declaration on violence against women, taking into account the draft declaration contained in the annex to the report of the Secretary-General and to report to the Commission, at its thirty-seventh session, with a view to recommending a draft declaration to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council;

6. Requests Governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, other relevant bodies and academics to continue to undertake research into the causes of violence against women;

7. Urges Governments to address violence against women at the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, to be held in 1995, as one of the major obstacles to women's advancement.

DRAFT RESOLUTION VI                                                                   [ Up ]

Communications on the status of women*

* For the discussion, see chap. III.

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolutions 76 (V) of 5 August 1947 and 304 I (XI) of 14/and 17/July 1950, which form the basis for the mandate of the Commission on the Status of Women to receive at each of its regular sessions a list of confidential and non-confidential communications relating to the status of women,

Taking into consideration its resolution 1983/27 of 26/May/1983, in which it reaffirmed the mandate of the Commission to consider confidential and non-confidential communications on the status of women and authorized the Commission to appoint a working group to consider communications, with a view to bringing to the attention of the Commission those communications, including the replies of Governments, which appear to reveal a consistent pattern of reliably attested injustice and discriminatory practices against women,

Reaffirming that discrimination against women is incompatible with human dignity and that women and men should participate on the basis of equality, irrespective of race or creed, in the social, economic and political processes of their countries,

Recalling its resolution 1990/8 of 24/May/1990, by which it requested the Secretary-General to examine, in consultation with Governments, the existing mechanisms for communications on the status of women, in order to ensure that such communications receive effective and appropriately coordinated consideration in view of the role of communications in the work of the Commission, and to report thereon to the Commission at its thirty-fifth session,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on examining existing mechanisms for communications on the status of women,/14/ and the various views expressed by Governments,

Noting the conclusion of the Working Group on Communications, in its report to the Commission at its thirty-fifth session/15/ that, while the communications procedure provided a valuable source of information on the effects of discrimination on the lives of women, it should be improved to make it more efficient and useful, and that clear criteria for receiving communications should be given,

1. Reaffirms that the Commission on the Status of Women is empowered to make recommendations to the Economic and Social Council on what action should be taken on emerging trends and patterns of discrimination against women revealed by such communications;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to publicize widely among international and national organizations, in particular women's groups, the existence and scope of the communication mechanisms of the Commission;

3. Further requests the Secretary-General to support the activities of the Commission with regard to its consideration of communications and to ensure proper coordination of the activities of the Commission in this area and those of the other bodies of the Council, by taking the following action:

(a) Ensuring that the Division for the Advancement of Women of the United/Nations/Office at Vienna and the Centre for Human Rights coordinate closely so that all communications received are sent as soon as possible to the appropriate United/Nations body and to each concerned Member State, and that the respective offices are informed of the disposition of the communications;

(b) Encouraging the specialized agencies of the United/Nations to provide to the Commission, through the Division for the Advancement of Women, communications or other information in their possession that is relevant to discrimination against women;

(c) Making available to authors of communications any recommendations by the Commission to the Council on situations brought to the attention of the Commission by the Working Group on Communications;

4. Reaffirms that the consideration by the Commission of the communications shall remain confidential until such time as the Commission may decide to make recommendations to the Council;

5. Requests the Commission, in order to avoid duplication of work, to determine whether a trend or pattern of discrimination against women revealed by communications should be brought to the attention of another United/Nations body or specialized agency that might be better able to take appropriate action;

6. Further requests the Commission to consider, as appropriate, ways of making the existing procedure for receiving and considering communications, including the standard of admissibility, more transparent and efficient, taking into account the report of the Secretary-General on examining mechanisms for communications on the status of women,/14/ which was submitted to the Commission at its thirty-fifth session;

7. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that any costs resulting from the activities set out in the present resolution are kept to a minimum and that the activities are carried out within existing resources.

DRAFT RESOLUTION VII                                                                  [ Up ]

Advancement of women and human rights*

* For the discussion, see chap. IV.

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolution/45/155 of 18 December 1990, in which it was decided to convene a World Conference on Human Rights in 1993 and to establish a Preparatory Committee for it,

Noting that the General Assembly, in resolution/46/116 of 17/December/1991, requested concerned United/Nations bodies and specialized agencies, among others, to submit recommendations on the World Conference to the Preparatory Committee for the Conference,

Also noting General Assembly resolution 46/98 of 16/December/1991, in particular paragraph/8 thereof,

Bearing in mind its resolution 1990/15 of 24/May/1990, in which it approved the recommendations and conclusions arising from the first review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women annexed to that resolution, and in particular those related to the maintenance of de/facto discrimination, which prevents women from achieving effective equality,

Taking into account the fact that the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women/16/ have identified violence against women as one of the major obstacles to the achievement of the objectives of the United/Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace,

Welcoming general recommendation/19, adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at its eleventh session,/17/ and the recommendations of the Expert Group Meeting on Violence against Women, held at Vienna from 11 to 15 November/1991,/18/

Affirming that various forms of violence against women are violations of human rights,

1. Calls upon the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference on Human Rights, when preparing the agenda and studies for the World Conference, to take into account the existence of de/facto as well as de/jure discrimination, which continue to impede women's full enjoyment of their economic, social and cultural rights, as well as their civil and political rights;

2. Further calls upon the Preparatory Committee, in preparing for the examination by the World Conference of the main obstacles to the implementation of international human rights instruments, to pay adequate attention to the global problem of violence against women;

3. Invites the Centre for Human Rights and Member States, in preparing for the World Conference, to make use of gender disaggregated data, which identify situations of inequality between women and men;

4. Requests the Secretary-General, in accordance with General Assembly resolution/46/98, to guarantee the participation of the secretariats of the Commission on the Status of Women and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in the preparatory process for the World Conference as well as in the Conference itself;

5. Requests the Division for the Advancement of Women, as the secretariat of the Commission, to report to the Commission, at its thirty-seventh session, on the state of the preparatory process for the World Conference and the related activities of the Division, in accordance with General Assembly resolution/46/98;

6. Requests the Commission to establish, during its thirty-seventh session, an open-ended working group to consider its contribution to the World Conference;

7. Urges Member States to consider, when preparing for the World Conference at the national level, to integrate fully into the scope of the Conference issues related to women's rights, and to respect the principle of equal participation of women and men in their delegations.

