CSW 1994

The Commission on the Status of Women met for its 38th Session 7-18 March 1994.

Download the document TXT file (304 KB) ZIP file (82 KB)

REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN ON ITS 38TH SESSION

E/1994/27 E/CN.6/1994/14

CONTENTS

SUMMARY

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 in the process of the elimination of apartheid and the establishment of a democratic South Africa

III. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

B. Draft decision

Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its thirty-eighth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-ninth session of the Commission

C. Matters brought to the attention of the Council

Resolution 38/1. Integration of women in the Middle East peace process

Resolution 38/2. Mainstreaming women's human rights

Resolution 38/3. Elimination of violence against women

Resolution 38/4. Palestinian women

Resolution 38/5. Women and development

Resolution 38/6. Gender equality in population programmes

Resolution 38/7. Violence against women migrant workers

Resolution 38/8. Equal pay for equal work and work of equal value

Resolution 38/9. Rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia

Resolution 38/10. Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace

Annex: Draft Platform for Action

Decision 38/1. Sustainable development and the environmental crisis

Decision 38/2. Accreditation of non-governmental organizations in accordance with General Assembly resolution 48/108

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: equal pay for work of equal value, including methodologies for measurement of pay inequities and work in the informal sector

B. Development: women in urban areas: population, nutrition and health factors for women in development, including migration, drug consumption and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

C. Peace: measures to eradicate violence against women in the family and society

V. PREPARATIONS FOR THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN: ACTION FOR EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE

VI. PROVISIONAL AGENDA FOR THE THIRTY-NINTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION

VII. ADOPTION OF THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON ITS THIRTY EIGHTH SESSION

VIII.ORGANIZATION OF THE SESSION

A. Opening and duration of the session
B. Attendance
C. Election of officers
D. Agenda and organization of work
E. Appointment of the members of the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women
F. Consultation with non-governmental organizations

Annexes

I. ATTENDANCE
II. LIST OF DOCUMENTS BEFORE THE COMMISSION AT ITS THIRTY-EIGHTH SESSION

SUMMARY                                                                            [ UP ]

At its thirty-eighth session, the Commission on the Status of Women recommended to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of three draft resolutions and one draft decision. In addition, it adopted a resolution on the preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women that included recommendations for action by the Economic and Social Council and nine other resolutions on various subjects.

In draft resolution I (Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat), the Council would urge the Secretary-General to take further steps to increase the proportion of women in the Secretariat, especially in senior-level positions and from developing countries and other countries having a low representation of women, strengthen the focal point on improvement of the status of women and further develop comprehensive policy measures to prevent sexual harassment.

In draft resolution II (Women and children in the process of the elimination of apartheid and the establishment of a democratic South Africa), the Council would request additional steps to provide assistance to South African women and call on the Secretary-General to mandate the United Nations Observer Mission to South Africa to continue to monitor and report on the incidents of political and domestic violence directed against women and children in South Africa.

In draft resolution III (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women), the Council would support the request of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, made at its twelfth session, for additional meeting time so as to allow the Committee to meet once a year for three weeks for its fourteenth and fifteenth sessions in 1995 and 1996, respectively, and recommend that the request of the Committee, made at its thirteenth session, for additional meeting time based on two sessions of three weeks each, be considered within the existing level of budgetary resources. The Council would also request the General Assembly to review the working situation of the Committee and its capacity to fulfil its mandate effectively, on the basis of a report by the Secretary- General, and to consider the possibility of amending article 20 of the Convention to allow sufficient meeting time for the Committee. The Council would decide that the Commission would examine at its thirty-ninth session the possibility of introducing the right to petition to the Convention through the preparation of an optional protocol to the Convention. It would also request States parties to take a number of steps to address reservations made to the Convention, and would urge the Secretary-General to continue publicizing the work of the Committee.

In the draft decision (Report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its thirty-eighth session and provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-ninth session of the Commission), the Council would approve the provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-ninth session of the Commission.

In its resolution 38/10 on preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women, the Commission recommends to the Economic and Social Council that the thirty-ninth session of the Commission be extended by one week, that provision should be made for a two-week meeting of a parallel working group and that the dates for the thirty-ninth session should be 15 March to 4 April 1995. The resolution also makes decisions about the process of preparing the Platform for

Action and other matters related to conference preparations, including calling upon the Secretary-General, in preparing the programme budget for the biennium 1996-1997 to anticipate, from within existing levels of the programme budget, adequate human and financial resources to carry out the strategic action required by the United Nations to implement the Platform for Action.

The Commission adopted nine other resolutions on other matters.

In resolution 38/1 (Integration of women in the Middle East peace process) the Commission urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations to include women in the peace process, and to assist the Palestinian people in the implementation of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements so as to ensure Palestinian women's political development and participation.

In resolution 38/2 (Mainstreaming women's human rights), the Commission requests the Secretary-General to see to the preparation of a joint workplan on women's human rights for the Centre for Human Rights and the Division for the Advancement of Women, including joint training, public information and other documentation and exchange of personnel. It recommends that the regular meetings of persons chairing human rights treaty bodies consider the issue of mainstreaming women's human rights on a regular basis.

In resolution 38/3 (Elimination of violence against women), the Commission calls for the implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, requests steps be taken to support the work of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and coordinate it with the Commission on the Status of Women and requests the Secretary- General to report to the Commission on the activities of the United Nations bodies and institutions concerned with crime prevention with regard to the question.

In resolution 38/4 (Palestinian women), the Commission demands compliance by the occupying Power with relevant international human rights and humanitarian instruments, urges support to Palestinian women, requests the Commission to continue to monitor the situation and the Secretary-General to report thereon.

In resolution 38/5 (Women and development), the Commission urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies, international organizations, organizations of the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations to take a variety of measures to support the integration of women in the development process.

In resolution 38/6 (Gender equality in population programmes), the Commission makes a number of recommendations to Governments, non-governmental organizations and the international community on measures to ensure the inclusion of gender equality in population programmes.

In resolution 38/7 (Violence against women migrant workers), the Commission calls upon Member States to take a series of measures to address the problem of violence against women migrant workers, invites the Special Rapporteur on violence against women to include the issue within her work, invites relevant organizations of the United Nations system to report on the question, recommends that the Centre for Human Rights include the issue in its work and requests the Secretary-General to develop indicators to determine the situation of women migrant workers in sending and receiving countries.

In resolution 38/8 (Equal pay for equal work and work of equal value), the Commission calls upon Governments, non- governmental organizations and the international community to take steps to give effect to the principle of equal pay for work of equal value and requests the Secretary-General to report to the Commission at its thirty-ninth session on national experience in this regard.

In resolution 38/9 (Rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia), the Commission strongly condemns the practice of rape and abuse of women and children, declares it to be a heinous crime, demands its immediate cessation, urges punishment of the perpetrators, especially through the International Tribunal set up for the purpose, with full cooperation of States, and requests support to victims of the practice.

Chapter I                                                                             [ UP ]

MATTERS CALLING FOR ACTION BY THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL OR BROUGHT TO ITS ATTENTION

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

Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat*

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling articles 1 and 101 of the Charter of the United Nations,

Recalling also article 8 of the Charter, which provides that the United Nations shall place no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs,

Recalling further the relevant paragraphs of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 1/ especially paragraphs 79, 315, 356 and 358,

Recalling the relevant resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and other bodies that have continued to focus on this area since the adoption of Assembly resolution 2715 (XXV) of 15 December 1970, in which the question of the employment of women in the Professional category was first addressed,

Taking note of the progress report of the Secretary-General on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat, 2/ and regretting the lateness in the availability of this report,

Recalling the goal set in General Assembly resolutions 45/125 of 14 December 1990, 45/239 C of 21 December 1990, 46/100 of 16 December 1991, 47/93 of 16 December 1992 and 48/106 of 20 December 1993 of a 35 per cent overall participation rate of women in posts subject to geographical distribution by 1995,

Noting with concern that the current rate of increase in the appointment of women is insufficient to achieve the objective of a 35 per cent participation rate of women in posts subject to geographical distribution by 1995,

Recalling the goal set in General Assembly resolution 45/239 C of a 25 per cent participation rate of women in posts at the D-1 level and above by 1995,

Noting with concern that the participation rate of women in posts at the D-1 level and above remains unreasonably low, although some welcome improvements have been made,

Aware that a comprehensive policy aimed at preventing sexual harassment should be an integral part of personnel policy,

Commending the Secretary-General for his administrative instruction containing procedures for dealing with cases of sexual harassment, 3/

Bearing in mind that a visible commitment by the Secretary- General is essential to the achievement of the targets set by the General Assembly,

Welcoming the commitment of the Secretary-General, expressed in his statement to the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, 4/ to bringing the balance in policy-level positions as close to fifty-fifty as possible, and his commitment, expressed in his message on the occasion of International Women's Day 1993 5/ and reaffirmed in his statement on International Women's Day 1994, to see that the number of women in Professional posts in the Secretariat reflects the world population as a whole by the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations in 1995,

Welcoming also the development by the Secretary-General of a plan of action for 1993 and 1994 to improve the status of women in the Secretariat by 1995, 6/

1. Urges improve the status of women in the Secretariat by 1995, 6/ noting that his visible commitment is essential to the achievement of the targets set by the General Assembly;

2. Also urges the Secretary-General to examine further existing work practices within the United Nations system, with a view to increasing flexibility so as to remove direct or indirect discrimination against staff members with family responsibilities, including consideration of such issues as job- sharing, flexible working hours, child-care arrangements, career break schemes and access to training;

3. Further urges the Secretary-General, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, to accord greater priority to the recruitment and promotion of women in posts subject to geographical distribution, particularly in senior policy-level and decision-making posts and within those parts of the United Nations system and its specialized agencies where representation of women is considerably below the average, in order to achieve the goals set in General Assembly resolutions 45/125, 45,239 C, 46/100, 47/93 and 48/106 of an overall participation rate of 35 per cent by 1995 and 25 per cent in posts at the D-1 level and above by 1995;

4. Strongly urges the Secretary-General to make further use of the opportunity offered by the United Nations reorganization process to promote more women into senior-level positions;

5. Calls on the Secretary-General to strengthen, from within existing resources, the focal point for women within the Secretariat to ensure authority of enforcement and responsibility of accountability and designate it with the express mandate for overall implementation of the plan of action developed by the Secretary-General to improve the status of women in the Secretariat;

6. Urges the Secretary-General to increase the number of women employed in the Secretariat from developing countries, particularly those that are unrepresented or underrepresented, and from other countries that have a low representation of women, including countries in transition;

7. Strongly encourages Member States to support the efforts of the United Nations and the specialized agencies to increase the percentage of women in Professional posts, especially at the D-1 level and above, by identifying and submitting more women candidates, encouraging women to apply for vacant posts and creating national rosters of women candidates to be shared with the Secretariat, specialized agencies and regional commissions;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to develop further comprehensive policy measures aimed at the prevention of sexual harassment in the Secretariat;

9. Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that a progress report on the status of women in the Secretariat, containing, inter alia, policy measures aimed at the prevention of sexual harassment in the Secretariat, is presented to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-ninth session and to the General Assembly at its fiftieth session, and to ensure that it is issued in accordance with the six-weeks' rule for the circulation of documentation.

* For the discussion, see chap. II.

1/ Report of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Nairobi, 15-26 July 1985 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.85.IV.10), chap. I, sect. A.

2/ A/48/513 and E/CN.6/1994/5.

3/ ST/AI/379.

4/ A/C.5/47/SR.21, para. 58.

5/ E/CN.6/1993/15, para. 14.

6/ See A/48/513, para. 18.

DRAFT RESOLUTION II                                                         [ UP ]

Women and children in the process of the elimination of apartheid and the establishment of a democratic South Africa*

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling its resolution 1993/45 of 28 July 1993,

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 48/159 of 20 December 1993,

Concerned about the grave socio-economic deprivation to which the majority of the people, especially women and children, continue to be subjected as a direct consequence of apartheid,

Alarmed that the politically motivated violence in South Africa, especially in Natal and Transvaal Provinces, which has to date claimed thousands of lives and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless, the majority of whom are women and children, continues to escalate,

Welcoming the participation of women in the resolution of the problems of South Africa by peaceful means and their full participation in the forthcoming elections and beyond,

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on women and children living under apartheid, 7/

Convinced substantive sexism that are integral to the problems of poverty, ignorance and disempowerment requires structural changes to be relevant to a new and just South Africa,

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,

Commending the continuing role played by the international community and the United Nations, in particular the Centre against Apartheid and the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, in helping South African women to participate fully in the process of establishing a non-racist, non-sexist and democratic South Africa,

1. Commends South African women for resisting oppression and for the role they continue to play in the establishment of a united, non-racist, non-sexist and democratic South Africa;

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

3. Appeals to all countries and United Nations bodies, in conformity with relevant General Assembly resolutions, to increase their support for educational, health and vocational training and employment opportunities for women and children in addressing the legacy of apartheid;

4. Requests the Centre against Apartheid during its remaining period of existence to cooperate with the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, with a view to creating specific programmes of assistance to South African women to enable them to participate fully in the process of the transition of their country towards a non-racist democracy;

5. Further requests the international community to provide financial, material and human resources to South African women towards the establishment of special programmes and projects geared to women's integration and advancement at the present time and in post-apartheid South Africa;

6. Calls upon the Secretary-General to mandate the United Nations Observer Mission to South Africa to continue to monitor and report on the incidents of political and domestic violence directed against women and children in South Africa;

7. Decides that the Commission on the Status of Women should remain seized of the question of women and children in South Africa;

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

* For the discussion, see chap. III.

7/ E/CN.6/1994/7.

DRAFT RESOLUTION III                                                     [ UP ]

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

The Economic and Social Council,

Bearing in mind that the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 8/ is a key international human rights instrument for the promotion of equality between women and men,

Welcoming the growing number of States parties to the Convention, which now stands at one hundred thirty-one,

Noting with deep concern that the Convention is still one of the human rights instruments with a large number of reservations, many of which run contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention, despite the fact that some States parties have withdrawn their reservations to it,

Also noting the suggestions and recommendations made by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in accordance with its mandate, as demonstrated most recently by the Committee at its thirteenth session, at which the Committee adopted suggestion No. 6 on the International Conference on Population and Development and general recommendation No. 21 relating to articles 9, 15 and 16 of the Convention as its contribution to the International Year of the Family,

Recalling the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action /9 adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, held at Vienna in June 1993, in which the Conference stipulated that the human rights of women and of the girl child were an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights,

Recalling also that in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the Conference recommended the adoption of new procedures to strengthen implementation of the commitment to women's equality and human rights, including a call upon the Commission on the Status of Women and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to quickly examine the possibility of introducing the right of petition through the preparation of an optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 47/94 of 16 December 1992,

Recalling its resolution 1993/14 of 27 July 1993 and other relevant resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council relating to support for the Committee,

Noting suggestion No. 5, on the feasibility of preparing an optional protocol to the Convention, adopted by the Committee at its thirteenth session,

Noting that the workload of the Committee has increased because of the growing number of States parties to the Convention, and that the annual session of the Committee is still the shortest of all the annual sessions of the human rights treaty bodies,

Welcoming the Committee's efforts to further improve its working methods by adopting concluding observations containing specific suggestions and recommendations,

1. Supports the request made by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at its twelfth session for additional meeting time, with adequate support from the Secretariat, so as to allow the Committee to meet once a year for three weeks for its fourteenth and fifteenth sessions 10/ and recommends that the request for additional meeting time, made by the Committee at its thirteenth session, be considered within the existing level of budgetary resources;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session a report on the working methods of the Committee and its capacity to fulfil its mandate effectively, including a comparison with the working situation of other treaty bodies;

3. Requests the General Assembly, in the light of the above report, to review the working situation of the Committee and its capacity to fulfil its mandate effectively, and in this context also to consider the possibility of amending article 20 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women so as to allow for sufficient meeting time for the Committee;

4. Decides that the Commission on the Status of Women shall examine at its thirty-ninth session, in cooperation with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and taking into account the results of any governmental expert meeting on this question that may be convened prior to that session, the feasibility of introducing the right of petition through the preparation of an optional protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;

5. Notes with appreciation suggestion No. 6 on the International Conference on Population and Development and general recommendation No. 21 on equality in marriage and family relations, adopted by the Committee at its thirteenth session, both of which were transmitted to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-eighth session, and encourages the Committee to continue its work in adopting detailed general recommendations;

6. Once again urges all States that have not yet done so to become parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;

7. Encourages States to consider limiting the extent of any reservation they lodge to the Convention, to formulate any reservation as precisely and as narrowly as possible, and to ensure that no reservation is incompatible with the object and purpose of the Convention or otherwise contrary to international law;

8. Requests States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women to review regularly their reservations, with a view to withdrawing them expeditiously so that the Convention may be fully implemented;

9. Urges the Secretary-General to continue to publicize widely the decisions and recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

* For the discussion, see chap. III.

8/ General Assembly resolution 34/180, annex.

9/ Report of the World Conference on Human Rights, Vienna, 14-25 June 1993 (A/CONF.157/24 (Part I)), chap. III.

10/ Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 38 (A/48/38), para. 622.

B. Draft decision                                                                                [ UP ]

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

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

The Economic and Social Council takes note of the report of the Commission on the Status of Women on its thirty-eighth session and approves the provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-ninth session of the Commission set out below.

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 Economic and Social Council)

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

(Legislative authority: General Assembly resolutions 44/171, 45/129, 46/98, 48/108; Economic and Social Council resolutions 1987/20, 1990/9, 1990/12, 1990/15; Commission resolutions 35/4, 36/8, 37/7, 38/10)

(a) Preparatory activities at the national, regional and international levels;

(b) Review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women;

(c) Reports from regional conferences and other international conferences;

(d) Draft rules of procedure;

(e) Draft Platform for Action;

(f) Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women.

(Legislative authority: Programme planning regulation 4.12; General Assembly resolutions 45/125, 45/239 C, 46/100, 47/93, 48/105; Economic and Social Council resolutions 1988/60, 1989/30, 1989/105, 1993/9, 1993/16)

(Legislative authority: General Assembly resolutions 34/180, 44/77, 45/124, 45/129, 46/79, 47/94, 47/95, 48/108; Economic and Social Council resolutions 1983/27, 1990/8, 1992/15, 1992/16, 1992/17, 1993/13, 1993/14, 1993/15)

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

(a) Equality: Equality in economic decision-making;

(b) Development: Promotion of literacy, education and training, including technological skills;

(c) Peace: Women in international decision-making.

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

* For the discussion, see chap. VI.

C. Matters brought to the attention of the Council                        [ UP ]

3. The attention of the Council is drawn to the recommendation of the Commission that the thirty-ninth session of the Commission be held from 15 March to 4 April 1995 (see resolution 38/10).

4. The attention of the Council is also drawn to the following resolutions and decisions adopted by the Commission:

Resolution 38/1. Integration of women in the Middle East peace process*

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 48/58 of 14 December 1993 on the Middle East peace process,

Recalling also the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights in June 1993, 9/

Stressing that the achievement of a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Middle East conflict will constitute a significant contribution to the strengthening of international peace and security and is an indispensable condition for the furthering of human rights in the region,

Recalling the convening of the Peace Conference on the Middle East at Madrid on 30 October 1991, on the basis of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973, and the subsequent bilateral negotiations, as well as the meetings of the multilateral working groups, and noting with satisfaction the broad international support for the peace process,

Noting the continuing positive participation of the United Nations as a full extraregional participant in the work of the multilateral working groups,

Bearing in mind the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, signed by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington, D.C., on 13 September 1993, 11/

1. Stresses just and lasting peace in the Middle East;

2. Emphasizes that the achievement of such a peace is vital for the full implementation of human rights in the area;

3. Welcomes the peace process started at Madrid and supports the subsequent bilateral negotiations;

4. Expresses its full support for the achievements of the peace process thus far, in particular the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, signed by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, and the Agreement between Israel and Jordan on the Common Agenda, which constitute an important initial step in achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, and urges all parties to implement agreements reached;

5. Considers that an active United Nations role in the Middle East peace process and in assisting in the implementation of the Declaration of Principles can make a positive contribution;

6. Urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies and non- governmental organizations to include women in the peace process as facilitators and mediators, and in any other roles that may enhance the peace process;

7. Urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies and non- governmental organizations to assist the Palestinian people in the implementation of the Declaration of Principles in order to ensure Palestinian women's political development and participation.

* For the discussion, see chap. III.

11/ A/48/486-S/26560, annex.

Resolution 38/2. Mainstreaming women's human rights*                 [ UP ]

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling all relevant resolutions, in particular General Assembly resolution 44/77 of 8 December 1989, in which, inter alia, the Assembly endorsed and reaffirmed the importance of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women for the period up to the year 2000 and set out measures for their immediate implementation and for the overall achievement of the interrelated guidelines and objectives of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace,

Welcoming the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, 9/ which emphasized that the human rights of women and the girl child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights and stressed that these rights should be integrated into the mainstream of United Nations system-wide activities, and noting that, according to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, steps should be taken to increase cooperation and promote further integration of objectives and goals between the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Human Rights, the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, the United Nations Development Programme and other United Nations bodies,

Bearing in mind General Assembly resolution 48/108 of 20 December 1993, in which the Assembly requested the Commission on the Status of Women to examine the implications of the World Conference on Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the Conference for its central role in matters related to women's rights within the United Nations system and to report thereon to the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 1994,

Noting with appreciation the report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the World Conference on Human Rights, 12/

Recalling Discrimination against Women 8/ is a key international human rights instrument for the promotion and protection of women's human rights, and acknowledging both its codifying and innovating functions,

Noting the important roles that the Commission on the Status of Women and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women have to play in making the general human rights work of the United Nations more gender conscious and in promoting the universal and indivisible human rights of women,

Welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, 13/ as well as Commission on Human Rights resolution 1994/45 of 6 March 1994 on integrating the rights of women into the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations, 14/ in which the Commission decided to appoint, for a three-year period, a Special Rapporteur on violence against women, including its causes and its consequences;

1. Stresses the importance of cooperation and coordination between the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Human Rights to ensure that the United Nations human rights mechanisms address on a regular basis violations of women's human rights and that the Commission on the Status of Women regularly takes stock of that integration process while carrying out its central role of monitoring activities relating to the status of women;

2. Emphasizes the need to develop and enhance the role of focal points on women's human rights, both in the Centre for Human Rights and in the Division for the Advancement of Women, and to ensure cooperation and coordination between the two bodies on an ongoing basis;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to see to the preparation of a joint workplan on women's human rights for the Centre for Human Rights and the Division for the Advancement of Women on an annual basis and to inform both the Commission on Human Rights and the Commission on the Status of Women at their annual sessions, beginning in 1995, of these plans; and to promote the mutual availability of documentation, as well as the development of a public information strategy;

4. Encourages the Division for the Advancement of Women and the Centre for Human Rights to explore the possibilities of organizing training in women's human rights, inter alia, by exchange of personnel, so that human rights officers can be trained in women's rights issues and the personnel in the Division for the Advancement of Women can be trained in general human rights matters;

5. Recommends that the regular meetings of chairpersons of human rights treaty bodies consider on a regular basis the issue of mainstreaming women's human rights, with a view to promoting coordination and cooperation between the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the other treaty bodies, especially in the field of information exchange and coordination of their reporting guidelines;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to give special emphasis to financial and institutional arrangements in his report to the Fourth World Conference on Women, requested by the General Assembly in paragraph 31 of its resolution 48/108, on the extent to which gender concerns have been included in the relevant human rights mechanisms;

7. Decides to remain seized of this matter and, in particular, to examine at its thirty-ninth session the progress made and the plans developed.

* For the discussion, see chap III.

12/ E/CN.6/1994/11.

13/ General Assembly resolution 48/104.

14/ Official Record of the Economic and Social Council, 1994, Supplement No. 4 (E/1994/24), chap. II, sect. A.

