7. Provisional agenda for the fortieth session of the Commission.
8. Adoption of the report of the Commission on its thirty-ninth session.
* For the discussion, see chap. VI.

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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)).
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.
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.
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.
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.

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.
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

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, Cte 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.

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, Cte 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 Cte 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, Cte 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, Cte 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.

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, Cte 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, Cte 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.

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.

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).

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.

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: Djnbou Kaba (Cte 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 Boumaza, 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
Cte d'Ivoire Michele Allechi Donga, Djnbou 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 Petjniemi, Hannu Mrkl,
Anja-Riitta Ketokoski, Raili Lahnalampi, Tuula Haatainen, Sole Molander
France Hlne 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 Nol 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 Guilln, 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
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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, Cte 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, Cte 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.)
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