B. Draft decisions                                                                                 [ Up ]

2. The Commission on the Status of Women recommends to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of the following draft decisions:

DRAFT DECISION I                                                                           [ Up ]

Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its thirty-sixth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-seventh session of the Commission*

* for the discussion, see chap. VI.

The Economic and Social Council takes note of the report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its thirty-sixth session and approves the provisional agenda for the thirty-seventh session of the Commission, set out below, and the relevant documentation:

PROVISIONAL AGENDA AND DOCUMENTATION FOR THE THIRTY-SEVENTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN

1. Election of officers.

(Legislative authority: rule 15 of the rules of procedure of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council)

2. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters.

(Legislative authority: Economic and Social Council resolution 1894/(LVII); rules/5 and 7 of the rules of procedure of the functional commissions of the Council)

3. Programming and coordination matters related to the United Nations and the United Nations system.

(Legislative authority: Programme planning regulation/4.12; General Assembly resolution/46/100; Economic and Social Council resolutions 1988/60, 1989/30, 1989/105)

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General containing updated information on the status of women in the Secretariat

Report of the Secretary-General on the preparation of the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2000

Note by the Secretariat on programme proposals for the biennium 1994-1995

For information

Report of the Secretary-General on the status of women in the Secretariat/(A/47/...)

4. Monitoring the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women

(Legislative authority: General Assembly resolutions/40/108, 41/111, 42/62, 43/101, 44/77, 45/124, 45/129; Economic and Social Council resolutions/1988/22, 1990/5, 1990/15; Commission on the Status of Women resolution/34/1)

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on the preliminary version of the update of the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development

Report of the Secretary-General on statistical indicators relating to the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women

Report of the Secretary-General on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women

Report of the Secretary-General on women and children under apartheid

Report of the Secretary-General on violence against women

Report of the Secretary-General on women and the United Nations Decade against Drug Abuse

Report of the Secretariat on activities related to preparations for the World Conference on Human Rights

Note by the Secretary-General transmitting a list of confidential and non-confidential communications concerning the status of women

For information

Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women/(A/47/...)

Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on its eleventh session (A/47/38)

Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women/(A/47/...)

5. Priority themes:

(Legislative authority: Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15)

(a) Equality: Increased awareness by women of their rights, including legal literacy

(b) Development: Women in extreme poverty: integration of women's concerns in national development planning

(c) Peace: Women and the peace process

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on increased awareness by women of their rights, including legal literacy

Report of the Secretary-General on women in extreme poverty: integration of women's concerns in national development planning

Report of the Secretary-General on women and the peace process

6. Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace

(Legislative authority: General Assembly resolutions/45/129, 46/98; Economic and Social Council resolutions 1987/20, 1990/9, 1990/12, 1990/15; Commission on the Status of Women resolution/35/4)

Documentation

Report of the Secretary-General on preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace

Report of the Secretary-General on a first draft that will serve as a working document for the elaboration of the Platform for Action

Report of the Secretary-General on the outline and contents of the second report on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies

Report of the Secretary-General on the planning and implementation of the information campaign

7. Provisional agenda for the thirty-eighth session of the Commission

8. Adoption of the report of the Commission on its thirty-seventh session

DRAFT DECISION II                                                                           [ Up ]

Request for additional conference facilities during the thirty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women*

* For the discussion, see chap. VI.

The Economic and Social Council decides to approve the convening of four additional meetings, with interpretation services, to be held simultaneously with the plenary meetings of the Commission on the Status of Women during its thirty-seventh session, for the purpose of considering, in informal meetings, the preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace.

C. Resolutions of the Commission brought to the attention of the Council                                                                                                                 [ Up ]

3. The following resolutions adopted by the Commission are brought to the attention of the Council:

Resolution 36/1. Advancement of women and the family**                  [ Up ]

** For the discussion, see chap. III.

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling its resolution 34/7 of 8 March 1990, in which the Commission decided to give further consideration to the question of the International Year of the Family at subsequent sessions,

Recommends to the Commission on Social Development that the following elements be taken into account at its thirty-third session when preparing for the 1994 International Year of the Family:

(a) That families are changing systems of relationships between individuals, and that society and policies must therefore be responsive and receptive to their needs;

(b) That individual rights of women and men should be respected equally and they should have equal opportunities to assert those rights;

(c) That, as regards equality of women and men, the concept of equality must be understood as expressed in the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women/19/ and in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,/20/ and must be taken into account in all policies and programmes for the International Year of the Family;

(d) That it is vital for women to participate in decision-making at all levels and spheres, in particular with regard to the formulation of family policies;

(e) That violence in families violates human rights, especially those of women and children;

(f) That the need to develop communication skills and positive attitudes towards truly equal partnership should be emphasized;

(g) That the raising and upbringing of new generations in families are not only the responsibilities of women, but also of men, who should play their role as equal responsible partners;

(h) That, bearing in mind the needs of workers with family responsibilities, Governments and other appropriate bodies should introduce appropriate measures to assist the reconciliation between family and working responsibilities, whether paid or unpaid;

(i) That family policies should take into account the findings of gender-sensitive research, based on information gathered from all family members;

(j) That the planning of activities and programmes for the International/Year of the Family should be elaborated and implemented at international, regional and national levels in close cooperation with the existing mechanisms for the advancement of women and interested women's non-governmental organizations.

Resolution 36/2. Inclusion of the question of women in the agendas of forthcoming international meetings*                                                      [ Up ]

* For the discussion, see chap. III.

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Considering that, in accordance with General Assembly resolution/45/129 of 14 December 1990, the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, which will examine the main obstacles that account for the persistence of inequality and discrimination affecting women, is to be held in 1995,

Recognizing that the manifestations of inequality and discrimination are present in the main themes that are of fundamental interest to the United/Nations,

Recalling the need for system-wide institutional coordination on issues relating to women, as indicated in paragraphs 338 to 344 of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women;/21/

Further recalling that, prior to the Fourth World Conference on Women, the United/Nations will be holding important conferences and other meetings on issues that are unquestionably linked with and important for the living conditions and situation of women,

Taking into account General Assembly resolution 46/98 of 16/December/1991, in which the Commission was requested, when considering the priority theme relating to development during its thirty-sixth and subsequent sessions, to ensure its early contribution to the work of forthcoming international conferences,

1. Recommends to Member States that they include the question of women in the agendas of the World Conference on Human Rights and the International Conference on Population and Development, to be held in 1993 and 1994 respectively;

2. Also recommends that the same procedure be followed for the national, regional and international preparatory meetings for the above-mentioned Conferences.