Resolution 38/3. Elimination of violence against women*                 [ UP ]

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women in its resolution 48/104 of 20 December 1993,

Recognizing that the effective implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 8/ will contribute to the elimination of violence against women and that the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women strengthens and complements this process,

Also welcoming the decision of the Commission on Human Rights at its fiftieth session to appoint, for a three-year period, a Special Rapporteur on violence against women, including its causes and its consequences, 14/

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General containing the conclusions and recommendations of the Expert Group Meeting on Measures to Eradicate Violence against Women, 15/ held in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in October 1993,

1. Calls upon all Governments, as well as intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations, to take all possible steps to eliminate violence against women, in accordance with the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, to disseminate information on it and to promote its understanding;

2. Expresses its appreciation of the decision of the Commission on Human Rights at its fiftieth session to appoint a Special Rapporteur on violence against women, including its causes and consequences; 14/

3. Urges all Governments to cooperate with and assist the Special Rapporteur in the performance of her tasks and duties and to furnish all information requested;

4. Invites the Special Rapporteur to cooperate closely with the Commission on the Status of Women in the discharge of its functions;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the reports of the Special Rapporteur are brought to the attention of the Commission on the Status of Women as a source of information for its monitoring role and recommendations on policy, and specifically for its review and appraisal of the action taken in accordance with the Declaration, which should be presented at the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace;

6. Also requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the Special Rapporteur can attend the meetings of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and relevant United Nations conferences, especially the Fourth World Conference on Women;

7. Urges the Secretary-General, in cooperation with the Special Rapporteur, to give publicity to the Rapporteur's work and to disseminate the Rapporteur's findings and conclusions widely;

8. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Commission at its thirty-ninth session on the activities of the United Nations bodies and institutions concerned with crime prevention with regard to the question of violence against women;

9. Decides to remain seized of the question of violence against women.

* For the discussion, see chap. III.

15/ E/CN.6/1994/4.

Resolution 38/4. Palestinian women*                                           [ UP ]

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Having considered with appreciation the report of the Secretary-General on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women, 16/

Recalling Women, 1/ in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children,

Recalling also its resolution 1993/15 of 27 July 1993 and other relevant United Nations resolutions,

Recalling the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women 13/ as it concerns the protection of civilian populations,

Welcoming the signing by the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Government of Israel of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, in Washington, D.C., on 13 September 1993, 11/

Deeply concerned about the continuing deterioration of all aspects of the situation of the Palestinian women in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem,

Gravely concerned about the severe consequences of the massacre carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinian worshippers in Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron on 25 February 1994 for the situation of Palestinian women and their families,

1. Reaffirms that the Israeli occupation constitutes the basic obstacle for Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self-reliance and integration in the development plan of their society;

2. Demands that Israel, the occupying Power, comply fully with the provisions and principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 17/ the Hague Regulations and the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, 18/ in order to protect the rights of Palestinian women and their families;

3. Calls upon Israel to facilitate the return of all refugees and displaced Palestinian women and children to their homes and properties in the occupied Palestinian territory, in compliance with the relevant United Nations resolutions;

4. Urges Member States, international financial organizations of the United Nations system, non-governmental organizations and other relevant institutions to intensify their efforts to provide financial assistance to Palestinian women for the creation of projects responding to their needs, especially during the transitional period;

5. Requests the Commission on the Status of Women to continue to monitor and take action with regard to the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to review the situation of and to assist Palestinian women by all available means, and to submit to the Commission on the Status of Women, at its thirty-ninth session, a report on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution.

* For the discussion, see chap. III.

16/ E/CN.6/1994/6.

17/ General Assembly resolution 217 A (III).

18/ United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 973.

Resolution 38/5. Women and development*                                   [ UP ]

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling General Assembly resolution 47/174 of 22 December 1992, Economic and Social Council resolutions 1990/15 of 24 May 1990 and 1992/53 of 31 July 1992 and Commission resolutions 34/3 of 8 March 1990, 35/7 of 8 March 1991, 36/5 of 20 March 1992 and 37/6 of 25 March 1993,

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

Convinced that the effective mobilization of women is an essential element in achieving the objectives of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women 1/ and the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade, 19/

Aware Strategies as related to development necessitates that urgent action be taken by all the parties concerned,

Aware also of the need to recognize the importance of the gender perspective in all areas of social, economic and political life in order to achieve a balanced division of roles,

Welcoming the Vienna Declaration adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, 9/ in which the Conference stressed the importance of the integration and full participation of women as both agents and beneficiaries in the development process,

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 sustainable development and has to be reflected in the implementation of concrete national development policies, programmes and projects,

Further convinced that an enabling international economic environment and the international community have fundamental roles in the creation of conditions that allow women to be full and equal participants in shaping the development process,

Deeply concerned about the slow progress in the improvement of the situation of women in developing countries and the worsening situation of women in some areas, 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 the food production of developing countries, they are often the most vulnerable and disadvantaged group in society,

Welcoming the holding of the Summit on the Economic Advancement of Rural Women at Geneva on 25 and 26 February 1992 and the adoption by the Summit of the Geneva Declaration for Rural Women, 20/

Aware be empowered to define their own means of development, as well as of the need to guarantee them access to such services as education, health, maternity and child care and credit so that they may be fully integrated 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, continues to have negative effects on efforts for the full integration of women in development,

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

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

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

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

5. Urges Governments to identify their own quantitative and qualitative national targets in such fields as education and training, employment, entrepreneurship, health and women in public life, with a view to the full integration of women in development, and to commit adequate resources for use by women and gender-sensitive development programmes;

6. Recommends that Governments create and strengthen national machinery for the advancement of women, placing it at the highest level, and that they ensure the greater involvement of such machinery in the political, economic and social planning processes by providing it with adequate resources and qualified personnel;

7. Also recommends that Governments, intergovernmental organizations, international donor agencies and non-governmental organizations further 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 policy and programme areas, in addition to implementation processes;

8. Calls upon Governments, intergovernmental organizations, 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;

9. 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;

10. Urges all States to work for the achievement of the goals endorsed in the Geneva Declaration for Rural Women 20/ and all organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to take into account the goals of the Geneva Declaration in carrying out their programmes, and invites the relevant governing bodies to consider the adoption of specific measures, within their respective fields of competence, with a view to meeting the special needs of rural women in the light of the Geneva Declaration;

11. Appeals to Governments, donor countries, international organizations and appropriate national and international 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 poor rural and urban 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.

* For the discussion, see chap. IV.

19/ General Assembly resolution 45/199, annex.

20/ A/47/308-E/1992/97, annex.

Resolution 38/6. Gender equality in population programmes*          [ UP ]

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 1/ which set equality, development and peace as the general objectives and goals for promoting the advancement of women, the World Conference on Education for All, 21/ the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, 22/ the World Summit for Children, 23/ the World Conference on Human Rights, 24/ and looking forward to the International Conference on Population and Development, the World Summit for Social Development and the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace,

Recalling also the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, 9/ adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, which reaffirms, on the basis of equality between women and men, a woman's right to accessible and adequate health care and the widest range of family-planning services, as well as equal access to education at all levels,

Emphasizing that the full participation of both women and men in all aspects of productive and reproductive life, including shared responsibilities for the care and nurturing of children and maintenance of the household, is required and in the interest of women, men and children,

Emphasizing also that the empowerment of women and the improvement of their status - particularly with respect to education, health, economic opportunity and decision-making, and full political participation and representation - are highly important ends in themselves and are essential to reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and achieving fair and non-coercive population policies that respect women's rights as human rights,

Recognizing that, because gender discrimination often begins at the earliest stages of life, equal attention to the needs of the girl child is a necessary first step to ensuring that women realize their full potential and become equal partners in sustainable development,

Emphasizing that one of the aims of family-planning programmes should be to establish, as appropriate, the widest possible choice for women in matters of procreation,

Recognizing also the sovereign right of each country to establish its own population policies and programmes responding to country-specific needs, while mindful that national action or inaction in population may have effects that extend beyond national boundaries,

1. Reaffirms the goal of universal access to safe motherhood, to family planning and reproductive health services and facilities for those who wish to use them, to assistance in preventing and overcoming infertility, and to full and timely information about all aspects of reproductive health and sexuality;

2. Also reaffirms, as stated in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 8/ that men and women have, on the basis of equality, the same rights to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children and to have access to the information, education and means to enable them to exercise those rights;

3. Encourages Governments and non-governmental organizations to promote and encourage the equal participation of women and men in all areas of family responsibility, so that both women and men can balance their domestic and public responsibilities;

4. Urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies and, where appropriate, non-governmental organizations to adopt and implement population and development policies that enhance social and economic equality; include popular participation; incorporate women equally in all levels of planning, decision-making and implementation; address the reproductive health needs of women and men of all ages; respect and protect women's rights as human rights; and, where levels are still high, significantly reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates;

5. Urges Governments to make greater efforts to implement and enforce national laws and international conventions protecting women from all types of discrimination, including implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women;

6. Encourages Governments to acknowledge and implement the recommendations regarding women's rights contained in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights;

7. Also encourages Governments to review, legislate if they have not already done so, enforce and provide public information concerning the minimum age of consent and minimum age at marriage, paying attention to the importance of empowering women so that they may choose education or employment as alternatives to early marriage;

8. Urges Governments, where required, to adopt, implement and enforce laws to eliminate infanticide; female foeticide; preferential treatment of boys to the detriment of girls' education, health, self-esteem and quality of life; forced marriages; child labour; child trafficking resulting in child slavery and prostitution; and other forms of child abuse;

9. Also urges Governments to prohibit female genital mutilation and other traditional practices which diminish the dignity and integrity of women and, in collaboration with local and regional non-governmental organizations and local communities, to act vigorously to create awareness among concerned populations of the urgent need to eliminate those practices and provide the support services necessary to mitigate their harmful effects;

10. Further urges Governments to empower women and close the gender gap as soon as possible by:

(a) Encouraging women's participation and representation at all levels of the political process in each community and society;

(b) Promoting the fulfilment of women's potential through education and development of skills, paying urgent attention to the elimination of illiteracy among adult women and to the importance of education of the girl child;

(c) Eliminating legal, political, social and cultural barriers against women, and assisting women to establish and realize their rights, particularly those that relate to sexual and reproductive health;

(d) Adopting concrete measures to improve women's ability to earn income, achieve economic self-reliance, inherit, own and dispose of property and land, and have access to credit on the basis of equality with men without discrimination;

11. Further urges Governments to ensure the widest and earliest possible access by girls and women to secondary and higher education and vocational training, including taking positive actions to increase the school retention rates of girls, with the aim of reducing the current disparities between boys and girls by the year 2000;

12. Urges all countries in a position to do so and appropriate international organizations to provide assistance to developing countries for family-planning services, including contraceptives, information and education;

13. Encourages Governments and local and international non-governmental organizations to launch information and education campaigns to change the public perception of the value of the girl child, generate social awareness of the short- and long-term poverty and socio-economic consequences of discrimination against girls and of early motherhood, and establish innovative mechanisms for encouraging protection of and respect for the rights of the girl child;

14. Encourages Governments, within their legal framework, to eliminate all policies and practices of discrimination and coercion related to employment, marriage, divorce, inheritance, maternity, child-rearing, and custody of children;

15. Also encourages Governments to develop educational curricula that eliminate gender stereotypes and reflect a commitment to full gender equality;

16. Urges Governments and non-governmental organizations to encourage men to be involved, as partners and fathers, in safe and responsible parenthood and family planning, emphasizing men's shared responsibilities, inter alia, in the areas of prenatal and maternal health, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, prevention of unwanted and high-risk pregnancies, child care, education, health and nutrition and the promotion of the equal value of children of both sexes;

17. Urges Governments to take steps so that children receive appropriate financial support from parents by, inter alia, enforcing child support laws;

18. Urges Governments and non-governmental organizations to develop an integrated approach to the special nutritional, health, including reproductive health, educational and social needs of girls and young women;

19. Also urges Governments and non-governmental organizations to involve women in the design of health-care programmes, including reproductive health, and in the planning, management, delivery and evaluation of services, and to take positive steps to train and employ more women at all levels of the health-care delivery system;

20. Further urges Governments and non-governmental organizations to support women in their aim to expand and strengthen campaigns to make women aware of the full range of their legal rights, including their rights within the family, and to help women organize to achieve those rights.

* For the discussion, see chap. IV.

21/ Final Report of the World Conference on Education for All: Meeting Basic Learning Needs, Jomtien, Thailand, 5- 9 March 1990 (New York, Inter-Agency Commission (UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank) for the World Conference on Education for All, 1990).

22/ Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992 (A/CONF.151/26/Rev.1 (vol. I, vol. I/Corr.1, vol. II, vol. III and vol. III/Corr.1)) (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigendum).

23/ See A/45/625.

24/ Report of the World Conference on Human Rights, Vienna, 14-25 June 1993 (A/CONF.157/24 (Parts I and II)).

Resolution 38/7. Violence against women migrant workers*          [ UP ]

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling the Charter of the United Nations which reaffirms faith in human rights and fundamental freedoms, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women,

Reaffirming the principles set forth in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 34/180 of 18 December 1979,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 47/96 of 16 December 1992 and 48/110 of 20 December 1993 on violence against women migrant workers,

Reaffirming the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, held at Vienna from 14 to 25 June 1993, 9/

Welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly at its forty- eighth session of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, 13/

Welcoming also the decision of the Commission on Human Rights at its fiftieth session to appoint, for a three-year period, a Special Rapporteur on violence against women, including its causes and its consequences, who will report to the Commission on an annual basis, beginning at its fifty-first session, 14/

Noting the measures adopted by some receiving States to alleviate the plight of some women migrant workers residing within their areas of jurisdiction,

Noting also the increasing number of women of migrant workers,

Concerned about the continuing reports of violence against women migrant workers, including the victimization of a large number of them by traffickers,

1. Calls upon States Members of the United Nations to adopt measures for the effective implementation of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, including applying it to migrant women workers;

2. Also calls upon the States concerned, specifically the sending and receiving States of women migrant workers, to conduct regular consultations for the purpose of identifying problem areas in promoting and protecting the rights of women migrant workers and in ensuring health and social services for them, adopting specific measures to address these problems, setting up, as necessary, appropriate mechanisms to implement these measures, and, in general, creating conditions that foster greater harmony and tolerance between women migrant workers and the rest of the society in which they reside;

3. Urges States Members of the United Nations, particularly those from which women migrant workers originate and those which play host to them, to ensure the protection of the rights and fundamental freedoms of women migrant workers as defined by international conventions and agreements, specially those under the aegis of the International Labour Organization, if needed, by the adoption of legal measures;

4. Encourages Member States to consider signing and ratifying or acceding to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families; 25/

5. Calls victimization of women migrant workers by traffickers and to penalize those traffickers;

6. Invites the Special Rapporteur on violence against women to include among the urgent issues pertaining to her or his mandate the violence perpetrated against women migrant workers, and to furnish a copy of her or his first report to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-ninth session, as well as copies of subsequent reports to the corresponding succeeding sessions of the Commission;

7. Also invites relevant United Nations functional bodies and specialized agencies, in particular the International Labour Organization, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations to monitor the situation of women migrant workers and to submit reports thereon through normal channels;

8. Recommends to the Centre for Human Rights to include the promotion and protection of the human rights of women migrant workers in its programme of work relative to its advisory training and information services, and to submit to the General Assembly, through the Commission on Human Rights and the Economic and Social Council, its report thereon;

9. Reiterates the recommendation of the General Assembly, contained in its resolution 48/110, for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, which is to be held at Beijing in September 1995, to address the issue of violence against women migrant workers;

10. Requests the Secretary-General to see to the development of concrete indicators to determine the situation of women migrant workers in sending and receiving countries as a basis for future action;

11. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission at its thirty-ninth session a copy of his report to the General Assembly at its forty-ninth session, relative to violence against women migrant workers, which should include the reports to be submitted by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, the Centre for Human Rights, relevant United Nations functional bodies and specialized agencies, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations.

* For the discussion, see chap. IV.

25/ General Assembly resolution 45/158, annex.

Resolution 38/8. Equal pay for equal work and work of equal value*[ UP ]

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution 1990/15 of 24 May 1990,

Recalling the principle of equal remuneration as referred to by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women,

Recalling the Equal Remuneration Convention of 1951 (No. 100) and Recommendation (No. 90) of the International Labour Organization,

Taking note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General on the priority theme of equal pay for work of equal value, 26/ which is based on a study by the International Labour Organization, 27/

Recognizing men and women and that legislation on equal pay has not been enacted and/or implemented in many countries,

Emphasizing that wider implementation of the principle of equal pay for equal work and work of equal or comparable value would contribute to the greater economic autonomy of women, thus helping to alleviate the burden of low incomes and enabling women to make life choices more freely,

Recognizing the special need to eliminate inequalities of income and discriminatory working conditions based on gender, particularly in the informal sector,

Recognizing that implementation of the principle of equal pay for equal work and work of equal value is an essential requirement for economic development, for achievement of social justice and for the better use of human resources, as well as a major component of the empowerment of women and their free participation in development,

1. Urges Governments and international, regional and national institutions, as appropriate:

(a) To promote and pursue in greater depth research on the concept of work of equal value as a potential means for eliminating gender-based inequalities in remuneration, taking into account the particular circumstances and needs of developed and developing countries, as well as those of the economies in transition;

(b) To disseminate as widely as possible the results of such research, including, in particular, their transmission to the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty-ninth and subsequent sessions;

2. Calls upon Governments:

(a) To take appropriate legislative action;

(b) To extend the coverage of legislation on equal remuneration, particularly to the informal sector;

(c) To give full effect to those international instruments to which they have acceded on the subject of equal pay for equal work and work of equal value, whether through legislation, collective bargaining, judicial or arbitral decision or by any other means;

(d) To take steps to make information available to women and men about their rights to equal pay for work of equal value, for example through legal literacy programmes;

3. Calls on employers and employees and their respective organizations to promote the concrete implementation of the principle of equal pay for work of equal value;

4. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the International Labour Organization and other appropriate international and regional bodies, to submit to the Commission, at its thirty-ninth session, a report on the situation at the national level in respect of the implementation of the principle of equal pay for work of equal value, particular attention to be paid, to the extent possible, to the adequacy of mechanisms and procedures for facilitating such implementation.

* For the discussion, see chap. IV.

26/ E/CN.6/1994/2.

27/ Ibid., annex.

Resolution 38/9. Rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia*                                                                  [ UP ]

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 17/ the International Covenants on Human Rights, 28/ the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 29/ the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 30/ the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 31/ the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 8/ the Convention on the Rights of the Child 32/ and instruments of human rights and international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 33/ and the Additional Protocols thereto of 1977, 34/

Recalling entitled "Principles of international cooperation in the detection, arrest, extradition and punishment of persons guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity",

Recalling Commission on Human Rights resolution 1994/77 of 9 March 1993, entitled "Rape and abuse of women in the territory of the former Yugoslavia" 14/ and General Assembly resolution 48/143 of 20 December 1993, entitled "Rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia",

Appalled at the recurring and substantiated reports of widespread rape and abuse of women and children in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia, in particular its systematic use against the Muslim women and children in Bosnia and Herzegovina by Serbian forces,

Reaffirming the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 798 (1992) of 18 December 1992 in which, inter alia, the Council strongly condemned those acts of unspeakable brutality,

Noting with deep concern the reports on the findings of the Special Rapporteur, 35/ regarding rape and abuse of women in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, particularly in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Convinced that this heinous practice constitutes a deliberate weapon of war in fulfilling the policy of ethnic cleansing carried out by Serbian forces in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and noting General Assembly resolution 47/121 of 18 December 1992, in which the Assembly stated, inter alia, that the abhorrent policy of ethnic cleansing was a form of genocide,

Welcoming the establishment of an International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, in pursuance of Security Council resolution 808 (1993) of 22 February 1993 and 827 (1993) of 25 May 1993,

Desirous of ensuring that persons accused of upholding and perpetrating rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia will be brought to justice by the International Tribunal, where appropriate,

Recognizing the extraordinary suffering of the victims of rape and sexual violence and the necessity for an appropriate response to provide assistance to those victims,

Deeply alarmed at the situation facing victims of rape in the conflicts in different parts of the world, in particular in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the continuing use of rape as a weapon of war,

Noting with appreciation the work of humanitarian organizations aimed at supporting the victims of rape and abuse and alleviating their suffering,

Taking into account its resolution 37/3 of 25 March 1993,

Expressing its appreciation to the Secretary-General for his report entitled "Rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia", 36/

Commending rights in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, 35/

1. Strongly condemns the abhorrent practice of rape and abuse of women and children in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia which constitutes a war crime;

2. Expresses its outrage that the systematic practice of rape is being used as a weapon of war and an instrument of ethnic cleansing against the women and children in the former Yugoslavia, in particular against Muslim women and children in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina;

3. Demands that those involved immediately cease those outrageous acts, which are in gross violation of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 33/ and the Additional Protocols 34/ thereto, and take immediate action to ensure the enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with their obligations under those instruments and other applicable international human rights instruments;

4. Urges all States Members of the United Nations to take joint and separate action, in cooperation with the United Nations, to bring about an end to this despicable practice;

5. Reaffirms that all persons who perpetrate or authorize crimes against humanity or other violations of international humanitarian law are individually responsible for those violations and that those in positions of authority who have failed to ensure that persons under their control comply with the relevant international instruments are accountable, together with the perpetrators;

6. Urges States Members of the United Nations to exert every effort to bring to justice, in accordance with internationally recognized principles of due process, all those individuals directly or indirectly involved in these outrageous international crimes;

7. Encourages the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the territory of the former Yugoslavia to continue to pay particular attention to the widespread occurrence of rape, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina and acknowledge the work done by his team of female experts;

8. Urges all States and relevant organizations immediately to give serious consideration to the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur in his reports, in particular the recommendation for the provision for the continuation of necessary medical and psychological care to victims of rape within the framework of programmes to rehabilitate women and children traumatized by war;

9. Supports the Commission of Experts in its initiative to investigate the issue of systematic rape of women in the former Yugoslavia through its envisaged plan of action in which special emphasis will be given to allegations of sexual assault;

10. Urges the Commission of Experts to treat its investigation on this issue as a matter of priority and welcomes its intention to reflect the results of its study in its final report, to be submitted by the end of April 1994;

11. Calls on all States to cooperate with the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia Since 1991 and the Office of the Prosecutor in the investigation and prosecution of persons accused of using rape as a weapon of war, and in the provision of protection, counselling and support to victims and witnesses;

12. Calls on all States that host refugees from the former Yugoslavia to provide the necessary assistance to the Commission of Experts in its efforts to interview those refugees or otherwise collect evidence for its investigation of the systematic practice of rape of women;

13. Declares that rape is a heinous crime and encourages the International Tribunal to give due priority to the cases of the victims of rape in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia, in particular in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina;

14. Urges all States and all relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, including the United Nations Children's Fund, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Health Organization, to continue to provide to the victims of such rape and abuse appropriate assistance for their physical and mental rehabilitation;

15. Requests the Secretary-General to continue providing such necessary means as are available to him in the area to enable the Commission of Experts and the Special Rapporteur to perform their missions in this respect;

16. Decides to remain seized of this matter.

* For the discussion, see chap. IV.

28/ Resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.

29/ Resolution 2106 A (XX), annex.

30/ Resolution 260 A (III).

31/ Resolution 39/46, annex.

32/ Resolution 44/25, annex.

33/ United Nations Treaty Series, vol. 75, Nos. 970-973.

34/ Ibid., vol. 1125, Nos. 17512 and 17513.

35/ E/CN.4/1994/47.

36/ A/48/858.

Resolution 38/10. Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace*                  [ UP ]

The Commission on the Status of Women,

Recalling its resolutions 35/4 of 8 March 1991, 36/8 A to E of 20 March 1992 and 37/7 of 25 March 1993 on preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace,

Also recalling its resolution 37/9 of 26 March 1993 on the work programme for the advancement of women and the proposed restructuring of the economic and social activities of the United Nations,

Taking into account the discussion of the Commission during its thirty-eighth session and the relevant conclusions of the General Assembly in resolution 48/108 of 20 December 1993,

Noting with concern the short time available for the Commission at its thirty-ninth session to carry out its regular work as well as serve as the preparatory body for the Fourth World Conference on Women,

Recognizing that the pace of progress towards the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, 1/ has been slow,

Desiring to take effective action to ensure that the Fourth World Conference on Women has a direct and immediate effect on the lives of women around the world,

Noting with appreciation the report of the Secretary-General on the preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women, 37/

Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General containing the draft of the Platform for Action, 38/

Also taking note of the draft provisional rules of procedure, 39/

1. Requests the Secretary-General to develop further the draft of the Platform for Action for consideration by the Commission at its thirty-ninth session, based on the texts contained in the annex to the present resolution, also taking into account the relevant results of the regional preparatory meetings;

2. Further requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the draft of the Platform for Action be made available in all languages at least six weeks before the beginning of the thirty- ninth session;

3. Invites the Secretary-General to convene, in consultation with the Bureau, informal open-ended consultations to exchange views on the draft of the Platform for Action prior to the thirty-ninth session;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Commission at its thirty-ninth session on progress in the preparations for the Conference and, in particular, on the further implementation of section V, on the information campaign of Commission resolution 37/7;

5. Invites Governments to include in their delegations non-governmental organizations and, whenever possible, representatives that reflect the diversity of the adult population;

6. Also invites Governments to finalize their national reports in line with the guidelines prepared by the Secretariat and to submit those reports to the Secretary-General of the Conference by May 1994 to serve as input to the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies;

7. Requests the Secretary-General of the Conference to convey to the preparatory committees for the International Conference on Population and Development and for the World Social Summit and to the International Conference on Population and Development areas of concern relevant to them as reflected in the draft Platform for Action and in the resolutions adopted at the thirty-eighth session and to report back to the Commission at its thirty-ninth session;

8. Also requests the Secretary-General of the Conference to transmit to the regional preparatory conferences for the Fourth World Conference on Women the texts contained in the annex to the present resolution;

9. Calls upon United Nations bodies and specialized agencies to participate in the Fourth World Conference on Women and consider the specific actions they will undertake, including goals and targets, to realign priorities and redirect resources to meet the global priorities which are identified in the Platform for Action;

10. Invites other intergovernmental organizations similarly to make concrete commitments to meet the global priorities for the advancement of women by the year 2000 reflected in the Platform for Action;

11. Invites member States at the Fourth World Conference on Women to specify actions which they will take in their own countries to bring about change by the year 2000;

12. Calls upon the Secretary-General, in preparing the programme budget for the biennium 1996-1997, to anticipate, from within existing levels of the programme budget, adequate human and financial resources to carry out fully the strategic action required by the United Nations to implement the Platform for Action;

13. Reiterates its request in its resolutions 35/4 and 37/7 for an analysis of the impact of existing technical and financial cooperation targeting women;

14. Requests the Secretary-General to include in the draft of the Platform for Action proposals to strengthen technical and financial cooperation to benefit women;

15. Urges all Governments to establish national committees or to designate focal points for the preparations for the Conference in keeping with Commission resolution 36/8, and to inform the Secretary-General of the Conference accordingly;

16. Decides to consider the draft provisional rules of procedure for the Conference at its thirty-ninth session;

17. Recommends to the Economic and Social Council that the thirty-ninth session of the Commission be extended by one week and that provision should be made for a two-week meeting of a parallel working group. The dates for the thirty-ninth session of the Commission should be 15 March to 4 April 1995.