Resolution 36/3. Women in decision-making bodies*                           [ Up ]

* For the discussion, see chap. IV.

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women,/22/ in particular paragraphs 86 to 92 thereof,

Recalling also the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,/23/ in particular articles 7 and 8,

Noting the recommendations contained in the reports of the Secretary-General on various aspects of the participation of women in public life, submitted to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-third, thirty-fourth and thirty-sixth sessions, as well as the recommendations and conclusions arising from the first review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies, contained in the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15 of 24 May 1990,

Gravely concerned that women continue to be generally underrepresented in key areas of national, regional and international decision-making,

Convinced that no true democracy can be achieved without the full participation and contribution of women, including their contribution to decision-making, in all spheres of life,

1. Urges Governments to increase their efforts to appoint women to all executive decision-making bodies in political, economic and cultural life, as well as to advisory boards and councils, so as to incrementally achieve full gender equality;

2. Also urges political parties, trade unions and non-governmental organizations to encourage women to use their rights, to promote women, to put forward women as candidates to all elective posts and actively to support their election to such posts;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to update and disseminate, on a regular basis, information on the composition of the high-level decision-making bodies at the national, regional and international levels, disaggregated by sex;

4. Encourages institutes of the United Nations system, especially the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, to undertake research on the participation of women in decision-making in public life, highlighting the continuing obstacles to such participation, the positive effects of the increased participation of women and the mechanisms for achieving such increased participation of women.

Resolution 36/4. Integration of elderly women into development*       [ Up ]

* For the discussion, see chap. IV.

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling paragraph 286 of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women,/24/ concerning elderly women, and the pertinent recommendations of the International Plan of Action on Ageing,/25/ and also recalling the terms of Economic and Social Council resolution 1989/38 of 24/May/1989, according to which women constitute a majority of the elderly population, and that in the twenty-first century the number of elderly women will increase more rapidly in the developing countries,

Aware of the fact that the obstacles to their advancement encountered by young women and the decisions concerning their instruction, education, family life, health, and employment will have important consequences in their future lives,

Emphasizing the consequent need to adopt an approach for the advancement of women that takes into account all stages of life, so as to identify measures that respond to women's needs,

Equally aware of the fact that elderly women, in all regions of the world, represent an important human resource, and that their contribution to society and development in the economic, cultural, political and social fields often remains unseen or unrecognized,

Calling attention to the urgent need to develop and improve the publication of statistics by sex and by age, and to identify and evaluate the different forms of activities of elderly women which are not normally recognized as having an economic value, in particular in the informal sector,

1. Invites the competent organs of the United/Nations to adopt an approach that, in all their strategies and programmes for the advancement of women, takes into account all stages of life; this approach must envisage the advancement of young women, while bearing in mind the subsequent consequences of decisions taken on their account;

2. Calls upon the Secretary-General to compile within existing resources a comprehensive annotated bibliography on the status of elderly women so that research already being conducted world wide can be incorporated in future assessments;

3. Welcomes the efforts of the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat to establish, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, model profiles of the present situation of elderly women that will permit all countries, whatever their level of development, to make the necessary projections;

4. Encourages Member States to utilize these model profiles to compile and analyse information on the situation of present and future generations of elderly women, and invites contributing organizations to provide to Member States, in collaboration with them, financial and technical assistance for this purpose;

5. Notes with appreciation the work of the Statistical Office and the Population Division of the Secretariat and of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, and encourages them to develop a statistical methodology to enable the quantification and evaluation of the contribution of women, which does not generally appear at the present time, in the national accounts of States;

6. Invites international development agencies and organizations, including the United/Nations Development Fund for Women and the United Nations Development Programme, to take account of the potential of elderly women as a human resource for development and to include elderly women in their development strategies and programmes, and encourages Governments to ensure the inclusion of women, regardless of age, in development projects covered by national and multilateral financial institutions;

7. Requests the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to pay particular attention to discrimination on grounds of age when evaluating national reports on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; 26/

8. Invites the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference on Human Rights, to be held in 1993, to include in the agenda of that Conference discrimination on grounds of age and sex;

9. Invites the Preparatory Committee for the International Conference on Population and Development, to be held in 1994, to include in the agenda of that Conference the situation of elderly women and their integration in development;

10. Encourages Governments, non-governmental organizations and other bodies to involve women, including elderly women, in their development activities;

11. Invites the Secretary-General to report to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session on the following matters:

(a) The establishment, on a country-by-country basis, of profiles concerning the present and future situation of women at all stages of their lives;

(b) An evaluation of analytical methods permitting the establishment of strategies and programmes for the integration of women in development;

(c) The inclusion of gender criteria in numerical targets concerning ageing being prepared by the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat, and to report on the implementation of these programmes and targets to the International Conference on Population and Development, in 1994, and to the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace in 1995.

Resolution 36/5. Women and development*                                          [ Up ]

* For the discussion, see chap./IV.