* For the discussion, see chap. V.

37/ E/CN.6/1994/9.

38/ E/CN.6/1994/10.

39/ E/CN.6/1994/L.3.

Annex: DRAFT PLATFORM FOR ACTION                                 [ UP ]

I. STATEMENT OF MISSION

1. The Platform for Action aims to accelerate the removal of the remaining obstacles to women's full and equal participation in all spheres of life, including economic and political decision-making; to protect women's human rights throughout the life cycle, and to mainstream women in all areas of sustainable development so that men and women can work together for equality, development and peace. For this purpose, the international community, Governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector are called upon to undertake strategic action to implement the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women in critical areas of concern.

II. GLOBAL FRAMEWORK

2. Since the adoption of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, in 1985, the world has been experiencing a global process of restructuring of political, economic, social and cultural relationships. This restructuring process has had a profound impact, both positive and negative, on women, and forms the backdrop for this Platform for Action.

3. Changes in political relationships have reduced the threat of global conflict and increased the importance of multilateral solutions to political problems. While the threat of global conflict has been reduced, a resurgence of nationalism and ethnic conflict have threatened the peace in many areas. They have also led to the expansion of the role of the United Nations in humanitarian assistance and peace-keeping.

4. The move towards democratization has been coupled with a renewed emphasis on the implementation of universal human rights.

The recognition by the World Conference on Human Rights that the human rights of women are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights has meant that the full and equal participation of women in political, civil, economic, social and cultural life, at the national, regional and international levels, and the eradication of all forms of discrimination on grounds of sex are priority objectives of the international community. However, much remains to be done nationally and internationally to monitor and enforce women's human rights.

5. Economic relationships are also changing. The prolonged global economic recession has led to a restructuring of the economic relationships between countries and, in some regions, a decline in national as well as personal income and well-being. It has been accompanied by a growing reliance on market economies. The role of transnational corporations has increased.

New areas of economic growth have emerged, especially in areas related to new technologies in information, health and related services. Global patterns of employment have been changing and women have begun to form the labour force in new growth sectors in all regions. At the same time, the capacity to provide services and make long-term investments through the public sector has been reduced, and poverty, both absolute and relative, has increased, accompanied by widespread migration of both women and men in search of employment.

6. Evidence of accelerating depletion of natural resources and other environmental problems has resulted in a global consensus on the need to see development in terms of sustainability over the long term. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development identified women as key actors in the management and protection of natural resources, particularly in rural areas.

7. There has been renewed attention to human development seen in terms of the life cycle of the individual, progressing from childhood and youth through old age, and people's needs at different stages should be taken into account in policies and planning. There is a recognition that the generations are interdependent, that the youth of today will be the ageing of tomorrow and that the older generation transmits enduring values to the new generation.

8. As societies are being transformed, so too are the relationships between women and men. Differences between women's and men's achievements and participation are recognized as the result of socially constructed gender roles rather than biological differences. The sexual division of labour between productive roles and reproductive roles has become increasingly blurred as women have entered the workplace in growing numbers and their productive contribution in other spheres has received greater recognition, and as men have taken greater responsibility for domestic tasks, including the care of children. A focus on gender roles rather than on women alone is needed to emphasize the evolving partnership between men and women in a changing world.

9. Notably, despite common problems, the world is not homogeneous, and there are regional and national differences. But these differences are often a matter of degree rather than essence, a matter of resources and capacity available for solution rather than characteristic of the problems to be solved.

Women are not a homogeneous group and there are differences among women with different life experiences. Young women, ageing women, disabled, migrant, refugee or displaced women all have special concerns. However, they also share many of the same concerns derived from their gender. As a result, both the diversity and the commonality of women's experience, knowledge, vision and hopes constitute a source of strength and the basis for believing that the mission of this Platform for Action can be achieved.

III. CRITICAL AREAS OF CONCERN                                                                        [ UP ]

10. The text proposed by the Secretary-General constituted a good starting point. The discussion during the thirty-eighth session of the Commission provided an opportunity to expand the text, ensure inclusion of priority concerns and deepen the analysis. The discussion resulted in a number of proposed changes.

11. The section should begin with a preambular paragraph that would note the interdependence of the critical areas of concern, their relationship with the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, and the fact that the order of presentation reflects the concerns of women, but that all are of equal priority. The order of the presentation of the critical areas of concern should be modified.

12. There should be a clear correspondence between the strategic objectives and the critical areas of concern, both in terms of sequence in the text and aspects addressed. Use should be made of the indicators designed for use by national reports in the narratives of critical areas of concern to show the empirical basis for the concerns and to indicate the dimensions of the problems to be addressed.

13. The text on poverty should reflect the relationship of the concern with structural adjustment policies and programmes and with rural women. The text on violence against women should draw on the results of the expert group meeting on measures to eradicate violence against women presented to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session and should also make appropriate reference to violence deriving from terrorism and extremist religious views. The titles of the sections on mass media and mechanisms should be modified to reflect suggestions made during the discussion. Detailed suggestions made during the discussion should be reflected in the revised text to be presented to the Commission at its thirty-ninth session.

A. The persistent and growing burden of poverty on women

14. The heavy burdens of poverty generally fall disproportionately on women because women are less likely to have sufficient access to the economic and other resources necessary to improve their lives. The number of rural women living in absolute poverty is increasing at a faster rate than for men and the proportion of women among the poor is growing in all societies.

15. There has been little progress in eradicating the worst forms of poverty over the past 10 years. The effects of prolonged global economic recession, combined with adjustment programmes that have undermined the capacity of Governments to provide for the basic needs of their populations, have also undermined anti-poverty initiatives. This situation, coupled with civil strife in many parts of the world, has resulted in an overall increase in the proportion of households living in poverty and in the number of people in absolute poverty.

16. Poverty affects households as a whole, but within them women bear a disproportionate share of the burden. Women experience poverty differently from men because of differences in their entitlement and responsibility. Women must manage household consumption under situations of increasing scarcity or obtain remunerated employment in low-paid jobs or in the informal sector, and, in so doing, they make the invisible adjustment necessary to cope with poverty.

17. There has been a significant increase in the number of female-headed households, the majority of which are poor, with dependants young and old. Lacking education, health and other support services, and not having access to economic resources, these poor women confront significant obstacles to improving their situation. If they are unable to emerge from poverty, the cycle tends to be perpetuated through their children. In the absence of programmes to attenuate the effects of poverty, these families are likely to remain among the poorest of the poor.

18. Experience has shown that public policies and private initiatives that take account of women's skills and potential by providing the resources and opportunities they need to bring themselves out of poverty can help provide a basis for national economic growth with equity.

B. Inequality in access to education, health and related services and means of maximizing the use of women's capacities

19. Education is a key to development, but despite this the educational opportunities offered to women have often contributed to reinforcing traditional female roles, denying them full partnership in society. There is growing awareness that educating women has a major impact on social change and is a worthwhile investment. Such education must be responsive to the practical needs of women and include training in science and technology and modern communications. Education is a necessary tool for women to continue to be agents of change.

20. In most regions of the world, girls and boys now have the same access to primary and secondary education and, in some regions, equality in enrolment is being achieved in tertiary education. Despite this, almost a billion people, two thirds of them women, are still illiterate and the benefits of more equal access to education will not be felt for some time. In other regions, girls still suffer discrimination in access to education and training and reductions in spending on education and health services as a result of structural adjustment.

21. For girls entering school, the fundamental question is whether they will receive quality education that will prepare them to enter any field, expose them to science and technology, stimulate their creativity, and build up their self-esteem, and that is structured to keep them from dropping out prematurely. For adult women, the challenge is to provide education and training that is cost-effective and can help them overcome the consequences of past discrimination which often left them lacking in essential skills. Experience in many countries has shown that investment in education of women and girls pays significant dividends in economic growth, improved health and quality of life for women and men alike.

22. Progress has also been made in making primary health care available, and new technologies make the prevention and treatment of many medical problems more feasible than ever before. However, reductions in spending on health services as a result of structural adjustment has halted progress in providing needed services in many countries. Lack of treatment of health problems primarily affecting women place women as a group at risk. When combined with lack of family-planning and other health-related services, the inadequate situation is reflected in high rates of maternal mortality, malnutrition, anaemia and too early and too frequent pregnancies.

23. To this is added the scourge of HIV/AIDS, which is affecting women at an increasing rate along with newborns. Women are often not able to insist on safe sex practices and have little access to information on prevention. The consequences of HIV/AIDS reach beyond women's health to their role as caretakers of the sick and destitute. The social, developmental and health consequences of AIDS need to be seen through a gender perspective, but this is not always the case.

24. Society has much to gain from investments in education, health, family planning and child- and dependant-care services, for they are investments in the future of both women and men. Experience has shown that when such services are available, women are able to contribute their creativity and skills to the public good.

C. Violence against women

25. Violence against women is a global problem. It takes various forms in both public and private life, and has been recognized as a violation of basic human rights, instilling fear and insecurity in women's lives.

26. Violence against women derives essentially from the lower status accorded to women in the family and in society. Physical, psychological or sexual violence, whether occurring in the home or in society, is linked to male power, privilege and control. It is abetted by ignorance, lack of laws to prohibit violence, inadequate efforts by public authorities to enforce existing laws, and absence of educational and other means to address its causes. The absence of adequate statistics about incidence make elaboration of programmes and monitoring of changes difficult.

27. Violence against women has entered public debate and is now condemned as a violation of the human rights of women. It is a growing concern of men and women alike and has been condemned internationally in the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, in general recommendations 12 and 19 of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and by other international bodies.

28. Experience in a number of countries shows that women and men can be mobilized to fight against violence in all its forms and that effective public measures can be taken to address both the consequences and the causes of violence.

D. Effects of armed or other kinds of conflict on women

29. Women seldom perpetrate national and international armed and other kinds of conflict, and are almost never involved in the decisions leading to such conflict. Nevertheless, they bear a disproportionate share of the consequences of these conflicts, and conflict resolution at this level has remained largely a male domain.

30. Everyone caught up in armed conflicts is affected, but women are affected in particular ways, largely as a reflection of their status in society. They are seldom combatants themselves, lack protection and are often left with the responsibility of maintaining families when conflict disrupts or destroys social and economic life. They have been victims of such practices as torture, disappearance and systematic rape as a weapon of war. Women are disproportionately represented, with their children, among refugees and displaced persons. They are subject to violence or threats of violence or sexual abuse.

31. There is little evidence to confirm whether women in leadership positions would act differently from men in initiating conflict, but there is considerable evidence that women have different approaches to resolving conflict which can be brought to bear both nationally and internationally.

E. Inequality in women's access to and participation in the definition of economic structures and policies and the productive process itself

32. Women lack equal access to, and control over, land, capital, technology and other means of production owing to the predominant division of labour between men and women in most societies. Consequently, women have been largely excluded from the shaping of economic structures and policies. At the same time, women's labour, which has contributed significantly to economic development, has generally been underpaid, undervalued and unrecognized.

33. Women have always contributed to national economies. They are the primary producers of food, constitute an increasing proportion of the economically active population, provide the skilled labour for economic sectors showing the fastest growth, and are increasingly the owners and managers of small and medium- sized enterprises.

34. However, women are infrequently part of the process of decision-making about economic structures and policies, either nationally or internationally, and are not well-represented in financial and other key economic institutions. In large enterprises, whether public or private, they are largely absent at management levels. Women tend to be segregated in a limited number of occupations, where pay is lower than for equivalent work by men. The value of their unremunerated contribution to the economy, whether in family enterprises or in domestic work, is unrecognized and not reflected in national accounts.

35. In most of the world, business has been considered a male preserve, reinforced by stereotypes and discriminatory practices.

Women have lacked access to critical economic factors such as ownership of land, credit and training in technology. Women's opportunities have been limited by discriminatory laws, inadequate education and training, inadequate sharing of domestic responsibilities, including child care, and inflexible working environments. The skills women have obtained as a result of their experience in household management, working in the informal sector and in the community has not been valued. Women doing remunerated work have largely been relegated to low-paying, low- prestige jobs and to the unregulated informal sector where exploitation is often easy.

36. Experience has shown that when women are given access to credit they apply it effectively. Given access to resources, technology and training, women can take the lead in expanding production. Women's skills at performing many tasks simultaneously, their discipline and their ability to adjust to new situations constitute a major underutilized resource for development which can be released if economic structures and policies can be made responsive to them.

F. Inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision-making at all levels

37. More women are serving as heads of State or Government, ministers, members of parliament, mayors and members of city councils than ever before. Yet, women still lack equal access to power structures that shape society. In a period of increasing democratization, women make up at least half of the voters in almost all countries, and have had the right to vote and hold office for more than a generation. Yet, they are not full participants in the public choices that affect their lives. All but a few countries are far from achieving the target set by the Economic and Social Council of 30 per cent women in decision-making levels by 1995. Nor do women participate fully in the leadership of international organizations, as top-level diplomats, in transnational corporations and banks, in the military, the police or in peace-keeping. Yet, without women's full participation, democracy cannot be achieved or maintained. Experience has shown that women can make a difference by casting their votes and affecting the outcomes of electoral processes for change.

38. The continuing gap between women's de jure equality and the reality of women's lives and exclusion from power comes from many sources, and societies differ greatly. For example, in most countries, the norms and practices of political activity suit male lifestyles more than women's. Women often have had little opportunity to compete fairly for leadership positions. Negative stereotypes have discouraged some women from such roles.

39. Inequality in the public arena is often matched by, and often starts with, inequality within the household. Yet, in some societies there have been gains in domestic partnership and role- sharing. Experience has shown that measures can be taken to increase power-sharing in the home, where children first witness gender relations.

G. Insufficient mechanisms at all levels to promote the advancement of women

40. Effective mechanisms are needed at the international, regional, national and community levels to serve as catalysts for promoting the advancement of women. In most countries, the mechanisms established do not have the capacity in terms of financial and human resources to perform this function successfully.

41. National machineries for the advancement of women have been created in almost every country of the world. Diverse in form, they provide a tool for the advancement of women through advocacy, monitoring of public policies and mobilizing support. Women's organizations, including grass-roots women's groups, professional associations, women's networks and other non-governmental organizations, have demonstrated success in effectively and forcefully mobilizing women, especially at the community level, in both rural and urban areas.

42. While there has been an improvement in the development and use of statistics and indicators disaggregated by sex, their coverage is by no means complete. The availability of this information can provide the base for compelling analysis of gender aspects, leading to action.

43. However, these national machineries are often marginalized in national government structures; they are understaffed and under-funded, and are often unable to mobilize the information and clout necessary for advocacy and monitoring, or for linking with grass-roots organizations. At the international level, mechanisms to promote the advancement of women, as part of mainstream political, developmental or human rights activities, experience the same problems as national machineries.

44. Without strong and powerful women's institutions at all levels, mainstreaming women's concerns in public policies and programmes will be ineffective. Without sources of information about the gender-specific impacts of public actions, programmes are weakened. Without a focus for mobilizing the efforts of grass-roots organizations, their efforts can be dissipated.

45. Experience in many countries shows that strong national machinery, complemented by institutions at the community level, can accelerate the process of change for women. The existence of strong and active women's organizations provides a basis for reaching out from international, national and community levels to mobilize women for change.

H. Lack of awareness of, and commitment to, internationally and nationally recognized women's human rights

46. International standards to prevent discrimination against women are in place. The World Conference on Human Rights emphasized that women's rights were an integral part of the mainstream of universal, inalienable and indivisible human rights. However, unless these standards are fully applied, interpreted and enforced in civil, penal and commercial codes and administrative rules and regulations, they will exist only in name. Lack of awareness, as well as means for enjoyment, of these rights are critical obstacles.

47. Recognition of women's human rights is reflected in the fact that over two thirds of the world's States are party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, including all of the countries in some regions. Indeed, in most countries, steps have been taken to reflect these rights in law. Women are increasingly using the legal system to exercise these rights.

48. However, in the countries that have not become party to the Convention or where serious reservations have been entered, or where national laws have not been changed to conform with international norms, women's de jure equality is not yet secured.

In other countries, lack of enforcement of civil, penal and commercial codes or administrative rules and regulations means that the enjoyment of women of their rights is far less than that of men.

49. The gap between having rights and enjoying them derives in part from a lack of knowledge by women and men alike about those rights and a lack of commitment by Governments to enforce them. It also results from unresponsive legal systems, overly complex administrative procedures, insensitive judicial personnel and inadequate monitoring of the violation of the human rights of women. There is a lack of appropriate recourse mechanisms at the national and international levels. Inadequate resources for institutions monitoring the violation of the human rights of women at the international level, such as the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, compounds the problem.

50. Experience in many countries has shown that women can be mobilized around the struggle to enjoy their rights, regardless of level of education or socio-economic status. Legal literacy programmes have been shown to be effective in helping women understand the link between their rights and other aspects of their lives and in demonstrating that cost-effective institutions can be created to help women obtain those rights.

I. Insufficient use of mass media to promote women's positive contributions to society

51. The world is undergoing a communications revolution in which new images and ideas reach into the far corners of the world. New technologies offer the promise of greater interaction among people. These technologies are powerful tools that can be used either for social progress or to reinforce stereotypes.

52. In many countries, the public image of women is changing because of the positive images of women being projected. There are also increasing numbers of women involved in the communications media.

53. On the whole, however, the mass media in most countries still rely on stereotyped images of women and do not provide an accurate picture of women's roles and value in a changing world, but reinforce outdated perceptions of women's roles. Whether public or private, the mass media are still controlled primarily by men and reflect, in many ways, their values and perceptions. These include images of violence and dominance, which have an impact on viewers young and old.

54. Experience in some countries in which efforts have been made to portray women's contributions accurately shows that the mass media can be a significant force for reinforcing change and promoting equality. The possibilities of using communications technology to link women nationally and internationally have been demonstrated in a number of pilot efforts.

J. Lack of adequate recognition and support for women's contribution to managing natural resources and safeguarding the environment

55. Managing natural resources and safeguarding the environment are the responsibilities of everyone, and the consequences of environmental degradation affect everyone as well. Women's deep concern for the quality and sustainability of the natural systems that sustain life is an intimate part of women's lives. This concern takes root in their daily reality, their experience as persons primarily responsible for obtaining fuel and water in much of the world and their role in managing the consumption patterns of the household. It also takes root in their concern for the future generations they bear.

56. The preparations for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development showed that women were concerned with the environment and had unique experiences that could help develop national and international programmes and policies. This has been reflected in Agenda 21.

57. However, women have been largely absent from decision-making about the environment. The enthusiasm and experience brought by women has not been applied to environmental decision-making and management.

58. In a world of accelerating resource depletion which results in diminished agricultural production, desertification and dislocation, the expertise and knowledge of all is required. Despite the close interaction between the environment and women's daily lives, environmental policies typically have not been formulated with this in mind and technical solutions that have been proposed have not taken this perspective into account. As a result, women have tended to suffer the effects of environmental degradation rather than enabled to bring their perspectives and experience to bear to protect natural resources.

59. Experience in many countries has shown that when women have been involved in environmental management, protection and conservation, they can be a decisive factor in the success of programmes and initiatives.

IV. STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES DERIVED FROM THE CRITICAL AREAS OF CONCERN AND ACTION TO BE TAKEN                                                                                           [ UP ]

60. The critical areas of concern cut across the boundaries of equality, development and peace. They reflect the interdependence of these goals, which were set out for the United Nations Decade for Women. The strategic objectives derived from the critical areas of concern and action to be taken are also cross-cutting. The themes of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace require efforts to address both the practical and the strategic needs of women. Action may be taken by the international community, Governments, non-governmental organizations, other community organizations, the private sector and individuals.

General comments

61. The strategic objectives and action to be taken should be expressed in clear, direct and forceful language. Actions should be expressed by use of the infinitive. An effort should be made to develop a more evocative, concise format for the actions, including the use of devices such as bullet points and through logical organization of the text. The Platform for Action should provide a new approach to presenting United Nations consensus accessible to all.

62. There should be a clear correspondence between the strategic objectives and the critical areas of concern, both in terms of sequence in the text and aspects addressed. In order to match the order agreed for the critical areas of concern, the strategic objectives should follow the same order. It was noted that strategic objectives I, J and K were instrumental rather than substantive. Objective K should be integrated into all of the other objectives and not be shown separately.

63. The strategic objectives and actions should reflect throughout a life-cycle approach to women that can reflect concerns at different stages of life, from childhood and youth through ageing. They should be drafted with clear, achievable and measurable targets. Actions to affect the girl child should be found throughout. Institutions responsible for specific actions should be identified as well as the role of international cooperation, including multilateral and bilateral donors and the international community in general.

64. A concise introduction to chapter IV should be maintained, as in document E/CN.6/1994/10, which should highlight the interdependence of strategic objectives and actions, their relationship with the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, and the fact that the order of presentation reflects the concerns of women, but that all are of equal priority. The introduction should also pay tribute to the role of the women's movement in initiating and maintaining action. It should include some overall elements, such as gender planning, different methods of action, systematic monitoring and evaluation, using both quantitative and qualitative indicators, and an emphasis on women as key actors, with an appropriate emphasis on the role of men.

65. In preparing the section on strategic objectives and actions, use should be made of suggestions provided by Member States, by intergovernmental bodies, by organizations of the United Nations system and by non-governmental organizations, as well as the observations made during the thirty-eighth session. The actions should also take account of the results of regional conferences, as well as of the International Conference on Population and Development and the preparations for the World Summit for Social Development.

A. Enable women to overcome poverty

66. Actions that address women's economic self-reliance and access to quality education and to health services will also help to eliminate the factors that accentuate poverty. Given appropriate resources and structural support, women can themselves overcome poverty. However, poverty is different in degree and in solution in developed and developing countries, between urban and rural areas and for specific groups of women. Actions should be designed to take into account these differences. Women should be incorporated in the design and implementation of poverty alleviation policies and programmes. A target of a 50 per cent reduction in the population in extreme poverty by the year 2000 should be aimed at.

Develop gender-sensitive national and international economic policies

67. International financial institutions, Governments and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations should assess the poverty and gender implications of current macroeconomic policies, including structural adjustment programmes, especially those that have a direct impact on women in poverty. National and international financial institutions should study their effects on the poor and develop gender- sensitive policies, appraisal and approval procedures and monitoring, in particular programmes aiming at the achievement of a sustainable livelihood for poor rural and urban women in developing countries. Governments should prioritize efforts and take further concrete steps to quantify and value the contribution of women's unpaid work in agriculture, food production, reproduction and household labour and to reflect the value of these contributions in the gross national product and other economic statistics, defining the unpaid worker as a worker in the System of National Accounts.

Target policies and programmes to poor women                                       [ UP ]

68. Programmes to provide access to productive resources should be designed to provide poor women with economic opportunities. Governments should give increased priority to investments in education and training, including the eradication of illiteracy, as well as to investment in health services, including reproductive health and family planning, in areas where poor women live and work. Special efforts should be made to reach the girl child. Child and dependant care and other social support facilities should be made available through action by Governments and non-governmental organizations. Alternative women-friendly credit systems should be introduced, together with methods of control on household resources, food security and adequate housing; self-help organizations should be promoted and female- headed households assisted. Assistance should be provided, of both a specific and a multisectoral character, by the international community as well as by national sources.

Help rural women to overcome poverty

69. Rural women in particular should be provided equal access to productive resources through ensuring legal equality in access to land and other productive resources and through the development of programmes to provide credit and extension. Affirmative actions, specific programmes and the inclusion of poor rural women in the definition of policies for poverty alleviation should orient any action. These could include review of the effects on poor rural women of any policy; mutual actions between Governments and non-governmental organizations; provision of adequate human and financial resources; training, including in new fields; sensitization through the media about their situation and increase in United Nations assistance to rural women.

Address the needs of women migrant workers and displaced women

70. Migrant and displaced women are both extremely economically vulnerable groups with specific needs and mechanisms for solution. Therefore, actions on poverty should also include measures to improve their situation. In the receiving countries, measures should be taken to provide them with legal protection of their rights as workers.

B. Ensure women's access to quality education and

training for self-reliance at all levels and in all fields and sectors

71. A substantial quantitative and qualitative improvement in the education of girls and women needs to be made to achieve equality as one of the major priorities arising from the Conference, and resources need to be committed for this purpose. The international community should, in partnership, forcefully address the gender disparities and develop gender-sensitive education and training. Relevant non-governmental organizations, organizations of the United Nations system and other national, regional and interregional bodies should assist Governments in the establishment and implementation of a broad approach to the education of girls and women in the context of overall development strategies in full recognition of the benefits to society of investment in women's education.

Achieve education for all

72. Top priority should be given to removing gender disparities from national policies and programmes for universal primary, secondary and higher education and adult literacy. The existing gap in education between developing and developed countries has to be removed. The necessary expenditure should be allocated and affirmative actions defined to achieve equality in enrolment and educational achievements and prevent drop-outs of girls from formal schooling. Incentives should be given to families to minimize the opportunity cost of girls' education on families through such means as free textbooks, scholarships for girls, flexible school schedules, and child-care systems for young siblings. Action to promote mutual sharing of girls' workload in the household and to delay marriage and avoid early pregnancy would also prevent drop-outs of girls. This would create a learning environment which could retain girls in schooling when equality in enrolment is not achieved. In accordance with the Jomtien Declaration on Education for All, the gender gap in basic and functional literacy should be eliminated by the year 2000 and the disparities in literacy between developed and developing countries narrowed. Literacy programmes based on the social context and basic needs of the learners should be provided.

Prepare women for the twenty-first century

73. Measures should be taken to encourage women and girls to enter new fields of studies which offer different job opportunities and career perspectives. Human resource development should draw on the untapped talents and potentials of women. Vocational guidance and counselling services in secondary, vocational and higher-level education should be strengthened, including innovative strategies such as use of role models, in order to encourage girls and women to enter and remain in new fields, notably scientific and technical education, and to be retained in them. Flexible educational provisions must be established in order to reach remote areas or special groups. Life-long training should be promoted to allow women to re-enter the labour market after interruptions for caring responsibilities. Action should be taken to increase women's participation at decision-making levels in education.

Make education gender-sensitive                                                    [ UP ]

74. Action should focus on the elimination of social stereotypes from curricula, textbooks and teacher training and on materials that present the positive role and contribution of women in order to enhance the empowerment and self-reliance of girls and women and ensure a gender-sensitive educational environment. This would also promote women's role in public life and eliminate violence against women. At the community level, parents' organizations and non-governmental organizations should play an active supporting role. Research by and on women must be encouraged and supported, in the areas of both human and natural sciences. Components on legal literacy and information on human rights should be incorporated in the curricula, as well as on reproductive health and rights and sustainable development.

C. Increase women's full access throughout the life cycle to appropriate, affordable and quality health care and related services

75. Adequate financing must be provided to ensure availability of primary health services to all that respond to women's specific health needs in all stages of the life cycle. There is a joint responsibility of women and men for the next generation. The targets set for health for all in the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade should be achieved.

Deliver affordable and accessible health care for all

76. A comprehensive, integrated model of health services for women should be applied, adequately funded and available to all at affordable cost. It should emphasize health promotion and disease prevention, including prevention of disabilities, utilization of traditional medicine and establishment of care systems for the elderly. There should be support for gender- sensitive research and training for health workers and greater participation and effective representation of women, especially female health-care workers, in planning and programme delivery, including training of women doctors and health technicians. Service delivery should emphasize quality-related aspects. Traditional health knowledge should be used and respected. International financial institutions should take steps to assist Governments to deliver these health services by instituting policies favourable to public investment in health. Efforts should be made to combat HIV/AIDS through a recognition of gender factors and its specific and growing impact on women.

Promote reproductive health and rights

77. The target of reducing infant and maternal mortality by one half, especially reducing the gap between developed and developing countries, should be met. Reproductive health and family-planning programmes, including education and awareness- raising about reproductive rights as human rights and about harmful practices, should be adequately funded and staffed, designed to help individuals and couples to meet their needs and accessible to all, aiming also at reducing early pregnancies and their effects on women. Programmes should target men as fathers and as persons responsible for their sexual behaviour. There should be training in health and family-planning programmes, with participation of midwives and community-trained female health workers.

Foster research on women's health

78. Research on prevention, treatment, and health-care systems for diseases and conditions that affect women and girls differently, including drugs and medical technology, should be encouraged and supported. Specific needs related to old age should systematically be incorporated in research, training and service delivery, since women tend to be a majority in that age group and the burden of caring for that age group also rests with women.

D. Eliminate violence against women

79. Strategic action should address all of the manifestations of violence set out in the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, which are physical and psychological, including sexual violence occurring in the family, in the workplace or within the general community. Violence against women should be recognized as a violation of women's human rights. Various actions should be taken by Governments, non- governmental organizations and the international community in their respective areas of authority and competence. Governments should cooperate with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and support her in the fulfilment of her mandate.

Address the root causes of violence against women                            [ UP ]

80. Gender-based violence is inextricably linked to male power, privilege and control. It is important to continue to study and widely publicize the root causes and mechanisms of the different forms of violence, including their relation to the balance of power between men and women in general as well as between individual men and women. Emphasis should be given to understanding the basis of sexual abuse, violence against the girl child, and against women migrant workers, sexual harassment and trafficking in women, in the context of social, economic and political conditions, including violence committed against women by extremists, including religious extremists. The study should examine the roots of violence in the social-cultural environment, and the impact of the mass media, including commercial advertisements, on violence against women. Studies should also address the cycle of violence and how violence is repeated through generations. Violence against women should be shown as an issue of gender inequality and human rights requiring improvement of the status of women and their empowerment. Governments should further combat the root causes of violence by adopting measures, including developing and conducting community education campaigns to promote non-violent attitudes and the unacceptability of violence against women, analysing and reviewing existing legislation relevant to violence against women, and where such legislation does not exist, introducing such legislation in consultation with non-governmental organizations and relevant government mechanisms. Non- governmental organizations should continue campaigns to eliminate violence against women.

Take integrated measures to eradicate violence against women

81. Violence against women is a crime and should be punished as such. Action to eradicate violence against women should be comprehensive and address both the causes and the consequences and use both legal and social measures along the lines set out in the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. Governments should develop legislation at the national level in accordance with the Declaration. Emphasis should be placed on preventing violence, as well as on protecting women subject to violence, prosecuting offenders and rehabilitating victims and perpetrators. Legal literacy programmes and information campaigns on existing laws for the protection of women targets of violence need to be carried out to make women and men aware of women's human rights. The education system should include curricular material showing the links between gender inequality and violence against women and that violence against women is not legitimate but rather criminal behaviour. The mass media should be enlisted to carry this message. Education and orientation should be targeted to men and should emphasize the importance of mutual respect between men and women. Security measures such as provision of shelters are to be provided to women subject to violence, as well as relief through medical and psychological counselling services. The judiciary and the police forces should be trained to ensure fair treatment of women targets of violence.

Governments should sponsor programmes to enhance sensitivity among legal and health professionals, including counsellors, to understand the nature and dynamics of violence against women so as to ensure that women receive fair treatment and their safety is prioritized. Increased recruitment of women into the police forces and redressing the underrepresentation of women within the judiciary should be sought. Legal and social assistance should be provided to women subject to violence and their access to justice facilitated. New approaches to sanctioning offenders, including therapeutic intervention, should be developed. Governments should consider the setting-up of high-level independent, statutory bodies to oversee the working of safeguards for women, including the state enforcement machinery.

Adopt special measures to eliminate trafficking in women and to assist women targets of violence in specific situations

82. Special measures should be taken to eradicate violence against women, particularly in vulnerable situations such as women with disabilities and women migrant workers. Both sending and receiving countries of migrants should enforce existing legislation for women migrant workers. Specific action should be taken to protect women and girls who are subject to sex trafficking and forced prostitution and to prevent further abuse, including the dismantling of international networks in trafficking. Special measures for medical and psychological care of those women should be designed. Coordination of action between Governments and non-governmental organizations should be achieved.

E. Increase the participation of women in conflict resolution and protect women in armed and other kinds of conflict and under foreign occupation

83. The participation of women in conflict resolution is their right and their experience is valuable. Actions to increase the participation of women in conflict resolution are linked closely with those proposed under the strategic objective to promote full participation of women in power structures and the objective to eliminate violence against women. Violence directed against women in international armed and other kinds of conflict is a war crime and a violation of international human rights law. Action should include redirecting possible savings from defense budgets to development, including through the promotion of disarmament programmes.

Bring more women into the peace process                                               [ UP ]

84. More women at all levels should become involved in peace and conflict resolution. Countries and the United Nations should aim at a target of gender parity in peace negotiation and conflict resolution and take steps to provide women and men with training in this area. Measures should be taken to bring women into peace-keeping, in both civilian and military roles. Measures should be taken to reinforce women's roles as peace educators, both in the family and in society.

Support women affected by armed conflict and foreign occupation

85. Grave violations of the human rights of women in specific armed conflict, including acts of terrorism and foreign occupation, especially in the form of genocide and "ethnic cleansing", which include in particular murder, systematic rape, sexual slavery and forced pregnancy, creating a mass exodus of refugees and displaced persons, should be considered violations of the fundamental principles of international human rights and humanitarian law and swiftly condemned and punished. Countries and all parties to armed conflicts should strictly observe international humanitarian law, as set forth in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and other principles of international law, as well as the minimum standards for the protection of human rights as laid down in international conventions. Efforts should be made to identify these situations rapidly, publicize them and immediately arrange impartial investigations leading to the prosecution of perpetrators. The Special Rapporteur and other human rights mechanisms should be used for this purpose. Awareness campaigns regarding violence against women in armed conflict and under foreign occupation should be launched and assistance provided to the victims of these violations. International measures to address armed conflict and foreign occupation, such as economic sanctions, should be designed to limit their impact on women and children. During rehabilitation and reconstruction following conflicts, the role of women should be recognized and planning should include a gender dimension. Programmes to assist women who have become disabled or must care for disabled persons should be developed.

Guarantee assistance to refugee and displaced women

86. Special attention should be given to refugee and displaced women in accordance with the guidelines and conclusions established by the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Governments should ensure equal rights and access of women and men to refugee determination procedures and the grant of asylum. Governments should consider gender factors in recognizing as refugees women whose claim to refugee status is based on a well-founded fear of persecution, through violence, for reasons enumerated in the 1951 Geneva Convention and the related 1967 Protocol. Special training should be given to law enforcement officers and members of military forces to prevent violence against refugee and displaced women and to promote respect of their rights.

F. Promote women's economic self-reliance, including                          [ UP ]

access to employment, appropriate working conditions and control over economic resources - land, capital and technology

87. Actions should be taken to provide women with the same access to employment, appropriate working conditions and control over economic resources as men. These actions should be seen in terms of other strategic objectives, including eliminating factors that accentuate poverty and strengthening factors that promote the full participation of women. They should involve a combination of actions by Governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, supported by the international community. A gender approach should be followed in the definition, implementation and monitoring of policies at the national, regional and international levels, and in the design, implementation and monitoring of international cooperation.

Secure economic rights for women

88. Governments and private sector institutions should eliminate all laws and regulations that discriminate against women in economic activities, especially those that discriminate against rural women, women in the informal sector and self-employed, in their access to economic resources. Measures should also be taken to guarantee protection against discrimination and provide the right of petition for discrimination, including implementation of ILO Convention No. 156 on workers with family responsibilities, and special efforts made to protect the rights of women migrant workers. Non-governmental organizations and national machinery for the advancement of women should cooperate to facilitate public education and awareness, monitor progress and initiate legislative provisions for enforcement of women's rights.

Take positive action to give women access to resources, employment and appropriate working conditions, market and trade

89. Positive actions should be taken to overcome barriers to access to economic resources, such as targeting women in employment programmes, providing guarantee loans for women entrepreneurs, especially in rural areas, introducing programmes and training courses in non-traditional areas of work, revaluing women's traditional work and work in the informal sector by improving training in these sectors and recognizing them in national accounts and national social security schemes. Access to technology, markets and trade should be promoted. International financial institutions should include these positive actions in their programmes and projects and monitor them. The goal of equal pay for work of equal value should be actively promoted with a view to achieving it by the year 2000 through such measures as job evaluation and the establishment of equal pay legislation covering both the formal and the informal sectors. Redress mechanisms should be set up for women who have experienced discrimination and monitoring instruments established.

Create a flexible work environment

90. Actions by Governments, non-governmental organizations, business, professional and trade associations and the private sector should lead to the creation of a work environment that facilitates women's participation in economic activities. This should include providing opportunities for both women and men to reconcile family and economic responsibilities through flexible administrative regulations, parental leave, providing for part- time work with benefits and flexible hours, individual taxation, and provision of social support services such as child and dependant care and occupational health care. Special measures should be taken to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace.

G. Strengthen factors that promote the full and equal participation of women in power structures and decision-making at all levels and in all areas

91. Actions should address the lack of full and equal participation at all levels and in all sectors. This should include sharing of decision-making at the level of the family, in the community and at higher levels of decision-making. Separate actions should be developed respectively to promote participation in public decision-making and in the private sector. The actions should lead to significant progress in achieving the target of parity.

Ensure the training of women to become decision makers                      [ UP ]

92. Priority actions in education and training related to participation of women in decision-making should be developed by Governments and non-governmental organizations. These should include the revision of school curricula and teaching materials to reflect equality, women's rights, the contribution made by women to decision-making, promote the norm of sharing of decision-making in the family and provide a basis of knowledge about power structures and decision-making, including revision of textbooks as appropriate. Actions should also include traditional and non-traditional training programmes targeted towards women that are designed to equip them for participation in management and decision-making in the public and private sectors. At the community level, action should include leadership training; in Government and public and private enterprises, it should include training programmes throughout their careers in management and professional development; in legislatures and other public decision-making bodies, it should include orientation about the political and legislative processes. This responsibility should be undertaken with the cooperation of the United Nations system and other governmental, regional and international organizations.

Provide equal access, participation and opportunity in careers in all sectors

93. Legislative and administrative action should be taken to ensure the equal opportunity of women to enter public service, the private sector, political parties, professional associations, trade unions and other non-governmental organizations, and to be assured of equal treatment in career development. Efforts should be made by Governments and non-governmental organizations to promote networking among women in these organizations.

Take positive measures to bring women into decision-making rapidly

94. Temporary positive measures should be developed to overcome the present effects of past discrimination that have led to a low number of women in public decision-making positions. The actions that can be taken will depend on the political traditions of each country, but should include efforts on a voluntary or mandatory basis to appoint women and men on a parity basis to advisory boards, setting targets for including women in lists of candidates for public office by political parties and setting targets for the appointment of women to the public service at decision-making levels. The organizations of the United Nations system should set an example by achieving gender balance by the year 2000.

Create an enabling environment for equal participation

95. Actions should be taken to provide an enabling environment for women to participate in decision-making. These should include providing appropriate social support facilities such as day care, making career patterns flexible, and revising administrative rules and customary practices for decision-making to adapt them to the needs of both male and female decision makers and managers to reconcile family and public responsibilities.

Use information to facilitate support for women in decision- making

96. Dissemination of information about participation of women in decision-making as well as about women's views is an important means for monitoring progress and mobilizing for change. Data from the public and private sectors should be collected, analysed and disseminated at both the national and the international levels on the number and proportion of women in decision-making bodies, on the nature of obstacles faced and on the qualitative nature and effects of their participation. Governments should report, in detail, especially through the media, on participation, and national researchers should be supported by Governments and non-governmental organizations. The United Nations should continue to collect and disseminate statistics on women in decision-making and promote analysis of the differences made in public and private decision-making, both in terms of the types of decisions made and in the nature of decision-making itself, when the proportion of women increases.

H. Integrate gender-equality dimensions into policy and programme planning and implementation at all levels and in all areas

97. Actions should encourage mainstreaming of gender-equality issues at all levels and in all areas of policy and programme planning by establishing appropriate, adequately resourced and strategically placed information-gathering, dissemination and monitoring mechanisms. Actions should be taken by Governments, non-governmental organizations and the United Nations system, on the basis of mutual support.

Generate and disseminate gender-disaggregated data and information for planning and evaluation

98. Governments and the United Nations system should increase the collection of statistics and indicators disaggregated by sex and develop new quantitative and qualitative indicators that can show the gender dimension of policies and programmes. Measures should be taken to strengthen and increase the analysis of this information in the context of policy development, monitoring and evaluation and adequate support should be given to research institutions developing analysis, especially on emerging and priority issues having a gender dimension. The resulting information should be widely disseminated at both the national and the international levels. International cooperation should be intensified in this area.

Strengthen national machinery for the advancement of women for the implementation of the Platform for Action

99. Actions should be taken to define a clear mandate for national machinery, place them at the highest political level of Government, provide adequate staff and resources, upgrade the positions, provide financial autonomy and direct international linkages with other national machinery and with the United Nations system in order to be independent, promote a global gender equality policy, monitor other governmental institutions, and integrate their concerns at all levels and in all areas. Measures should be taken to facilitate the active participation of and coordination with non-governmental organizations and related agencies and institutions doing research on women. Actions are also required to ensure close integration of women in advisory consultative bodies with national machinery.

Train in gender analysis                                                                      [ UP ]

100. Governments should develop tools for gender analysis and require government officials to apply these tools in developing policies and programmes; all key personnel should be trained in gender analysis as a tool for planning, implementation and monitoring programmes and projects. The United Nations should assist countries by developing models for gender analysis for national policies and programmes; the employment of women in policy development and programme implementation institutions, especially for sustainable development, should be promoted.

I. Apply and enforce international norms and standards to promote and safeguard the full and equal enjoyment by women of all human rights

101. Women should be able to enjoy their rights on a full and equal basis and actions should be taken that will enable women to exercise their rights. The actions should cover all international human rights instruments and their monitoring mechanisms. They should ensure that national norms reflect international norms and that both are applied and enforced through mechanisms that are open, accessible and effective.

Make international instruments effective

102. All human rights treaty bodies should include the status of women and the human rights of women in their deliberations and findings and make use of gender-specific data. States should supply information on the situation of women de jure and de facto in their reports to treaty-monitoring bodies and also work with all special rapporteurs and working groups on human rights in this respect. The High Commissioner for Human Rights should monitor coordination and cooperation among all human rights mechanisms on identification of violations of and enjoyment by women of their human rights. Improved cooperation should be developed between the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Human Rights. Governments that have not yet done so should accede to human rights conventions, including especially the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, so that universal ratification is achieved by the year 2000. Non-governmental organizations should work vigorously to change this through advocacy and awareness- raising campaigns. States parties to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women are urged to withdraw reservations that are contrary to the object and purpose of the Convention or that are otherwise incompatible with international treaty law. Sufficient resources should be provided in the regular budget of the United Nations to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to enable it to fulfil its mandate.

Implement international norms in national practice

103. Governments are encouraged to take steps to give effect in national laws, administrative regulations and public policies to the provisions of international conventions, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and other international instruments such as the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and United Nations principles for elderly persons. Action should be taken to enact laws that establish women's rights to autonomy, particularly in the area of family law and property rights. National machinery for the advancement of women and national human rights institutions should monitor the process and provide input to it. Non-governmental organizations should support this process. Special measures should be taken to safeguard, promote and protect the full enjoyment of all human rights and freedoms by non-citizen women (i.e., women migrant workers, other migrant women, refugee and displaced women, temporary workers), women with disabilities, women in situations of internal and international armed conflict, and indigenous women. Special measures should be taken to improve the equal enjoyment by rural women of their human rights.

Achieve legal literacy                                                                      [ UP ]

104. Governments and non-governmental organizations should take steps to improve awareness about the human rights of women and to create an environment in which women can exercise those rights. These steps should include campaigns to inform women about their rights under international instruments and national laws and to provide training in the functioning of the legal system. Human rights education with a gender perspective should be included in the curriculum. Measures should be taken to make public administration in general, at both the national and the local level, aware of women's human rights and to improve women's access to justice through providing legal assistance, streamlining procedures and orienting judicial personnel, police and other public officials, especially at the community level, about women's human rights.

J. Enhance the role of traditional and modern communications media to promote awareness of equality between women and men effectively

105. Actions to encourage the communications media to promote awareness depend on the approach taken in each country. The media should be accountable for presenting a positive image of women. In some countries, actions would emphasize encouragement by non-governmental organizations of the media to promote equality. In other countries where communications media are public, action would emphasize the use of guidelines. When the media are controlled by the Government, Governments should encourage the media to provide a positive portrayal of women. National actions should be accompanied by support of the United Nations system to study the impact of communications on the promotion of equality.

Guarantee the access of women to information and participation in the media

106. Governments should take steps to guarantee the rights of all people to communicate, disseminate and exchange information and to ensure the access by women to information and to the media on an equal basis. Governments should support non-governmental organizations developing information material based on national experience. Measures should be taken to guarantee more balanced participation of women in government-owned media at the decision- making level.

Eliminate gender stereotyping in the media

107. Governments and non-governmental organizations should encourage a more positive presentation of women in the mass media, through studies, awareness campaigns, promoting the development of codes of conduct and other forms of self- regulation by media institutions, including advertising associations and others. National machineries should promote measures towards a more positive image of women. Encouragement should be given to target messages about gender equality. The diverse and changing social and economic roles of women in society should be accurately portrayed in terms of society at large and for young people.

K. Promote action to develop the mutual responsibility of women and men to achieve equality

108. Actions to develop mutual responsibility should be found throughout the strategic objectives, but there should be special measures to encourage the specific strategic objective by targeting men and women and encouraging partnership on an equal basis. Actions can be taken by Governments through public programmes, including education, by non-governmental organizations through campaigns, advocacy and training, and by international institutions through research, information dissemination and gender-sensitive programmes. They should inspire a new generation of women and men working together for equality.

Encourage sharing of family and other responsibilities

109. Actions should include measures to support couples and parents in reconciling their family and unpaid work responsibilities. These can include measures to provide for recognition of mutual and equal responsibility in law, promotion of flexible working environments, and promotion of technologies which facilitate the sharing and reduce the burden of domestic chores. They should promote a climate of opinion conducive to addressing the needs of workers with family responsibilities, including changing attitudes and practices of employers, Governments and trade unions to support workers with family responsibilities, including those from different cultural and socio-economic groups. Affirmative action policies should be promoted that assist in counteracting negative aspects of the impact of women's family responsibilities on their roles in the public sphere. They should promote the benefits for men of improved relationships and greater satisfaction through increased responsibility for family matters.

Improve communication between women and men

110. Governments should introduce family-life education and education for self-reliance at all levels. Non-governmental organizations should develop campaigns to raise awareness about mutual responsibility and improved sensitivity to gender-equality issues, especially among young people.

V. FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS                                                                      [ UP ]

111. Based on an analysis of the probable content of section IV, financial arrangements should address the strategic objectives contained in the Platform for Action. The Conference should lead to a clear commitment by Governments and the international community to allocate funds required to undertake the activities to achieve the objectives set out in the Platform.

Resources should be creatively sought from many sources, but should include a concerted effort to reallocate existing resources worldwide at all levels through setting priorities and identifying the gender dimension of existing programmes. They should emphasize the high rate of return, especially over the medium and long term, from investing in women, and their multiplier effect on other programmes. Actions are required for new additional resources to be mobilized to implement the Platform for Action in a cost-effective manner.