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15 of 24/May/1990 and Commission resolutions 34/3 of 8 March 1990 and 35/7 of 8/March/1991,

Reaffirming the principles contained in the Declaration on the Right to Development, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 41/128, annex, of 4/December/1986,

Convinced that the effective mobilization of women is an essential element to achieving the objectives of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women/27/ and the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United/Nations Development Decade,/28/

Aware that the slow progress in the implementation of the Forward-looking Strategies as related to development necessitates urgent action to be taken by all the parties concerned,

Aware also of the need to recognize the importance of gender in all areas of social, economic and political life in order to bridge the gap between the roles of men and women in development and to train planners, policy makers, decision makers and relevant staff in gender analysis,

Reaffirming that the full integration of women in development, both as agents and beneficiaries, should concern all sectors of society,

Convinced that improving the distribution between both sexes of the tasks related to productive and reproductive functions is an essential strategy for development and has to be reflected in the implementation of concrete economic and social policies,

Further convinced that international cooperation for development has a fundamental role in the creation of proper conditions that allow women to achieve full integration in development,

Deeply concerned about the worsening situation of women in developing countries, particularly in the least developed countries,

Expressing special concern about women living in extreme poverty, in rural as well as in urban areas,

Expressing deep concern that, despite the fact that poor rural women contribute to all aspects of the well-being of rural families and account for more than half of the food production of developing countries, they are often the most vulnerable and disadvantaged group in society,

Aware of the need for women, as agents and beneficiaries of development, to be empowered to define their own means of development, as well as of the need to guarantee them access to services, such as education, health, maternity and child care and credit, among others, in order to fully integrate women into the development process,

Keeping in mind the fact that the impact of structural adjustment policies, adverse terms of trade and the growing foreign debt on developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, has had a negative effect on efforts for the full integration of women in development,

1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General entitled "Development: integration of women in the process of development",/29/ which contains the conclusions and recommendations of the Seminar on the Integration of Women in Development;

2. Urges Governments to foster women's full participation in the elaboration, planning, execution and evaluation of development policies and projects so that they can be agents and beneficiaries of development;

3. Also urges Governments to adopt policies to promote economic development that will ensure the full and explicit integration of women's needs and concerns;

4. Further urges Governments to include gender perspectives in the major guidelines for economic and social policies and to increase their capacities and capabilities in gender-responsive and gender-sensitive planning of development programmes;

5. Urges Governments to foster the access of women to income-generating activities as a means of stimulating economic independence, a basic requirement for women's self-sufficiency;

6. Urges Governments to identify their own quantitative and qualitative national targets in such fields as education and training, employment, income generation, health and women in public life with regard to the full integration of women in development and to commit adequate resources to women and development programmes;

7. Recommends that Governments create or strengthen national machinery for the advancement of women, placing it at the highest level, and ensure its greater involvement in the political, economic and social planning processes;

8. Also recommends that Governments, international donors and non-governmental organizations develop gender-oriented research in all development areas, particularly by the involvement of national research institutes, and promote specific measures in the field of training in gender analysis programmes for development decision makers and the relevant staff involved in the policy and programme areas, in addition to implementation processes;

9. Calls upon Governments, international financial and other relevant institutions and non-governmental organizations to promote measures to stimulate the economies of developing countries and the full integration of women in the development process and to provide financial services on the basis of equal opportunity for women and men, while avoiding adverse effects on their well-being, particularly that of vulnerable groups;

10. Calls upon donor Governments and international financial institutions to provide adequate and timely support for the efforts of the developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, in reducing the negative effects of the external debt burden, structural adjustment policies and adverse terms of trade, with a view to integrating women in mainstream development;

11. Appeals to Governments, donor countries, international organizations and appropriate financial institutions to make greater efforts to support the establishment of cooperative rural banks and other development-related institutions to assist women, particularly those engaged in small- and medium-scale productive activities;

12. Requests Member States to make provision for specific training programmes for women in rural and urban areas aimed at developing their technical and management skills and to give financial support, fellowships or both for training women, particularly those from developing countries, in science, technology, agriculture and management;

13. Calls upon Governments, donor countries and relevant international organizations to take further coordinated measures to facilitate the access of women, particularly rural and urban poor women, to basic education and health and child-care facilities;

14. Requests the Secretary-General, in reporting on the implementation of the present resolution in his biennial monitoring report on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, to include policy and programme recommendations on the basis of gender analysis;

15. Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the issues of women and development and of the integration of women in development programmes are an integral part of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade.

Resolution 36/6. Women and the environment*                                   [ Up ]

* For the discussion, see chap. IV.

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women,/30/ in particular paragraphs 224 to 227, which emphasize the impact upon women of environmental degradation and the importance of the awareness of women and women's organizations of environmental issues and of the enhancement of women's capacity to participate at all levels in the management of their environment,

Recalling also Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15 of 24/May/1990, in which the Council adopted the recommendations and conclusions arising from the first review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women contained in the annex to that resolution,

Bearing in mind the preparations for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, to be held at Rio de Janeiro in June/1992, on the basis of General Assembly resolution 44/228 of 22 December 1989,

Taking into account all relevant resolutions of the General Assembly, in particular resolution 46/167 of 19/December 1991 on women, environment, population and sustainable development,

Taking note of the conclusions and recommendations of the Global Assembly of Women and the Environment: Partners in Life, held at Miami, Florida, from 4/to/8/November 1991,

Expressing its concern about the global environmental crisis and its conviction that women have an important role to play in the protection of the environment and natural resources and in the promotion of sustainable development,

Gravely concerned that major causes of the continuing deterioration of the global environment are the unsustainable pattern of production and consumption, particularly in developed countries, and increasing poverty in many developing countries,

Aware that traditional and advanced technologies are needed to implement programmes and projects aimed at the promotion of environmentally sound development,

Stressing the importance of the international transfer of appropriate technologies to the promotion of sound environment and sustainable development,

Recognizing that the cooperation and assistance of as well as the work performed by the non-governmental organizations are efficient mechanisms in the struggle for protecting and preserving the environment and for promoting the full participation of women in the management of the environment,

1. Urges Governments to adopt laws, policies and programmes to promote women's participation in the preservation of the environment in their countries, in the interest of present and future populations and of humankind;

2. Also urges national, State and local governments, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to promote a higher level of involvement of women in the planning, implementation and evaluation of policies, programmes and action aiming at environmental protection, the conservation of natural resources and economic development;

3. Urges Governments to promote within their programmes of environmental management, specific activities aimed at the education, and professional and leadership training of women in environmental issues;

4. Requests Governments and multilateral financial institutions to provide new and additional financial resources for the promotion of women's participation in sustainable development in the developing countries in general and in the least developed countries in particular, channelled by means of democratic and appropriate institutional mechanisms responsive to the priorities of women in the target communities;

5. Calls for the active participation of women in the management of funds allocated to the protection of the environment and to sustainable development;

6. Calls upon Governments, non-governmental organizations and other social groups, women's organizations in particular, to promote the necessary changes in production policies and consumption habits, mainly in developed countries, and also to promote the development of effective international cooperation in the areas of research, development and the application of environmentally sound technologies;

7. Reminds Governments, governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as transnational corporations, of the necessity of facilitating the access of women in developing countries to environmentally sound appropriate technologies;

8. Invites the Governments of donor countries, international organizations and relevant non-governmental organizations to ensure that greater attention is given to women's contributions to environmental protection and management in their cooperation with and assistance to developing countries, with a view to preserving the environment and promoting sustainable development in those countries;

9. Urges Governments to put greater emphasis on linkages between environmental management and underlying problems, such as poverty, population growth and distribution, unsanitary living conditions and lack of water, and on action to deal with such problems;

10. Requests national Governments and all governmental and non-governmental organizations to ensure the equitable participation of women in their delegations to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development;

11. Requests the Preparatory Committee for the United/Nations Conference on Environment and Development, at its fourth session, to give full and substantive consideration to the recommendations of the Commission concerning women and the environment, in accordance with General/Assembly resolution 46/167;

12. Requests the Secretary-General to monitor the progress made in the area of women and the environment and to submit a report on the review and appraisal of that subject to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session, to serve as a working document in the preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, in 1995.

Resolution 36/7. Advancement of women and acts of terrorism against women*                                                                                                    [ Up ]

* For the discussion, see chap. IV.

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Taking into account the fact that the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women have identified violence against women as one of the major obstacles to the achievement of the objectives of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace,/31/

Recalling Commission on Human Rights resolution 1992/82 of 5/March/1992, concerning the promotion and furtherance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,/32/

Profoundly concerned about the persistent acts of violence perpetrated in various countries by armed groups and by drug traffickers who terrorize the population and threaten in particular the safety and lives of women and children,

Reaffirming that such acts prevent the full exercise of civil and political rights, such as participation in free elections, the right to peaceful assembly, freedom of association and trade union rights, as well as the exercise of economic, social and cultural rights, thus undermining the welfare of the people and seriously harming the economic infrastructure and production,

1. Strongly condemns the acts of violence perpetrated by armed groups and by drug traffickers who terrorize and threaten the safety and lives of the population, especially women, and, in particular, women who have been democratically elected to public office, or who are leaders of community organizations or welfare associations, or who have been appointed by the Government to positions of responsibility;

2. Expresses its profound concern about the adverse effect on the enjoyment of human rights caused by armed groups and by drug traffickers who terrorize the population and threaten the safety and lives of women;

3. Requests governmental and non-governmental organizations to pay particular attention to these violations of human rights;

4. Decides to consider this question under the priority theme "Peace" at its thirty-seventh session.

Resolution 36/8. Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace*                                     [ Up ]

* For the discussion, see chap./V.

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of/Women,/33/ endorsed by the General Assembly in its resolution/40/108 of 13/December/1985,

Recalling also Economic and Social Council resolution 1987/20 of 26/May/1987, in which the Council decided that the Commission on the Status of Women should be designated as the preparatory body for world conferences on women,

Recalling further Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15 of 24/May/1990 on the recommendations and conclusions arising from the first review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women to the year 2000,

Recalling also its resolution 35/4 of 8/March/1991 on preparations for the world conference on women in 1995 and its decision 35/101 of 8/March/1991 on the title of the Conference,

A

Organization of the Conference

Noting with appreciation the offers made by the Governments of Austria and China to act as host for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, and the forum for non-governmental organizations,

Taking into consideration General Assembly resolution 46/98 of 16/December 1991, in which the Assembly requested the Commission to decide on the venue of the Fourth World Conference on Women not later than at its thirty-sixth session, in accordance with Commission decision 35/102 of 8/March/1991, bearing in mind that preference should be given to the region that had not yet hosted a world conference on women,

Considering the duration of previous world conferences on women, as well as similar United Nations conferences,

Bearing in mind that the Conference in 1995 coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations,

Affirming the importance to the success of the Conference of the maximum participation of Governments at the highest possible level, of intergovernmental organizations, organizations of the United Nations system and interested non-governmental organizations, as well as other regional organizations acting through their representatives to the Commission,

Recalling that the General Assembly, in its resolution 46/98, requested the Secretary-General to appoint not later than 1992 the Secretary-General of the Conference,

Recalling its resolution 35/4, in which the Commission decided to prepare a programme of action for consideration by the Conference,

1. Decides

(a) To accept the offer of the Government of China to act as host for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 40/243 of 18/December/1985;

(b) That the Conference should be of a duration of ten working days;

(c) That the Conference should be held at Beijing from 4 to 15/September/1995;

2. Also decides to recommend that participation in the Conference should be open to:

(a) All States Members of the United/Nations or of any of the specialized agencies or of the International Atomic Energy Agency;

(b) Representatives of organizations that have received a standing invitation from the General Assembly to participate in the sessions and the work of all international conferences convened under its auspices in the capacity of observers to participate in the Conference in that capacity, in accordance with Assembly resolutions 3237 (XXIX) of 22/November/1974 and 43/177 of 15/December/1988;

(c) Representatives of the national liberation movements recognized in its region by the Organization of African Unity to participate in the Conference in the capacity of observers, in accordance with General/Assembly resolution 3280 (XXIX) of 10/December/1974;

(d) The executive heads of the specialized agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as interested organizations of the United Nations system;

(e) Other interested intergovernmental organizations, to be represented by observers at the Conference;

(f) Interested non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, to be represented by observers at the Conference;

(g) Individuals who, in recognition of their personal contributions to the advancement of women, are invited by the Secretary-General;

(h) Members of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women;

3. Requests the Economic and Social Council to request the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations to consider on a priority basis, in advance of the Conference, the granting of consultative status to more non-governmental organizations concerned with the advancement of women, with particular attention being given to applications from non-governmental organizations from developing countries, and also requests that the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations be provided with additional resources to deal with the additional workload;

4. Recommends that the arrangements for consultation with non-governmental organizations, as approved by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 1296/(XLIV) of 23/May/1968, be reviewed to make consultative status more accessible to non-governmental organizations, particularly those from developing countries;

5. Recommends that the Secretary-General appoint a woman as Secretary-General of the Conference, not later than 1992, who should have international stature in relation to the advancement of women and experience in the United Nations system, and who would assume primary responsibility for the preparation of the Conference;