112. At the national level, this should include applying gender-sensitive planning and evaluation to all public spending, including identifying the amounts directed to benefit women and their impact. Existing programmes directed to women should be maintained and made more effective, by giving highest priority to those programmes that show a high rate of return from programmes targeted to women's concerns. A greatly increased commitment to implement the Platform for Action should be promoted through intensive and imaginative campaigns by Governments and by non-governmental organizations. Governments should make concrete commitments to implement priority areas of the Platform for Action by the year 2000 with appropriate mechanisms designed to monitor compliance. National machinery should be given a critical role in influencing macroeconomic policies, through consultation in their formulation, financing, implementation and monitoring. Given the large growth of non-governmental organizations concerned with women's equality, there should be institutionalized systems of financial support to, and networking by, Governments and the United Nations system.

113. At the international, regional and subregional levels, the emphasis should be on evaluating and coordinating the programmes undertaken by organizations of the United Nations system in order to improve their contribution to the implementation of the Platform for Action and to indicate their gender impact. There should be a diagnosis of the existing situation with regard to resource allocation to women's activities by the United Nations system as a basis for proposing new approaches to resource allocations in United Nations system programmes. International financial institutions should address the negative effects of structural adjustment on women, particularly as a result of reduction of social spending, as well as the benefits from targeting programmes to women. In addition to mobilizing existing mainstream programmes to take a gender approach, new initiatives might be considered.

VI. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING OF THE PLATFORM FOR ACTION                                                                               [ UP ]

114. Existing institutions should be strengthened and new arrangements established, where needed, at the national, regional and international levels, with mandates to monitor the implementation of the Platform for Action. They should provide inputs into policy and planning as well. Steps should be taken to promote cooperation and coordination among non-governmental organizations and national machineries for the advancement of women.

115. National machineries are in place in most countries, but there remains a need to analyse their impact, to strengthen their mandate, to increase their resources and capacities, and to upgrade their position in the national political structure. They should play the key role in monitoring the implementation of the Platform for Action at the national level and have an impact on policy-making. Links between the national machineries and national planning and policy-making structures should be reinforced and special mechanisms for mainstreaming established, to ensure incorporation of a gender perspective in all planning and budgeting exercises. Cooperation between national machineries and non-governmental organizations should be increased as well as among national machineries in different countries.

116. At the regional level, establishment or strengthening of existing structures in the regional commissions is necessary to permit the monitoring and assist in the implementation of regional plans of action, as well as of regional dimensions of the Platform for Action. Restructuring and revitalization of coordinating and cooperating bodies at the regional level should be considered.

117. At the international level, the role and mandate of the Commission on the Status of Women should be reviewed and updated to strengthen its capacity to develop policies and monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Platform for Action both at the national level and within the United Nations system. The procedures by which Governments, non-governmental organizations and organizations of the United Nations system will report on progress should be defined. The network of focal points in the United Nations system should be strengthened, as well as the offices of the focal points in the various organizations. At the centre of the network, the Division for the Advancement of Women should be strengthened through provision of additional human and financial resources to undertake the new tasks as well as to support the full implementation of existing mandates. Efforts should be made to establish effective links with national machinery, research institutions and non-governmental organizations. The mainstreaming mechanisms in the United Nations system should also be strengthened in the context of the Platform for Action. United Nations inter-agency coordination for the advancement of women should be regularized and strengthened. The Secretary-General should report annually to the General Assembly on progress made in following up the results of the Beijing Conference and, in particular, the implementation of the Platform for Action.

Decision 38/1. Sustainable development and the environmental crisis

The Commission on the Status of Women decides to defer consideration of the draft resolution entitled "Sustainable development and the environmental crisis", 40/ as orally revised, 41/ to its thirty-ninth session.                                [ UP ]

40/ E/CN.6/1994/L.17.

41/ See chap. V.

Decision 38/2. Accreditation of non-governmental organizations in accordance with General Assembly resolution 48/108                     [ UP ]

At its 1st meeting, on 7 March, the Commission on the Status of Women approved the following list of non-governmental organizations recommended for accreditation to the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace and its preparatory body:

Academy for Educational Development Action Committee for Children and Women's Rights in Mali African-American Institute, The African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) Akina Mana Wa Afrika Alan Guttmacher Institute All-China Women's Federation Alliance of Arab Women Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress Asian Women Human Rights Council (AWHRC) Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) Association for Progressive Communications (APC) Association for Women in Development Association Rwandaise des Femmes pour l'Environnement et le Developpement Association Tunnisienne des Femmes Democrates (ATFD) Australian Council for Overseas Aid Australian Council for Women Behbud Association of Pakistan B'nai B'rith Women Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA) Cemina-Centro de Projetos da Mulher-Women's Projects Center Center for Asia/Pacific Women in Politics Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, The Center for Women's Global Leadership Center for Women's Research (CENWOR) Centro de Estudios Sociales y Publicaciones (CESIP) Church Women United Cladem - The Latin American Committee for the Defense of Women's Rights Coalition of Australian Participating Organizations of Women (CAPOW) Coordination in Development, Inc. (CODEL) Council on Peace Research in History Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) Development Dialogue Equality Now European Women's Lobby (EWL) Family Planning Association of India Family Planning Australia Inc. Family Therapy Practice Center Fase-Federacao de Orgaos para Assitencia Social e Educacional Feminist Majority Foundation, The Feminist Press Ford Foundation, The General Federation of Jordanian Women Global Alliance for Women's Health Global Fund for Women, The Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood (GROOTS) Hong Kong Federation of Women Hong Kong Women Christian Council Identity, Merge and Action (AIM) Initiatives: Women in Development Institute for Religious Studies Interaction: American Council for Voluntary International Action International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) & International Women Judges Foundation (IWJF) International Center for Research on Women International Pen Women Writers' Committee International Women's Development Agency International Women's Health Coalition International Women's Year Liaison Group (IWYIC) Isis International Israel Women's Network Jagori (A Women's Communication Documentation and Training Center) Japan Civil Liberties Union (JCLU) Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) Korea Institute for Women and Politics Lao Women's Union Legal Research and Resource Development Center Mader, Inc. MOA Foundation Mothers and Others for a Livable Planet Na'amat USA, the Women's Labour Zionist Organization of America, Inc. National Alliance of Women's Organizations National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Inc. National Organization for Women National Women's Conference Center National Women's Movement of Suriname Netherlands Organization for International Development Cooperation (NOVIB) Network Women in Development Europe (WIDE) New Japan Women's Association Older Women's Network (Europe) Opportunities Industrialization Centers International, Inc. (O.I.C.I.) Partners of the Americas Peace Action Pilipine-Kilusan Ng Kababaihang Pilipino (Movement of Filipino Women) Philippine-American Foundation Population Communication Pro Women (Programs for Women) Sociologists for Women in Society Unitarian Universalist Association United States Committee for UNIFEM Vivid Communication with Women in Their Cultures Voice of Women Women and Law in Southern Africa Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF) Women's Action Network for Development (WAND) Women's Alliance for Democracy Women's Association of Macau, The Women's Federation of Tibet Autonomous Region of China Women's Research and Documentation Project Women's Research and Education Fund, Inc. of the National Association of Commissions for Women (WREF of NACW) Women's World Banking Women's World Summit Foundation (WWSF) Worldwide Network

Chapter II                                                                                             [ UP ]

PROGRAMMING AND COORDINATION MATTERS RELATED TO THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM

1. The Commission considered item 3 of its agenda jointly with agenda item 4 (Monitoring the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women) at its 7th, 8th, 14th and 15th meetings on 10, 11, 15 and 17 March 1994.

It had before it the report of the Secretary-General on the improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat (E/CN.6/1994/5).

2. In introducing the item, 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. As a result of the grade-by-grade promotion exercise of 1992, the percentage of women in the posts subject to geographical distribution in the Secretariat had increased during the period June 1993 to December 1993 from 31.3 to 32.0 per cent. She stated that the slow progress towards the equality of women was a reflection of the situation of women in the world and that the existing structures needed to be transformed to allow a better gender balance. She further stated that the Department of Administration and Management and the Office of Human Resources Management, under the strong guidance and direction of the Secretary-General, were obliged to achieve that transformation through an evolutionary process, and by integrating the goals of equality for women into the regular management and personnel procedures of the Secretariat. She also stated that the commitment of Member States, backed by resources and mandates, would be needed to implement those goals.

Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat

3. Some representatives welcomed the improvement of the participation of women in the Secretariat, but noted that the current rate of increase was insufficient to achieve the targets set by the General Assembly, at 35 per cent of overall participation and 25 per cent at the senior policy- and decision- making level. Greater efforts were required to achieve those targets.

4. Several representatives stated that the participation of women at the decision-making level throughout the United Nations system would accelerate the advancement of women, as it would ensure the incorporation of women's perspectives and concerns in the development of mainstream policies and programmes. A few representatives indicated that Member States could play a crucial role in that respect by increasing the number and participation of women through the submission of qualified female candidates for high-level posts.

5. Several representatives welcomed the development by the Secretary-General of a plan of action for the biennium 1993-1994 to improve the status of women in the Secretariat by 1995, and urged his strong and visible commitment to its implementation.

6. A few representatives expressed the need for full implementation of the measures designed to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. One representative, on behalf of a group of countries, stated that it was time to review the effectiveness of the administrative instruction issued in 1992 on the procedures for dealing with sexual harassment to ensure that all aspects of the issue were addressed.

Coordination matters

7. In her statement to the Commission, the Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) affirmed the policy of UNIFEM to strengthen its organization and to use all the tools at its disposal to work together with other parts of the United Nations system for common goals. Meanwhile, UNIFEM should retain its identity and distinct role as it works towards equity and conflict resolution, which are essential to sustainable development.

ACTION TAKEN BY THE COMMISSION

Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat

8. At the 14th meeting, on 16 March 1994, the representative of Australia, on behalf of Algeria, Angola, 42/ Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, 42/ Brazil, 42/ Bulgaria, Canada, 42/ Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, 42/ Finland, Germany, 42/ Guinea-Bissau, Israel, 42/ Italy, Japan, Mongolia, 42/ the Netherlands, New Zealand, 42/ Norway, 42/ the Philippines, Portugal, 42/ the Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, 42/ Spain, Sweden, 42/ Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, 42/ the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 42/ the United States of America and Zambia introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.8) entitled "Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat". Subsequently, C“te d'Ivoire, Kenya and Nigeria 42/ joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.

9. At the 15th meeting, on 17 March, the Commission adopted the draft resolution (see chap. I, sect. A, draft resolution I).

42/ In accordance with rule 69 of the rules of procedure of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council.

Chapter III                                                                                           [ UP ]

MONITORING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NAIROBI FORWARD-LOOKING STRATEGIES FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN

1. The Commission considered item 4 of its agenda jointly with agenda item 3 (Programming and coordination matters related to the United Nations and the United Nations system) at its 7th, 8th and 14th to 17th meetings on 10, 11 and 16 to 18 March 1994. It had before it the following documents:

(a) Note by the Secretary-General on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women (E/CN.6/1994/6);

(b) Report of the Secretary-General on women and children under apartheid (E/CN.6/1994/7);

(c) Report of the Secretary-General on measures to publicize the communications mechanism of the Commission on the Status of Women (E/CN.6/1994/8);

(d) Report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the World Conference on Human Rights (E/CN.6/1994/11);

(e) Note by the Secretary-General transmitting a list of confidential and non-confidential communications concerning the status of women (S.W. Communications List No. 28 and E/CN.6/1994/CR.30).

2. In addition, the Commission had before it, for information, the following documents:

(a) Report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on its twelfth session (A/48/38);

(b) Report of the Secretary-General on the status of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (A/48/354);

(c) Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women to the Year 2000 (A/48/413);

(d) Note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report on the situation of human rights in the territory of the former Yugoslavia prepared by the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights (A/48/92-S/25341);

(e) Results of the thirteenth session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (E/CN.6/1994/CRP.1).

3. In introducing the item, the Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women noted that the documentation on the follow-up to the World Conference on Human Rights described the steps taken and suggested to ensure closer cooperation between the Division for the Advancement of Women and the Centre for Human Rights in order to address on a regular basis violations of the human rights of women. She also presented the results of the thirteenth session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, including its suggestion No. 5 relating to an optional protocol to the Convention meant to provide for a complaints procedure, as well as the request of the Committee to extend the time allocated to the Committee. On communications, she stressed the need for more extensive use by the Commission of the non-confidential list in order to identify policy trends. She noted that, in the light of rapidly changing political developments, the reports on women and children under apartheid and on Palestinian women were tentative. Finally, she made an oral report on the implementation of resolution 36/4 of the Commission on the Status of Women concerning the integration of elderly women into development.

Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women

4. While regretting the shortcomings of the note prepared by the Division for the Advancement of Women on the subject (E/CN.6/1994/6), a few representatives referred to the difficult living conditions of Palestinian women and children in the occupied territories still under military occupation. One representative urged the international community not to allow such living conditions to continue, whereas another representative expressed concern about the difficult new phase that Palestinian women and children might enter if the issue of continuous occupation was not properly addressed.

5. One representative of a specialized agency reported on its activities, including a multidisciplinary mission to the occupied Palestinian territories, entitled "Capacity-building for social development: a programme of action for transition in the occupied Palestinian territories", and a forthcoming workshop in the occupied Palestinian territories on the question of employment and equality of women in the process of transition towards autonomy.

Women and children under apartheid

6. While commending the positive decision of the African National Congress to have one third of women on the list of candidates for the forthcoming election, one representative expressed dissatisfaction with the slow progress towards the effective elimination of violence against women.

7. One representative of a specialized agency addressed the effects of the migrant labour system on women. They included the high proportion of women-headed households in both rural and urban areas. She further noted the sharp increase in unemployment of young black South African women and the severe discrimination against them, which should be addressed through practical measures.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

8. Many representatives noted the important role of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and called for universal adherence to the Convention. They further requested the removal of those reservations that were incompatible with the objective and purpose of the Convention and for a precise and narrow formulation of the others. Concern was expressed that those reservations that were contrary to the objective and purpose of the Convention gave grounds to question the entry into force of the Convention by those countries whose commitment to the human rights of women was limited.

9. A few representatives indicated that, although national reports to the Committee could be effective tools for making national administrations, the judiciary, the legal profession and human rights non-governmental organizations more gender-sensitive in their work, their preparation had not always been used as an opportunity for improving the situation of women in the reporting country. Concern was expressed that 38 States parties had not yet submitted their initial reports and they were urged to submit those reports and, if needed, to request advisory services for assistance in their preparation.

10. Concern was also expressed with regard to the backlog of reports pending consideration by the Committee since that led to an unacceptable delay in considering them. Some representatives noted that the time allocated for the annual meetings of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women was far shorter than that of other human rights treaty bodies. It was suggested that the Convention be amended, on an exceptional basis and with reference only to the working time of the Committee set out in article 20 of the Convention, to provide the Committee with the same flexibility as other human rights treaty bodies. One representative supported the recommendation adopted by the Committee at its thirteenth session to authorize, on an exceptional basis, two meetings of three weeks' duration annually, each preceded by a pre-session working group.

11. Many representatives stressed that, without prejudice to the discussion on the feasibility of an optional protocol, the matter should be considered within the wider context of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of all human rights mechanisms and serving the interest of women of the world and for the purpose of avoiding duplication of work. One representative supported the idea of convening an expert group meeting to prepare a draft optional protocol in accordance with the suggestion made by the Committee at its thirteenth session.

12. The representative of a United Nations body provided information on its programme activities and policy discussion related to the promotion of the Convention and supplementary information and comments on the application of the Convention in selected countries.

Follow-up to the World Conference on Human Rights

13. Many representatives welcomed the strong emphasis on the equal status and human rights of women contained in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action of the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights. Some representatives also welcomed the recognition of the importance of incorporating a gender perspective in the work of the United Nations.

14. Many representatives welcomed the decision taken at the fiftieth session of the Commission on Human Rights to appoint a Special Rapporteur on violence against women as an opportunity to build on the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, and to ensure that any violations of women's human rights were reported and dealt with effectively at the main human rights forums. One representative stressed that the effectiveness of the Rapporteur would be determined by the cooperation and coordination among the Commission on the Status of Women, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the other human rights treaty bodies and the Commission on Human Rights.

15. Some representatives supported the proposals contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the World Conference on Human Rights (E/CN.6/1994/11), such as establishing a women's rights unit within the Division for the Advancement of Women; convening an expert group meeting to develop specific guidelines on how to identify, document and report on gender- based violations of human rights; designing a training workshop and preparing material on gender analysis. Other representatives welcomed the suggestion to prepare a study, outlining the ways and means of cooperation between the Division for the Advancement of Women and the Centre for Human Rights. The necessity of exchanging such information and documentation between the Centre and the Division was also emphasized.

16. The representative of the Centre for Human Rights reported on its plan of activities for the implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action relating to the integration of the equal status of women into the mainstream of human rights activities. She further assured the Commission that the matter had been given serious consideration in the Centre for Human Rights but that greater commitment of all concerned and more cooperation was needed for the real advancement of the human rights of women.

Communications concerning the status of women

17. The Commission had before it a list of confidential communications concerning the status of women (S.W. Communications List No. 28), which was distributed in a sealed envelope to the representatives of each of its States members, and a list of non-confidential communications (E/CN.6/1994/CR.30).

18. At the 9th meeting, on 11 March 1993, the Commission appointed a Working Group on Communications concerning the Status of Women. The Working Group held four closed meetings.

19. Many representatives expressed their support for the Commission's communications mechanism and considered it an effective way of bringing to its attention broad principles relating to the promotion of women's rights. Some noted the different objectives of the communications procedures before the Commission on Human Rights, on the one hand, and the Commission on the Status of Women, on the other, both of which should be maintained. One representative stated that the communications mechanism needed to be changed. In particular, the criteria for categorizing communications as confidential or non-confidential ought to be amended. Another representative favoured a wider eligibility of communications qualifying for the non-confidential list as a means of increasing the number of communications available for review, thus enabling the Commission to obtain better guidance for its policy from emerging trends.

20. Several representatives addressed the issue of publicity for the communications mechanism, stating that the efforts undertaken as mentioned in the report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.6/1994/8) seemed insufficient. The drop in the number of communications submitted to the Commission over the years was not the result of a drop in the number of cases of discrimination, but the result of inadequate publicity for the mechanism. A review of the existing policy seemed even more necessary in the light of the cooperation between the Centre for Human Rights and the Division for the Advancement of Women and urgent action was sought to ensure continuous and immediate publicity for the mechanism. One representative said, however, that in view of the recent appointments of a High Commissioner for Human Rights and a Special Rapporteur on violence against women, and in the light of improving coordination among the relevant human rights bodies dealing with women's human rights and for the purpose of avoiding duplication of work, a comprehensive review of the human rights mechanisms relating to women seemed relevant for determining their roles and mandates before strengthening any of them.

21. On 17 March 1994, the representative of the United States of America, on behalf of the members of the Working Group, introduced the report of the Working Group in a closed meeting of the Commission. At the 17th meeting, on 18 March, the Commission decided to adopt the report of the Working Group as orally revised, and to include it in its entirety in the report of the Commission.

22. The report of the Working Group read as follows:

"The Working Group on Communications concerning the Status of Women was guided in its deliberations by the mandate given in resolution 1983/27 of 26 May 1983 of the Economic and Social Council.

"The Working Group considered the confidential list of communications concerning the status of women (S.W. Communications List No. 28) and the non-confidential list of communications concerning the status of women (E/CN.6/1994/CR.30).

"The Working Group had before it all communications received by the Division for the Advancement of Women of the United Nations Secretariat as well as those that had been taken from the confidential list of communications concerning human rights received by the Division from the Centre for Human Rights, United Nations Office at Geneva.

"The Working Group noted that among the few confidential communications received directly by the Division for the Advancement of Women there was a diversity of alleged acts of discrimination, including discrimination in employment, restricted access to safe and legal abortion and limited access to prenatal examinations, intimidation of women, and lack of legal protection.

"The Working Group noted further that the non- confidential communications received by the Division alleged lack of effective international instruments on women's rights, systematic rape and sexual abuse of women as a weapon of war, exclusion of women from war crimes tribunals, gender-based discrimination in sports, and sexual harassment and discrimination of employees of the United Nations.

"Among the confidential communications received from the Centre for Human Rights, the Working Group noted numerous allegations of systematic rape and abuse by paramilitary forces, alleged acts of rape and other forms of violence perpetrated by armed forces during situations of armed conflicts, harsh prison conditions, alleged restricted and/or coercive family-planning policies, and denial of the right to freedom of movement.

"Having considered all those communications, the Working Group took the view that there had been a variety of cases received from different sources but that the recurrent theme was one of violence against women perpetrated during situations of armed conflict.

"The Working Group noted that the Division for the Advancement of Women received no replies from Governments and that the Centre for Human Rights received only a small number of replies from Governments, which the Working Group appreciated. The Working Group noted the usefulness of the replies received and the clarifications given.

"The Working Group drew the Commission's attention to the current communications procedure and proposed that the Commission consider ways of improving the mechanism. It proposed that the Commission on the Status of Women should publicize as widely as possible the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the goals of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies and the existing communications mechanism. The Working Group also drew the Commission's attention to the importance of Governments replying to communications.

"The Working Group recommended that, in order to encourage Governments to reply to communications, the Commission might request the Secretary-General to send a follow-up letter."

ACTION TAKEN BY THE COMMISSION                                [ UP ]

Women and children in the process of the elimination of apartheid and the establishment of a democratic South Africa

23. At the 14th meeting, on 16 March 1994, the representative of Algeria, on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China, introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.6) entitled "Women and children in the process of the elimination of apartheid".

24. At the 15th meeting, on 17 March, the representative of the United States of America made a statement.

25. At the same meeting, following a statement by the representative of Algeria, the Secretary of the Commission read out amendments to the draft resolution which had been agreed upon during informal consultations. The amendments were as follows:

(a) In operative paragraph 2, the words "the remaining political prisoners" were replaced by the words "any remaining political prisoners";

(b) In operative paragraph 4, the words "Requests the Centre against Apartheid to further widen and strengthen its cooperation with" were replaced by the words "Requests the Centre against Apartheid during its remaining period of existence to cooperate with";

(c) In operative paragraph 6, the words "to mandate the United Nations Observer Mission to South Africa" were inserted after the words "Calls upon the Secretary-General".

26. The Commission then adopted the draft resolution, as orally amended (see chap. I, sect. A, draft resolution II).

Integration of women in the Middle East peace process

27. At the 14th meeting, on 16 March 1994, the representative of the United States of America, on behalf of Norway, 42/ the Russian Federation and the United States of America introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.7) entitled "Integration of women in the Middle East peace process". Subsequently, Bulgaria joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.

28. At the 16th meeting, on 18 March, the representative of the United States of America orally revised the draft resolution as follows:

(a) Operative paragraph 7, which had read:

"7. Urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations to ensure that women's political development and participation are integrated into all efforts evolving from the Declaration of Principles, including legislative reform, institution-building and political processes",

was replaced by the following text:

"7. Urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations to assist the Palestinian people in the implementation of the Declaration of Principles in order to ensure Palestinian women's political development and participation";

(b) Operative paragraph 8, which had read:

"8. Urges Governments, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental organizations to ensure that women are included in the design and implementation of all policies and programmes evolving from the Declaration of Principles, with a special emphasis on women's interests in those programmes related to environment, democracy, health, population, education and employment",

was deleted.

29. At the same meeting, the representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran made a statement.

30. The Commission then adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised (see chap. I, sect. C, resolution 38/1).

31. After the adoption of the draft resolution, statements were made by the representatives of Bangladesh, France, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia and Pakistan and the observers for Israel, Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic.

32. The observer for Palestine also made a statement.

33. At the 17th meeting, on 18 March, the observer for the Syrian Arab Republic made a statement with regard to the draft resolution.

Mainstreaming women's human rights

34. At the 14th meeting, on 16 March 1994, the representative of the Netherlands, on behalf of Argentina, 42/ Australia, Bahamas, Belarus, Belgium, 42/ Bulgaria, Canada, 42/ Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, C“te d'Ivoire, Denmark, 42/ Finland, France, Greece, 42/ Ireland, 42/ Israel, 42/ Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, 42/ the Netherlands, New Zealand, 42/ Norway, 42/ Portugal, 42/ the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, 42/ Thailand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 42/ the United Republic of Tanzania 42/ and Venezuela, introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.9) entitled "Mainstreaming women's human rights". Subsequently, Austria, Cyprus, Ethiopia, 42/ Germany, 42/ India, Mali, 42/ Slovakia, Switzerland 42/ and Turkey, 42/ joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.