6. Also recommends that, in appointing the necessary staff for the Conference, the Secretary-General include persons from the developing and the least developed countries, taking into consideration equitable geographical distribution;

7. Decides that the agenda for the Conference shall include:

(a) The second review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women to the year 2000;

(b) The Platform for Action;

(c) The main conclusions and recommendations of regional preparatory conferences;                                                                                                [ Up ]

(d) Institutional arrangements for the implementation of the Platform for Action;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the Commission, at its thirty-seventh session, continuing a first draft, which will serve as a working document for the elaboration of the Platform for Action, taking as a basis all guidelines contained in Commission resolution 35/4, the impact of the changes that have taken place in the international community on the status of women, the importance of integrating gender perspectives in policy-making in all areas and at all levels, the need to give priority to the situation of rural women, in particular in developing countries, and differences in priorities among regions, based on a full input from the organizations of the United Nations system, as well as other regional organizations acting through their representatives to the Commission;

9. Also requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission at its thirty-seventh session a report containing (a) information on data that would be used/in the formulation of the second report on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies and (b) an outline of the second report, in/which special emphasis should be given to the recommendations and conclusions arising from the first review and appraisal of the implementation of the Strategies, contained in the annex to Council resolution/1990/15, in particular those referring to the condition of women in developing countries;

10. Further requests the Secretary-General to prepare draft rules of procedure for consideration by the Commission at its thirty-eighth session;

B

Preparatory process

Emphasizing the importance of national preparatory activities in focusing national attention on the issue of the status and advancement of women, and of national machinery to assess the situation and mobilize national non-governmental organizations and individuals, with a view to improving national performance in the advancement of women,

Considering the importance of activities for the advancement of women that have taken place at the regional level since International Women's Year and recognizing the necessity of providing for an exchange of national experiences and the elaboration of regional priorities and perspectives for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, and to the year 2000,

Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/9 of 24/May/1990 on the second report on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women,

Recognizing the importance of non-governmental organizations in the preparations for the Conference at the national, regional and global levels, especially the forum for non-governmental organizations, which will take place prior to and partially simultaneously with the Conference,

Acknowledging the important role of women entrepreneurship, notably in small and medium-sized enterprises, in mobilizing resources and in promoting economic growth and socio-economic development,

Convinced that promotion of the Conference requires the creative and effective use of public information,

1. Recommends that Governments establish a national committee or designate a national focal point to initiate and promote preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, by organizing and coordinating national activities, including assembling information and gender-disaggregated statistics for the elaboration of national reports on the situation of women, and increasing public awareness about the Conference, and requests that reports on such activities be made available to the Secretary-General;

2. Urges organizations of the United Nations system, at the national level, to cooperate with national efforts to prepare for the Conference and to coordinate their activities through the United Nations Resident Coordinator;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to inform Governments about the recommendation regarding national committees or focal points;

4. Recommends that the national reports cited in paragraph 1 above cover the period from 1985 to the present;

5. Urges the organizations of the United Nations system to provide support, on request, to the preparation of national reports;

6. Recommends that regional conferences already scheduled include in their agendas preparations for the World Conference and suggests that, in those regions that have not yet scheduled them, regional conferences to prepare for the World Conference be organized under the auspices of the corresponding regional commission;

7. Requests the regional conferences to identify regional trends, priorities, obstacles and innovative suggestions for future action and that the results of those regional conferences be provided to the Commission not later than at its thirty-ninth session;

8. Recommends that regional conferences include in their agendas the issue of women in public life, emphasizing their role in politics and decision-making;

9. Requests the Secretary-General to include information on women in public life in the preparations of the priority theme on peace: women in international decision-making, for the Commission at its thirty-ninth session;

10. Recommends that a public information strategy for the Conference be designed, using information mechanisms that reach the greatest number of people and based on the Conference themes, in particular those related to development;

11. Also recommends that regional conferences include in their agendas the issue of entrepreneurship and the advancement of women, emphasizing the need to facilitate an overall entrepreneurial activity through appropriate economic policies, training, access to credit, information and other support systems;

12. Requests the Secretary-General to plan and implement an information campaign and to issue a new bulletin entitled Conference 95 twice a year to disseminate information on preparatory activities for the Conference at all levels in all official languages;

13. Also requests the Secretary-General to provide Governments with a concise set of guidelines for public information campaigns at the national level and with periodic information packages that can be made available to national mass media and non-governmental organizations;

14. Further requests the Secretary-General to report to the Commission at its thirty-seventh session on the planning and implementation of the complete information campaign, including its priorities and resource needs;

15. Requests the Secretary-General to include the Conference as part of the celebrations for the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations;

C

Forum for non-governmental organizations

Recalling successful forums for non-governmental organizations held in Mexico, Copenhagen and Nairobi,

Acknowledging the offer made by the host Government to all non-governmental organizations and individuals wishing to attend the forum in Beijing,

1. Emphasizes the importance of close proximity between the forum and the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, as well as some concurrence in time;

2. Invites the committee of non-governmental organizations arranging the forum and national and regional activities to provide information, including media arrangements, to the Commission through a report of the Secretary-General on preparations for the Conference;

3. Emphasizes the importance of unrestricted participation by the media in covering the forum;                                                                                                   [ Up ]

D

Resources for the Conference and its preparations

Recalling General Assembly resolution 46/98 of 16/December/1991, in which concern was expressed that the resources for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, were not sufficient, and Assembly resolution 46/185 of 20/December/1991, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to ensure that adequate resources were provided for the preparation of the Conference during the biennium 1992-1993,

Desiring to ensure the maximum representation by Governments, especially of the least developed countries, in the regional preparatory process and in the Conference,

1. Requests the Economic and Social Council to reconsider the budget envisaged for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, on the basis of a report of the Secretary-General outlining resource requirements for regional and interregional preparatory activities, public information activities and for the Conference itself;

2. Urges Governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and individuals to contribute extrabudgetary resources to the trust fund established by the Secretary-General for the preparations of the Conference, especially for the participation of representatives of the least developed countries in regional meetings and in the Conference;

3. Urges Governments, international organizations and multilateral financial institutions to provide assistance to the least developed countries for their preparatory activities at the national level;

E

Documentation

1. Decides that the documentation for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, will include:

(a) Report of the Secretary-General on the second review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women;

(b) Draft final document (Platform for Action);

(c) Update of the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development;

(d) Update of The World's Women: Trends and Statistics;

(e) Updated compendium on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;

(f) Report of the Secretary-General on the outcome of regional preparatory meetings for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace;

(g) Relevant sections of final documents emanating from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the World Conference on Human Rights and the International Conference on Population and Development.