35. At the 16th meeting, on 18 March, the delegation of C“te d'Ivoire withdrew as a sponsor of the draft resolution.

36. At the same meeting, the Secretary of the Commission read out revisions to the draft resolution which had been agreed upon during informal consultations. The revisions were as follows:

(a) At the end of the first preambular paragraph, the following phrase was added:

"and noting that, according to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, steps should be taken to increase cooperation and promote further integration of objectives and goals between the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission on Human Rights, the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the United Nations Development Fund for Women, the United Nations Development Programme and other United Nations bodies";

(b) A new first preambular paragraph was inserted, which read:

"Recalling all relevant resolutions, in particular General Assembly resolution 44/77 of 8 December 1989, in which, inter alia, the Assembly endorsed and reaffirmed the importance of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women for the period up to the year 2000 and set out measures for their immediate implementation and for the overall achievement of the interrelated guidelines and objectives of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace";

(c) In operative paragraph 4, the words "Encourages the Centre for Human Rights and the Division for the Advancement of Women to explore" were changed to read: "Encourages the Division for the Advancement of Women and the Centre for Human Rights to explore";

(d) Operative paragraph 5, which had read:

"5. Encourages the Centre for Human Rights to explore the possibility of convening an expert group meeting to develop specific guidelines for identifying, documenting and reporting on gender-based human rights violations and ways in which to effectively integrate these questions into the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations",

was deleted;

(e) In operative paragraph 6 (para. 5 of the final text), the words "Recommends that the meeting of chairpersons of human rights treaty bodies consider on a regular basis at their biennial sessions" were replaced by the words "Recommends that the regular meetings of chairpersons of human rights treaty bodies consider on a regular basis".

37. At the same meeting, Ecuador, Egypt, 42/ Guinea-Bissau, Morocco 42/ and the Philippines joined in sponsoring the revised draft resolution.

38. Also at the same meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised (see chap I, sect. C, draft resolution 38/2).

Elimination of violence against women

39. At the 14th meeting, on 16 March 1994, the representative of the Netherlands, on behalf of Argentina, 42/ Australia, Bahamas, Belarus, Belgium, 42/ Bulgaria, Canada, 42/ Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, C“te d'Ivoire, Denmark, 42/ Finland, France, Germany, 42/ Greece, 42/ Ireland, 42/ Israel, 42/ Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, 42/ the Netherlands, New Zealand, 42/ Norway, 42/ Portugal, 42/ the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, 42/ Thailand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 42/ the United Republic of Tanzania, 42/ Venezuela and Zambia, introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.10) entitled "Elimination of violence against women". Subsequently, Austria, Brazil, 42/ Cyprus, Guinea- Bissau, Mali, 42/ Slovakia, Switzerland 42/ and Turkey 42/ joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.

40. At the 15th meeting, on 17 March, the representative of the Netherlands read out revisions to the draft resolution which had been agreed upon during informal consultations. The revisions were as follows:

(a) In operative paragraph 1, the words "take all possible steps to fully implement" were replaced by the words "take all possible steps to eliminate violence against women, in accordance with";

(b) In operative paragraph 5, the words "appraisal of the implementation of the Declaration" were replaced by the words "appraisal of the action taken in accordance with the Declaration".

41. At the same meeting, Egypt, 42/ Guinea, the Philippines and the United States of America joined in sponsoring the revised draft resolution.

42. The Commission then adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised (see chap. I, sect. C, resolution 38/3).

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

43. At the 14th meeting, on 16 March 1994, the representative of Finland, on behalf of Argentina, 42/ Australia, Canada, 42/ Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, 42/ Finland, France, Israel, 42/ Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, 42/ Norway, 42/ the Philippines, Sweden, 42/ Turkey 42/ and Zambia, introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.12) entitled "Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women" and orally revised operative paragraph 4 by inserting the word "governmental" before the words "expert meeting". Subsequently, Angola, 42/ Belarus, Belgium, 42/ Bulgaria, C“te d'Ivoire, Egypt, 42/ Ethiopia, 42/ Germany, 42/ Greece, 42/ Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Ireland, 42/ Kenya, Mali, 42/ Namibia, Pakistan, Portugal, 42/ the Russian Federation, Rwanda, Senegal, 42/ Spain, Thailand, the United Republic of Tanzania and Venezuela joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.

44. At the 15th meeting, on 17 March, the Commission adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised (see chap. I, sect. A, draft resolution III).

Palestinian women

45. At the 14th meeting, on 16 March 1994, the representative of Algeria, on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China, introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.13) entitled "Palestinian women".

46. At the 17th meeting, on 18 March, the Chairperson informed the Commission that the sponsors had revised operative paragraph 3 by deleting the word "immediately" after the words "to facilitate".

47. At the same meeting, the representative of Algeria, on behalf of the sponsors, further orally revised the draft resolution as follows:

(a) In the seventh preambular paragraph, the words "in Al- Ibrahimi mosque in Al-Khalil (Hebron)" were replaced by the words "in Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron";

(b) In operative paragraph 1, the word "national" before the words "development plan" was deleted;

(c) Operative paragraph 2, which had read:

"2. Considers the illegal Israeli policy of settlements, displacement of the Palestinian people, denial of Palestinian family reunification and closure and isolation of Palestinian communities to be a violation of the inalienable rights of Palestinian women guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Hague Conventions and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949",

was replaced by the following text:

"2. Demands that Israel, the occupying Power, comply fully with the provisions and principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Hague Regulations and the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, in order to protect the rights of Palestinian women and their families".

48. At the same meeting, the representative of the United States of America requested a vote on the draft resolution, as orally revised.

49. The representative of Algeria requested that the vote be by roll call.

50. The Commission adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised, by a vote of 38 to 1, with 3 abstentions (see chap. I, sect. C, resolution 38/4). The voting was as follows:

In favour: Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Ecuador, Finland, France, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Japan, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Namibia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Spain, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, Venezuela, Zambia.

Against: United States of America.

Abstaining: Belarus, Kenya, Netherlands.

51. After the draft resolution was adopted, statements were made by the representatives of the United States of America, Australia, the Netherlands and the Islamic Republic of Iran and the observers for Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic.

52. The observer for Palestine made a statement.

Chapter IV                                                                                         [ UP ]

PRIORITY THEMES

1. The Commission considered item 5 of its agenda at its 9th to 17th meetings, on 11 and 14 to 18 March 1994. It had before it the following reports:

(a) Report of the Secretary-General on equal pay for work of equal value, including methodologies for measurement of pay inequities and work in the informal sector (E/CN.6/1994/2);

(b) Report of the Secretary-General on women in urban areas:

population, nutrition and health factors for women in development, including migration, drug consumption and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (E/CN.6/1994/3);

(c) Report of the Secretary-General on measures to eradicate violence against women in the family and society (E/CN.6/1994/4).

2. The Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women introduced the item and emphasized the importance to the preparations for the Conference of the discussion by the Commission on the priority themes and the Platform for Action. Under the priority theme of "Equality: equal pay for work of equal value, including methodologies for measurement of pay inequities and work in the informal sector", she pointed to a number of policies and measures proposed in the report which could be taken to give effect to the principle of equal pay for work of equal value. Regarding the priority theme of "Development: women in urban areas: population, nutrition and health factors for women in development, including migration, drug consumption and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome", she emphasized that the analyses included in the report had been based on the findings of a seminar on the subject held at the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) at Santo Domingo in November 1993 and had focused on the specific problems faced by women living in the rapidly expanding urban environment. The report on the theme of "Peace: measures to eradicate violence against women in the family and society" had made detailed and pointed recommendations on the matter. Some of those recommendations could help the Commission determine steps to take to give effect to the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 48/104. Some of them had already been included under the item on domestic violence on the agenda of the Commission on Crime Prevention and criminal justice. She further noted that the Commission on Human Rights was proceeding to appoint a Special Rapporteur on violence against women and that the General Assembly would discuss the issue of violence against migrant women under the terms of resolution 48/110 at its forty-ninth session.

A. Equality: equal pay for work of equal value, including methodologies for measurement of pay inequities and work in the informal sector

3. Many representatives emphasized their interest in the issue and noted that, in spite of certain achievements, the pattern of unequal remuneration was universal, though the level of inequality varied from country to country. Despite existing national and international provisions and legislative and constitutional guarantees, women everywhere, on average, were paid less than men. Several representatives underlined the fact that the unequal remuneration in most countries was the result of the persistent undervaluation of female-dominated jobs rather than pay inequities between identical jobs held by men and women.

Many representatives emphasized that women still dominated in low-paid, low-skilled jobs with flatter career paths and fewer possibilities for interoccupational mobility.

4. Many representatives pointed to the general undervaluation of women's labour, skills and occupations as the main cause of inequality, which should be addressed by Governments, employers, trade unions and society. Several representatives stressed the role of trade unions in promoting equality in pay through lobbying for effective equal-value legislation and the submission of relevant cases to labour tribunals. According to many representatives, the pattern of unequal remuneration had its roots in the gender division of labour in the household, in the labour market and in the community where men and women traditionally performed different tasks, differently valued by the society. A few representatives stressed the fact that there was a direct link between women's paid labour and unpaid work at home, which served as further justification for the low pay in traditional female occupations. Several representatives emphasized that inequalities in remuneration were still poorly researched and not well documented statistically and that it was difficult to elaborate efficient methods for implementing the principle of equal remuneration.

5. Many representatives agreed that legislative provisions in the area of equal pay for work of equal value were necessary but not sufficient. Comprehensive policies, including monitoring mechanisms, dissemination of information and statistical data on existing disparities in earnings between men and women, and the implementation of job evaluation methodologies were indispensable. Several representatives stressed that the re- evaluation of jobs irrespective of sex had had a positive impact on reducing the wage gap in their countries. A few representatives noted that pay equity should be addressed not only in legislation but also in collective agreements. One representative underlined the fact that a combination of legal redress and independent conciliation arrangements provided a suitable mix for the enforcement of the right to equal pay for work of equal value. A few representatives noted that while the concept of equal pay for work of equal value was already well- known, the concept "work of comparable worth" was less known and required further analysis. One representative stressed the importance of the concept that pay equity depended less on administrated wage structures and more on equal employment opportunities and positive action programmes enforced by equality legislation.

6. With regard to equal pay for work of equal value, many representatives underlined the importance of targeting the informal sector as the area of growing female employment. The importance of introducing legislation on equal pay for equal work in the informal sector and the policy of pay equity were emphasized by several representatives. Several representatives stressed the urgent need for comprehensive analyses of the situation of female employees in the informal sector.

7. Many representatives emphasized the important role of equality in education and training for closing the wage gap between men and women. The need for integrated and broad training programmes enabling women to enter the occupations traditionally dominated by men, and changing the attitudes of both men and women in that regard was emphasized. Several representatives stated that the organization of training and retraining should provide for reconciliation of family and work responsibilities. A few representatives stressed the importance of providing child-care facilities.

8. Several representatives underlined the special importance of equity of pay in view of the growth of female-headed households and stressed that women should be given equal opportunity to support themselves and their families.

9. Many representatives stressed the importance of raising the consciousness of women about their rights in the area of work. A few representatives stressed the need for organizing awareness campaigns on the concept of equal pay for work of equal value for employers and for the general public. Closing the wage gap was a developmental issue as well as an important mechanism for achieving equality, the economic independence of women and social justice, and a necessary condition for the full enjoyment by women of their human rights as citizens.

10. The importance of further research was expressed, including the possibility of convening an expert group meeting on the subject. Several representatives urged that the conclusions and recommendations of such a meeting be disseminated among Governments. One representative noted that, without prejudice to the role of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in the area, the Commission on the Status of Women should keep close record of all new developments concerning the issue of equal pay for work of equal value and that the issue should be included in the second review and appraisal of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies.

B. Development: women in urban areas: population, nutrition and health factors for women in development, including migration, drug consumption and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome                                                                    [ UP ]

11. Many representatives expressed their concern that rapid urbanization was a major challenge for the forthcoming decades. The urban population has been growing two and a half times faster than the rural population, and the urbanization process in developing countries was closely linked with urban poverty, severely affecting women. In some countries, the growth pattern had resulted in changes in the sectoral composition of the economy. For example, light industry accounted for a greater share of gross national product than agriculture, the traditional mainstay of women.

12. Many representatives expressed concern about current trends, indicating that increasingly more women than men were single heads of households and that more women were migrating to urban areas. A few representatives stressed that mobility was a prerequisite for women's employment and career opportunities. Thus, such issues as public transport and housing for working women in urban and semi-urban locations should be given more attention. Some representatives emphasized the need for men and women to share all household duties.

13. Some representatives expressed regret that only two paragraphs in the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies were devoted to the issue of women in urban areas. Some representatives expressed their disappointment that the report of the Secretary- General (E/CN.6/1994/3) did not refer to the issue of international migration of women workers, focusing instead on intra-country migration only. One representative stated that the report omitted the problem of mega-cities which generated a massive flow of men and women seeking jobs. Another representative recalled that at its thirty-fifth session, the Commission had adopted resolution 35/6 entitled "Women migrant workers", in which it had recommended several measures to be undertaken by member States to tackle the problem. She asked to be informed of the follow-up activities of the Secretariat called for in the resolution.

14. The problem of migration, although universal, was more acute in some countries than in others. The representative of a non-governmental organization stressed the need for cooperative migration strategies.

15. A number of representatives pointed to the issue of AIDS and the risk of greater exposure of women in urban areas to the infection. One representative announced the implementation of a Global Issues Initiative on Population and AIDS within the framework of the official assistance programme to developing countries. The problem of HIV/AIDS was of particular concern because of the challenge of providing proper treatment of those infected. The need for effective preventive educational campaigns, housing and care for the families whose breadwinners were infected, including psychological counselling, was also stressed.

16. Some representatives noted the socio-economic interdependency between single rural women and urban migrant women in developing countries. Development policies that did not address the problems of urban and rural areas simultaneously often had a negative impact on women, such as forcing rural women to seek income in non-agricultural production.

17. One representative, on behalf of a group of countries, made concrete proposals for development programmes and projects aimed at direct assistance to women in urban slum areas for enhancing their residential environments, bettering their job possibilities and improving both health and education. The representative reported on the success of another project implemented in her country aimed at empowering destitute urban women and training them for participation in community decision-making.

18. Many representatives stated that unless the specific situation of women was taken into account, the impact of urbanization on women's lives would remain negative. A few representatives observed out that if structural adjustment programmes implied budget cuts in such services as transportation, sanitation, and energy supply, women would be severely affected. One representative suggested that external support agencies could play an important role in making urban development more gender-sensitive.

19. Representatives stated that social policies in developed countries should address the problems of migrant women living in big cities. Urban life, while giving women access to educational and occupational opportunities, had paradoxically marginalized and impoverished them, exposing them to psychological stress, xenophobia and forced prostitution in extreme cases. Promoting and ensuring the human rights of those women therefore deserved special attention. In order to fully guarantee such rights, women should be much more involved in decision-making in urban planning.

20. Most of the representatives endorsed the recommendations adopted by the seminar on women in urban areas. However, one representative questioned the recommendation that the matter of nutrition should be addressed by Governments, stating that such matters should be the concern of communities.

21. Several representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations agreed that the root causes of migration should be addressed by creating the necessary favourable conditions for job opportunities in rural areas, thus curbing migration to urban areas.

22. Many representatives agreed that policy-making should be based on a realistic and integrated approach to urban development, including partnership of the public, private and community sectors, involving both men and women.

23. One representative emphasized the importance of adequate resources. The same representative stressed the importance of emphasizing the repercussions on women of unilateral economic measures of a coercive nature which are, at times, applied against developing countries for political reasons. Such measures tended to have a broad impact on the socio-economic life of the entire population and constituted a clear case of violence against women.

C. Peace: measures to eradicate violence against women in the family and society
                                                                                                            [ UP ]

24. Most representatives welcomed the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, adopted by the General Assembly at its forty-eighth session, as an important first step towards the eradication of violence against women. They also welcomed the decision to establish the post of Special Rapporteur on violence against women and the results of the Vienna Conference on Human Rights, which had recognized that women's human rights were an integral part of human rights in general; consequently, all forms of violence against women should be considered as serious violations of human rights and dealt with at the main human rights forums.

25. Several representatives commented on the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and commended its gender-sensitive approach to human rights. One representative indicated that, although women's rights were theoretically enshrined in the universal human rights instruments, specific violations of women's human rights and gender-specific abuses had not been specifically addressed by the instruments. Furthermore, it was observed that ratification of the human rights instruments was not enough; a clear gender-sensitive approach to their interpretation and application was necessary, since interpretation of the principles they contained had not ensured equal protection of men's and women's rights.

26. Some representatives stated that the Special Rapporteur had a primary responsibility for the implementation of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women and could make a substantial contribution to the monitoring and implementation of the Declaration by properly reporting on abuse and responding to it. Others emphasized that the Commission on the Status of Women had an important part to play in raising awareness of the issues, monitoring progress and encouraging positive developments until the Fourth World Conference on Women made its recommendations on the matter.

27. Many representatives referred to the steps taken towards closer cooperation between the Division for the Advancement of Women and the Centre for Human Rights, indicated in the report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the World Conference on Human Rights (E/CN.6/1994/11). In her statement, the representative of the Centre for Human Rights provided an account of the initiatives undertaken. She emphasized the need to provide better protection for women's human rights, to continue exploring better modalities for coordinating the efforts of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Commission on Human Rights.

28. Several representatives stated that the fundamental link between women's inequality and violence should be given more attention. Violence was viewed as a continuum of behaviour involving men's abuse of power over women who had less power, owing to their gender-related unequal status in all societies. Many representatives informed the Commission of measures adopted to combat violence against women in their countries such as stricter terms of punishment of perpetrators; legal protection of women and aid to women; support of shelters for battered women; new legislation, particularly in regard to rape, and new procedures for facilitating complaints and the prosecution of the perpetrators; training of law enforcement personnel to assist rape victims; modified court procedures and financial compensation to rape victims. It was suggested that an in-depth study of the treatment of those who commit violent crimes against women be made. Among other innovative actions undertaken in order to stop violence against women, the initiative to encourage non-violent men to speak out against such violence and not to excuse the violence of other men was mentioned as part of a community education programme. One representative described the action taken to stop female sexual mutilation. Another representative spoke about a successful survey on the generational cycle of violence, its association with substance abuse, and the reluctance of women to tell about their victimization.

29. The increased understanding of the causes and mechanisms of violence, which had resulted in new approaches and actions by the judiciary and social welfare and health-care institutions, was stressed. Although physical and sexual violence had become visible and were being addressed, the moral and psychological violence resulting from oppression and discrimination remained invisible. Thus, those particular forms of violence should be given more attention by the Commission.

30. The need for cooperation among private organizations, Governments, non-governmental organizations and other relevant institutions and the establishment of inter-ministerial groups to combat violence against women were also mentioned.

31. A few representatives expressed support for the new measures aimed at the prevention of sexual harassment in the United Nations Secretariat. While several representatives mentioned the issue of sexual harassment, one representative described in detail the action taken at the national level in her country to combat and prevent it.

32. Several representatives commended the recommendations of the 1993 Expert Group Meeting on Measures to Eradicate Violence against Women. One representative suggested that such recommendations could be useful to address violence against women at the national level. Another representative referred to the report of the Secretary-General on peace (E/CN.6/1994/4), which had focused on measures to combat violence against women and did not sufficiently consider the patterns of relationship between men and women or the various means that would be useful for breaking the cycle of power and abuse which were the key issues in preventing violence.

33. Several representatives expressed their concern about the insufficient attention paid to the abuses of the human rights of women in armed conflicts. Reference was made to the crimes against women committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia and the urgent need to bring the perpetrators before the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia Since 1991. The establishment of a special unit in the office of the Prosecutor which would deal mainly with war-related violence against women, including rape and sexual assault, was recommended.

34. The gravity of the problems faced by female migrant workers, including violence and physical abuse, was addressed by one representative. She noted the increasing number of women migrating from developing to industrialized countries and described their vulnerability and the difficulties they faced in the receiving countries, such as the low level of accessible jobs and lack of knowledge of workers' protection mechanisms. She stated that the problem required close cooperation between the countries of emigration and the receiving States as well as continued attention by the United Nations system and other concerned bodies. She recalled the various relevant resolutions adopted by the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty- seventh session and by the General Assembly at its forty-seventh session, by which the Secretary-General was requested to prepare a report on the matter for submission to the Commission at its thirty-eighth session.

ACTION TAKEN BY THE COMMISSION                                [ UP ]

Women and development

35. At the 14th meeting, on 16 March 1994, the representative of Algeria, on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China, introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.11) entitled "Women and development" and orally revised it as follows:

(a) In the ninth preambular paragraph, the words "allow women to achieve full integration in development" were replaced by the words "allow women to be full and equal participants in shaping the development process";

(b) In operative paragraph 5, the words "income generation" were replaced by the word "entrepreneurship" and the words "adequate resources to women and development programmes" were replaced by the words "adequate resources for use by women and gender-sensitive development programmes".

36. At the same meeting, the observer for Liberia made a statement.

37. At the 17th meeting, on 18 March, the representative of the United States of America proposed to amend the draft resolution as follows:

(a) In the last preambular paragraph, the words "adverse terms of trade and the growing foreign debt on developing countries" would be replaced by the words "changing terms of trade and the foreign debt of developing countries" and the words "continues to have negative effects on efforts for the full integration of women in development" would be replaced by the words "may have negative effects on vulnerable members of society";

(b) In operative paragraph 9, the words "to provide adequate and timely support" would be replaced by the words "to continue to provide support", the word "negative" would be deleted and the word "adverse" would be replaced by the word "changing".

38. At the same meeting, the representative of Algeria moved that no action be taken on the proposed amendments. The motion was carried by a roll-call vote of 32 to 4, with 6 abstentions. The voting was as follows:

In favour: Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Ecuador, Finland, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kenya, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Namibia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, Venezuela, Zambia.

Against: France, Italy, Netherlands, United States of America.

Abstaining: Belarus, Bulgaria, Japan, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Spain.

39. The representative of the United States of America then called for a vote on the draft resolution as a whole and the representative of Cuba requested that it be by roll call.

40. At the same meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised, by a roll-call vote of 42 to 1 (see chap. I, sect. C, resolution 38/5). The voting was as follows:

In favour: Algeria, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, C“te d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Ecuador, Finland, France, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Japan, Kenya, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Spain, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, Venezuela, Zambia.

Against: United States of America.

Abstaining: None.

Gender equality in population programmes

41. At the 16th meeting, on 18 March 1994, the representative of the United States of America, on behalf of Australia, Bulgaria, Germany, 42/ Greece, 42/ Mali, 42/ Papua New Guinea, 42/ and the United States of America, introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.15/Rev.1) entitled "Gender equality in population programmes". Subsequently, Canada 42/ and Portugal 42/ joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.

42. At the 17th meeting, on 18 March, the representative of the United States of America orally revised the draft resolution as follows:

(a) In the last preambular paragraph, the words "that the aim" were replaced by the words "that one of the aims" and the words "must be to establish" were replaced by the words "should be to establish, as appropriate";

(b) The fifth preambular paragraph was moved to the end of the preambular section;

(c) Operative paragraph 14, which had read:

"Encourages Governments to review or propose legislation to eliminate all forms of coercion and discrimination in policies and practices related to employment, marriage, divorce, inheritance, child-bearing, child-rearing, and custody of children",

was replaced by the following text:

"Encourage Governments, within their legal framework, to eliminate all policies and practices of discrimination and coercion related to employment, marriage, divorce, inheritance, maternity, child-rearing, and custody of children".

43. At the same meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised (see chap. I, sect. C, resolution 38/6).

44. After representatives of Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, Costa Rica, the Islamic Republic of Iran, India, the Philippines and Madagascar.

Violence against women migrant workers

45. At the 15th meeting, on 17 March 1994, the representative of the Philippines, on behalf of Algeria, Belarus, China, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Ecuador, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, 42/ Namibia, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines and Portugal, 42/ introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.16) entitled "Violence against women migrant workers", and orally revised it as follows:

(a) In the eighth preambular paragraph, the words "increasing feminization of migrant workers" were replaced by the words "increasing number of women migrant workers";

(b) In operative paragraph 1, the words "particularly as it applies to migrant women" were replaced by the words "including applying it to migrant women";

(c) In operative paragraph 2, the words "frequent and" before the words "regular consultations" were deleted and the words "as necessary, appropriate" were inserted between the words "setting up" and "mechanisms";

(d) In operative paragraph 3, the words "to incorporate in their laws, where none exist, specific provisions" were deleted and the words "if needed, by the adoption of legal measures" were added at the end of the paragraph;

(e) Operative paragraph 8, which had read:

"8. Requests the Centre for Human Rights to include as a matter of priority the promotion and protection of the human rights of women migrant workers in its agenda, through the appropriate channels and relevant bodies, and to bring to the attention of the General Assembly, through the Commission on Human Rights, and the Economic and Social Council, the report thereon",

was replaced by the following text:

"8. Recommends to the Centre for Human Rights to include the promotion and protection of the human rights of women migrant workers in its programme of work and to submit to the General Assembly, through the Commission on Human Rights and the Economic and Social Council, its report thereon";

(f) In operative paragraph 9, the word "problem" was replaced by the word "issue";

(g) Operative paragraph 10, which had read:

"10. Requests the Secretary-General to develop concrete indicators of observance by receiving and sending countries of existing international instruments protecting women migrant workers as a basis for future action to address the problem",

was replaced by the following text:

"10. Requests the Secretary-General to see to the development of concrete indicators to determine the situation of women migrant workers in sending and receiving countries";

(h) In operative paragraph 11, the words "High Commissioner for Human Rights" were replaced by the words "Centre for Human Rights".

46. At the 16th meeting, on 18 March, the representative of the Philippines made a statement with regard to the draft resolution.

47. At the 17th meeting, on 18 March, the representative of the Philippines further orally revised the draft resolution as follows:

(a) In operative paragraph 6, the words "in carrying out her or his mandate, to pay particular attention to the violence" were replaced by the words "to include among the urgent issues pertaining to her or his mandate the violence";

(b) In operative paragraph 8, the words "relative to its advisory training and information services" were inserted after the words "programme of work";

(c) In operative paragraph 10, the words "as a basis for future action" were added at the end of the paragraph.

48. At the same meeting, the delegation of India joined in sponsoring the draft resolution, as further orally revised.

49. The Commission then adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised (see chap. I, sect. C, resolution 38/7).

50. After the adoption of the revised draft resolution, statements were made by the representatives of France and Australia and the observers for Ireland, Belgium and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Equal pay for equal work and work of equal value

51. At the 15th meeting, on 17 March 1994, the observer for Greece, on behalf of Australia, Belgium, 42/ Denmark, 42/ Finland, France, Germany, 42/ Greece, 42/ Israel, 42/ Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, 42/ Portugal, 42/ Spain, Sweden, 42/ and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 42/ introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.19) entitled "Equal pay for work of equal value". Subsequently, Argentina, 42/ Belarus, Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guinea-Bissau, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Switzerland 42/ and Turkey 42/ joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.

52. At the same meeting, the observer for Greece orally revised the draft resolution by deleting the last preambular paragraph, which had read:

"Taking note of the new system of national accounts adopted by a number of countries and international institutions, which recognizes the economic value of women's labour, both in the informal sector and in the context of the family".

53. At the 16th meeting, on 18 March, the observer for Greece further orally revised the draft resolution by replacing the words "Equal pay for work of equal value" with the words "Equal pay for equal work and work of equal value" in the title, in the sixth and eighth preambular paragraphs and in operative paragraph 2 (c).

54. At the same meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised (see chap. I, sect. C., resolution 38/8).

55. After the adoption of the draft resolution, the representative of the Division for the Advancement of Women made a statement.

Rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia

56. At the 15th meeting, on 17 March 1994, the representative of Pakistan, on behalf of Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 42/ Ecuador, Egypt, 42/ Germany, 42/ Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia, Morocco, 42/ New Zealand, 42/ Pakistan, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, 42/ the Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey 42/ and Yemen, 42/ introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.20) entitled "Rape and abuse of women in the areas of armed conflict in the former Yugoslavia". Subsequently, Albania, 42/ Canada, 42/ Costa Rica, Denmark, 42/ France, Italy, Norway, 42/ Portugal, 42/ Spain, Sweden 42/ and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 42/ joined in sponsoring the draft resolution.

57. At the 17th meeting, on 18 March, the representative of Pakistan orally revised the draft resolution as follows:

(a) In the first preambular paragraph, the words "and other instruments of international humanitarian law" were replaced by the words "and instruments of human rights and international humanitarian law";

(b) Operative paragraph 7, which had read:

"7. Endorses the decision of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the territory of the former Yugoslavia to allow the Commission of Experts established under Security Council resolution 780 (1992) to take the lead on special studies of this issue to avoid duplication but to continue to pay attention to the widespread occurrence of rape, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina",

was replaced by the following text:

"7. Encourages the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the territory of the former Yugoslavia to continue to pay particular attention to the widespread occurrence of rape, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and acknowledge the work done by his team of female experts";

(c) In operative paragraph 8, the words "Notes with concern that many of the recommendations in the Special Rapporteur's previous reports have not been implemented and" at the beginning of the paragraph were deleted and the words "for the continuation" were inserted after the words "for the provision";

(d) In operative paragraph 10, the word "expected" before the words "to be submitted" was deleted;

(e) A new paragraph was inserted after operative paragraph 10, which read:

"Calls on all States to cooperate with the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia Since 1991 and the Office of the Prosecutor in the investigation and prosecution of persons accused of using rape as a weapon of war, and in the provision of protection, counselling and support to victims and witnesses";

(f) In operative paragraph 11 (para. 12 of the final text), the word "harbour" was replaced by the word "host".

58. The representative of Ecuador stated that his delegation was withdrawing as a sponsor of the draft resolution, as orally revised.

59. At the same meeting, the representative of the Russian Federation requested a vote on the seventh preambular paragraph of the draft resolution.

60. The seventh preambular paragraph was retained by a roll-call vote of 36 to none, with 4 abstentions. The voting was as follows: 44/

In favour: Algeria, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, C“te d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Ecuador, Finland, France, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Japan, Kenya, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, United States of America, Venezuela, Zambia.

Against: None.

Abstaining: Belarus, India, Russian Federation, Slovakia.

61. Before the roll-call vote on the seventh preambular paragraph, statements were made by the representatives of Pakistan, the Russian Federation and the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

62. At the same meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised (see chap. I, sect. C, resolution 38/9).

44/ The delegations of China, Cuba and Namibia announced that they would not participate in the vote.

Chapter V                                                                                           [ UP ]

PREPARATIONS FOR THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN: ACTION FOR EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE

1. The Commission considered item 6 of its agenda at its 1st to 6th and 14th to 17th meetings, from 7 to 9 and 16 to 18 March 1994. It had before it the following documents:

(a) Report of the Secretary-General on preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace (E/CN.6/1994/9 and Corr.1);

(b) Report of the Secretary-General on the draft Platform for Action (E/CN.6/1994/10);

(c) Report of the Inter-sessional Working Group of the Commission on the Status of Women (E/CN.6/1994/12);

(d) Report of the Secretary-General containing a preliminary executive summary of the updated World Survey on the Role of Women in Development (E/CN.6/1994/13);

(e) Note by the Secretariat containing the draft provisional rules of procedure of the Conference (E/CN.6/1994/L.3).

2. In her introductory statement the Secretary-General of the Fourth World Conference on Women referred to the preparatory activities that had been undertaken by the Conference secretariat, the United Nations system, Governments and non- governmental organizations, including the appointment by the Secretary-General of the United Nations of a High-level Advisory Group of eminent persons to facilitate the preparations and to play an advocacy role for global action. She noted that other United Nations conferences - including the World Conference on Human Rights, which placed the human rights of women on the human rights agenda; the International Conference on Population and Development, which would address the need for a new definition and interpretation of productive and reproductive rights and the shared responsibilities of men and women; and the World Summit on Social Development, focusing on the alleviation and eradication of poverty and problems of employment and social integration - were part of the framework for the preparatory work and for the Conference itself. At its thirty-eighth session, the Commission on the Status of Women, through further elaboration of the draft Platform for Action, should enable the secretariat to complete a revised, action-oriented draft before the last preparatory meeting, in 1995. The road to Beijing should be paved with vision, commitment and a determination by Governments, civil society and non-governmental organizations to create a strong image of women as agents of change and full citizens with rights and responsibilities. The broader participation of non- governmental organizations, including those without consultative status, would widen the constituency and support actions towards the advancement of women in society.

3. In an address to the Commission, the President of Ireland, Ms. Mary Robinson, stressed the historical role played by the United Nations Decade for Women and the three world conferences on women in raising awareness and changing attitudes surrounding women's issues and the role and status of women in society. Although only some of the many targets had been reached, the entry into force of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the outcome of the 1985 Nairobi Conference and the adoption by the General Assembly of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women were major steps on the path towards equality. She also emphasized the importance of the Commission on the Status of Women, with its aim of bringing women closer to the decision-making process in all societies. As women moved more into public life, a greater emphasis on the human rights of minorities, partnership and different styles of leadership had emerged. The empowerment of women could contribute to the resolution of disputes through conciliation, consensus and the development of a peaceful civil order. She emphasized the importance of education, technology, job opportunities and the elimination of violence. One sign of visible change and social evolution was the performance by women in new roles in society as equal partners with men. Partnership and sharing were gradually replacing the old stereotypes that had prevented women from taking on leadership tasks. The Conference should further empower women everywhere to take advantage of all the resources at their disposal. She expressed confidence that the Platform for Action would further advance the gains in equality already achieved and would make a major contribution to the advancement of women.

4. In view of the limited time left before the Conference, many representatives stressed the importance of accelerating the pace of the preparations, increasing efficiency and determining what remained to be done to ensure success. One representative mentioned the great demand for information about the Conference and urged the Department of Public Information to produce material for dissemination. Another proposed maintaining the original motto and logo of the World Conference of the International Women's Year, held at Mexico City in 1975, to facilitate rapid identification.

5. Many representatives stressed the importance of the Conference as a means of giving momentum to the issue of the advancement of women and of revitalizing the Nairobi Forward- looking Strategies. A few representatives noted that those goals were of particular importance in the light of the changes occurring in the world and the difficulties being faced in social, economic and political arenas.

6. Several representatives indicated that the Conference must be considered not as an isolated event but rather as one in concert with other major international events, particularly the World Conference on Human Rights, the forthcoming International Conference on Population and Development, and the World Summit for Social Development. One representative stressed the importance of incorporating the gender perspective if the General Assembly was to adopt an agenda for development.

7. Several representatives welcomed the appointment by the Secretary-General of the High-level Advisory Group of eminent persons with world-wide experience to follow the preparations for the Conference. One representative welcomed the preliminary version of the updated World Survey on the Role of Women in Development, the draft rules of procedure for the Conference, which followed precedents established by other international events, and the decisions taken on the participation of observers and non-governmental organizations.

8. Regarding preparations at the national level, many representatives reported on the establishment of national committees or focal points, most of which consisted of governmental and non-governmental representatives. In one country, the committee was established through a broad election process. Several representatives acknowledged the preparations being undertaken by the host country, which reported on its activities in disseminating information and mobilizing the country. Preparations at the national level included information campaigns, the publication of leaflets, posters, special programmes in the mass media, the organization of workshops, and training - all heavily attended by non-governmental organizations. In some countries, national preparations consisted of activities centred on such issues as violence against women, decision-making, women and the mass media, the role of women in development and the plight of rural women.

9. Some representatives addressed the lack of resources, which might prevent some countries and non-governmental organizations from participating in the preparatory activities and the Conference itself. Thus, assistance should be provided by donor countries and international institutions, including the United Nations system.

10. Many reports were given on regional and subregional preparatory activities. All of the regional commissions urged their respective Governments to accelerate the preparation of national reports and to participate actively in the regional preparatory meetings. Delegations and the representatives of the United Nations system cited some of the specific regional concerns that would be highlighted at those meetings, such as the empowerment of women, democratization, the role of women in development, education and health, poverty, and the situation of rural women.

Draft Platform for Action                                                                      [ UP ]

11. Many representatives welcomed the draft Platform for Action.

It incorporated most of the suggestions put forward by the Inter- sessional Working Group and constituted a solid basis for further work. Many representatives reiterated that the Platform for Action should set clear priorities and be concise, action- oriented, imaginative and written in language easily understandable by women at the grass-roots level in every part of the world. It should clearly identify action at the national, regional and international levels that would lead to commitments to take the necessary measures and establish accountability for implementation.

12. According to many representatives, the Platform for Action should reflect universal problems without ignoring differing circumstances in different countries. It was important to deal appropriately in the Platform with the specific needs of certain groups of women. Mention was made, in particular, of rural women and elderly women, and of the concerns of refugee, displaced and migrant women. The need to take a life-cycle approach throughout was stressed. The importance of providing equal opportunities for women with disabilities was also mentioned.

13. Many representatives stated that the linkage between the status of women, population and environment, as clearly acknowledged in Agenda 21, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the expected outcome of the International Conference on Population and Development and the World Summit for Social Development, and the plans for the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations should form part of the Platform for Action.

14. One representative recalled the five forward-looking goals adopted by the Commission on the Status of Women at its thirty- seventh session, which were meant as slogans with a kind of conceptual framework for a new century and a new concept of women and their roles as citizens in society. Another representative suggested linking the Platform for Action - in particular, its strategies and actions - to domestic political realities. The best practical examples of successful programmes should be presented in the Platform.

15. A few representatives called for a realistic assessment of provisions made for the preparatory process. One representative observed that constructive dialogue between the secretariat and member States and among member States themselves was crucial, as were informal consultations between the regular sessions. The duration of the thirty-ninth session of the Commission should be extended in order to make possible intensive discussion of the draft Platform for Action and the outcome of the regional conferences. Another representative suggested convening an expert group meeting dedicated to institutional arrangements.

16. With regard to the statement of mission in the draft Platform for Action, it was noted that the increased participation of women in all spheres of society was not only an objective in itself but also a prerequisite for the achievement of sustainable development. A representative of certain specialized agencies of the United Nations system stated that the new ethic for sustainable development should be reflected in the statement. The eradication of poverty was cited as a top priority by many representatives and non-governmental organizations.

17. Many representatives stressed the need to strengthen the section on a global framework by including in it a review and appraisal of the achievements realized and the obstacles met since 1985, giving special attention to external factors and public policies. They also proposed including relevant suggestions made at the international and regional conferences and in other activities that had an impact on women. Most of the representatives suggested highlighting a positive image of women and the positive impact of their participation in development and in decision-making. Many also stressed the need to take into account differences between countries and regions.

18. Some representatives noted that the advancement of women had been affected at all levels by exogenous factors and by public policies and strategies for development such as structural adjustment programmes. The negative aspects of those policies had resulted in deteriorating socio-economic conditions in many parts of the world and in growing levels of conflict. On the other hand, new opportunities were being created as a result of ongoing democratic processes and the transition to market economies.

19. Referring to the part of the draft Platform for Action on critical areas of concern, most delegations noted the need for further elaboration and analysis. Some delegations suggested making special reference to migrant, refugee and rural women, in the sections on poverty and environment. The need for a life- cycle approach was stressed by several representatives and certain United Nations agencies. Others suggested new critical areas of concern, such as the poor conditions of employment of working parents, the unequal sharing of family responsibilities and unequal participation in science and technology. One representative questioned the need for a critical area of concern related to the environment. A few representatives were of the view that the list was too exhaustive and wanted to prioritize it more drastically.

20. Many representatives stressed the importance for the empowerment of women of their participation in decision-making in all areas. Some emphasized the need for women to become full and equal citizens, active in all spheres of life and responsible for the future of their societies and of the world. Without the active participation of women, democracy would not be complete, and parity and partnership would never be fully achieved. Cooperation between men and women was viewed as indispensable for the creation of a democratic and participatory society. The need to change the structures and processes of power was emphasized. It was noted that in many countries the number of women in Parliament was decreasing.

21. Some delegations referred to the role and place of national machinery and emphasized its importance in the preparations for the Conference at the national level. Some noted that the preparatory process provided a good opportunity for sustaining and strengthening the role of such machinery.

22. Most representatives considered women's human rights a key issue for the Platform for Action. One representative stressed that many other issues would require no further discussion if the human rights of women were fully realized and if there was universal adherence to human rights instruments.

23. Many representatives welcomed the results of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights, which finally recognized that the human rights of women and the girl-child were an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights and set the basis for their implementation and protection in accordance with international standards.

24. The universal ratification by all States of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women remained a top goal, and the removal of reservations to it was urged. The appointment of a Special Rapporteur on violence against women was welcomed.

25. Several representatives emphasized that reference to international standards other than those of the Convention, especially those pertaining to human rights and labour standards, including the protection of migrant workers, needed to be included in the Platform for Action. Sexual harassment should not be omitted from the recommended legislation or administrative rules and procedures.

26. Several representatives insisted that initiatives to increase legal literacy must be intensified among women and men. The need for legal aid for poor women, gender fairness in the judicial system, and gender sensitivity in the training of lawyers and judges was expressed.

27. Many representatives were of the view that the problems of rural women required special attention and pointed to the relationship between poverty and having complete responsibility for children.

28. Many representatives acknowledged that education needed to be considered very seriously as the key to development and the most effective anti-poverty policy. Education and health were critical factors for reproductive rights and sound population policies, since the linkages between increased levels of education and the exercise of reproductive choice and fertility regulation were evident.

29. A representative speaking on behalf of a group of specialized agencies reported that gender parity in primary and secondary education was achieved in only two regions of the world. Several speakers welcomed the emphasis on the relevance of science and engineering training for girls and women. Other representatives noted that the decline in economic growth negatively affected the education of girls.

30. Public education in the sense of changing public opinion was important for educating a new generation of men and women working together. One representative emphasized the fact that educational choices led to a clear occupational segregation and needed to be abolished. The educational sectors traditionally chosen by women should be reviewed.

31. Several representatives stressed that access to health services, including family planning, should be affordable and acceptable. They stated that the health patterns of women differed from those of men and that women's health was deteriorating with the emergence of AIDS. The problem of traditional practices and the need to eliminate female genital mutilation was mentioned by the representative of one non- governmental organization.

32. Many representatives stated that the elimination of violence against women stood out as a particularly crucial issue and was one of the most extreme violations of women's human rights. They welcomed the adoption by the General Assembly of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. One representative stated that all efforts to promote equality and development would fail if a peaceful and violence-free environment could not be ensured for women. Economic empowerment plus legal protection of their rights could help women in resisting domestic victimization.

33. A representative speaking on behalf of a group of specialized agencies suggested analysing the historical, social and cultural origins of violence. The incidence of violence in the workplace needed to be studied. The particular vulnerability of stateless women such as refugees and displaced women who could no longer avail themselves of their Government's legal protection was highlighted. One observer suggested facilitating the removal of refugee women from conflict areas. Several representatives stressed that trafficking in women and girls for the purpose of prostitution needed to be addressed. One representative suggested establishing a working group to analyse and revise the 1950 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others.

34. It was observed that war-related violence was increasing and that in some parts of the world women were deliberately and systematically subjected to physical abuse and atrocities. Appropriate strategies needed to be formulated to curb State- sponsored violence against women and to bring the perpetrators to justice. A few representatives also observed that terrorism and related atrocities have emerged as an impediment to the enjoyment of human rights, particularly by women, and appropriate strategies needed to be developed to meet that new threat.

35. Some representatives suggested that women's involvement in creating and sustaining peaceful societies should be seen in a perspective broader than that of peace-keeping and should include reconciliation, peaceful resolution of conflicts and dialogue.

36. A few representatives welcomed the addition of a priority theme on women and the media and stressed the role of the mass media in raising gender awareness through education and public information. The effect of global information networks needed to be brought out more clearly. It was suggested that the role of the mass media in portraying women and greater participation of women in the mass media should be addressed.

37. A few representatives expressed their concern about the practicality of using the media to promote equality between women and men, since all media organizations in their countries were independent and Governments were not in a position to take action in that regard.

38. Several representatives welcomed the reference to the mutual responsibility of men and women to sustain and support family life, practically as well as financially. One representative recognized the unequal sharing of family responsibilities as a specific critical area of concern affecting women's participation in all spheres of life. Another representative suggested recognizing that different types of families were an expression of the transformation of society. It was stated that the International Year of the Family, proclaimed for 1994, should accelerate its efforts to encourage women and men to combine family and work responsibilities in a more balanced manner.

39. Several representatives stated that the section on strategic objectives needed further elaboration and strengthening. Too rigid divisions of responsibility among Governments, non- governmental organizations and the United Nations should be avoided. Greater correlation between the sections on critical areas of concern and on strategic objectives would add to the overall coherence of the Platform for Action. Representatives of specialized agencies suggested that it could be enhanced by a concise statement setting forth the strategic nature of each objective, time-bound targets and the establishment of incentives and support measures for their attainment. Concerted action should be based on the regional conferences and other preparatory activities.

40. Some representatives emphasized that efficient financial arrangements needed to be provided and sufficient financial and human resources mobilized. They urged international financial institutions and the private sector to make contributions. The cost of all future action should be determined, and allocations for mainstream action needed to specify the resources devoted to the improvement of the situation of women.

41. With regard to institutional arrangements, one representative suggested that the strengthening of national machinery should be dealt with in its own right as a logical outcome of the critical areas of concern. Some of the characteristics of an efficient national machinery, such as clear identity, political support from the highest level and a cross- cutting and interdisciplinary mandate, mobilization and maintenance of adequate financial and human resources, collection of relevant information on policy-making processes and liaison with focal points in all relevant departments and agencies, could be applied at the international level. It was suggested that the role and place of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Division for the Advancement of Women and other relevant United Nations units should be reconsidered. The first step could be an expert group meeting on the subject. Another representative stated that it might be useful to evaluate the efficiency of exercises such as the United Nations system-wide medium-term plan and the establishment of focal points for women.

Other representatives proposed enhancing the role of the United Nations in promoting strategies for the advancement of women and improving the coordination of activities and programmes within the United Nations, including reinforcement of the Division for the Advancement of Women.

42. Representatives of specialized agencies suggested establishing a core structure concerned with coordinating, monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Platform for Action required at the international, regional and national levels. At the international level, a comprehensive and open dialogue and a record of experience between multilateral and bilateral organizations and representatives of civil society should be an integral part of the institutional arrangements.

ACTION TAKEN BY THE COMMISSION                                      [ UP ]

Draft provisional rules of procedure of the Conference

43. At the 9th meeting, on 11 March 1994, the Commission agreed to hold a substantive debate on the draft provisional rules of procedure of the Conference, contained in document E/CN.6/1994/L.3, at its thirty-ninth session.

44. The Commission also agreed to hold a preliminary discussion of the document at its present session, which was conducted at the 14th meeting, on 16 March.

45. At that meeting, a statement was made by the representative of Austria.

46. At the same meeting, the Secretary-General of the Conference and the representative of the Division for the Advancement of Women responded to questions raised.

Sustainable development and the environmental crisis                   [ UP ]

47. At the 15th meeting, on 17 March 1994, the observer for Papua New Guinea 42/ introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.17) entitled "Sustainable development and the environmental crisis". Subsequently, Malaysia and the Philippines joined in sponsoring the draft resolution, which read as follows:

"The Commission on the Status of Women,

"Concerned that women through their actions have pointed to the seriousness of the global environmental crisis and its direct impact on women's health,

"Aware that there is a lack of adequate recognition of and support for women's contribution to managing natural resources and safeguarding the environment,

"1. Stresses that, in spite of what women have been doing in the field of the environment for over two decades, the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women do not reflect women's concern about and contribution to making a transition from destructive development to sustainable development;

"2. Emphasizes that the debt situation of developing countries and the consequent macroeconomic policies imposed place unbearable burdens on women, and recognizes that those policies are incompatible with sustainable development;

"3. Believes that the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women should:

"(a)Reflect a commitment to sustainable development models based on sustainable livelihoods and lifestyle criteria throughout;

"(b)Contain a chapter, in section IV, setting out specific strategic objectives and actions to be taken to promote the full and equitable participation of women in global action for sustainable development at all levels, and strategic objectives and actions for risk prevention and health promotion education to counter the most serious toxic hazards that are threatening women's, men's and planetary health: toxic chemicals and biological and radioactive contamination;

"(c)Include a recommendation for a framework for ecological economics from a woman's perspective that includes equal distribution of environmental wealth between North and South, between countries and between the sexes;

"(d)Recommend a moratorium on biotechnological patenting of human genetic material until the full scientific, health and ethical implications have been widely reviewed;

"(e)Advocate strategies for debt relief, recognizing the negative impact of debt on women in particular."

48. At the 16th meeting, on 18 March, the observer for Papua New Guinea orally revised the draft resolution as follows:

(a) In operative paragraph 3, the words "the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women should" were replaced by the words "the following issues should be considered with respect to sustainable development and the environmental crisis";

(b) In subparagraph 3 (b), the words "Contain a chapter, in section IV, setting out" were replaced by the words "Sets out";

(c) In subparagraph 3 (c), the words "Include a recommendation for" were replaced by the words "Recommends for" and the word "wealth" was replaced by the word "health".

49. At the 17th meeting, on 18 March, following a statement by the observer for Papua New Guinea, the Commission decided to defer consideration of the draft resolution, as orally revised, to its thirty-ninth session (see chap. I, sect. C, decision 38/1).

Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace                                                    [ UP ]

50. At the 17th meeting, on 18 March 1994, the Chairperson of the Commission introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.6/1994/L.18) entitled "Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace", submitted on the basis of informal consultations.