Chapter II. Programming and Coordination Matters Related to the United Nations and the United Nations System                                                 [ Up ]

4. The Commission considered item 3 of its agenda at its 1st, 4th and 6th/meetings, on 11, 13 and 16/March/1991. It had before it the following documents:

(a) Report of the Secretary-General on the preparation of the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period/1996-2001 (E/1992/6);

(b) Report of the Secretary-General on improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat (E/CN.6/1992/11);

(c) Note by the Secretary-General on proposed revisions to the medium-term plan for the period/1992-1997 (E/CN.6/1992/12).

In addition the Commission had before it for information the report of the/Secretary-General on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat (A/46/377).

5. In introducing the item, the Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women stated that, as the period of the medium-term plan had just begun, the Secretariat had proposed only minor technical revisions to the plan (see E/CN.6/1992/12). She explained that the organizations of the United Nations system coordinated their work substantively through a system-wide medium-term plan for women and development, which had been agreed upon by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution/1987/86 and covered the period 1990-1995. The outline for the next plan, covering the period 1996-2001, was before the Commission.

6. The Coordinator, Focal Point for Women, Office of Human Resources Management, informed the Commission of the progress made towards improving the status of women in the Secretariat, including findings by an external consultant relating to barriers to the advancement of women and elements of an action programme to improve their status. She noted that her post had been regularized and her office reinforced by the addition of a staff member at the General Service level.

Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat

7. Several representatives expressed their concern that, although the statistical update contained in the report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.6/1992/11) showed that the number of women in the Secretariat had increased, the target set for 1990 had not been achieved by the end of 1991 and women were not being recruited at a sufficient rate to meet the United Nations target of 35 per cent of women in/Professional posts by 1995, as called for by the General Assembly in its resolutions/45/125 and 45/239/C. Several representatives welcomed the study of the barriers to the advancement of women in the United Nations, the findings of which would be made available to the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session, and the programme of

action for the advancement of women in the Secretariat for the period 1991-1995. They noted the underrepresentation of women, particularly from certain regions. One representative, on behalf of a group of countries, noted that her region was not mentioned in the report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.6/1992/11). There existed a level - in practice the/P-4 level - above which Professional women found it difficult to advance within the Secretariat.

Representatives expressed their wish to examine the study and the detailed programme activities, including monitoring procedures and a timetable for their completion.

8. Several representatives suggested that Member States promote and nominate women for high-level posts. To identify qualified female candidates, the creation of a national roster for women candidates was suggested. One representative stressed that child-care facilities, parental leave and flexible working hours were prerequisites for establishing equal opportunities for women. For the successful implementation of the new action plan for 1991-1995, a visible commitment by the Secretary-General was needed.

9. Several representatives expressed their concern that there was a need for the post of the head of the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs to be filled and expressed the hope that the post would be filled by a woman.

10. Several representatives expressed concern that the first phase of the reorganization of the Secretariat being undertaken by the Secretary-General had not increased the number of women at higher decision-making levels. They noted that the restructuring of the Secretariat should also aim at improving the representation and the status of women in the Secretariat. One representative expressed the hope that the current recruitment freeze would not be a barrier for women from non-represented and underrepresented countries. Representatives expressed the hope that more women would be appointed to senior positions in the Secretariat in the next stage of restructuring.

11. One representative, speaking on behalf of a group of countries, suggested changes to the outline of the system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women for the period 1996-2001, proposed by the Secretary-General (E/1992/6). Issues of national machinery should be placed under programme/1 (Elimination of legal and attitudinal forms of discrimination); subprogramme/1.2 should be entitled "Strengthening the role and status of women in the family and society"; and the issue of equal pay should be dealt with under programme/2 (Productive resources, income and employment).

ACTION TAKEN BY THE COMMISSION

Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat

12. At the 4th meeting, on 13/March, the representative of Finland, on behalf of Australia,/34/ Austria, the Bahamas, Belgium,/34/ Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark,/34/ Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, Greece,/34/ the Netherlands, New/Zealand,/34/ Nigeria, Poland, Portugal,/34/ Spain, Sweden,/34/ the United States of America and Venezuela, subsequently joined by Norway,/34/ introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1992/L.4) entitled "Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat".

13. At the 6th meeting, on 16/March, the Commission had before it a revised draft resolution (E/CN.6/1992/L.4/Rev.1), entitled "Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat", submitted by the original sponsors joined by Algeria/34/ and Morocco, and which included the following changes:

(a) The fourth and fifth preambular paragraphs, which had read:

"Bearing in mind the goal of achieving by the end of 1995 and overall participation rate of women of 35/per/cent of all posts subject to geographical distribution, set in General Assembly resolutions 45/125 of 14/December/1990 and 45/239/C of 21/December/1990, and a 25/per/cent participation rate of women in posts at the D-1 level and above, set in resolution 45/239/C,

"Also bearing in mind that the visible commitment of the Secretary-General is essential to the achievement of the targets set by the General Assembly on the overall participation of women of 35/per/cent by the end of 1995, as well as the target of 25/per/cent at the D-1 level and above".

were revised to read:

"Bearing in mind the goal of achieving by 1995 an overall participation rate of women of 35/per/cent of all posts subject to geographical distribution, set by the General Assembly in resolutions 45/125 of 14/December/1990 and 45/239/C of 21/December/1990, and a participation rate of women in posts at the D-1 level and above, set by the Assembly in resolution 45/239/C, at 25/per/cent of the total within the overall participation rate of women of 35/per/cent in posts subject to geographical distribution;

"Also bearing in mind that a visible commitment of the Secretary-General is essential to the achievement of the targets set by the General Assembly of overall participation rate of women of 35/per/cent, and, at the D-1 level and above, of 25/per/cent by 1995";

(b) Operative paragraph/2, which had read:

"2. Calls upon the Secretary-General to appoint women to senior policy-level and decision-making posts in his next appointment";

was revised to read:

"2. Urges the Secretary-General to appoint women to senior policy-level and decision-making posts in his next appointments, and to achieve the targets set for the Secretariat by 1995";

(c) In operative paragraph/3, the words "Calls upon" were replaced by the word "Urges";

(d) In operative paragraph/4, the words "taking into consideration the need to increase the representation of women from countries with a low or no representation of women, especially from the developing countries" were added at the end of the paragraph;

(e) In operative paragraph/7, the words "the findings of" were inserted between the words "ensure that" and "the comprehensive study".

14. At the same meeting, Indonesia and Ireland/34/ joined in sponsoring the revised draft resolution.

15. Also at the same meeting, the Commission adopted the revised draft resolution (see chap./I, sect./A, draft resolution/I).

Chapter III. Monitoring the Implementation of the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women               [ Up ]

16. The Commission considered item 4 of its agenda jointly with agenda item/6 (Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace)/35/ at its 1st to 6th, 8th and 12th to 14th meetings, from 11 to 13, 16, 17, 19 and 20/March/1992. It had before it the following documents:

(a) Report of the Secretary-General on the system-wide monitoring of progress made in the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women (E/CN.6/1992/2);

(b) Report of the Secretary-General on violence against women in all its forms (E/CN.6/1992/4);

(c) Report of the Secretary-General on physical violence against detained women that is specific to their sex (E/CN.6/1992/5);

(d) Note by the Secretary-General on the situation of Palestinian women and children (E/CN.6/1992/6);

(e) Draft resolution entitled "Communications concerning the status of women" (E/CN.6/1992/L.2);

(f) Note by the Secretariat on communications concerning the status of women (E/CN.6/1992/CRP.3).

17. In addition, the following documents were available to the Commission for its information:

(a) Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on its tenth session (A/46/38);

(b) Report of the Human Rights Committee (A/46/40);

(c) Report of the Secretary-General on progress made in the preparations for the International Year of the Family (A/46/362 and Corr.1);

(d) Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women to the year 2000 (A/46/439);

(e) Report of the Secretary-General on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (A/46/462);

(f) Report of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on its fifth session (E/1991/23 and Corr.1);

(g) Note by the Secretary-General on the results of the eleventh session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (E/CN.6/1992/CRP.2).

18. The Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women introduced the item. She stressed in particular the need to review the preparation of the reports of the Secretary-General on the system-wide monitoring of progress made in the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women (E/CN.6/1992/2) and on physical violence against detained women that is specific to their sex (E/CN.6/1992/5).

19. A few representatives expressed interest in the wide variety of information contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the system-wide monitoring of progress made in the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women (E/CN.6/1992/2) but suggested that it would be more useful if the report were more focused and forward-looking. Several representatives expressed their support for effective coordination between organizations of the United Nations system in the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies.

Violence against women in all its forms

20. Many representatives expressed concern about violence against women. Some spoke of its consequences, while others described measures undertaken to combat the problem. It was mentioned that violence against women was among the major obstacles for the advancement of women and for equality, and that the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, should be asked to include the issue of violence in setting specific goals to be achieved by the year 2000. Some representatives said that it would be dangerous to separate violence from the overall context of other equally important factors that undermined the status of women in society.

21. Most of the representatives considered violence against women within the context of human rights violations. Several representatives noted that the recommendation of the Expert Group Meeting on Violence against Women for the appointment of a special thematic rapporteur (see E/CN.6/1992/4, annex) was interesting, and would require close collaboration between the Commission and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Whereas one representative took the view that a rapporteur could report to both the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Human Rights, thus stressing that violence against women also violated human rights, others said that the prerequisite for such a mandate was consensus support.

22. Many representatives referred to and supported the draft declaration on violence against women proposed by the Expert Group Meeting (see E/CN.6/1992/4, appendix). Many were of the view that the declaration required further elaboration and revision. Some expressed the view that the definition of violence required further work in order to eliminate inconsistencies and ambiguities. Some representatives considered that a working group should be formed to continue the work on a draft declaration, taking into account the text proposed by the Expert Group Meeting.

Physical violence against detained women specific to their sex

23. A number of representatives drew attention to the importance of the issue of physical violence against detained women. Some stated that the necessary measures had been taken in their countries to prevent such occurrences. One representative noted that, in her country, not all visitors, as mentioned in the report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.6/1992/5, para./5.3), but only male visitors who visited female prisoners, had to be accompanied by an officer throughout the visit.

Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women

24. Many representatives and observers referred to the prevailing difficult situation of Palestinian women in the occupied territories. A few representatives expressed concern that the occupying power had not accepted the visit of a consultant to study the actual conditions of Palestinian women, thus impeding the preparation of the report requested by the Economic and Social Council in its resolution 1991/19. One representative stated that the occupying power should be called upon to review its position and join the current international efforts to improve the situation of Palestinian women and to bring peace to the region. Another representative considered that the issue should be addressed in accordance with the United Nations practice of addressing violations of human rights, which included, for example, the appointment of a special rapporteur, the establishment of a group of experts or hearings. One observer stressed the need for more information on the situation.

Women and children under apartheid

25. Several representatives mentioned the positive changes in dismantling the apartheid regime in South Africa, but drew the attention of the Commission to the continuation of double discrimination affecting women. They appealed to the international community to continue to stand against apartheid until a united, democratic South Africa was achieved and to encourage the Government of South Africa to take measures to ensure that women were included in the development process of their country.

International Year of the Family

26. Several representatives expressed concern about the International Year of the Family and urged the Commission to put forward the concept of equality of men and women in the family as a basic concept, since the family was undergoing evolutionary changes and should be considered in its variety of forms and present day realities. The International Year of the Family should focus on the relationship between men and women both within the family unit and within the concept of partnership. In addition, the concept of the socialization process in childhood with regard to gender-based biases could be taken into consideration. One representative, on behalf of a group of countries, stressed the need for responsible fatherhood, while focusing on equality and measures to conciliate family and working life for the benefit of women and men.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

27. Many representatives stated that the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women contained a set of principles to safeguard the rights of women and we