51. At the same meeting, the Chairperson informed the Commission that, as a result of further informal consultations, the following revisions had been agreed upon:

(a) In operative paragraph 1, the word "prepare" was replaced by the words "develop further" and the words "also taking into account the relevant results of the regional preparatory meetings" were added at the end of the paragraph;

(b) In operative paragraph 3, the words "to organize informal consultations on" were replaced by the words "to convene, in consultation with the Bureau, informal open-ended consultations to exchange views on" and the words "with member States" were deleted;

(c) In operative paragraph 7, the words "and to the International Conference on Population and Development" were inserted after the words "World Social Summit" and the words "and in the resolutions adopted at the thirty-eighth session" were inserted after the words "Platform for Action";

(d) In operative paragraph 8, the words "the preliminary draft of the Platform for Action, as contained in the annex to the present resolution, including any additional opinions expressed by the Working Group at the thirty-eighth session of the Commission" were replaced by the words "the texts contained in the annex to the present resolution";

(e) In operative paragraph 9, the word "identify" was replaced by the word "consider", the words "and the measures they will implement" were deleted and the words "which are identified" were inserted after the words "global priorities";

(f) In operative paragraph 11, the words "to make a public commitment" were deleted and the words "to specific priority objectives contained in the Platform for Action which they will undertake to accelerate progress towards achieving equality for women in their own countries by the year 2000" were replaced by the words "to specify actions which they will take in their own countries to bring about change by the year 2000";

(g) In operative paragraph 12, the words "as a matter of priority" were deleted and the words "programme budgets for the biennia 1996-1997 and 1998-1999, to propose" were replaced by the words "programme budget for the biennium 1996-1997, to anticipate, from within existing levels of the programme budget";

(h) In operative paragraph 17, the sentence which had read:

"The dates for the thirty-ninth session of the Commission should be reviewed in light of the dates set for the World Social Summit in order to ensure effective coordination and to allow for consultations among member States on preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women to be held just prior to the thirty-ninth session of the Commission",

was replaced by the following text:

"The dates for the thirty-ninth session of the Commission should be 15 March to 4 April 1995."

52. At the same meeting, the representative of the United States of America proposed an amendment to operative paragraph 5 by which the words "representatives of different generations" would be replaced by the words "representatives that reflect the diversity of the adult population".

53. The representative of Algeria raised a question, which was responded to by the representative of the Division for the Advancement of Women.

54. The Secretary of the Commission made the following statement with regard to the programme budget implications of the draft resolution, as orally revised:

"Under the terms of operative paragraph 17 of the draft resolution, the Commission on the Status of Women would decide to recommend to the Economic and Social Council that the thirty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women be extended by one week and that provision be made for a two-week meeting of a parallel working group.

"With regard to the extension of the session of the Commission by one week and to a two-week meeting of the parallel working group, additional requirements are estimated on a full-cost basis at $352,400. These requirements are based on the assumption that no part of the conference-servicing requirements would be met from within the permanent conference-servicing capacity of the programme budget for the biennium 1994-1995 and that additional resources would be required for temporary assistance for meetings. The extent to which the Organization's permanent capacity would need to be supplemented by temporary assistance resources can be determined only in the light of the calendar of conferences and meetings for 1994-1995. In accordance with established practice, provisions have been made in the programme budget for the biennium 1994-1995 not only for meetings already known at the time of the budget preparation, but also for meetings or extensions of such meetings that may be authorized subsequently, based on the pattern that has emerged over the previous five years. On that basis, it is estimated that no additional resources would be required under section 25 of the programme budget for the biennium 1994-1995 in order to accommodate the recommendation contained in paragraph 17 of the draft resolution."

55. At the same meeting, the Commission adopted the draft resolution, as orally revised and amended (see chap. I, sect. C, resolution 38/10).

56. After the adoption of the draft resolution, the observer for Uganda made a statement.

57. A statement was also made by the Chairperson.

Chapter VI                                                                                          [ UP ]

PROVISIONAL AGENDA FOR THE THIRTY-NINTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION

1. The Commission considered item 7 of its agenda at its 17th meeting, on 18 March 1994. It had before it document E/CN.6/1994/L.14, which contained the draft provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-ninth session.

2. At the same meeting, the representative of the Division for the Advancement of Women made a statement. Statements were also made by the observer for Indonesia and the representative of the Netherlands.

3. The Secretary-General of the Conference and the representative of the Division for the Advancement of Women responded to questions raised.

4. The Commission then approved the provisional agenda for its thirty-ninth session for submission to the Economic and Social Council (see chap. I, sect. B).

Chapter VII                                                                                         [ UP ]

ADOPTION OF THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON ITS THIRTY-EIGHTH SESSION

1. At the 17th meeting, on 18 March 1994, the Rapporteur introduced the report of the Commission on its thirty-eighth session (E/CN.6/1994/L.5 and Add.1-4), and orally revised it.

2. At the same meeting, amendments were proposed by the representative of Cuba and the observer for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

3. The Commission then adopted the report on its thirty-eighth session as orally revised and amended.

Chapter VIII                                                                                            [ UP ]

ORGANIZATION OF THE SESSION

A. Opening and duration of the session

1. The Commission on the Status of Women held its thirty-eighth session at United Nations Headquarters from 7 to 18 March 1994. The Commission held 18 meetings and a number of informal meetings as a Working Group of the Whole.

2. The session was opened by the Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development. In his statement he emphasized the importance of the thirty-eighth session of the Commission as well as the preparations for the Conference in Beijing for sustainable development and for the implementation of Agenda 21, 45/ and the achievement of the goals of the forthcoming World Summit for Social Development. He also addressed the role of women in development as both agents and beneficiaries, as well as the interrelationship of sustainable development with social issues, environment and the participation of women in society. He further stressed the negative consequences of prevailing gender inequality, poverty, violence against women, women's unpaid labour in the household, and lack of equal access to education, resources and decision-making for the harmonious development of societies.

B. Attendance

3. The session was attended by representatives of 44 States members of the Commission. Observers for other States Members of the United Nations and for non-member States, representatives of organizations of the United Nations system and observers for intergovernmental, non-governmental and other organizations also attended. A list of participants is contained in annex I to the present report.

C. Election of officers

4. At the 1st and 6th meetings, on 7 and 9 March 1994, the Commission elected the following officers by acclamation:

Chairperson: Patricia Licuanan (Philippines)

Vice-Chairpersons: Natalia Drozd (Belarus) Irene Freudenschuss-Reichl (Austria) Olga Pellicer (Mexico)

Rapporteur: Dj‚n‚bou Kaba (C“te d'Ivoire)

D. Agenda and organization of work

5. At the 1st meeting, on 7 March 1994, the Commission adopted its provisional agenda, contained in document E/CN.6/1994/1, as follows:

1. Election of officers.

2. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters.

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

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

5. Priority themes:

(a) Equality: Equal pay for work of equal value, including methodologies for measurement of pay inequities and work in the informal sector;

(b) Development: Women in urban areas: population, nutrition and health factors for women in development, including migration, drug consumption and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome;

(c) Peace: Measures to eradicate violence against women in the family and society.

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

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

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

6. Also at the 1st meeting, the Commission approved the proposed organization of work for the session (E/CN.6/1994/L.2).

7. At the 7th meeting, on 10 March, the Vice-Chairperson of the Commission, Olga Pellicer (Mexico), was appointed Chairperson of the Informal Working Group of the Whole on Preparations for the Fourth World Conference on Women.

E. Appointment of the members of the Working Group on Communications on the Status of Women

8. At the 1st meeting, on 7 March 1994, the Commission decided to establish a Working Group to consider, under agenda item 4, communications regarding the status of women, pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolution 1983/27. The following five members, nominated by their regional groups, were appointed:

Feng Cui (China) Sharon Kotok (United States of America) Ana Mar¡a Luettgen (Cuba) Omer M. A. Siddig (Sudan Oksana Tomov  (Slovakia)

F. Consultations with non-governmental organizations

9. Written statements submitted by non-governmental organizations in accordance with rule 76 of the rules of procedure of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council (E/5975/Rev.1) are listed in annex II to the present report.

45/ Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992 (A/CONF.151/26/Rev.1 (Vol. I, Vol. I/Corr.1, Vol. II, Vol. III and Vol. III/Corr.1)) (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigenda), vol. I: Resolutions adopted by the Conference, resolution 1, annex II.

Annex I                                                                                                                          [ UP ]

ATTENDANCE

Members*

Algeria Ramtane Lamamra, Rabah Hadid, Faouzia Bouma‹za, Hocine Sahraoui

Australia Ann Sherry, Annie McLean, Anne Moores, Martin Sharp, Kathy Wong, Sandra Yates, Suzette Mitchell

Austria Ernst Sucharipa, Irene Freudenschuss-Reichl, Ruth Rieder, Brigitte Brenner, Edda Weiss

Bahamas Janet Bostwick, Cora Bain-Colebrook, A. Missouri Sherman-Peter, Sharon Brennen-Haylock, Sandra Carey

Bangladesh Sarwari Rahman, Reaz Rahman, A. B. Manjoor Rahim, Ismat Jahan, Salahuddin Muhammad Musa

Belarus Natalia Drozd, Nikolai Lepeshko

Bulgaria Lyudmila Bozhkova, Vladlen Stefanov

Chile Juan Somavia, Consuelo Gazmuri, Fidel Coloma

China Wang Shuxian, Chen Jian, Feng Cui, Du Yong, Chen Wangxia, Yin Yungong, Zou XiaoQiao, Wang Donghua, Diao Mingsheng, Jiang Qin, Zhang Dan, Huang Shu

Colombia Luis Fernando Jaramillo, Ginger de Nule, Maria Francisca Arias, Pilar Arango, Patricia Prieto, Isabel Longono

Costa Rica Emilia Castro de Barish

C“te d'Ivoire Michele Allechi Donga, Dj‚n‚bou Kaba

Cuba Yolanda Ferrer, Leonor Rodr¡guez, Ana Mar¡a Luettgen, Elsa Agramonte, Margarita Valle, Juan Antonio Fern ndez

Cyprus Erato K. Markoullis

Ecuador

Finland Tuulikki Pet„j„niemi, Hannu M„rk„l„, Anja-Riitta Ketokoski, Raili Lahnalampi, Tuula Haatainen, Sole Molander

France H‚lŠne Gisserot, M. Herv‚ Ladsous, Claire Aubin, Pascal Maubert, Jocelyne Berdu, Brigitte Collet, Christina Vasak

Guinea Aboubacar Dione, Mahawa Bangoura

Guinea-Bissau Maria Manuela Lopes da Rosa

India M. H. Ansari, T. P. Sreenivasan, S. K. Guha, Sujan R. Chinoy, Manimekalai Murugesan

Iran (Islamic Golamali Khoshroo, Zahra Hajabbasgholi, Republic of) Farideh Hassani, Afsaneh Nadipour Shorcheh, Jafar Oulia

Italy Francesco Paolo Fulci, Tina Amselmi, Massimo Rustico, Daniela Colombo

Japan Makiko Sakai, Mitsuko Horiuchi, Mariko Bando, Eiko Nakamura, Atsuko Ishii, Jiro Usui, Harumi Katsumata, Akemi Fujiu

Kenya Grace Ogot, Francis K. Muthaura, Zipporah Kitonyi, Ann Ambere, Philip Richard Owade, Flora I. Karugu

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

Madagascar No‰l Rakotondramboa, Reine Raoelina

Malaysia Fatimah Hamid Don, Zuraidah Amiruddin, Ramani Gurusamy, Zulkifli Adnan

Mexico Olga Pellicer, Gustavo Alb¡n, Patricia Espinosa, Ana Mar¡a Mart¡nez

Namibia Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Tunguru Huaraka, Selma Ashipala, Eva Neels

Netherlands J. Swiebel, T. Fogelberg, A. Gosses, D. Bonis, M. de Jong, A. Offermans

Pakistan Nusrat Bhutto, Jamsheed K. A. Marker, Zafar Iqbal Rathore, Sher Afgan Khan, Rukhsana Bangash, Awais Bangash, Tehmina Janjua, Mansur Raza

Peru Fernando Guill‚n, Jorge L zaro, Ana Pena

Philippines Patricia B. Licuanan, Narcisa L. Escaler, Ruth S. Limjuco, Linglingay F. Lacanlale, Imelda M. Nicolas, Nona S. Ricafort, Ester A. Vibal

Republic of Korea Young-Ja Kwon, Dae Won Suh, Hong Jae Im, In Ja Hwang, Bok Soon Park, Ji Ah Paik, Sook Hyung Yi, Hea Lan Lee, Soon Young Chung

Russian Federation E. A. Pamfilova, Ivan Khryskov, M. O. Korunova, G. N. Galkina

Rwanda

Slovakia Oksana Tomov 

Spain Marina Subirats, Esther Rubio Herranz, Maria Jose Montero Corominas, Juan Jose Urtasun, Pilar Perona

Sudan Khadija Karar, Omer Mohamed Ahmed Siddig

Thailand Saisuree Chutikul, Sriwatana Chulajata, Benjamas Marpraneet, Vitavas Srivihok, Bhavivarn Noraphallop

Tunisia Slaheddine Abdellah, Souad Abdennebi, Holla Bach Tobji

United States of America

Venezuela Carmen Teresa Martinez, Guillermina Da Silva- Suniaga, Maria Ines Fonseca

Zambia O. S. Musuka, Mwila G. B. Chigaga, Encyla Sinjela

*Zaire was not represented at the session.

States Members of the United Nations represented by observers

Albania, Angola, Argentina, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Cape Verde, Croatia, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mali, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Suriname, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Viet Nam, Yemen

Non-member States represented by observers

Holy See, Switzerland

United Nations

United Nations Children's Fund, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, United Nations Development Fund for Women, United Nations Population Fund, World Food Programme, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Economic Commission for Africa, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations International Drug Control Programme, International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, International Trade Centre UNCTAD/GATT, Centre for Human Rights

Specialized agencies and related organizations

International Labour Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Health Organization, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, International Fund for Agricultural Development, United Nations Industrial Development Organization

Intergovernmental organizations represented by observers

Commission of the European Communities, Commonwealth Secretariat, Council of Europe, League of Arab States, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Organization of African Unity, Organization of American States

Other organizations represented by observers

Palestine

Non-governmental organizations

Category I: International Alliance of Women - Equal Rights, Equal Responsibilities, International Chamber of Commerce, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, International Cooperative Alliance, International Council of Women, International Council on Social Welfare, International Federation of Business and Professional Women, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations, Inter-Parliamentary Union, League of Red Cross and Red Crescents Societies, Society for International Development (SID), Soroptimist International, Women's International Democratic Federation, Zonta International

Category II: All India Women's Conference, American Association of Jurists, American Association of Retired Persons, Amnesty International, Associated Country Women of the World, Association of African Women for Research and Development, Baha'i International Community, CHANGE, Childhope, Christian Democrat International, Church World Service, Inc., Commonwealth Medical Association, Disabled People's International, Friends World Committee for Consultation, General Arab Women Federation, Habitat International Coalition, Housewives in Dialogue, Human Rights Internet (HRI), Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC), International Abolitionist Federation, International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF), International Council of Jewish Women, International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres (IFS), International Federation of University Women, International Human Rights Law Group, Lutheran World Federation, Medical Women's International Association, National Council of German Women's Organizations - Federal Union of Women's Organizations and Women's Groups of German Associations, E.V., Private Agencies Collaborating Together, Inc., Pan-African Women's Organization, Pan-Pacific and South-East Asia Women's Association, Pax Romana (International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs) (International Movement of Catholic Students), Sisterhood is Global Institute, Socialist International Women (SIW), St. Joan's International Alliance, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Women's World Banking, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Council of Indigenous People (WCIP), World Federation for Mental Health, World Federation of Methodist Women (WFMW), World Federation of the Ukrainian Women's Organizations, World Leisure and Recreation Association, World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations, World University Service

Roster: Center of Concern, Helen Keller International, Inc., International Federation for the Protection of the Rights of Ethnic, Religious, Linguistic and Other Minorities, International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), International Juridical Organization, International Studies Association, International Women's Anthropology Conference, Inc. (IWAC), International Women's Tribune Centre, National Congress of Neighborhood Women, Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., Population Communications - International, Third World Movement against the Exploitation of Women

Other non-governmental organizations: Academy for Educational Development, Action Committee for Children and Women's Rights in Mali, The African-American Institute, African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), Akina Mana Wa Afrika, All-China Women's Federation, Asian Women Human Rights Council (AWHRC), Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Association for Progressive Communications (APC), Australian Council for Women, Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA), Center for Asia/Pacific Women in Politics, The Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, Center for Women's Global Leadership, Center for Women's Research (CENWOR), Church Women United, Cladem - The Latin American Committee for the Defense of Women's Rights, Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), Equality Now, Family Therapy Practice Center, The Feminist Majority Foundation, Feminist Press, The Ford Foundation, Franciscans, General Federation of Jordanian Women, Global Alliance for Women's Health, The Global Fund for Women, Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood (GROOTS), Hong Kong Federation of Women, Hong Kong Women Christian Council, Initiatives: Women in Development, Interaction: American Council for Voluntary International Action, International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) & International Women Judges Foundation (IWJF), International Pen Women Writers' Committee, International Women's Development Agency, International Women's Health Coalition, International Women's Year Liaison Group (IWYIC), Isis International, Israel Women's Network, Japan Civil Liberties Union (JCLU), Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA), Korea Institute for Women and Politics, Legal Research and Resource Development Center, Loretto Community (Sisters of Loretto and Co- members), Mader, Inc., MOA Foundation, Na'amat USA, the Women's Labour Zionist Organization of America, Inc., National Conference of Puerto Rican Women, Inc., National Women's Conference Center, Netherlands Organization for International Development Cooperation (NOVIB), Network Women in Development Europe (WIDE), Opportunities Industrialization Centers International, Inc. (O.I.C.I.), Partners of the Americas, Philippine-American Foundation, Pilipine-Kilusan Ng Kababaihang Pilipino (Movement of Filipino Women), Pro Women (Programs for Women), Sociologists for Women in Society, Unitarian Universalist Association, United Methodist Church/General Board of Church Society, United Nations Association of America, Vivid Communication with Women in Their Cultures, Wittenberg Center for Alternative Resources, Women and Law in Southern Africa, Women's Action Network for Development (WAND), Women's Alliance for Democracy, Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), Women's Research and Education Fund, Inc. of the National Association of Commissions for Women (WREF of NACW), Women's World Banking, Women's World Summit Foundation (WWSF)

Annex II                                                                                                             [ UP ]

LIST OF DOCUMENTS BEFORE THE COMMISSION AT ITS THIRTY-EIGHTH SESSION

Document symbol Agenda item Title or description

E/CN.6/1994/1 2 Provisional agenda

E/CN.6/1994/2 5 (a) Equality: Equal pay for work of equal value, including methodologies for measurement of pay inequities and work in the informal sector: report of the Secretary-General

E/CN.6/1994/3 5 (b) Development: Women in urban areas: population, nutrition and health factors for women in development, including migration, drug consumption and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: report of the Secretary-General

E/CN.6/1994/4 5 (c) Peace: Measures to eradicate violence against women in the family and society: report of the Secretary-General

E/CN.6/1994/5 3 Improvement of the status of women in the Secretariat: report of the Secretary-General

E/CN.6/1994/6 4 Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women: note by the Secretary-General

E/CN.6/1994/7 4 Women and children under apartheid: report of the Secretary-General

E/CN.6/1994/8 4 Measures to publicize the communications mechanism of the Commission on the Status of Women: report of the Secretary-General

E/CN.6/1994/9 6 Preparations for the Fourth World and Corr. 1 Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace: report of the Secretary-General

E/CN.6/1994/10 6 Draft Platform for Action: report of the Secretary-General

E/CN.6/1994/11 4 Follow-up to the World Conference on Human Rights: report of the Secretary-General

E/CN.6/1994/12 6 Report of the Inter-sessional Working Group of the Commission on the Status of Women

E/CN.6/1994/13 6 Preliminary version of the 1994 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development: report of the Secretary-General

E/CN.6/1994/L.1 2 Status of documentation for the session: note by the Secretariat

E/CN.6/1994/L.2 2 Proposed organization of work

E/CN.6/1994/L.3 6 Draft provisional rules of procedure of the Conference: note by the Secretariat

E/CN.6/1994/L.4 2 List of non-governmental organizations recommended for accreditation: note by the Secretariat

E/CN.6/1994/L.5 8 Draft report of the Commission on its and Add.1-4 thirty-eighth session

E/CN.6/1994/L.6 4 Algeria (on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77) and China: draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/L.7 4 United States of America: draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/L.8 3 Algeria, Angola, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Italy, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America and Zambia: draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/L.9 4 Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, C“te d'Ivoire, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Republic of Tanzania and Venezuela: draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/L.10 4 Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, C“te d'Ivoire, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, United Republic of Tanzania, Venezuela and Zambia: draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/L.11 5 Algeria (on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77) and China: draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/L.12 4 Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Turkey: draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/L.13 4 Algeria (on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77): draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/L.14 7 Draft provisional agenda and documentation for the thirty-ninth session of the Commission

E/CN.6/1994/L.15/Rev.1 5 Australia, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Mali, Papua New Guinea and United States of America: revised draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/L.16 5 Algeria, Belarus, Ecuador, Namibia, Pakistan and Philippines: draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/L.17 6 Papua New Guinea: draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/L.18 6 Draft resolution submitted by the Chairperson of the Commission

E/CN.6/1994/L.19 5 (a) Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/L.20 5 Algeria, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ecuador, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Tunisia and Turkey: draft resolution

E/CN.6/1994/NGO/1 6 Statement submitted by the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children, a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, category II

E/CN.6/1994/NGO/2 6 Statement submitted by the Medical Women's International Association, a non-governmental organization in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, category II

E/CN.6/1994/NGO/3 5 (b) Statement submitted by the following and 6 non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council: International Council on Social Welfare, World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) (category I); American Association of Retired Persons, Associated Country Women of the World, Baha'i International Community, Conference of European Churches (CEC), International Association of Democratic Lawyers, International Council of Jewish Women, International Federation of Social Workers, International Movement for Fraternal Union among Races and Peoples (UFER), Medical Women's International Association, Socialist International Women (SIW), World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Federation of Methodist Women (WFMW), World Vision International, World Young Women's Christian Association (category II); International Inner Wheel, Movement against Racism and for Friendship among Peoples (Roster)

E/CN.6/1994/NGO/4 5 (c) Statement submitted by the following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council: International Alliance of Women - Equal Rights, Equal Responsibilities, International Council of Women, International Council on Social Welfare, International Federation of Business and Professional Women, International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations, Soroptimist International, World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), Zonta International (category I); Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC), International Abolitionist Federation, International Association of Democratic Lawyers, International Association of Penal Law, International Commission of Jurists, International Council of Jewish Women, International Federation of Resistance Movements, International Federation of University Women, International Federation of Women in Legal Careers, International Movement for Fraternal Union among Races and Peoples (UFER), Lutheran World Federation, National Council of German Women's Organizations - Federal Union of Women's Organizations and Women's Groups of German Associations, E.V., Pan Pacific and South-East Asia Women's Association, Socialist International Women (SIW), Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Women's International Zionist Organization, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Federation for Mental Health, World Federation of Methodist Women (WFMW), World Jewish Congress, World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations (category II); International Inner Wheel, International Peace Bureau, Movement against Racism and for Friendship among Peoples (Roster)

E/CN.6/1994/NGO/5 5 (b) Statement submitted by the following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council: International Council on Social Welfare, International Federation of Agricultural Producers, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), Zonta International (category I); American Association of Retired Persons, Associated Country Women of the World, Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC), International Abolitionist Federation, International Association of Democratic Lawyers, International Council of Jewish Women, International Federation for Home Economics (IFHE), International Federation of University Women, International Federation Terre des Hommes, Lutheran World Federation, Medical Women's International Association, National Council of German Women's Organizations - Federal Union of Women's Organizations and Women's Groups of German Associations, E.V., Pan -Pacific and South-East Asia Women's Association, Socialist International Women (SIW), Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Federation for Mental Health, World Federation of Methodist Women (WFMW), World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations, World Young Women's Christian Association (category II); International Council of Nurses (Roster)

E/CN.6/1994/NGO/6 6 Statement submitted by the following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council: International Council of Women, International Federation of Business and Professional Women, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Soroptimist International (category I); Associated Country Women of the World, Commonwealth Medical Association, International Federation of University Women, Medical Women's International Association, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, World Young Women's Christian Association (category II); Centre for Development and Population Activities, Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association, International Confederation of Midwives, International Council of Nurses, International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (Roster)

E/CN.6/1994/NGO/7 5 (b) Statement submitted by the following non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council: Associated Country Women of the World, Commonwealth Medical Association, World Young Women's Christian Association (category II); Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association, International Council of Nurses, International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (Roster)

E/CN.6/1994/NGO/8 6 Statement submitted by International Women's Anthropology Conference, Inc. (IWAC), a non- governmental organization on the Roster

(This document has been made available in electronic format by the United Nations.)

[ UP ]